Michael Jackson: the death of a King
Michael Jackson
As all of you have certainly already heard with regret, yesterday, Michael Jackson said goodbye to the world that saw him rise as the King of Pop in the 70’s, having sucumbed to a heart attack.
Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, in 1958 and has been entertaining audiences nearly his entire life. His parents encouraged their family’s interests in music and, in 1964, just 6 years old, Michael Jackson joined his brothers in their group, forming The Jackson 5. A musical prodigy, Michael’s singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of the band.
After some remarkable success, solo success for Michael was inevitable and, by the 80’s, he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group. His albums would beat records in sales, culminating in the biggest-selling album of all time, Thriller. A TV natural, he ventured rather uneasily into films, such as playing the Scarecrow in “The Wiz” (1978), but had better luck with elaborate music videos.
In the 90s the down side as an 80s pop phenomenon began to show. Michael grew terribly child-like and introverted by his celebrity. A rather timorous, androgynous figure to begin with, his physical appearance began to change drastically and his behavior grew alarmingly bizarre, making him a consistent target for scandal-making, despite his numerous charitable acts. Two brief marriages – one to Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley – were forged and two children were produced by his second wife during that time, but the purposes were obviously image oriented.
Despite it all, Michael Jackson’s skills as a singer, dancer, writer and businessman are unparalleled, and it is these prodigious talents that will ultimately prevail over the extremely negative aspects of his seriously troubled life.
Some celebrities commented on his death:
Madonna: “I can’t stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless.”
Lisa Marie Presley: “I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me.”
Justin Timberlake: “I can’t find the words right now to express how deeply sad I am by Michael’s passing. We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music, but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.”
Beyonce Knowles: “This is such a tragic loss and a terrible day. The incomparable Michael Jackson has made a bigger impact on music than any other artist in the history of music. He was magic. He was what we all strive to be. He will always be the king of pop!”
Rest in peace, Michael. “You rocked our world, you know you did”.
