Tribute to the King of Pop

One of my favorite artists of all time passed away today. I was sitting in an insurance office waiting to have my WREB results notorized (I passed by the way) when I heard the news. Cardiac arrest, but how did that happen? He passed extensive physical exams before beginning rehearsals for his upcoming tour; I hope he didn't do this to himself. Michael Jackson was an amazing artist and I can't believe he's gone. I'm a little bit devastated.

Several months ago, on one of my Saturdays when I should have been studying about teeth and gums, Brandt and I were watching tv and "Free Willy" was on the Spanish station, so we were watching it (in Spanish of course!) and I was telling Brandt how I always loved the theme song from that movie, "Will You Be There" from Michael Jackson. So of course I had to look it up online and play it for Brandt and that led to over 10 hours of internet searching of everything Michael. I just got sucked in. His life was so fascinating to me. I read bios and watched documentaries and news reports and several videos of him performing. I learned so much about him that I didn't know before. Growing up, the gossip that I heard was that his skin turned white because he had AIDS, which is completely rediculous. That rumor probably got started because 1) people didn't know what caused AIDS, nor its side effects, and 2) Michael was involved in fundraising for AIDS research and AIDS awareness so people assumed he had it. I learned that at one time, and he maybe still does, Michael was in the Guiness Book of World Records for most charities supported and money donated to charity (or something like that). At the time, he had given over $300 million to charity. I also didn't know that he wrote or co-wrote nearly all of his songs. I looked up several of his songs and what inspired them and it's amazing how much thought and deeper meaning there is to his songs.

Michael Jackson passed away at age 50. Can you imagine what he could have done if he hadn't died so young? He has sold more records than any other artist (750 million). I was so excited to hear that he was going to start touring again and I wanted so much to be able to see him in concert (of course, ticket sales for the entire tour sold out within minutes and I would have had to travel to Europe to see him...but still, I was hopeful he would come to the US next!)

These days, especially in the US, when people mention Michael Jackson it is usually to poke fun at his expense. And there was the whole deal with the child molestation charges that he dealt with. That was part of the reason I spent so much time researching him. Not only was I fascinated with him but I wanted to come to my own conclusion about him. So, after all of my study this is my opinion: Yes, Michael Jackson was different, especially the last few years, but he wasn't a criminal. He was a very misunderstood person who wanted to make the world better, especially for kids. And the media took his love for children and eccentricities and manipulated them to sell a story, ruining a man's life in the process. Maybe it's just that this is what I want to believe, but I truly feel that he is innocent.

But that's just my opinion. Everyone has their own, and I'm sure some people think I'm crazy. But I think it's amazing that for having grown up in the spotlight with so much fame and fortune that Michael was as kind and good as he was. And such an amazing artist. I don't think anyone will ever be able to top what he has accomplished. I'll admit that the last several years he has acted extremely strange on many occasions; but I'm not judging him - he's gone through a lot over the past decade. I will, and will forever be, a fan of Michael Jackson.

Here are two videos that I found on YouTube that are my absolute favorite of Michael Jackson. The first is an amazing performance from my favorite MJ era (late 80's/early 90's) at the MTV 10th anniversary singing two of my favorite MJ songs. The second is just funny. Michael Jackson has influenced our culture through his music and dance more than we probably will ever realize, and because of that he is, and always will be, the King of Pop.