Michael Joseph Jackson, the King of Pop left us with a legacy comparable to few.
I'm pretty sure I'll remember that day vividly for the rest of my life. I was personally having a great day. I had gotten my iPhone earlier that morning and it was the day my little sister was graduating High School. On the way to the ceremony the song "Off The Wall" came on the radio. We turned the volume all the way up and jammed out on the highway singing along and dancing in the car seats. By the end of the day that would be my favorite Michael Jackson song because that was the last time I got to enjoy the music without the slightest sadness. Within the hour after that moment the King would be gone. After my sisters commencement we went to dinner. My appetizer was interrupted by a distraught text message sent from one of my best friends who may be the biggest fan of Michael that I know. He informed me that he had heard from his mother that Michael had passed. I thought, "Nah, couldn't be". I then decided to investigate and utilize my newly obtained technology. The vast majority of credible news sources were only reporting his hospitalization. I was worried but relieved. However, while on a short trip to the bathroom in the crowded Cheesecake Factory I overheard six separate conversations which began "did you hear Michael Jackson died?" Bad news travels fast.
I was no longer able to obtain updates on the situation as I had exhausted my iPhone battery power in the first day bliss prior to the news. It became more real as other members of our party began to receive text messages. I slowly began to embrace the possibility. As we exited we were encountered with the awful truth. The televisions in the bar area mocked the last bit of optimism that I had left. CNN on the screen, the headline: "Michael Jackson dead at 50" I stared at the screen, trying to absorb the impossible news. at that moment I realized, I had forgotten he was mortal.
Why would he be mortal to me? By the time I came into existence he had already redefined what a pop star could be. He had already broken records and taken over the charts. By the time I was born he was already an icon, he was already the King of Pop.
Much of my youth was spent discovering his music, the music he was producing at the time and his already extensive catalog. Looking back I'm actually surprised at how easily I accepted the idea that this pale man with the small nose was once the small dark child with the Afro singing with his brothers. Maybe it was the fact that the talent made it undeniable. One thing is for sure, at every step of my introduction to Michael I was absolutely awe struck.
From the first time I witnessed the Moonwalk to cheering him on in "Smooth Criminal" and the first time I was scared out of my mind watching the epic "Thriller" video. He was amazing. Unfortunately, in the middle of this experience of discovering the master, my image of him would be altered as the infamous allegations surfaced. Too young to be capable of a psycho analyzation I was slightly swayed by the vicious attacks by the media. Just the consideration of what he was accused of frightened me, I was a little boy myself at the time after all.
As I grew older I came to better understand Michael. No, he wasn't "normal" by the standards of certain people but that was part of the reason why he was larger than life to me. That was one of the reasons that I had forgotten that he was mortal. Honestly, I think anyone put in his place would have come out with similar issues in their adulthood. I know if I was THAT rich and THAT famous from such a young age I'd do some strange things without giving it a second thought. While he missed out on certain freedoms of childhood most of us got to experience, he had a kind of freedom few of us could understand. In his adulthood he attempted to reconstruct the childhood he missed with the freedom he had. He surrounded himself with children and made his home an amusement park. Not "normal" behavior for a grown man but I truly believe it was harmless. But it made him an easy target.
I don't think he had much of a sexual capacity. After all, his introduction to sex was his brothers taking girls back to the room they all shared while on tour when he was about 7 years old. Nothing about this man's childhood was healthy psychologically. We should be grateful for how normal he actually did turn out. If you were to think about the most traumatic experience of your life and then imagine going through it with the whole world watching then you have an idea of what a fraction of his life was like. There is NO other artist who has ever lived that gave as much of their life to their art-form. There is also no other artist who has given more. Not only has Michael touched lives around the world and inspired millions but as the time of his death Michael Jackson held the Guinness World record for most charitable contributions. For this alone he deservers our honor and respect. I'd be lying if I said I never muttered or laughed at a Michael Jackson joke but as I had stated he made himself an easy target and it took time for me to see the truth behind it all.
Losing Michael made me think about how defining death is. Once you die, your story is told. There is nothing more you can contribute to the world. This fact made his demise even more tragic as he was about to contribute possibly his last tour. As I watched the filmed footage of "This Is It" I shook my head in sadness knowing that it would NEVER truly be experienced by anyone. Michaels last show would have been incredible. And that's where his story ended.
After leaving the restaurant I went back to my room, played "Human Nature" watched the news and… cried. My view of life had been altered, if Michael could die nothing was safe. Along with the world I morned. When I have children they will only have the legend. Until a year ago I had a living legend. I wish his presence could have continued. For me Michael was one of my heroes. He continues to inspire my art and my life. I could only dream of becoming a small fraction of the incredible artist he was. He's one of the greats, in the ranks of Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Elvis (say what you will about Elvis, he took over in his day).
I never met the man but I sure do miss him.
Long live the King.
/.Eyes Always Open.\
- Jag-Ra
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