On June 25, Michael Jackson, the king of pop, passed away. It caused a big media frenzy, and the entertainment news programs still feature a segment on him every night. It got to the point where some people got angry that we were so focused on a dead celebrity when there was so much other newsworthy stuff going on in the world.
My thoughts:
First of all, I was disappointed in the people, especially my facebook friends, who were “tired” of hearing about MJ and who cracked cruel jokes in the wake of his death. A man died. Maybe he was not actually a part of your family or mine. But he was a cultural icon for decades, and he reached a lot of people’s ears and hearts. He may as well have belonged to the millions of families in whose homes his music played for so many years. People were heartbroken that he passed so suddenly and so mysteriously. The extensive media coverage was a method of mourning, so I think it was totally warranted.
That all said, I actually did not watch MJ’s memorial service. I saw all of the clips that were replayed later, but I celebrated his life by listening to his music. The thing is, I was born at the height of his career, but most of his music is fairly new to me because my parents never really bought cassettes or CDs. We did purchase a copy of Thriller a few years ago, but I didn’t buy The Essential Michael Jackson until a month ago. I discovered a number of his older hits after his death. But on July 26, I got to visit his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Michael Jackson, I will forever remember you for your immense contribution to music.
