Michael Jackson is dead.

When news of his death arising from cardiac arrest spread like wildfire across the globe, half the world is in mourning and the other half heaves a sigh of relief.

There never has been any artiste more successful in the history of the music world than Michael Jackson. Love him or hate him, one cannot deny his brilliance and contributions to modern pop. He was the one who ignited the imaginations of millions with his by now legendary moonwalk and other slick moves. Growing up listening to his songs, his death is like a good friend suddenly departing without bidding a last goodbye.

If ‘Beat It’,  ‘Bad’, ‘Smooth Criminal’ and other rock infused anthems are what people will remember him for, then I must add to his legacy his sentimental songs like ‘The Girl Is Mine’ and ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’…not forgetting his other songs written for children and worthy causes like the fight against poverty and the earth such as ‘You Are Not Alone’,  ‘Heal The World’ and ‘Earth Song’.

As fans, we cannot help but mourn the loss of the King of Pop – the one who won an unprecedented 19 Grammy Awards, 40 Billboard Awards, 22 American Music Awards, 13 Guinness World Records, 13 MTV Awards, 12 World Music Awards and 7 Brit Awards. That’s 197 major awards in his entire career! He is without any doubt the most successful music icon of all times, selling more than 61 million albums in the United States alone.

Besides his music, his fashion sense too has endeared himself to his followers. Even till date, I still see men wearing white socks with black loafers. The Michael Jackson era still isn’t quite over yet for them. And never do away with the military inspired suits and jackets. They are all in the name of his regal fashion.

With his death also comes the half of the world who heaves a sigh of relief. At last, they won’t hear of yet another Michael Jackson linked scandal of child molestation ever again. So did he sexually abuse the young boys he invited to stay overnight at his Neverland ranch? If he didn’t, why did he agree to settle the various cases out of court? In one particular case involving the 13 year old boy named Jordan Chandler, he even reportedly paid US$23 million to close the issue. This is testimony that he did it, isn’t it? And how many more unreported cases were there exactly? Beats me.

And there will never be another sensational headline that screams bad nose job or plastic surgery gone horribly wrong. Remember those days when Michael Jackson looked more ghoulish than glamorous after his face lifts, nose jobs and whitening skin peels? He looked just like Bubbles, his favourite ape pet he used to keep.

Perhaps the man is too much an entertainer that whatever he does is lapped up with fervor by the media. After all, he is the King of Pop. And what is an entertainer who does not entertain? Michael Jackson more than lived up to that label. In fact, his entire life was like a circus and the Peter Pan of Pop just refuses to grow up. If not, how can one explain the pains he took to build Neverland, his 1133 ha ranch cum private zoo complete with elephants, giraffes and other critters? Record has it that he spent US$250, 000 a month in payroll costs employing 50 full-time employees just for this purpose.

And if you want to attract hordes of media attention, just take a leaf from Michael Jackson’s book. Dangle your child over a balcony for your fans to see.

Yet regardless of whether you love him or hate him, Michael Jackson leaves a legacy which can never be duplicated by anyone. He transcends everything and is larger than life. If Barrack Obama is the first black American President in history, then Michael Jackson must be given credit for bringing black people into the mainstream and being the first black American to be adored in music history. There is no one who has not heard of Michael Jackson. He is this famous, or infamous if you are on the other side of the fence.

Now that Michael Jackson is gone, the next question on everyone’s lips is who gets custody of his three kids and fortune. But this is a question for his family and ex-wives to tussle among themselves.

In the hearts of millions of fans, he was already elevated to that of a living god cultural icon as his creative music genres, sleek dance moves, fashionable dress sense and high-pitched voice were a constant inspiration.

But despite all his genius, talent, fame and wealth, Michael Jackson still wasn’t invincible. He could not attain immortality.

For now, only one fact remains. Michael Jackson is dead.

Goodbye Michael, you will be missed. But I am not alone.

Comments(1)