Yesterday afternoon the world lost its King of Pop, Michael Jackson. I had been sitting at my desk at work, wrapping up my final projects for the day, when a strange update popped up in my Twitter feed. For those who are unaware, Twitter is a free micro-blogging site, that allows users to post messages in 140 characters or less, that can be seen be the entire Twitter community. Many celebrities and news outlets user Twitter to communicate breaking news.
At around 5:15pm eastern time a message popped into my feed from the Today Show (@todayshow) that said "911 called. Michael Jackson rushed to LA hospital. Suffered a heart attack." I was immediately taken a back, but hoping for the best.
Less than 30 minutes later, the Today Show posted again, this time to say "TMZ reports Michael Jackson has died". I was in shock. The bewilderment was on two levels - first, he was only 50 years old, and second, he was one of, if not the greatest, entertainers who ever lived.
I was first introduced to Michael Jackson's music by my parents. Huge Motown fans, my parents exposed my sister and I to Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and of course, the Jackson 5. I always loved to sing along to "ABC" and "Back to Your Heart".
In nursery school, my music class sang along to "Rockin Robin". In first grade, I had a sleepover with my two older cousins, and we danced around their bedroom to "Black or White". I remember being so proud of myself when I finally learned the words to the rap in that song!
When I finally got my own boom box, one of my first cassette tapes was Michael's "Dangerous". I remember loving the artwork on the album cover. Most of my memories of Michael come from this part of his career - when "Dangerous" was climbing the charts, and stadiums around the globe were packed with people screaming for this incredible singer, dancer and performer.
Around this same time, the Broadway cast of the musical "The Wiz" came to Boston. Michael played the part of the scarecrow in the film version, and after seeing the show, I couldn't get "Ease on Down the Road' out of my head! To this day, that is still one of my favorite sing along songs.
As I got older, Michael's body of work became a reference to "the past" in new pop culture creations. In Adam's Sandler's film "The Wedding Singer" his best friend wears a red, Thriller, knock-off jacket to try and attract ladies. In the dance film "Center Stage" the final number has the three lead dancers grooving to "The Way You Make Me Feel".
In Jennifer Garner's coming of age film "13 Going On 30" she revives a corporate party by asking the DJ to play "Thriller" and nailing every step of the choreography in front of the crowd (they all eventually join in).
Just a few weeks ago on American Idol the contestants performed several of Michael's hits, including a superb performance of "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) by Danny Gokey.
In the last 10 years Michael has been at the center of several controversies. A child molestation case, his decision to wear masks in public, as well as putting masks on his three, young children, and his change from a young, black boy and teenager, to a deformed looking, white man. My 11 year old cousin, was actually unaware Michael Jackson was ever black, until my mother showed him some old video clips.
Despite all of the drama in his personal life, Michael was still considered a living legend. In fact, he was about to launch his final concert tour with several shows in London, England. Although he is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in his music, his unique style, and his transformation of the pop music and dance landscapes. Michael paved the way for current singer/dancer superstars such as Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown.
If you are feeling nostalgic, check out Rolling Stone magazine's "Michael Jackson: the Essential Playlist", which you can listen to for free, right on the website. Their playlist reminded me how much I love "Scream" and "In the Closet", two not-so-obvious favorites.
Over the past 24 hours, as every radio station has been playing exclusively Michael Jackson songs, I have been reminded of exactly how brilliant he really was.
Thank you, Michael, for sharing your talent with us. Rest in peace.
