Just heard the news of his death. Ed, Farrah and now Michael. My wife has this superstition death happens in 3s.

While a controversial figure, he was quite a performer and singer. I well remember he and his brothers as children.

While an outstanding performer in his early years.....his later years will always diminish his legacy.....too bad.

Steve

Does he still hold rights to the Beatles music?

News report I just saw puts him in a coma with no chance to recover---regardless, hearing news like this about any iconic person does cause shock waves.

Very sad...altogether.

bummer (http://omg.yahoo.com/news/pop-star-michael-jackson-dead-report/24333?nc)

It's ok.... He's a zombie now.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/TacticalSteel/funny/thriller2.jpg

Very sad news, indeed!
Much beloved by many & my prayers are with family & friends.

Rome

Michael Jackson is dead at the age of 50 on the CBS evening news breaking news: http://www.cbs.com/

and here: http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-michael-jackson,0,4138163.story

He was a great songwriter, singer, and choreographer. He will be greatly missed. My favorite songs are well Thriller, Off the wall, Beat IT, Billy Jean, and many others. He did go through alot in his life and he was a weird character at some points but lets just think of the good he did like donate money and other stuff to charities.

R.I.P Michael

Rest in peace Michael.

Sorry to be an iconoclast but as good a performer as he was, he was a pervert. I give no slack to child molesters. Yeah I know, never proven.

The Dandy Warhols had a line in one of their songs "when Michael Jackson dies, we're covering Blackbird".

I'm going out tonight and get another tattoo...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/TacticalSteel/funny/michaeljacksontattoo.jpg

Was just flicking around the channels, and heard this on CNN. Wow, can't believe it, my childhood hero dead.

Definitely a twisted person, but a great performer...

Michael Jackson gave a gift of much music to this world. A legend has left us.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/MageKmic/Moonwalk.gif

Thriller was a masterpiece!

After that I purposely lost track of him as a non person...

While an outstanding performer in his early years.....his later years will always diminish his legacy.....too bad.

Steve

Just like Elvis.A brilliant trailblazing start,then.....

I tried to moonwalk like him, but it never worked until I stepped in this once, and zooooooom !!!:banana:

While an outstanding performer in his early years.....his later years will always diminish his legacy.....too bad.

Steve

Agreed. RIP Michael.

Just amazing...

amazing artist...and lest we forget...still innocent until proven guilty...rest in peace.

Just got done playing Jackon 5 greatest hits on vinyl....man what a voice...gave me chills on Never Can Say Goodbye and I'll Be There. I don't care for pop, but music is music and he was a great contributor to 20th century music.

Despite his personal foibles, he was a brilliant performer and pop icon and deserved a better hand than he was dealt under his tyrannical father.

James R.

There's always a hint of surprise when someone so much larger than life dies. MTV has been playing his videos. I've never been a fan, but watching these older songs it's obvious now how great he was in his early/mid career years.

It will be interesting to see the media fallout (or orgy more like it) over this.

I'm going out tonight and get another tattoo...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/TacticalSteel/funny/michaeljacksontattoo.jpg

That is very disturbing.

There's always a hint of surprise when someone so much larger than life dies. MTV has been playing his videos. I've never been a fan, but watching these older songs it's obvious now how great he was in his early/mid career years.

It will be interesting to see the media fallout (or orgy more like it) over this.

Wait until the record labels go apes**t over reissues and "never before released" material....

R.I.P.....

That's gonna be one helluva CL ad I do believe.....

I liked him better when he was black.

Godspeed Jacko

One obit I won't finish...Pretty sure Liz is upset

amazing artist...and lest we forget...still innocent until proven guilty...rest in peace.

I agree. RIP Michael.

I was never a Micheal Jackson fan but always had an appreciation and marveled at his talent. Even I liked "Thriller" and spun it within the last year. That lp was an impressive acomplishment and probably one of the best produced lp's ever. Just got done watching the "Thriller" video and it was entertaining now as it was when it was produced. He certainly had issues, who knows how much of what was publisized about him was true, he was eccentric for sure so anything that was said about him was percieved as true. I hope it wasn't. RIP Micheal Jackson

Joke writers everywhere will be working overtime tonight.

Ill bet they find a bunch of weired "stuff" in a safe in his house......Either way A messed up guy that made some great tunes. What a sad thing to happen on my birthday......

Celebs always die in threes.Quite an occurence really.

A real trajic life no dought but a great preformer who spent his whole life in the public eye. R.I.P. Micheal.
I hope he moon walks through the pearly gates.

I SURE HOPE HE DOSEN'T DO THE CROCH GRABING THING IN HEAVEN,leave that move out mikey.

Very sad, RIP Michael Jackson :(

Gohan

I don't know what to think about this news. I certainly remember Thriller and how popular that album was but I was never a fan. Most importantly, I remember Michael going through all that surgery, the marriage, the baby over the balcony incident, the alleged child molestation charges.. and so on. Unfortunately, so will thousands because of this media attention. His mind was not "all there". He was a sick person.

RIP Michael.

RIP Michael: you gave great entertainment to my family and I.

when i saw the thread title, i thought for a moment they had re-released his greatest hits with a snappy new name.

i know, too soon. in all seriousness, i feel for his family and friends and fans. can't say i'm particularly sad to see him go, but my wife did just tell me that he had a pretty messed up childhood that explains much of his later behavior - i never knew that before, and it does change the way i see him now.

Moderators Note: Alright folks. Some of the posts in this thread have trod the line (and even went over it) all afternoon; but now I've had to clean up posts that went way too far. I understand this man was controversial, but he has passed now and there's no excuse for attacks on a person no longer able to defend themselves.

The next person who goes over the line with classless, nasty comments will regret it.

Sadly, this has been coming on for a long time. Word is now coming out that the death may have been caused by abuse / misuse of prescription medication, possibly Demerol. It would tend to support the visible signs of an individual who has been in self-destruct mode for some time.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2501914/Michael-Jacksons-last-moments.html

Truly a loss to the music world. To think of the talent and potential that was wasted once that life began to unravel, thread by thread, over these many years.

Moderators Note: Alright folks. Some of the posts in this thread have trod the line (and even went over it) all afternoon; but now I've had to clean up posts that went way too far. I understand this man was controversial, but he has passed now and there's no excuse for attacks on a person no longer able to defend themselves.

The next person who goes over the line with classless, nasty comments will regret it.

I have two words for you: Thank you.

What a talent. He came on the scene when I was in the ninth grade, and I feel like I've been watching his incredible life arc my whole life. This is gonna make one helluva biopic movie someday.

Truly a loss to the music world. To think of the talent and potential that was wasted once that life began to unravel, thread by thread, over these many years.

A Pop star dies and this is a loss to the music world? I thought part of the music world's problem was too many Pop stars...


I don't think the music world will even skip a beat. There have been better, more talented singer/songwriters who have died an they are hardly even thought of anymore.

A Pop star dies and this is a loss to the music world? I thought part of the music world's problem was too many Pop stars...


I don't think the music world will even skip a beat. There have been better, more talented singer/songwriters who have died an they are hardly even thought of anymore.

If, for example, a Brittany Spears type were to fall off the planet, I think the music world would have trouble a few years from now trying to determine what all the fuss was about. Which of her songs will be memorable 10, 15 or 20 years from now.

Michael Jackson is/was in an entirely different league musically. He defined popular music for several years, and his songs will be touch-points for many of us who were coming of age in the 70's and '80's.

I'll never forget when the Thriller video was premiered on MTV. MTV was, at that time, still a phenomena, and the Michael Jackson album Thriller was sitting atop the charts on the strength of Billie Jean and Beat It (which had some cool-factor all its own since Eddie Van Halen played lead guitar on that tune). I was living in a college apartment that summer with 4 total hard rock-heads, but we were all mesmerized by the video: the performance, the music, how creative and entertaining it was.

Jackson was more than his moniker "King of Pop" gave him credit for, but the demons in his life overtook him, and ultimately killed his music, then him.

Yes, He had issues but he has given more money to charities than all the top 10 artists combined.
All men are flawed at least he did some good in the world.
I'm not able to say if his good out weighed his wrong doings in life but there has been much worse people than him.

We will never know the truth about him compleatly so cut him some slack.

I'll never forget when the Thriller video was premiered on MTV. MTV was, at that time, still a phenomena, and the Michael Jackson album Thriller was sitting atop the charts on the strength of Billie Jean and Beat It (which had some cool-factor all its own since Eddie Van Halen played lead guitar on that tune). I was living in a college apartment that summer with 4 total hard rock-heads, but we were all mesmerized by the video: the performance, the music, how creative and entertaining it was.


I don't see much difference between him and spears. Was he really good or was it the marketing machine?

I too was in college in the early 80s. I remember MTV and the video. I was not impressed with his or any other video. I do not need a video to enjoy a good song.

As far as I'm concerned, music videos were just one step in the decline of the music world.

It is a sad story all the way around. I prefer to remember the early years with the Jackson Five. R.I.P. Michael Jackson for you will always have a place in music history and a soft spot in many hearts.
I am also 50 and it was hard not to notice Micheal if you enjoyed music growing up. Thriller was and is a very entertaining music video and will be remembered as a great one at that.

Yes, He had issues but he has given more money to charities than all the top 10 artists combined.
All men are flawed at least he did some good in the world.
I'm not able to say if his good out weighed his wrong doings in life but there has been much worse people than him.

We will never know the truth about him compleatly so cut him some slack.

Why? "To those whom much is given, much is required".

I also do not see his death as any more a loss, than the average citizen listed in the obit. section of the local paper.

Re: whether Michael will leave a long-term legacy in the music world - lets see....:

- the first four singles the Jackson 5 issued hit #1 - first time in history
- Michael was probably the first true child superstar in pop/rock music
- Michael, with the Jack 5 and solo, was one of the first true crossover artists who appealed to all races and generations
- He issued the best selling album of all time, with 7 #1 singles (from one album!!!)
- His "second most popular" album (Off The Wall) sold 20 million copies!!!

Yes, he had flaws; however, I don't think anyone can question his bona fides as a musician/artist. I just played the Off The Wall and Thriller albums this evening, and think they both will be around for a while :music:

I also do not see his death as any more a loss, than the average citizen listed in the obit. section of the local paper.

Yes, but when was the last time you found yourself in an on-line forum posting about the death of an "average citizen"? :D

Different strokes and all that, I guess...

My position on Micheal Jackson is simple. He was a fantastic entertainer, and a well known pedophile. were he to have molested one of my children. He would have died years ago. But he was molested by his grandmother, who in his madness, or sickness if you will. He tried to become near the end. Plastic surgery. Sad story all the way.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/10/jackson.trial/index.html

Yes, but when was the last time you found yourself in an on-line forum posting about the death of an "average citizen"? :D



Never, I have more respect for the average citizen...

Michael Jackson's solo career in the early 70's is top notch quality music, good song writing, and hybrid tenor vocal delivery. Most of it went under the radar, except a few songs.

Alot of it is re-issued.

All music can't appeal to us. But PLEASE cut Mike some slack music wise if you didn't dig his music and albums. Because if you bring Mike DOWN to Britney Spears status, keep in mind that you're also bringing DOWN the great Quincy Jones that helped write and produce those songs that broke records and barriers. The records sold millions because it was great music. The videos are there because Mike was a great entertainer.
It's alot of music and artist that I think are horribly overrated. But that takes
nothing away from their legacy. I don't like their craft. But I respect their craft.

I was never much of a fan of his, he DID write some snappy tunes, & seemed to have tapped what a lot of people thought they wanted in the early/mid '80s...He would seem to have had a somewhat tragic life, in a lot of ways...I wonder if he EVER really had any true friends that he could just "hang" with, like we all do ? If not, that could go a long way to explaining the bizarre behaviour he exhibited in his later years. Or maybe he just really was as sick & twisted as a lot of folks thought he was... In any event, I feel sorry for his children & family.

I'm going out tonight and get another tattoo...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/TacticalSteel/funny/michaeljacksontattoo.jpg


hows that saying go..i'm so lousy at remembering...all assholes have opinions....damn i im not certain thats right..but oh well


RIP Michael

He was a very talented individual. I enjoyed his music up to Bad. A lot of his unusual behavior was the result of how he was mistreated as a child by his father, which despite all his fame and fortune, never got over.

My wife has this superstition death happens in 3s.


funny you should mention that brian as a a buddy and i just before work were saying the exact same thing .we were saying ok who's next. that was at 2:30 pm cdt and then at about 4:30 i hear on the radio that michael jackson died .it sure didnt take these 3 to die(ed/farrah,michael) all within 3days.unreal if you ask me.

R.I.P. Michael. I also loved him during the Beat It, Thriller period... Amazing talent...

Off the Wall has really held up well... My fav. all time Michael Jackson album even more than Thriller...

Ive been a fan of MJs since I Want You Back,ABC,The Love you Save,in 1969 as an 8 year old.I used to watch the cartoon faithfully every Saturday Morning.When I was 12 I got my first tape recorder for Christmas.Dancing Machine was one of the songs I recorded that first day.When I was in High School I loved dancing to Blame It On The Boogie,Heartbreak Hotel,Enjoy Yourself,Can You Feel It.
I was 17 when his solo career really took off.In high school I played Off The Wall non stop.The day Thriller came out,I was a little disapointed,since I felt OTW was stronger song for song at first.But I think that changed for me,and for most pop fans the night of the Motown 25th anniversary special,and his lip synched version of Billie Jean with the incredible moves,the Moonwalk,everything.After that night,the world was his oyster.My buddy and I saw a film in Westwood on opening night,just to see the Thriller video before it hit MTV.I dont remember the movie,but I sure as hell remember that night.
Anyone remember the duet with Mick Jagger,State Of Shock?Not much of a song,but what an event.One station played it continuously for hours.
I was overseas in the AF when Bad came out.I enjoyed the album,but I felt he and Quincy and Rod were treading water a little.Then the bottom fell out.Accusations,bizarre behavior,lawsuits,extremely bizarre behavior,the interview where I thought I still glimpsed the old Michael.And then it was gone for good.
My life and his music are intertwined,and I will mourn his death.He was and is one of my favorite artists.For better and for worse,he was the Elvis of our time,in more ways than one.
RIP Michael.
Jimmy

Does he still hold rights to the Beatles music?

of the Beatles catalog to Sony Music. This is what his tiff was when he released his last CD on Sony which did not sell. he accused Sony of not promoting the CD in an attempt to force him to sell more of the Beatles catalog to them. He had been selling it off to meet his financial obligations.

who because of shyness and being mis understood suffered. I truely believe Michael was in search of the childhood he had been deprived of. He was on anti depressents ever since the second Molestation case on which he was aquited and truth be told how much of the stuff reported on him was really true. Reporters have made a living on him,they've put their children through college reporting anything and everything he did as bizzare because it sold print and air time. I will choose to remember him as a superstar whose music made many people smile but in the end hid from the public to keep his sanity. He truely was The Elephant Man of his era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5KAJw4y8wE

Rest in Peace Michael :tears:

G'day all, I'm personally saddened at this news. The world has lost a few 'icons' in recent days.

Re Michael Jackson, yes he was an odd character perhaps, but I feel he was a good person and prodigiously talented and not guilty of all the horrible rumours and charges levelled against him.

It is sad that the 'world' does these things to people who are 'different' in some way and also being rich and famous makes it worse, and living under the never ending media scrutiny would drive even the toughest completely out of their minds!

I feel strongly about this sort of unfortunate aspect of human nature having been on the receiving end of similar things myself growing up, as I was also perceived as being 'different'. Sadly it still happens occasionally. Thank you for all the great music Michael. RIP. Michael Jackson. Regards, Felix aka catman.

http://www.q45.org/cpg/albums/userpics/10001/thrilleralbum.jpg

Never ever selling this. A great entertainer and a big piece of my childhood is gone.

Very sad, I remember listening to Thriller when it first came out at weekend bush parties in grade 8. A lot of people were followers, and what a great album. I was just listening to Thriller on SACD and the recording quality is nothing short of incredible. R.I.P.

Rip

I learned a very important thing from Michael - zombies can dance in unison.

Pete

Personally, I thought "Thriller" was nothing more than a nice progression from "Off the wall". Who knows what really went on behind closed mansion doors...but there's no denying his talent. Too bad he just got really wierd.

A great entertainer. Rest in peace.

How's this for a take on Jackson's epitaph:

White acceptance of "black music" or "urban music as it has come to be known, had been going on long before Jackson showed up on the music scene. Certainly Jazz music, and later R & B had many non-minority fans. However, attandance at concerts and wide - spread support for record sales and concert attendance really did not come about until Motown made urban music acceptable. Artists like Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, the Supremes, and of course, the Jackson Five, drove urban music into the living rooms and bedrooms of white suburban kids in a way that had never before been seen.

However, as Motown faded, it was replaced with Funk and Disco, the former which had less white acceptance and the latter which was both polarizing and marginalizing. In the midst of all this, Michael Jackson, at that point in his early to mid 20's, carved out a spot in the musical landscape that contined mass appeal to both urban and suburban audiances. His music transcended racial lines in a way that took the early successes of Motown and transformed it into a space all his own. He spanwed many imitators who found success following the trail he was blazing, but none had his level of musical talent or broad appeal.

His album Off the Wall was the initial taste of what his vision of music would be, but everything truly gelled and was epitomized in Thriller: a masterpiece blend of R & B, Pop, and Rock and Roll. Certainly Quincy Jones had much to do with teh success of Thriller, and Jones roll was to help capture and refine Jackson's musical vision.

This is a very short summary on Jackson's impact on music, which still is influencing young musicians today. However, his social impact cannot be understanded either. Since he faciliated the building of the bridge that spanned urban music to young, non-minority audiences, so to did that bridge bring with it the influence of urban culture into suburbia. That brings with it the best and the worst of influences. I suspect that without Jackson's initial influence, we would not likely have Eminem. We'd not likely see suburban kids that want to dress like gangstas and listen to urban rap music. To extend this further, we'd not likely have wide, easy acceptance of figures like Oprah. To the extreme, it may be that Barak Obama - who is a media icon as much as he is a U.S. President - owes Michael Jackson a debt of gratitude.

Admittedly some of this may be a stretch, but I don't think Jackson's cross cultural influences can be denied. Look at what is happening world - wide today as the rest of the world wakes up to the news of Jackson's demise. Even though his musical career and influeces have no doubt been in decline, fans world - wide are making an effort to pay tribute and respect, and these fans are not bound by race or color. The music that he made at the height of his carrer, particularly Thriller, still sounds as vibrant today as it is being played on radio stations across the country (likely in much heavier rotation than normal) as it did 20 - 25 years ago.

No doubt there were demons that drove Jackson, and this unfortunately is not an uncommon thread among many in the entertainment industry. However, his impact on music and culture will continue to be felt for yaers to come.

By the way, I can hardly be classified as a Jackson fan. I do own my 25 + year old copy of Thriller, which has not been played in years. However, you have to recognize talent and the influence of an individual's contributions when you see them, and judge them honestly.

I have this 12" single, not a bad song.

Hopefully I won't offend both MJ and PM fans when I mention it's got to be one of the gayest covers ever! Ah, the 80s. MJ was so popular they even sold MJ trinkets at the pet shop I worked at.

Pete

Well he was an eccentric to say the least. But I watched him perform all my life from the J5 days to more recent...manifestations. In good times and bad, he was a constant. I loved what he did from the J5 up to and including Thriller. What a talent.

But between the talent and wierdness, there was always something tragic about the guy and I felt a bit sorry for him. Perhaps having never really been a part of reality, he had little grip on reality.

MJ- It was a wild ride, much of it great. Some not so much. Thanks for the J5cartoons, the appearances on Wonderama, ABC, the Motown special, Off the Wall, Thriller, Ben, the J5 Summer show, the cold-wave perm and of course, the Moonwalk. Rest in Peace.

G'day all, I'm personally saddened at this news. The world has lost a few 'icons' in recent days.

Re Michael Jackson, yes he was an odd character perhaps, but I feel he was a good person and prodigiously talented and not guilty of all the horrible rumours and charges levelled against him.

It is sad that the 'world' does these things to people who are 'different' in some way and also being rich and famous makes it worse, and living under the never ending media scrutiny would drive even the toughest completely out of their minds!

I feel strongly about this sort of unfortunate aspect of human nature having been on the receiving end of similar things myself growing up, as I was also perceived as being 'different'. Sadly it still happens occasionally. Thank you for all the great music Michael. RIP. Michael Jackson. Regards, Felix aka catman.




HERE HERE a toast to common sense...

I'm going out tonight and get another tattoo...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/TacticalSteel/funny/michaeljacksontattoo.jpg


Dude....... ......you go big. Really big!!!

A great song From the band the Rheostatics, called:Fan Letter To Michael Jackson. Lots of crazy stunt guitar too.

here's a link to a live performance from the 80's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMPpnrQhonc&feature=PlayList&p=4EE2E11017A1FA64&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=51


Words by Dave Bidini, last line by Mark Critchley

(One, two, everybody go...)
(Shut it up.)
(Roses are red. Violets are blue.
Honey's sweet, just like you.)

I have all your records.
I have even bought some of them twice
Even though my friends in school
Think I am wrong to find you cool.
I don't care because I know
You care about who writes to you.
I enjoyed the fan club letter,
But an autograph would be better.

MICHAEL!

I have heard about your bleeding,
But I don't believe in reading
All of those rumors can't be true.
I hope I meet a friend like you.
I play Bad until my parents,
They tell me: "Go to sleep and dream it."
Still I play them soft and low.
I sing the words, the ones I know.

JACKSON!

It feels good to be alive!
Bad! Alive!

The price of Thriller on vinyl is skyrocketing on the "auction site". I noticed one was up to $240 and still had a couple of hours. A few months ago at a record show I could have bought all the Thriller I wanted for 2-3 bucks each. Sad! I'm having people over tonight to spin Thriller!

R.I.P.

Does this mean that The Recession is over, too?

The price of Thriller on vinyl is skyrocketing on the "auction site". I noticed one was up to $240 and still had a couple of hours. A few months ago at a record show I could have bought all the Thriller I wanted for 2-3 bucks each. Sad! I'm having people over tonight to spin Thriller!

R.I.P.

Wow. But at over 30 million copies sold, surely it can only be a standard catalog value. Please tell me the one at $240 has some ultra special provenance. It's funny how that site sets the new standard for pricing everywhere these days.

I`m certainly not his biggest fan, but I definately understand his extreme talent, and recognize him (alot, actually) for that. There has been much controversy the last 15 years, and I`m not going to judge him or excuse him for anything, but there is NO doubt in my mind that many ppl will do ANYTHING to get hold of a few bucks.. and perhaps he has been a victim to this (easy target? famous, lotsa money etc..., perhaps a little naive because of a pretty "different" upbringing?)

well I certainly dunno.. Lets focus on the music and the talent now. . He was One in (at least) ten Billion, I think... :)

R.I.P Michael..

Here's a great vid from the Motown 25 yrs anniversary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VASYhabHkM

Nobody's mentioned the real tragedy here; who's gonna tell Bubbles?


From the Web:
For nearly two decades, a wide variety of rumors about Bubbles' whereabouts have circulated amongst the media. Starting way back in late-1989, rumors were already surfacing that Bubbles had died in a barn fire at Neverland-while it is true that there was a fire in a giraffe barn in December 1989, no animals were harmed in the incident. Similar false "death" rumors continued being spread by tabloids and book-writers up through 2002, although Michael Jackson's camp had long confirmed that Bubbles was relocated to a sanctuary. In 2002, Bob Dunn confirmed that Bubbles had been living well at his animal ranch in Sylmar, California and that Michael Jackson and his children would frequent the ranch to play with the animals, especially the baby chimps.

Now, Bubbles (approximately 25 years old) is living peacefully in a Florida-based animal sanctuary and has been described by the sanctuary's employees as both "sensitive and dramatic."

That creepy, over-rated, over-hyped child molester is gone. A thousand great bands could have been launched and supported using the millions to shove his "Pop" music down the throats of the public. The majority of his music was disposable junk with zero shelf life. The most fascinating thing about him was his dysfunction.

I passed up a Thriller album at a GW the other day for $1.

Celebs always die in threes.Quite an occurence really.

Aaaargh.......I hate that this is said everytime someone "famous" dies, like there is some mystical force that takes three "famous" people out at a time.

As for Michael...indeed a high contributor to the world of pop and he desrves the credit.

2 days ago nobody gave a rats ass about him. now he is a friggin saint, a genius.

well, he had some great dance moves, wrote some good songs. i don't see that he did anything overly special though. lionel richie was a better song writer but he couldn't dance and he didn't have the cute factor jackson had when he was younger. hey, i liked him too at one point but when he started getting creepy he lost me a as fan.

all of this reminds me of a line from will penny (played by charleton heston) . roughly, "what did you say about him before he died"



he denied having plastic surgery yet confessed to sleeping with boys. if he was smart he would have done the opposite.

He was a great entertainer. Rest In Peace, Michael.

very sad day, rip michael :tears:

One aspect of this, which hasn't been touched upon so far in this thread, is the question of how good of an idea it was for MJ to commit to doing the 50 concerts after so many years of dwindling health and dwindling output/activity as an artist performer. He was apparently in a wheelchair last year, and now a year later he was working with an excercise trainer 2 times a day. Maybe he should have tried to work his way back more gradually, doing smaller scale things between the huge comeback efforts.

It calls into question how far someone ought to go in order to make a comeback after long years of inertia. I hope Whitney Houston is taking notes.

Given his debt situation, I think he wanted to get as much $$$ with this comeback as possible. Still, 50 shows in his performing style is just crazy. It's not like he's going to stand there and play guitar for 50 shows.

To me the Michael Jackson story is very sad and very tragic. Here's a guy who seemingly had it all: talent, fame, fortune. Unfortunately he also had, at the least, very poor judgment when it came to the issue of surrounding himself with young boys. To say that he was living in another world is an understatement.

What really puzzles me is the people who now just want to remember him as he was before the molestation charges. It seems kind of revisionist to me. I wish he could have remained a vital force in pop music for his entire life as he had a tremendous gift. The sheer number of records he sold is testament to his appeal. But that Michael Jackson left us a long time ago.

I'd like to say rest in peace, but somehow I don't think people are going to allow that to happen.

Moderators Closing Note: Obviously this isn't a subject that cannot be talked about without some members resorting to insulting the memory of a man no longer able to defend himself. Whether you liked him or not, he's gone; and there's no fairness in speaking ill of the dead.