Michael Jackson is dead at 50.
He was the consummate performer, brilliant dancer, and his music (up to Bad) was great. Even his later works (Dangerous, etc) were tolerable, and contained some gems (Gone Too Soon, Remember The Time).
But most of all, I will remember feeling overwhelming sympathy, even pity, for him, for the life he led. Endless media-attention and name-calling (not to mention criminal prosecutions), can get to even the most resolute, much less someone who (to me) was simply too naive to think that the life he led would somehow be acceptable to the rest of the world.
At some level, he was savvy enough to try and manipulate the media to suit him (the Lisa Presley marriage, the Bashir interview) but the attempts were at best cringe-worthy.
His musical legacy though is not in question, and at the end of the day, I hope the memories of his music will outlast everything else. RIP.
:-|
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