Yesterday at work, when I heard the news about Michael Jackson I was surprised with how it affected me. Anyone dying, especially unexpected, is horrible and upsetting of course. But my eyes quickly welled up with tears and felt a heavy sadness in my heart. The King of Pop was gone.
I grew up in the '80's and his videos sparked such awe and wonder. He was groundbreaking with is creative genius and raised the bar for those to follow. We all wanted to move like Michael, to bust out a Thriller sequence with half as much finesse as him. I'm not embarrassed to say I've tried to moonwalk a half a million times, without the slightest bit of progress. Hey, there's still time.
I think what saddens me the most is how messed up his life was. From a young age he was thrown in the spotlight, and even worked in strip clubs when he was eight. He was abused by his father. I think back to the young Michael in the Jackson 5 and mourn the loss of his innocence and potential to find serenity. It just seems like he never found it.
Because there was a settlement we will never know the truth about the accusations against him. I want to believe in my heart that he wouldn't do that. That he DIDN'T do that. There are only a few people who know what really happened, and I'm just left with hope that he was innocent.
We watched all of Michael's greatest videos last night and they brought back a lot of memories, especially seeing his famous red leather jacket and fluid foot work. He was an artist in every sense of the word and I truly hope he's now at peace.
I'm totally with you. On all of that. So sad.
Posted by: cjh | June 28, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Me too! Exactly! I like to think that he was innocent too and I work from home so I've seen so many interviews. From what I heard about the allegations, he really was that naive and innocent and out of touch with reality to think that it was ok for him to sleep with kids in his bed. He never had a childhood, he never won his father's approval, and kids weren't mean to him like adults were. I am about 6 years younger than Michael, so I remember being in love with him in the early days! Every girl was! Such incredible talent at such a young age, plus charm, and looks.
Posted by: Terri | July 02, 2009 at 08:06 PM
I'm still having a hard time believing that he's really gone. I watched some clips from his memorial service and I just couldn't take it. I know what you mean, I really do.
Who would have thought the King of Pop would go so suddenly?
Posted by: SJ | July 13, 2009 at 04:40 PM