king of pop

Just watched the memorial to Michael Jackson. I must say, I was moved.
Michael Jackson singlehandedly changed the music industry and the colour barrier with his videos and his music. I was quietly influenced by his sound and his vocal ability, not to mention his form of dance which was unparalleled as far as popular media is concerned. I say here and now that I am truly sad that the world has lost such an entertainment icon and humanitarian such as he. As a six-year-old child, watching him debut on Ed Sullivan, and American Bandstand, etc., live back then as television was, I was completely enthralled. Here was this 9- or 10-year-old wunderkind with a band of his brothers, dancing and singing. What a vision! What a musical explosion for me! It was an early inspiration for me; I learned to sing better as result, and learned, or tried to learn, how to dance. Many years later, but before Michael Jackson's Thriller era, I was entering, and indeed won, one or two dance contests as a teenager. He is and was, in some ways, very much the reason I got into music, and wanted to be a performer. Those detractors of Michael may not have been there back in those days, but his talent, and that of others of the day, was a real eye-opener to impressionable young children who had the kinds of dreams I had, and grew up in the country side as I did...

There is controversy surrounding so many of our public figures, and Michael Jackson was no different. I think of the legacy of other figures in public that time and people have come to know and consider for their controversy, as well as their public deeds. Bruce Lee in particular comes to mind with me, since there was an underlying controversy surrounding his death, and afterwards, details of his life that the public did not know. My kung-fu teacher (sifu) and I have spoken about this alot. We speak of the canonization of a person based on their celebrity status. we feel that it is important to remember that these stars are after all just people, albeit extraordinary people. As such they are prone to weaknesses that we all inherently are prone to. They would not like us to revere them as saints or otherworldly. We should appreciate them for the work they left us, for that legacy which inspires us to rise above that which we were born with. It is that legacy that I wish to remember about Michael Jackson. People like Michael and Bruce were what they were to us because they reached for that which to us may be just a dream, but not unattainable, if we reached for the things they reached for. And that is perfection, in their life and art. Yes, yes, I know that there is all sorts of possibly sordid details that come out about someone after they die, but they are unimportant. It is not really healthy to canonize someone too much, though either. I loved and admired Mr. Jackson, but I know that his life was not the idyllic existence, and as such, he had to endure hardships that we could not imagine, as we were not him. His music and his image and legacy as an entertainer and humanitarian should be remembered, not place him into some godhood. He was human. He was a brilliant and creative individual who, in death, will have possibly a greater impact than when he lived due to his creative and indeed, human, genius. We should remember that, celebrate that, and all the rest of the controversy that was his life, will hopefully show us that he was, first and foremost, an extraordinary member the Human Family.

You will live in our hearts and minds as the entertainment genius you were, those of us that did not know you personally, and much more; to those who knew you, you were even more. Rest in Peace, Michael Joseph Jackson. This person, this musician, this entertainer, this writer, will never forget you or your legacy.