We Lost a Legend...

Took a minute to update the blog, amidst all of the chaos and last minute shuffling at work, but here it is.

I'm still in shock that the King of Pop has left us, without warning. It's hard to believe that I wasn't even born when Mike starting creating his magic with the Jackson 5. In fact, I was just born when Michael was at the very peak of his career. Yet and still, at the age of 24, the presence and loss of this man is felt in volumes. Everyone has their own memories of Michael, whether it be trying to moonwalk across the floor in white socks as he did, or aiming desperately to mimic the dance routines from "Thriller". I remember watching Thriller for the first time as a child, years after its release. I LOVED the song, but I could never watch it until the end. I hated the way Michael Jackson turned and looked back at the camera with those petrifying yellow eyes. Scared the hell outta me.


It took me years to really learn and appreciate this man's many accomplishments and accolades. How he started off at such a young age and later progressed into an icon, through his amazing and timeless music and his creativity. Which brings me to another MJ moment. I remember there was all this hoopla about Michael Jackson releasing another music video. The announcement was heard ALL OVER. Prime time tv was shut down completely, counting down to the World Premiere for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" music video. The excitement soon trickled down to little old me, and I too sat in front of the television set excited. From the opening intro to the ending credits, my eyes were permantently glued to the screen. This video is probably my most favorite release from Michael Jackson, from a visual aspect. The effects were amazing and I just remember thinking that I had never seen a video like that in my life.



As I sat with my fellow Michael Jackson music enthusiasts, I listened to their stories of how MJ has had such a profound impact on each of their lives. All of their personal accounts vary, but there was one underlying connection between each. Each of them expressed that Michael Jackson was more than just a part of the Jackson 5, he was more than just a music icon, but he was like family. Michael crossed generations and allowed us to grow along with his incredible career, and in that aspect, everyone felt as though they knew him personally.

As for myself, its sad to say that people really begin to appreciate who you are when you're gone. Now that we have lost our beloved Michael, people are coming out the nowhere professing their love for Jackson more than effort. My question to you is, where was this support during the trying times of his life? Through the skin/nose alterations and child molestation charges, where was the out pour of emotion then?

I could write sooo much about Michael Jackson and his recent passing. I could discuss how ironic it is that the very man who created the Jackson 5, thus creating Michael Jackson the solo artists, is the man that we watch in disdain and unbelief as he unhesitatingly announces the release of his record label. Are we surprised? Or I could express the effects of Michael's career on popular artists today, and how ALOT of this artists wouldn't exist...PERIOD.

But in honoring his legacy and not the many complicated aspects of his life, I will end this blog saying that the loss of Michael Jackson is one that will felt decades from today. We must continue to remember him and keep his music alive for our children and their children. We must educate them that one thing will remain the same for centuries to come, Michael Jackson has undoubtly changed the course of music AND our lives forever.