Death of a Legend

By now everyone has heard the news: Michael Jackson is dead. A mere day after I returned from the state he called home, I was beyond shocked to learn that this larger than life man is no more. Of course, the suddenness of it most likely contributes to the shock I still feel in the days since. I had spent a lazy Thursday catching up on recorded programs that I missed while I was away. Hence, I had not tuned into any of the local channels and when my brother sent me a text that simply stated “Michael Jackson died” I didn’t want to believe him. I grilled him for further details but he could only tell me that it had something to do with a heart attack. Once the program I was watching ended, I switched over to a local news channel and when I didn’t immediately hear news of MJ’s death, I believed it a little less. But then my sister switched over to CNN and it was there that we learned that he was in fact hospitalized, not dead. I started to believe that there was a chance for a full recovery but then further reports stating that he’d suffered from cardiac arrest and was in a coma were released. Hope dimmed a little at this point and quickly disappeared with the next report: the King of Pop is in fact dead.

Despite your personal opinions about Michael Jackson’s private life, there are very few people who can say that MJ did not touch them in some way through his music. Since his sudden death, I have continually sought out programs that celebrate his life and music. I can’t seem to get enough. Some of my favorites of MJ’s many hits include Man in the Mirror, Wanna Be Starting Something, Smooth Criminal, and Bad. Some of the tributes I’ve witnessed thus far (okay, just BET) have done him little justice and I can only hope that those scheduled for this week do a better job of celebrating the life of a legend. As I mourn Michael Jackson’s passing with the rest of the world, I find comfort in the fact that his music will live on through time.