RIP Michael Jackson
June 26th, 2009 at 10:04am
I was most disturbed to wake up a bit under an hour ago to the news that Michael Jackson has died, aged 50.
Music icon Michael Jackson, whose fame spanned from his childhood with the legendary Jackson 5 to a superstar solo career that earned him the nickname ‘King of Pop,’ died Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital, a source close to the family told FOX News. He was 50.
Debra Opri, a former Jackson family attorney, confirmed the singers death after other media reported that he had fallen into a coma. He reportedly was taken by ambulance at 12:30 p.m. local time to UCLA Medical Center, where he died at 3:15 p.m.
Multiple reports said he had gone into cardiac arrest, though the official cause of death wasn’t immediately known. A news conference is expected later Thursday at the hospital, where fans have gathered to pay tribute to the singer.
Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
I was also most disturbed to see some people harping on about Michael Jackson being a paedophile. These people need to keep one thing in mind.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested the 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. [..] The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
Jackson was never convicted, in fact he was acquitted, and if he were still alive, such accusations would be considered slander.
The important thing on this sad day is to remember Jackson for his wonderful talents, and to a lesser extent, his interesting personality.
Jackson will receive my Musician Of The Week award on Sunday, and today receives the Samuel Salute.
May you rest in peace Michael. The world misses you.
Samuel
Entry Filed under: Entertainment,Samuel's Editorials
4 Comments
1. legshagger | June 26th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Hey Sam, and as much as I respect the Hell out of you, I don’t care if I get banned (again), purged, sent to the Gulag, or whatever else you want to sanitise it as .. pure and simple, Michael Jackson was a kiddy fiddler – a child molestor! He took advantage of the US legal system through his (or his creditors) wealth and beat the rap, but his cred is zero!
I think you are far more of a superstar tham wacko jacko – at least you have maintained celibacy with integrity … “Miichael” (or what was left of him) was one twisted unit!
2. Samuel | June 26th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I won’t deny that he admitted on national television to sleeping with kids, and I do find that incredibly creepy, but I don’t believe that he was a “kiddy fiddler”. I maintain that saying that he was would be considered slander if he was still alive, but he’s not, so I’m going to let such comments run.
I don’t condone his sleeping with kids, but I do respect his musical talent, and the fact that he was a massive philanthropist.
I don’t expect you or anyone else to mourn his death, and I can understand that some people think his death is a good thing. I respectfully disagree with those people, and reserve my right to mourn.
3. davky | June 27th, 2009 at 3:51 am
It pains me to say it, but I (generally speaking) agree with legshagger.
I find it alarming that people would buy the albums, or pay to see the concerts of someone with such a taste for little boys. As I understand it, charges against him only failed because he paid $20+ million to the accused in order to buy their silence.
I admire Jackson’s musical and performing legacy. He certainly reinvented the concert performance into something spectacular. But I think it would be fair to label him a ‘disgraced former star.’
Nonetheless, the passion with which many people are mourning him is amazing and I feel for the people who are truly upset by his death.
4. lynn | July 1st, 2009 at 8:53 am
If Michael Jackson is guilty of a crime for innocently admitting to “sleeping” with children, (and how many paedophiles do you know who make public announcements about their criminal activity??) then so are many parents all over the world!!
Thankfully sharing a bed with a child (or four) does not make me anything but a loving and caring parent, but because I am not rich and famous and able to be threatened and publicly vilified, no one sees ME as fair game for a law suit! Maybe Michael’s behaviour was unusual, but who is to say he was not innocent and a victim himself? A victim most of all of his own family and his upbringing, and then of some sick individuals who saw him as an easy target to extort money from (and I know men who have been falsely accused and went through the court processes only to be vindicated, but they were crushed and destroyed in the process) and of the media who delighted to think him guilty because it suited their purposes.
Strangley the facts are irrelevant to most people, and I only hope and pray they are never a victim of false accusations themselves, because maybe it will only be then that they understand the hell Michael lived in and despite his desperate desire to share his musical gift with the world, the litany of lies took their toll and we have lost him.
Rest in Peace Michael, you were a living legend and I don’t believe the lies for a moment.
I am confident he is finally at peace and