i did not like his music.,though you could listen to some of it.,i had a friend-D.,hes on tribe here send me a ytube of michael jacksons-jackson 5 in 72 they did a video called rockin robin.,it put him on the charts.,and to hear he died today.,so sad.,im gonna miss the jerk--

You're right Scarlet, he was a Benjamin Button of sorts.

No maybe we should`nt `leave it at that`...sorry Matt..but this is one of those times things like this should be discussed intelligently..jokes aside...though jokes will come fast & furious. comedy is peoples way of dealing with dogy subjects that we don`t like to face or are not pc.

I never cared for the Jackson 5 in the slightest, in fact found their whole style annoying, so Michael Jackson was meaningless to me until Off the Wall came out and then the dancing began. Then Thriller sealed the deal for me and to this day, "Billie Jean" is in my Lifetime Top 10 of best dance music: extremely complex, extremely inciting and exciting. I still remember the exact first time I ever heard it, crossing the Charles River and realizing I've got to get off this bridge before I drive off it, this is the most exciting song I've ever heard. IMO Michael Jackson literally created, opened and walked through the doorway into the entire world of dance that we have now, where people can initiate moves from body parts and muscles that have never ever been used before in the whole history of dance. He began this. As a dancer, I was stunned to my very core by the moves he came up with. It did change dancing, massively--there just was no concept of this kind of movement before in the public mind. Combined with this particular music it was absolutely transformative; it's etched on my soul and in my cells, and I can't think of any other public figure that's had that effect on me.

But I did realize early on that the guy had serious emotional problems. I believe, frankly, that he was a very highly refined and powerful soul, on earth specifically to push the envelope, that in the end could not deal with life as a human, and the way the human world works--souls can withstand a lot of damage but eventually, they start to warp under too great a load. His habit of self-deception (which became insistence on the truth of things that obviously-----to anyone taking note------obviously were not true, was dangerous to him and let him go too far in a number of areas he should never have gotten into. (But there are many people this self-deceptive, many--just not in the public eye.) He didn't quite have the courage of his true nature--so he tried, really hard, to be normal and do normal things but was just unable to do them. (Like marriage.) Yes, Quincy Jones was a great factor in the success of his music----but I often noticed in the lyrics (composed by Michael) that there seemed to be a very autobiographical component, deeply personal. When the single glove came, it bothered me a lot -- I could feel its symbology to Michael. I believe that single glove, and his habit of wearing other restricting items on just one hand, had a sexual, "you will not do this" significance. That he wore it as a secret message to himself, a reminder to himself, of things he saw wrong in himself---even if he only saw these subconsciously. The people who practice extreme self-deception still are aware that someone nearby is engaging in acts that should not be done. Often they then turn around and project these acts onto other people. There's no evidence Michael ever did this. The turmoil--the part-light part-dark part-known part-unknown part-admitted part-denied--all stayed within him and was expressed in his many attempts at flight from reality, at a way of life that tried to deny reality, physicality, sexuality.

If I hadn't noticed the self-deception in the face of all evidence that went with the plastic surgeries, I might not have believed the child-molestation allegations---and I do think these were probably exaggerated, but I do think they were based at least on the fact that he did have an unhealthy attraction to young boys, at minimum. He may not have actually acted on it but I think he came as close to it as he could allow himself, and people close to him knew this. It made me feel sorry for him; his sexuality was indeed his cross to bear on this planet, probably more than anything else. I felt he obviously had gender issues too. He was very immature psychically--didn't have the experiences that cause maturity except in business matters. Yet I believe he truly was a gentle person through and through, longed for love, lived in almost constant desperation for the last years, was sincere when he sang about "The Man in the Mirror" (obviously himself)--gonna make a change. He did try. Awfully hard. He had an absolutely independent powerful spirit in a surprisingly conventional mind--he admired authority figures, military regalia, stars of the past, he was like a little Republican 10-year-old in those ways. You could never imagine him growing old, in fact it would have been an obscene cruelty to have that happen, and I'm actually surprised he made it to 50. I'm glad it was quick.

Yes, maybe millions of people who booed him and called him Wacko Jacko will now applaud him. This type of hypocrisy is everywhere -- I see it IRL when people who were actually mean to someone, who actually disliked someone, get all pious and talk about the person's good points and cry fake tears (but only in public) when that person dies. It's endemic.

I haven't listened to any of his music in years now, I didn't care for any of the albums past Bad, and it became painful to see coverage of him, but when I did see him, I hoped for his release from what tortured him and I hoped that some day he would be free of all of it. Now he is. Still, the music and dancing he gave me, the smashing of conceptual limits he gave me--that's a huge and permanent gift, and I'm grateful. That was his own gift, you know -- but nothing else came easy, and much never came at all for him. I'm so glad he lived and I got to benefit from that!

clever--a little mean but clever--

God is a Djinn? Since when do dead people get wishes? Is this new or did I miss something about christianity?

I am entertained how we change the myth to fit our beliefs and desires.

Yet his father is friends with some top politicians like jessie jackson etc..it seems that money & power allows people to nicely delete certain `delicate` issues...hypocrisy..if this was a poor guy, the community would never forgive him & he would of been hounded all his life..but guys like mj etc..just buzz about continuing adoration from the fane..weird.
Don`t get me wrong..I am not hateful about guys like him..the shit starts very early in life..but rarely is there personal accountability for stuff like this, either from the father or from mj.
What a confusing world we live in.

I gotta say, as pop music, it was brilliant. Rivaling Elvis and the Beatles.