Well at least the kids will be safe.! Dont get me wrong here Iam not happy he has died but truth be told
there is no smoke without fire

He was a musical genious. I did not listen to him,, But growing up around the music, You have to admit that one thing.

death of a pedophile

Great day for all the children

all my respect to Michael Jackson, the ARTIST.

He was a little miracle on the stage.

Yesterday was a very sad day in the world of entertainment, losing both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

I was never a fan of Farrah Fawcett/Charlie's Angels and yet, her dying really affected me. Maybe it's because I grew up in the era she became popular. Her fight with cancer was an inspiration. I don't know if I'd have that kind of strength if I ever had to face that challenge.

As for Michael Jackson, say what you want about him, but he was a huge talent. He left behind some great music (and dance moves). I get chills when he sings Who's Lovin' You. He must have been about 10 years old when he recorded that song. He was way too young to die, that's for sure.

May they both rest in peace.

I believe Michael Jackson had his day in court, and the charges were never proven. Unfortunately, his bizarre behavior over the past 20 years of his life made him a perennial punchline and tabloid gold. It also made him a target of extortionists in search of a large payday. I believe crimes such as the ones Michael Jackson was accused of are terrible. I also believe parents who exploit their children in search of cash settlements or book deals, with little concern for their child's welfare, are reprehensible. Since neither of these allegations have ever been proven, all I can really judge him on is his musical legacy.

Michael Jackson flourished in an era that seemed to be made for a man of his talents. MTV was the perfect vehicle for a visual entertainer like Jackson, and for almost a decade it seemed every single, every album, every music video was a pop cultural event. In the last 50 years, only Elvis and the Beatles ever commanded as much attention. Whether or not you enjoyed his music, his dancing, or his charity work, or became distracted with the freak show of the past 15-20 years, his career as an entertainer was culturally significant, and at the time of his premature passing, his work deserves notice.

Thriller-billy

I just heard a local radio station here introduce a Jackson 5 song by saying: "From Thriller to Bad, we salute Michael Jackson". I can kind of agree with that sentiment, in that during that period of time he dominated the music/video/pop culture scene the most and had his highest degree of commercial success and impact. I was never a fan, really, but his music, along with everything else that was on the radio and tv was such a big part of my childhood experience; as it was for all of us of the MTV generation. Death is always a sad thing. When celebrities and icons pass, we're reminded of our own mortality. I'm not surprised though. His decline has been well documented in the press and I'll leave all of that alone, except to say that he now stands in judgement and the truth will out.

I have a fairly strong memory of wearing the grooves out on a 45 of ABC/I Want You Back as a 4-year-old. The Jackson 5 were tough to escape, appearing on TV Specials, Variety Shows, and even as cartoon characters in their own animated series. That's probably the part of MJ's career that meant the most to me personally.

I remember learning to roller skate while Rockin' Robin echoed throughout the rink, and I recall a summer crush as an 11-year-old on a girl who played the hell out of the Jacksons' "Destiny" album, and shook her body down to the ground...

I definitely owned Thriller, along with 26 million other people, but hadn't purchased anything else from him after that until I started a mobile DJ business in the early 90s. One artist whose music consistently filled the dance floor was Michael Jackson. Michael hadn't released anything particularly relevant for 4 or 5 years, but some of his classic hits went over very well. Was it nostalgia? A guilty pleasure? I don't know. But songs like ABC, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Shake Your Body Down to the Ground, Billie Jean, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', PYT, even Thriller always infused a great deal of energy into any party.

I don't actually expect a lot of love for his music on this message board, but what those dances I DJ'd showed me about Michael Jackson is that his music brought joy to a rather large cross-section of people on any given Saturday. Even the shit-kickin' country wannabes who hopped on the Achy Breaky Train during the 90s would get out and moonwalk for a laugh.

Really Moonwalk-a-billy

Well stated Mr. Rickabilly.
I was no great fan especially of the freak show side of him but he did what he did ,exceptionally well.
He lived an abnormal life from start to finish, through no fault of his own at the start. He cant have been a happy man ,maybe he is better off now ....who knows ? Quiet a bit like Elvis really , reality passed them both by.

Thanks for Lisa´s comments at her blog. I went over there and read it all. Lots of interesting deep comments; I also found this one very interesting and emotional:

As I sit here overwhelmed with sadness, reflection and confusion at what was my biggest failure to date, watching on the news almost play by play The exact Scenario I saw happen on August 16th, 1977 happening again right now with Michael (A sight I never wanted to see again) just as he predicted, I am truly, truly gutted.