Sunday, July 5, 2009

.i will remember the king of pop.

How is it possible to be touched by the passing of a person that you’ve never met but feel like you’ve known all your life? The reality of Michael Jackson’s passing did not hit me until a few days after it actually happened. How could someone so amazingly talented and seemingly on top of the world—be gone in a matter of moments? It was much too difficult for me to handle and believe—or even want to believe. You see, I grew up with a love for music and dance. I can say with all honesty that I owe a lot of that to Michael Jackson. His music was definitely a part of my childhood. I remember playing my Dads cassette tapes filled with MJ’s music and blasting his songs in my garage while my neighbors and I danced away. We’d choreograph short routines to Billy Jean and Beat it. We even tried our best to imitate the King of Pop’s moves—as if we could. As silly as it sounds, the "Making of Thriller" was one of my all time favorite videos to watch. I'd watch it over and over so I understood how such (at the time) a scary video was made. The zombies freaked me out but once I knew the behind-the-scenes secrets, I laughed at myself for being so scared. I even memorized the dance moves which prompted my love for dance. Because of this I grew up learning the art of ballet, jazz, and even hula. Being that we were just young kids at the time—little did I realize, MJ’s music would prove to be legendary and his life would be cut without warning many years later. How could I fathom that I would be a grown adult going about my daily work day and would come across a newsflash that Michael, at the age of 50 would be rushed to the hospital with reports of cardiac arrest? At 50 years old?! Despite his tremulous lifestyle, he was a person. One who was a talented individual who was able to do what most people in this world will never EVER be able to do. That was to touch the hearts and souls of many human beings all around the globe with his voice through music, the ENTIRE globe! I choose to remember Michael Jackson as a performer and singer who possessed a priceless perfection when it came to his gift. Whatever negative comments people choose to say about him and the accusations that surrounded him are words that I will try to ignore. He is gone from this Earth now—and no one will ever know the truth about his life. What we will know is that his art is timeless—and that is undeniable. I know in my heart that his music will never get old—even as we all will. I'll never forget the man who made a white glitter glove so famous and the way he magically floated across the stage with a move we all know as the moonwalk. As Michael is memorialized and buried this coming week in Los Angeles, a part of my childhood will be with him as he is placed in his final resting place. RIP Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009).

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