Remembering Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson Dead at 50

Michael Jackson dead at 50. I can't think of what to say about this; it just stuns me. Although I'm not a major fan, I still must admit that his presence in this world had an effect on me. It seems like only moments ago that I witnessed a young boy singing and dancing with his older brothers on TV. I watched him grow into a prolific and talented solo artist along with the eccentricities that most major stars seem to have. He often seemed enigmatic and isolated at the same time; searching for acceptance and validation from adults even though he was well into his adulthood himself. He lived a fantasy life; something almost not of this world. Millions of fans worshiped him for decades as he performed in sold-out arenas. He was also evolving into some bizarre character; something was almost non-human.

His home was created and shaped into a giant amusement park and animal refuge where he shared his bed with exotic monkeys and several young children. Some were famous and some became reluctantly famous. Then came the marriages. The first to the daughter of the "king of rock and roll", and what a paradox it was that the father-in-law that he had never met lived almost like him. This marriage did not last long and his fame was on the decline as well. The second relationship bared two children but also did not last long. We rarely saw the children without any facial covering. Two innocent beings thrown into their Dad's chaotic nightmare. Then came the lawsuits and the accusations.