Gone Too Soon

It was last August when I posted about Michael Jackson's 50th birthday, revisiting what his music had meant to me when I was a young teenager. I have long since moved on from being a big fan of his, but I continued to keep up with him in passing and always wished him success. After all, he was a legend in our time who, so it seemed, would be around for a long time to come, and who would make a "comeback" (though he never went away), and he had only weeks to go before starting a series of record-sellout concerts at London's O2 Arena.

It was unconscionable to all of us that his death was imminent (though rumors had circulated for years about the state of his health). To the surprise of everyone, it came to pass yesterday; he was nearly two months shy of his 51st birthday. I had just returned home from work around 5:00PM EST and had seen on CNN.com that he had been taken to UCLA after suffering cardiac arrest, and soon enough, details (and plenty of speculation) started to emerge. Soon enough, the truth came out: he was pronounced dead around 5:30PM EST.

As someone who had been such an admirer of his artistry, I was shocked and saddened like everyone else, fan or otherwise. Naturally, one can't help but to feel sorry for his family and friends. However, we then come to the sad realization that there will never be another album, another video, another tour. Think what you will about Michael Jackson as a person, but his impact on popular culture and his success in shattering racial barriers in entertainment will continue to reverberate. Those are just a few ways his legacy will endure.

Last night, my friends and I communicated on social networks while following the news on television. We shared memories, posted our favorite videos, and tried to encourage each other. His fans came together in the real world as well; crowds of fans gathered outside UCLA and at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to mourn, but also to celebrate; they joined together in song and in rousing chants of "Michael!". Similar scenes played out all over the world, showing just how far his reach truly was. I was a teenager all over again.

I wasn't alive when Elvis died in 1977, but I can't imagine his death being any more momentous than the death of Michael Jackson. Unfortunately, it was sometimes hard to focus only on Jackson's genius and look beyond the controversy that always seemed to swirl around him and which he never could weather, try as he did. Still, I think he will be remembered as one of the most talented yet tragic figures in cultural history. To the man who never had a childhood yet who had a profound impact on mine: thanks for the memories and the music.