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  • THURSDAY JUNE 25 2009 6:30 PM

The King of Pop Is Dead

Submitted by Clio

Edited by Clio

Tags: Michael Jackson, heart attack, Los Angeles, death

Reportedly, pop icon Michael Jackson has passed away after suffering from cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home earlier today. The singer was rushed to the hospital in a coma but paramedics were unable to revive him, after which he was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. The King of Pop was 50 years old.

With a career starting as early as age eleven with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson is widely considered one of the most influential artists of the past century, and remains one of the world's best-selling musician of all time. The singer was in Los Angeles rehearsing for his upcoming sold-out performances next month which have obviously been canceled.

Jackson is survived by his three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.



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Jena

Jena

New York, NY
June 2003

JUN 25, 2009 10:15 PM

The streets of Philadelphia went nuts tonight. Some merciful soul hauled a PA out onto his porch and blasted classic jams while the blacks, whites, dirty hipsters and old and decrepit took to the streets dancing. Cars stopped to honk and a fire hydrant was busted open.

Ya gotta to be startin' something.

Jena

Jena

New York, NY
June 2003

JUN 25, 2009 10:23 PM

lil_tuffy said:

BIGBLAQ said:
I hate how some people are still trying to take some cheap shots at him. Although he must be responsible for the inappropriate acts that he committed, some folks refuse to understand what may have cause such behavior.



The cause of his actions do not justify his actions.



Opinions are hilarious, aren't they? Maybe the reason he was never charged or convicted of "inappropriate acts" is because they never happened.


_Holden_

_Holden_

Denver, CO
December 2006

JUN 25, 2009 10:28 PM

Sound said:

silversoul7 said:
A fitting obituary here

There are two things to say about him. He was a musical genius; and he was an abused child. By abuse, I do not mean sexual abuse; I mean he was used brutally and callously for money, and clearly imprisoned by a tyrannical father. He had no real childhood and spent much of his later life struggling to get one. He was spiritually and psychologically raped at a very early age - and never recovered. Watching him change his race, his age, and almost his gender, you saw a tortured soul seeking what the rest of us take for granted: a normal life.

But he had no compass to find one; no real friends to support and advise him; and money and fame imprisoned him in the delusions of narcissism and self-indulgence. Of course, he bears responsibility for his bizarre life. But the damage done to him by his own family and then by all those motivated more by money and power than by faith and love was irreparable in the end. He died a while ago. He remained for so long a walking human shell.

I loved his music. His young voice was almost a miracle, his poise in retrospect eery, his joy, tempered by pain, often unbearably uplifting. He made the greatest music video of all time; and he made some of the greatest records of all time. He was everything our culture worships; and yet he was obviously desperately unhappy, tortured, afraid and alone.

I grieve for him; but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours' and it is a lethal and brutal one: with fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out.

I hope he has the peace now he never had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so abused again.



amazing piece.



This is really beautiful and expresses pretty much how I feel about the whole things. I'm really bummed. In my mind Michael Jackson was one of those people who was going to live forever. RIP

lil_tuffy

lil_tuffy

MODERATOR

San Francisco, CA

JUN 25, 2009 10:46 PM

Jena said:

lil_tuffy said:

BIGBLAQ said:
I hate how some people are still trying to take some cheap shots at him. Although he must be responsible for the inappropriate acts that he committed, some folks refuse to understand what may have cause such behavior.



The cause of his actions do not justify his actions.



Opinions are hilarious, aren't they? Maybe the reason he was never charged or convicted of "inappropriate acts" is because they never happened.




He was charged multiple times.

In the case of California vs. Michael Jackson, he was indicted (charged) for four counts of molesting a minor, four counts of intoxicating a minor, one count of abduction, and one count of conspiring to hold the boy and his family captive at his 2700-acre Neverland Ranch compound.

He was found not guilty by a jury.

Luella_DeVille

Luella_DeVille

USA
April 2006

JUN 25, 2009 10:48 PM

I always wondered what it would be like when someone as iconic as Michael Jackson or even Madonna died. I just couldn't imagine it.
It sucks frown

Jena

Jena

New York, NY
June 2003

JUN 25, 2009 11:00 PM

lil_tuffy said:

He was found not guilty by a jury.



pavlovsdog

pavlovsdog

Asheville, NC
May 2004

JUN 25, 2009 11:48 PM

His songs always take me back.

RIP

Davidle1

Davidle1

Hammond, IN
October 2005

JUN 26, 2009 12:17 AM

silversoul7 said:
A fitting obituary here

There are two things to say about him. He was a musical genius; and he was an abused child. By abuse, I do not mean sexual abuse; I mean he was used brutally and callously for money, and clearly imprisoned by a tyrannical father. He had no real childhood and spent much of his later life struggling to get one. He was spiritually and psychologically raped at a very early age - and never recovered. Watching him change his race, his age, and almost his gender, you saw a tortured soul seeking what the rest of us take for granted: a normal life.

But he had no compass to find one; no real friends to support and advise him; and money and fame imprisoned him in the delusions of narcissism and self-indulgence. Of course, he bears responsibility for his bizarre life. But the damage done to him by his own family and then by all those motivated more by money and power than by faith and love was irreparable in the end. He died a while ago. He remained for so long a walking human shell.

I loved his music. His young voice was almost a miracle, his poise in retrospect eery, his joy, tempered by pain, often unbearably uplifting. He made the greatest music video of all time; and he made some of the greatest records of all time. He was everything our culture worships; and yet he was obviously desperately unhappy, tortured, afraid and alone.

I grieve for him; but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours' and it is a lethal and brutal one: with fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out.

I hope he has the peace now he never had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so abused again.



Fantastic and very well put. Actually it's a perfect comment.

Davidle1

Davidle1

Hammond, IN
October 2005

JUN 26, 2009 12:21 AM

Holdin said:

Sound said:

silversoul7 said:
A fitting obituary here

There are two things to say about him. He was a musical genius; and he was an abused child. By abuse, I do not mean sexual abuse; I mean he was used brutally and callously for money, and clearly imprisoned by a tyrannical father. He had no real childhood and spent much of his later life struggling to get one. He was spiritually and psychologically raped at a very early age - and never recovered. Watching him change his race, his age, and almost his gender, you saw a tortured soul seeking what the rest of us take for granted: a normal life.

But he had no compass to find one; no real friends to support and advise him; and money and fame imprisoned him in the delusions of narcissism and self-indulgence. Of course, he bears responsibility for his bizarre life. But the damage done to him by his own family and then by all those motivated more by money and power than by faith and love was irreparable in the end. He died a while ago. He remained for so long a walking human shell.

I loved his music. His young voice was almost a miracle, his poise in retrospect eery, his joy, tempered by pain, often unbearably uplifting. He made the greatest music video of all time; and he made some of the greatest records of all time. He was everything our culture worships; and yet he was obviously desperately unhappy, tortured, afraid and alone.

I grieve for him; but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours' and it is a lethal and brutal one: with fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out.

I hope he has the peace now he never had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so abused again.



amazing piece.



This is really beautiful and expresses pretty much how I feel about the whole things. I'm really bummed. In my mind Michael Jackson was one of those people who was going to live forever. RIP



I felt the same way as you...The piece the other person wrote

was truly flawless. Also your comment on how he was going

to be one of the ones that lived forever....I felt the exact same

way!

sickboyedd

sickboyedd

United Kingdom
January 2004

JUN 26, 2009 03:24 AM

I feel bad that he died, and that his life wasn't one that his fans would have wanted him to have. But at the same time, I keep the music and the man separate; the Michael Jackson that made great music died a long time before the media spectacle did, which the obituary posted above alludes at.

atomicant

atomicant

Portland, OR
June 2003

JUN 26, 2009 03:44 AM

Jena said:

lil_tuffy said:

He was found not guilty by a jury.





and we all know that the american legal system, especially when put in the hands of a jury, is infallible and above reproach.

Clio

Clio

SUICIDEGIRL

Netherlands

JUN 26, 2009 03:47 AM

sickboyedd said:
I feel bad that he died, and that his life wasn't one that his fans would have wanted him to have. But at the same time, I keep the music and the man separate; the Michael Jackson that made great music died a long time before the media spectacle did, which the obituary posted above alludes at.



That's what I like to do regarding Phil Spector. blackeyed

hor

hor

USA
June 2005

JUN 26, 2009 05:01 AM


He was a cultural icon. He may have also been a child molester. R.I.P.

I’m from Minnesota. Prince owns anyway. smile

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

JUN 26, 2009 05:13 AM

Jena said:

lil_tuffy said:

He was found not guilty by a jury.





So was OJ.

BratPanties

BratPanties

USA
August 2008

JUN 26, 2009 05:33 AM

bean said:

Jena said:

lil_tuffy said:

He was found not guilty by a jury.





So was OJ.



But Michael's court case was largely irrelevant, as far as public opinion goes. If it had been the media calling the shots, he would have been accused, tried and executed in ten seconds flat.

I just find it sad that, despite the fact he was found not guilty on multiple charges, multiple times, people still assume the worst.

I guess it's more fun for everyone to think badly of him, rather than consider he may have been telling the truth all along.

Either way, it's extremely sad that he's dead, but at the same time he escaped what I'm sure was going to be another run of concerts where the media did their utmost to rip him to shreds the entire time.

Poor old Michael. frown

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