Michael Jackson

[Ariane Chan]

R.I.P. I only found out this morning. The irony being that yesterday night, someone made a reference to his death in their Facebook status but I had no idea what they were referring to. So it came as quite a shock. I did get a sense of deja vu from Heath Ledger's shocking death. It's all very sad.

I've never been a fan of Michael Jackson, if I'm honest. He was before my time and his music never appealed to me on the whole. Also, by the time I'd heard of him only bad things were written in the papers. I'll admit I didn't have a good impression of the guy whatsoever. His plastic surgery (or whatever it was...) also made me a little bit wary. My brother never had anything nice to say about him.

Whatever he's done doesn't mean he's a good person, but he died yesterday night and his life should be honoured. He did lead a sensational life and he's got millions of fans across the globe. I woke up to people sobbing on the radio... It's quite distressing, and I live in England. We're not even talking about America here. I don't know how popular Michael Jackson was in the States, but he was uber popular here, especially during his prime.

I'm a little bit annoyed at some of the insensitive people out there. It's all right if you don't care but there are people who do, and those people and their thoughts should be respected. Michael Jackson's family in particular should be respected. I admit I don't have much of an emotional connection to Michael Jackson - he was hardly a major part of my life - but it's always, always terribly sad when someone passes away, and the impact his death has had on so many people even where I live is testament to the achievements in his life. Because at the end of the day, when someone dies, we should celebrate their life. Even for a moment pass over the bad things, because let's face it: we all did crap in our lives. None of us are innocent.

So. Yeah. Just thought I'd say that, because the Facebook statuses I'm seeing are making me go up and down. I just don't think I'm feeling mentally very well and I'm in pain, meh. And this isn't aimed at anyone who dislikes Michael Jackson. It's just a mention for him, and a peaceful one at that, now that he's dead.

[dawn]

I'm not too much older than you Viv, maybe by only a few years, but Michael was a part of my life. Maybe that's the whole American thing about me. When I found out about his passing I wasn't devastated but I was shocked. He was a man of only 50 years and that is actually not too old. I immediately texted my mother to break the news and she was shocked.

Of course the bad and uneasy rumors and gossip floated around as I grew up about this man, but his music was always something people returned to. He was an Icon, and even while he was alive- a legend- and now even more so. I just can't help think about his kids. They are still quite young and that really makes me sad for them that they just lost their father.

I am also sick and tired of the crap people are saying about him. It hasn't even been 24 hours and people are already cracking jokes about his life, maybe some actions he may have or may have not taken through the course of it. I'm personally tired of it. I wish people had respect. He had done a lot of good things through his life whether it be charities, helping families in need, or merely gracing the world with his talent. I didn't grow up with him in my life, but how he affected the generations before me has affected me. He was a big part of American culture. He was an amazing entertainer. He will be remembered in generations to come- I will tell you that much!