I Say Hella: The King is Gone

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The King is Gone

As soon as I got in the car with D, he asked me if I'd heard the news.

"Did you hear about Michael?" He said. Funny..I didn't even need to ask 'Michael who?' ...I automatically assumed he meant THE Michael.

"He died.." He said.

"Fuck you" I replied.

Ever since I was old enough to spit, Michael Jackson has been a part of my life. My father was totally obsessed...my mother was only slightly obsessed. I remember waking up on Saturday mornings to the tune of, "...Do you rememba...AH!...when we...fell in love.."

The hoards of people who grew up with him since he was a little kid, through his trials in the public eye and scrutiny he endured as the biggest legend and running joke all seems to boil down to one simple thing. No one has impacted music so intensely as Michael Jackson did.

I know soon, his face will suddenly be on t-shirts and his image splashed across every magazine racing for the highest sales. He'll become frozen in time, forever iconic. My kids will probably watch the 3 hour epic movie about his life and times, and ask me if I remember him. I'm not even ashamed to say I cried a bit when I heard. He was a part of my childhood. For every occasion...there is a Michael Jackson song...

Even though he never got even close to as much respect form the world as he should have, at least he's leaving behind one hell of a legacy. He'll forever be the King of Pop.