Michael Jackson.
1969 - 1995 King of Pop
1995 - 2009 Wacko Jacko
Sad, but true.
I wouldn't name Jackson in my top 50 favourite recording artists, I shouldn't need to repeat my mantra of " I don't like that sort of music," especially after writing my most recent post. But driving down to Dunkirk last year Studio Brussels here in Belgium were playing a compilation of his hits to promote the release of the King of Pop cd and I turned to my fiancée and said, "he made some good songs!"
On hearing the news this morning, I rather cruelly said to her, "see, that's what dancing does to you!"
MJ now joins, not only that long list of stars who died too young, but also that much shorter list of icons who transcended Superstardom. Unlike Monroe, Morrison, Lennon and Dean he did reach his potential. But like that other icon, Elvis Presley, we can expect things to get pretty stupid. The similarities are there for all to see. Both men were wildly popular, both men were...eccentric. How long before the first sighting of Michael Jackson serving fries at a McDonalds in Asswipe, Nebraska? How long before the first sighting of him swinging on a vine in a jungle somewhere in Africa with Bubbles the Chimp clinging to him? Or, come to that, how long before reports of him running a second hand record store somewhere, with Elvis?
But, I think, more importantly than all that nonsense, like Elvis, his best years were behind him when he died. We did see the best of Michael Jackson.
A few hours before the news broke of Jacksons death, the headline news on CNN was the death of Farrah Fawcett, famous for appearing in 70's show Charlies Angels. There is a certain synchronicity to celebrity deaths and just as people in Europe were waking up to Jacksons death, news started to circulate that actor Jeff Goldblum had fallen to his death whilst filming in New Zealand. Within a few hours, Google announced that Jeff Goldblum Dead was the 3rd most popular search on the net. To paraphrase a certain Mark Twain, "News of his death had been greatly exaggerated." The power of the Internet!
As a footnote to that, it has been pointed out that celebrity deaths seem to come in groups of 3. I don't know what research there is to qualify that, but if it is true, then who is next?