The unmistakable image of Michael Jackson
For followers of the entertainment world, June 25th, 2009, will be a day they will never forget. Michael Joseph Jackson, the greatest pop star of all time, collapsed in his rented Californian home and was whisked by ambulance to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, in Los Angeles, where doctors frantically tried to revive him, after he had suffered suspected heart failure.
The picture all Michael Jackson fans didn't want to see
As the news of the shocking crisis spread, worried fans gathered outside the hospital and other spots throughout the country, and the world, to pray for the beloved singer.
Sadly, when Michael Jackson tragically died, two months shy of his 51st Birthday, it seemed as though the whole world suddenly stood still and went into mourning.
The outpouring of grief, from his fans, has been tremendous and something rarely matched in the history of music and entertainment, but that’s the power of a man who was called a King, crowned a King, and truly was, as, his dear friend, Elizabeth Taylor once declared, “the King of pop, rock and soul”.
Millions of people around the world will have their own memories of Michael. I’m no different, other than the fact I was fortunate enough to grace the great man’s presence, while he was in London promoting his final This Is It tour.
Having been invited to Michael’s press conference, shortly before his death, I was able to see, up close, the man who, with the mere mention of his name, is able to stop the world go by.
The excitement that surrounds the superstar is incomprehensible to someone who hasn’t ever seen or experienced it. Even hours before his arrival there was an unexplained buzz amongst all those who were lucky to be in the vicinity. We all knew ‘The King of Pop’ was coming. As an admirer of his work, I was incredibly excited to be part of ‘HIStory’ and couldn’t wait for his comeback.
Michael at the press conference in London
Standing within three metres of Michael, I was able to see, firsthand, the pandemonium that surrounds the singer, wherever he goes.
The chorus of screams is insatiable and one that does not go unnoticed, with him responding, in his characteristic tone, “I love you, I really do, from the bottom of my heart.”
Despite the world’s fascination with his appearance, up-close, he looked well and, dare I say it, normal.
But what struck me most about Michael, was the aura he exudes. His mere presence sends a crowd, of even hard-nosed journalists, wild, who are hanging on his every word.
This is something that few entertainers have or ever will have, but I suppose that is what made Mike special. The man’s charisma.
The magnitude of Michael Jackson’s star power is almost impossible to overstate. His influence on music and culture has been immeasurable. During his lifetime, he has smashed sales records, pushed creative borders, broken racial boundaries and influenced generations of pop, R&B and hip-hop stars.
Thriller Live poster
Michael Jackson impersonator
Not that anyone could ever forget…but this is why Mike was special….
While his fifty years on this earth were entirely too short, his light flickered so bright when he lived that it has left an indelible mark on everyone who has ever listened to his music, or been helped by this gentle and sometimes tortured soul.
We now celebrate Michael’s life’s work as we reach out and eternally hold that gloved hand and remember him forever in his music.
Perhaps, somewhat fortuitously, Michael knew these would be his last performances.
“These will be my final shows in London. This will be it. When I say this is it, this really will be it. This is my final curtain call!”
Michael Jackson lived the last hours of his life doing what he was born to do. He will always be ‘The King of Pop’. May he now rest in peace.
