Remembering Michael Jackson

On June 25th last year, millions were mourning the loss of an icon who provided entrainment and inspiration across the globe. As I wrote on that day, Michael Jackson was much more than just a celebrity, just a singer, just a dancer.

Some of my fondest memories from childhood involve dancing around to “Bad” and “Remember the Time” with my cousins or gathering around the TV to watch the premiere of “Black or White” with such awe that you would have thought we were watching the moon landing.

Everyone has a Michael memory. Older people who grew up wearing Afros and watching Soul Train remember Michael debuting The Robot with his brothers during “Dancing Machine”. There are millions of boys who bought red leather jackets to look like Michael in “Thriller” and girls who pranced around in their rooms pretending they were in the video for “The Way You Make Me Feel”. There are kids who played the Moonwalker Sega Genesis game with Michael battling Joe Pesci until their fingers had blisters. There were younger generations who memorized the choreography with Michael and Janet in “Scream” or filled their iPods with tracks from Invincible. You can practically guess someone’s age by finding out their favorite Michael Jackson song because he has played a part in so many of our lives.

In the year since his death, scandal and controversy seem to be creeping out from all corners. Did Conrad Murray really kill him? Who gets the money? Will his family try to profit off the tragedy? Hardly a day goes by that someone isn’t on TV claiming to have some kind of “inside info” about the late King of Pop.

Does any of that really matter, though? If Dr. Murray admits his negligence lead to Michael’s death, if everything goes to Michael’s three children, if his father or brothers or the seemingly never-ending line of “friends” squeeze every last dollar out of any and everything Michael ever touched, will any of that change the fact that Michael is gone?

I’m not claiming to be above any of it. I admit, I read things on TMZ or watch entertainment news shows that give updates about the aftermath, but all those things are just clouding the memory of someone so exceptional.

Let’s hope that society can all take a break from scrounging for scandal and spend at least this one day celebrating the music–and the inspiration–of Michael Jackson.

Some of my fondest memories from childhood involve dancing around to “Bad” and “Remember the Time” with my cousins or gathering around the TV to watch the premiere of “Black or White” with such awe that you would have thought we were watching the moon landing.

Everyone has a Michael memory. Older people who grew up wearing Afros and watching Soul Train remember Michael debuting The Robot with his brothers during “Dancing Machine”. There are millions of boys who bought red leather jackets to look like Michael in “Thriller” and girls who pranced around in their rooms pretending they were in the video for “The Way You Make Me Feel”. There are kids who played the Moonwalker Sega Genesis game with Michael battling Joe Pesci until their fingers had blisters. There were younger generations who memorized the choreography with Michael and Janet in “Scream” or filled their iPods with tracks from Invincible. You can practically guess someone’s age by finding out their favorite Michael Jackson song because he has played a part in so many of our lives.

In the year since his death, scandal and controversy seem to be creeping out from all corners. Did Conrad Murray really kill him? Who gets the money? Will his family try to profit off the tragedy? Hardly a day goes by that someone isn’t on TV claiming to have some kind of “inside info” about the late King of Pop.

Does any of that really matter, though? If Dr. Murray admits his negligence lead to Michael’s death, if everything goes to Michael’s three children, if his father or brothers or the seemingly never-ending line of “friends” squeeze every last dollar out of any and everything Michael ever touched, will any of that change the fact that Michael is gone?

I’m not claiming to be above any of it. I admit, I read things on TMZ or watch entertainment news shows that give updates about the aftermath, but all those things are just clouding the memory of someone so exceptional.

Let’s hope that society can all take a break from scrounging for scandal and spend at least this one day celebrating the music–and the inspiration–of Michael Jackson.