A Farewell to Michael Jackson - 1958-2009

There will never be another Michael Jackson ever again, he was one of the greatest entertainers ever!  I appreciated Michael Jackson’s enormous talent as a kid and had a unique encounter with the Jackson 5 when I was 11.

In Baldwin Hills, California in 1971 the Jackson 5 were sounding great while walking rank and file into my local grocery store as I was at the stand reading the latest Tiger Beat Magazine.  I first saw Michael Jackson approach as they were singing their recent hit “ABC“.  My jaw dropped and I watched in awe as the Jackson 5 walked past me and they suddenly on cue stopped singing as they walked by in silence looking at me.  I was standing in front of a hall length mirror, so as they walked past me, they could see their reflections as I saw them. It felt like magic.

As I stood frozen in shock as they walked past me and out the door, Tito came back to afro pick his hair in the mirror.  I stood and gawked at Tito and asked if he had a pen so I could have an autograph.  I ran home with excitement to report to my mother what I had witnessed but empty handed because he didn’t have a pen.  As would later become a common response from others, my mother didn’t believe me.  She suggested they were boys trying to fool me.  A few of my friends in elementary school said it was possible it could have been them because they lived within a reasonable proximity, but few believed my story.

Michael Jackson enabled me to have a better choice of music and voice to listen to then what my parents had offered of Donny Osmond and the Osmond Brothers.  In the late 1970’s few could have ever imagined how Michael Jackson would recreate himself and some believed he was going to have a hard life after his childhood stardom.

In the early 80’s Michael Jackson’s music dominated the culture in Southern California where I lived with his Moon Walk dancing at the Motown 25th Anniversary. It was all extremely exciting to witness and live through a time when music was so much fun to listen and dance to.

I predicted a few months ago based on the rumors surrounding Michael Jackson’s health that it was indeed serious and he was going to die this year.  Michael Jackson chose the best way to deal with his impending death, by attempting to make a come back for his fans.  Many attorneys are weeping from all the lost future cases they planned on getting to Michael Jackson’s money.  It’s over now for them.  Hopefully they’ll be no more picking at Michael Jackson for these greedy attorneys!

May Michael Jackson rest in peace now that his life is over and complete.