In what has turned out to be one of the more depressing days in entertainment, the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, has died at the age of 50. The news came mere hours after the report that actress Farrah Fawcett had lost her long battle with cancer.
The Michael Jackson news was surreal, as while it was unfolding, many thought it was simply inaccurate news. When word first broke, it was said that Jackson was found in cardiac arrest and not breathing; this news quickly took a turn for the worst when rumors started flying out that he had passed away; this shock was followed up by suggestions that he was actually in a coma, and the reports began alternating, leaving everyone confused as to what was actually going on. Sadly, as time moved forward, this news — first reported by TMZ — was confirmed by the LA Times to be true.
Many have been worried about the health of Jackson for a while now, but with a hopeful three-year world tour set to kick off with 50 sold out shows in London, it appeared that the star was feeling well and prepped for an attempted comeback of epic proportions.
While the reports are not confirmed, there was a rumor in the chaos today that he had gone into cardiac arrest after taking too many sleeping pills. While this is currently unknown, the L.A. police department’s robbery and homicide unit is investigating and a coroner is performing an immediate autopsy to find out what exactly happened here. There are no signs of foul play at the moment.
Michael Jackson is of course known as one of the most popular and most successful singers of ever to live. His album Thriller is the top-selling album of all-time, and it is only one among many other hugely popular albums. On top of music, Jackson appeared in a few movies and TV shows as well; most notably: The Wiz, Men in Black II, and a small voice appearance as Leon Kompowsky on The Simpsons in 1991.
His immense success and monumental talents have unfortunately been over-shadowed by years of controversy and court trials over child molestation charges. But even with all of these issues, no one can deny the importance of this man in the entertainment world, and the amount of great music he has created that will live on forever. A truly remarkable icon with an overwhelmingly sad, troubled life.
Michael Jackson 1958 — 2009
RIP Michael Jackson
Death of the King of Pop – Unexpected forsure.
More recent updates on http://michaeljacksondeath.us
Comment by Derrick — June 25, 2009 @ 11:25 pm
Say what you will about the man, but don’t deny his impact on the world. He was a person of tremendous talent, and I’m almost sure that he really wasn’t the monster people attempted to claim he was. Truly the first celebrity death to hit me hard. Indeed a sad day.
Comment by Trevor — June 25, 2009 @ 11:31 pm
I agree with Trevor.
Michael Jackson was a great talent and was a major contribution to the world of music. It’s sad that in his older years, he was made such a mockery of, but he was a talented man. Even though it wasn’t exactly my favorite music, his songs with Jackson 5 were great and then of course Thriller is a classic album that I totally enjoy.
I hope that his death isn’t turned into a mockery too. One thing’s for sure, I think his death is going to be similar to Elvis where people for decades will save he never really died.
Comment by Empress Eve — June 25, 2009 @ 11:45 pm
Not sure I agree. Thriller was a great album in it’s day but it’s not timeless like a Stones, Bowie or Beatles classic. I listen to thriller now and I see big shoulder pads and excess. He did a lot of great work with the Jacksons similar to Stevie Wonder but then it all come unstuck through the eighties for me. Great for the kids (Thriller was my first album) but sadly, not much else. Great dancer. I’ll give him that.
Comment by Dave — June 26, 2009 @ 5:48 am
It’s so sad to hear about Michael Jackson. As a dancer, I’m performed almost every one of his hits in some form or another. A lot of celebrities have died recently, but he’s the first one that had a big impact on my life personally. It’s a really weird feeling. Anyway, nice post. ;)
Comment by Justin — June 26, 2009 @ 7:36 am
oh COME ON!!!
Everyone else in the WORLD is covering this story to death! Talk about something else geeksofdoom! anything! I don’t come here to be reminded of how crappy our real world is! I come here for escapism! Talk about something else and leave this story to the vultures in conventional media!
Comment by Devon — June 26, 2009 @ 8:55 am
Did anyone even MENTION the passing of Patrick McGoohan, whose geek cult favorite THE PRISONER trumps everything and anything Jackson could ever hope to accomplish with his over privileged life?
Screw that.
Comment by Devon — June 26, 2009 @ 8:57 am
say what you will about his entertainment value, this is one death i feel no sadness about. innocent men do not pay millions of dollars to their accusers to get them to shut up.
Comment by Dax — June 26, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
MJ was a bit of sci-fi geek. I had an E.T. storybook on vinyl back in the eighties. There was also Captain Eo. Just the fact that he hired John Landis and Savini to make Thriller shows he knew what he was doing. I seem to remember some talk in the early nineties that he was trying to produce and star in movie version of A Stranger in a Strange Land. (Did I dream this?) Anyway, it’s the end of an era.
Comment by Captain Karl — June 26, 2009 @ 4:00 pm