The King of Pop is Dead

By Robert Wilonsky Thu., Jun. 25 2009 at 5:09 PM

Categories: Music News

So confirms The Los Angeles Times, and on the same day Farrah Fawcett dies, no less. While we and the rest of the known universe gather our thoughts and Jackson Five greatest-hits collections, here, from the Victory Tour, is Michael in his prime. Locals will recall well the three days during the summer of '84 -- July 13-15 -- when the Jacksons played their greatest hits to a sold-out Texas Stadium. And it was during the second show that Eddie Van Halen joined Michael to "Beat It," the only such time Van Halen guested during the tour, if memory serves. Because now, that's all that's left.

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Michael Jackson dying was a great surprise for me, although in hindsight it was perhaps not so surprising. The molestation charges pressed upon him caused his health to spiral out of control, both emotional and physical. After he began to use medicines to merely get by, that was the time when there came to be no way back, IMHO.
Michael Jackson's death was a huge shock for anyone who loves the arts in general, though taking into account his situation it was maybe not so surprising. The child abuse charges brought upon him had a massive impact on his health. As soon as he began to use drugs to just get by, that was when there came to be no way back, IMO.
The death of Michael Jackson was a massive shock for anyone who loves the arts in general, although in hindsight it was perhaps not so surprising. The criminal charges pressed upon him caused his health to spiral out of control, both emotional and physical. After he began to use drugs to merely get by, that was the moment there definitely was no way back, in my humble opinion.
why did none of you give a rat's ass while he was alive?
MJ's death was bad news for the film studio that was counting on a blockbuster opening weekend for "Bruno". The film contained scenes that made fun of Jackson and his sister LaToya, and now it will be edited, and the film's release will be delayed. MJ's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was covered up last night with production gear for tonight's premiere of the "Bruno" film. What a gargantuan clusterfuck for Jackson fans and Sacha Baron Cohen.
One less pervert, beat it!
That was an awesome video. Thanks for sharing. I remember when my friend got tickets for the Victory tour and took some other friends to the concert. If you are old enough to recall, there was an actual lottery for tickets--you couldn't just buy them. Anyhoo, I owe Michael Jackson a huge debt. While I think he was nuttier than a fruitcake in his older years, and the allegations of child abuse make me ill, his Off the Wall album absolutely lifted me up during a time of deep depression. I challenge anyone suffering from a great loss (in my case, two stillborn babies) to listen to that album and not feel a little bit better. That was some great upbeat music. Blows the later dreck like "Man in the Mirror" or "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" out of the water. RIP, Michael, and thanks.
I still cant believe he was 50!! Gads I'm getting old!! Was doing some browsing and ran into this... http://www.ebaumsworld.com/soundboards/play/6253/ The Michael Jackson soundboard... kinda wierd... ww
Well, maybe now Paul McCartney can get the Beatles catalog back.
He may have done some pretty weird stuff later in life, but he was still one helluva musician/artist and that's what he should be remembered for. Thanks for posting this video. It's great to see him on stage performing with Eddie Van Halen - two musicians at the pinnacle of their respective careers.
This is so profoundly sad. He will always be the Double Diamond King of Pop. I still have the 8 track to Off The Wall. I've never been able to throw it away - it was a cherished posession of mine as a child. Say what you will about the man, but he was a pop music genius we'll never see the likes of again.
So the Dandy Warhols will cover "Blackbird" now.
what Lance said-remember him before the weirdness. the J5's 'I Want You Back' is one of the greatest 3 minutes in pop history.
It's weird how saddened I am by his passing, I grew up listening to him when <em>Thriller</em> was at it's peak. It's sad to think that instead of being remembered for the musical legend he was he will more than likely be remembered for being a giant bag of crazy or a child molester. As much as I've made fun of him, he's a legend and always will be.
I was there and he was great. Just called my mother to thank her for taking me to that concert.