Michael Jackson has died.

[Ed]

A very sudden death for a human being that has led a tragic life.

[Ryan]

No matter what one might say about his unusual life, he was an incredible artist. His legacy in the music world will live on long beyond his time on this planet.

[Andrew A.]

I do not see the tragedy or the noteworthiness. 

[Ed]

And your point . .

[Ryan]

I think it's a tragedy when anyone dies at such an age. I recently lost a family member who was the same age as Jackson and I can tell you it's definitely a tragedy for the family. As for the noteworthiness, different people will see it differently but there is no doubt that he had a major influence on popular music over the past 20-25 years.

[Andrew A.]

I understand that people do feel a connection to celebrities that they have only known through television and/or radio, I just do not understand why.  Though I would not pay to go see/hear him perform, I listened to his music as a kid and Thriller was the first album I ever got.  He has not been musically relevant for over a decade, however.  His death is certainly not something I would wish for (though perhaps many of the children he allegedly molested understandably might) but he is just another person I never met who died.  Victims of molestation or natural disaster or children dying for a lack of food, clean water, or simple medication would be tragic.  Just my perspective and it is no less worthy of expressing than any of yours.

[Ed]

I never said his death was a tragedy - I said he led a tragic life.  Also, I do not feel as much a connection with him as my memories with family/friends and his music.

It is noteworth because a person that has had an affect on tens of millions of people died suddenly and died young.

Farah Fawcet was expected - after her long battle with cancer, Ed McMahon lived a long life and was ill.  Michael - young and in seemingly good health.  Very different situations.

He has been musically relevant - just not as the performing artist - he has written music.

[Ryan]

It was definitely tragic for some people, for others probably not more than a loss of someone whose work they appreciated (I'd say I fall into this category), for some probably an event they don't even care about, for his accusers - if the accusations were true even though they have never been proven - maybe something of some sort of relief.

Ed, I'd say not just as a performer and writer but also as a choreographer, producer, and financier. Not to mention the significant influence on a generation of all of the above listed.

[Andrew A.]

Yes, I saw, though nothing has been mentioned yet that would put his life anywhere at all close to lingering for years with painful, debilitating disease or malnutrition or having a significant, traumatic experience forced upon you by someone else or by mother nature.  I am sure he had his demons and his challenges, the rich are not immune to such things.  However, he had more money than everyone who has ever visited this forum will ever earn, combined, and he spent it on luxuries such as lavish compounds around the world.  He was a minstrel, his 'affect' is overstated.  Wacko Jacko was no Gandhi and it is not as if his music were even in a class with Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart.  How many of the songs he has written yet has not performed could 100 random people on the street name?  What were the sales figures for his albums post-1995?  Also, remember that he has been wheelchair-bound in appearances in recent years and had a history of painkiller addiction.  He had been quite frail in the past few years, far from "good health."  It is too bad for his loved ones yet, again, that is true for pretty much everyone in the world.

As for the accusations, why would an innocent man pay $20 million to buy a family's silence?

[Andrew A.]

This was recommended to me, thought I would share it:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196009/Im-better-dead-Im-How-Michael-Jackson-predicted-death-months-ago.html?printingPage=true

[Ed]

Thanks for the article -