This is an off-topic post but one that I just had to do. This morning, I and the rest of the world were greeted with the shocking news that “King of Pop” Michael Jackson died yesterday the 25th June 2009 from a massive heart attack in his home. Michael Jackson, or “MJ” as he was affectionately nicknamed by his fans was only 50 years old.

Since MJ’s rise to super stardom in the late seventies with his “Off the Wall” album and the eighties massive “Thriller” album, he clearly redefined what success was as a musician and entertainer extraordinaire. He broke album sales records globally and Thriller is still the most successful music album of all time. MJ made us want to “moon walk” and be just like him! We all bought his music, posters and other paraphernalia like the “glove” and the “jacket” in droves.

MJ was undoubtedly a living icon, albeit one who over the last decade slipped further and further down a very dark hole. His financial mismanagement and recurrent child abuse court cases completely destroyed the man, or rather he destroyed himself. MJ became less and less the man we admired as his fans and more and more a freak of nature with his recurrent plastic surgery “experiments” and ever lightening skin – even being referred to regularly by the media as “Wacko Jacko”. But, nevertheless, we loved MJ, we adored him. MJ was THE MAN!

So, as we mourn the passing of one of the world’s most gifted and entertaining icons, let us not deny our inner Michael Jackson – He was after all, only human. He had to grow up so much faster than most of us as the child lead singer of the original Jackson 5 – he had no childhood to speak of so can we really blame him for what he became and the bizarre things he did? His life was always in the spotlight and even now we are shocked at the sudden passing of MJ – has it really happened? MJ represented the best and the worst in humanity. He made us want to soar like him but he also showed us that you can crash hard. MJ, you will be missed. Rest in Peace.