The weird thing about celebrities dying around the same week is that is turns into a popularity contest. Sort of. Well, you end up finding out who the news media care more about.
Another thing is that you figure out how much certain dead celebrities meant to you. I mean, when you get upset because the guy who sold OxiClean is getting more emotional responses from your friends than a man who changed the face of entertainment...
Not to say one death outweighs another. However I suppose the impact of the person when they were alive might. Thus, more emotional reaction.
To me, Ed McMahon was someone I knew of from clips of Johnny Carson and who Phil Hartman did a funny impression of.
Farah Fawcett was a living Barbie to me. I wanted to look like her. Even though I'd never really seen her act.
Billy Mayes sponsored a product that really didn't do anything for my white bed sheets. But one time I put Oxiclean on a stain on the carpet and it bleached it four shades whiter than the original color.
Michael Jackson was my childhood. I didn't even realize how much of my time playing with my brother and hanging out with my younger neighbors involved Michael Jackson. His songs, videos, dancing, style all influenced us in someway back in the early 90s. We were all at that perfect age: Mac Culkin was a huge star and in MJ's music videos. "Free Willy" had come out and we were only in it for his song. We played HIStory and the Dangerous album like we needed it to breathe.
I can't even really put it into words. And hearing he died was a bit too much of a shock. I don't think I really even got it-- it didn't really sink in until I watched Anderson Cooper interview Kenny Ortega (Michael's long time creative partner) and others involved in the upcoming tour.
As a fan, I felt a loss for Michael for his music and how he would never get to release any if he had the mind to now. Thinking of all the obvious hard work the people of his team put together for the tour, how much time they all spent with Michael, how working with a legend - their idol and actually getting to know him, and suddenly all of that work and dedication was suddenly stopped: Thinking of how it affected his tour companions affected me. And of three young children losing their father.
The world may never get to see what Michael was capable of still doing after 13 years of being absent from the music business. (Hopefully there is more footage of his last rehearsal...) A new generation wouldn't have the privilege to experience seeing Michael doing something new with older generations who admired him since they were children, or Michael was a child, or both.
Michael was still working and perfecting and so looking forward to giving a new spectacular show to his fans and even expanding the tour (Kenny said Michael was like a kid in a candy store, thinking of more places to tour after London, India having been mentioned.) To think that we would never get to see it, that he will never get to share it with us the way he would want, is truly heartbreaking.
Thank you, Michael for the songs, the moves and the magic, for inspiration and hope, for the sheer entertainment and spectacular stage presence.
His smile at the end... Just perfect.
Thank you for still enjoying the show and performing no matter how many hurdles were tossed your way.
Thank you, Michael, for the memories.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
