I had a strange feeling on 25th June 2009 I remember coming home from work , feeling ‘weird’ getting a phone call with some upsetting news and sitting on front of the television thinking its a strange old day. Four hours later news of Michael Jackson being rushed to hospital broke……I started to feel numb….news was buzzing, Internet chatrooms were on overload people were wondering was this true I for one could not comprehend let alone expect ‘Dead’ and Micheal Jackson EVER being in the same sentence, however yes those words were in the same sentence and it was very true.
A classic, “where were you when”moment, many people asked this question regarding John F Kennedy, Elvis, even Princess Diana, well ….I was in bed. It was as if one of our own had passed, people were ringing each other passing the news, people who had long stopped liking him as an artist were all saddened, Michael was gone.
I had always liked Michael Jackson you could say that I was a fan my first memories were at aged 3 watching the ‘can you feel it’ video by the Jacksons. A year later I sat in awe watching ‘Billy Jean’ and Michael stepping on the pavements, lighting them up with every choreographed step. I tried in vain to light up Streatham High Road ….but it didn’t happen.
Bad era was when I really became a fan, the rest was history until I got to secondary school and found that it was ‘uncool’ to be a fan of someone with plastic surgery. I began to dislike him because I felt that he didn’t want to be true to himself it was hard for me because I was going through puberty/life changes and really not wanting to be me, apparently MJ didn’t either he was able to change his face many couldn’t.
I had a friend at school who was a lifelong fan of Michael Jackson, through his troubles she stood firm she loved him. Many of our classmates and myself ridiculed her but she didn’t care, secretly I admired her for her loyalty something I had long since lost. Nonetheless I called her on the 26th June I left my condolences on Facebook, she responded by saying that she new I was a MJ secret fan, I laughed ..I suppose she was right.
You see, it was plain to see that Michael Jackson touched many peoples lives even those who don’t want to admit it. From the parents who grew up with ‘little Michael Jackson’, the cool older brothers or sisters who loved his ‘off the wall era’ or his Jheri Curled Billy Jean look. The thirty somethings that grew up with Bad and dangerous or the emotional fan who cried at his concerts. He touched us all…the man in the mirror
Rest in peace Micheal
Life amongst other things 