
I heard that the world literally stood still on June 25, 2009 upon hearing of the death of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. I know I did. It was the 26th here in the Philippines and I only learned about it that Friday morning through a text message from my brother. You see, I've been a fan of his since his Jackson 5 days. My family and relatives know this.
I used to dance to all the songs in their christmas album. I grew up listening to songs from his Off the Wall album always being played on the radio. When MTV first came out in the 1980s, I watched closely at his music videos from the Thriller album and even sang along. By the time I entered college, MJ released a number of albums already (the coolest, to me, being his Dangerous album). Whenever the opportunity presented itself, I asked people for their MJ memorabilia...be it a compilation of his music videos through the years, recordings of his concerts, etc. Note: I asked, I didn't buy...wasn't earning yet, then, and, let's face it, I was just too cheap to buy my own stuff! I vowed then that if MJ holds a concert here, that I would make sure to buy a ticket and watch him.

1993 was the year I was in the United States and when he was accused of terrible things. I admit I was saddened by it. I didn't know whether to hate the guy or not. I didn't know whether to believe the accusations or not. I even got teased about it by my relatives a number of times. My only answer to these were (and continue to be): I will not pretend to know about his personal life. What I do know is that, despite his sad childhood, he still remained child-like in heart and mind. And I know that he is THE MOST SOULFUL and THE BEST SINGER-SONGWRITER-PERFORMER OF ALL TIME!
Now, who can argue with that logic?
God bless you Michael! May you finally find the peace that was absent all throughout your chaotic life. We love you!