It truly is the end of an era. It’s strange how one person can affect so many -and in such a broad spectrum of ways. He made good music, no matter what else you have to say you cannot deny this. People all over the world have celebrated and loved this man for his contributions to the industry and the lives of those who listened. I truly think he made a huge difference in the fight for racial equality just by being so damn appealing to people of every race and creed.
So many people sang last night for the Kryto Karaoke contest… so many people sang songs outside the theme that seemed to be in memorial. Several expressed anger at the things Michael did during his life, but pretty much everyone had emotional reactions.
Overall, I’d have to say the world is a different place today without him in it. He may not have been participating so much these last few years, but just the knowledge that there will never be another performance is kind of heavy. His last tour was entitled “This is it” and Michael referred to it as the “last curtain call” during a press conference. Kind of makes you wonder if he didn’t see it coming?
His life was a rare mix of wonderful fantasy and frightening reality. I truly believe that his troubled childhood contributed to a complete halt of emotional development. Whatever may or may not have happened between himself and the children he brought into his secret places -it was inappropriate. The parents of those kids should never have left them in the hands of a person who could never truly be known or trusted completely. At the same time, I don’t believe he meant to harm them or to take their innocence from them. If anything, he was searching for what had been taken from him as a child. Why doesn’t anyone acknowledge that? It’s not an excuse, but it’s a fact that should not ever be overlooked.
The passing of any human life is momentous, whether the person was good or evil… but this is a life that has touched billions.
“One owes respect to the living, to the dead one owes only truth.” -Voltaire
