Michael Jackson, 50

Maharlika · Post by **Maharlika** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:39 pm

Despite all the "stuff" he has been allegedly doing, an icon has passed away.

Farewell to the King of Pop.

AP Source: Michael Jackson dies in LA hospital - Yahoo! News

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:52 pm

I was just about to post this myself, actually...
Here's the [url="http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/michael.jackson/index.html"]CNN story.[/url]

For a while it was unclear if he was dead or just in a coma.

All things considered, given the controversy surrounding MJ, the fallout is going to be enormous....

I also predict that every album he's ever produced is going to become practically impossible to find.

Can't say I was a big fan, though I thought Thriller was innovative.

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:02 pm

I think for most of his career he did a third-rate imitation of himself. And as an example of conspicuous consumption by the rich-in-denial, he was disgusting.

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:26 pm

I was still really young when he was the biggest thing around, but I owned some tapes of his albums back in the day.

No matter the legacy he leaves, he definitely changed music.

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:43 pm

It's been hysterical here at UCLA. Around 3 pm, I and my colleagues at the lab started to receive phone calls, text messages, e-mail and Facebook messages that Michael Jackson had died at our hospital. UCLA sent out lots of traffic update e-mails all afternoon (which I didn't read, because I walk to and from work), but according to my colleagues, the mails said that the entire area was a traffic jam and passages were block due to the heavy traffic. Lots of helicopters have been circling around all afternoon, it just stopped less then an hour ago. The area around the medical center was crowded with people, and on my way home I got stopped by several people asking me about Jackson and where the medical centre was. I pointed out that the guy was already dead, but people seemed to just want to hang around the area.

From what I heard at work, he was already dead when the parameds arrived to his home to take him to the hospital. What a sad life he must have lead. A heavily disturbed person, who destroyed himself even more. I have never been a fan of his music, but of course I do acknowledge the fact that he was obviously very, very talented and that he has left a substantial musical heritage in the world of popular music.

DaveO · Post by **DaveO** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:56 pm

Don't forget that Farrah Fawcett also died today. My sympathies to the relatives.

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:04 pm

DaveO wrote:Don't forget that Farrah Fawcett also died today. My sympathies to the relatives.

I don't really know who she was, but I just read in LA Times that she died of a rare form of cancer that was treated at the UCLA Medical Center.

Well, today's celebrity deaths just demonstrates that we still have a very long way to go in research of both neuropsychiatric disorders and cancers. No matter the amount of wealth and resources you have; the possibility for a cure is still very limited.

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:08 pm

I'm sure a lot of people died today. Many of them died unjustly. I'm not sure why I should pay especial attention to the death of a pop idol and a second-rate model who rode her marriages into a career as a second-rate actress.

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:24 pm

Nightmare wrote:No matter the legacy he leaves, he definitely changed music.

Agreed. Despite his quirks and oddities, he has left quite the impact on modern music. Brilliant in his heyday... but too eccentric for my liking

DesR85 · Post by **DesR85** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:42 pm

My condolences.

Didn't know passed away until just now. I really liked his previous songs.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:00 pm

fable wrote:I'm sure a lot of people died today. Many of them died unjustly. I'm not sure why I should pay especial attention to the death of a pop idol and a second-rate model who rode her marriages into a career as a second-rate actress.

This is my thoughts exactly.

But seeing as the impact Jackson had on his fans, I'm sure his death will dominate the media in most countries, dwarfing the real problems of the world.
I do enjoy a little of his music, but the trouble he was in and created for himself taints much of his legacy.

Fiberfar · Post by **Fiberfar** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:59 am

Farrah Fawcett is going to be remembered for dying the same day as Michael Jackson....

Oh well, life goes on.

DaveO · Post by **DaveO** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:35 am

fable wrote:I'm sure a lot of people died today. Many of them died unjustly. I'm not sure why I should pay especial attention to the death of a pop idol and a second-rate model who rode her marriages into a career as a second-rate actress.

The 'gold' standard is the influence a person has on the lives around them. I can honestly say the impact of gamers like myself and likely every person on this dying forum site is not even 1% as influential as those that just passed. It's not a fair standard, since I feel every human life is precious and has a purpose.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:06 am

DaveO wrote:The 'gold' standard is the influence a person has on the lives around them. I can honestly say the impact of gamers like myself and likely every person on this dying forum site is not even 1% as influential as those that just passed. It's not a fair standard, since I feel every human life is precious and has a purpose.

I agree, except I don't think it's so much a matter of influence as media-induced awareness. Arguably many people influence us, of whom we have little knowledge. Someone develops a way to fight HIV, or launches a powerful hate radio station. They may lead a local effort to create the only playground within 50 miles of their town--but no one will know this, because popular figures of entertainment are considered far more important. Influence isn't the criterion, here, but a media obsessively reporting on wealth and entertainment.

Aztaroth · Post by **Aztaroth** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:43 am

I've heard, from too many sources to be coincidental, that he did NOT die at home, but collapsed, was taken to the hospital, and subsequently was found having a stroke in the children's ward. If it's true, I understand the media wanting to avoid it, but sugarcoating something like that seems wrong. Most celebrities (people in general, really) tend to be elevated to nigh-sainthood upon death, though, it's not exactly uncommon.

Lady Dragonfly · Post by **Lady Dragonfly** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:12 pm

I agree, except I don't think it's so much a matter of influence as media-induced awareness.

We are all more or less influenced by pop-culture, even those of us who vehemently resist this influence. Media-induced awareness is just a mild case of that influence.

Farrah Fawcett is going to be remembered for dying the same day as Michael Jackson....

No, she will be remembered as 70's sex symbol whose posters were in every boy's bedroom. Too much fapping was going on to forget.

I wonder if Fable used to have one in his. Or maybe he was already ancient and therefore impervious to temptation at the time, who knows.

was found having a stroke in the children's ward

Oh the irony.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:33 pm

Lady Dragonfly wrote:We are all more or less influenced by pop-culture, even those of us who vehemently resist this influence. Media-induced awareness is just a mild case of that influence.

What a curious choice of words! Mild isn't a word I would use when describing how the media builds careers without regard to talent or intelligence. Nor is their nearly endless paean on cable news channels to Michael Jackson a mild reporting of an event.

No, she will be remembered as 70's sex symbol whose posters were in every boy's bedroom. Too much fapping was going on to forget.

I wonder if Fable used to have one in his. Or maybe he was already ancient and therefore impervious to temptation at the time, who knows.

I came of age in the 60's, not the 70's.

Enjoyed some female actresses and singers of the period, but never thought they were important enough to do anything about beyond the occasional fantasy in a locked room. And while the results of those fantasies was very similar to the news treatment given such stars--I at least stopped after a bit, and cleaned up. The cable news service reporting is round-the-clock wanking.

Oh the irony.

Yes, I quite agree.

Lady Dragonfly · Post by **Lady Dragonfly** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:50 pm

What a curious choice of words! Mild isn't a word I would use when describing how the media builds careers without regard to talent or intelligence. Nor is their nearly endless paean on cable news channels to Michael Jackson a mild reporting of an event.

You mix cause and effect. The media's efforts will succeed only if their audience is susceptible:

1. The dementia has not progressed beyond the critical point;
2. There is willingness and ability to consume BS in large doses;
3. The communications devices are readily available and regularly turned on;
4. The level of ctitical thinking is only slightly above the baseboard;

If these conditions are not met, all the efforts will result only in your awareness of the fact (if even that). That's what I meant.
I am not bothered much by the media because I don't pay attention. I am sure I've never heard of 90% of pop-singers, rappers, actors and other talented, hardworking entertainers. I *knew* Michael Jackson, of course, although I've never bought any of his albums.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 2:50 pm

For anyone who is interested, there's a fairly comprehensive piece in the [url="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/arts/music/26jackson.html?pagewanted=1&partner=rss&emc=rss"]NYT[/url].

I've been giving MJ's death some more thought, and several disparate reactions come to the fore:
As I stated above, I never cared for his work, but I'm willing to concede that some of it was innovative. I was in middle school and high school when he moved to the centre stage, so I was certainly aware of him as a very influential force in music.
Like others, I cringe at the attention his death is receiving (yes, I do appreciate the irony of my words), and I can't help but consider that millions of people around the world die horribly every day from violence, starvation, poverty and terminal illness. They are, as the cliché goes, the unsung heroes whose plight rarely attracts enough media attention.
Yet, I also think he was a tragic figure... and perhaps one deserving of basic human compassion.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:12 pm

Lady Dragonfly wrote:You mix cause and effect. The media's efforts will succeed only if their audience is susceptible:

1. The dementia has not progressed beyond the critical point;
2. There is willingness and ability to consume BS in large doses;
3. The communications devices are readily available and regularly turned on;
4. The level of ctitical thinking is only slightly above the baseboard;

...which means the standard level of operative reality, as you are no doubt aware. Very dry.

If it would make anybody feel better, I wouldn't mind if the situation had been the other way around, and Michael Jackson were reporting non-stop on the death of 24/7 cable news. Or possibly someone with a life reporting on the death of both in less than three minutes, then going back to genuine news.