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He'll ALWAYS Be There By SugarMagnolia in Touch of Grey June 26, 2009

So a fellow blogger, for whom I have much respect, has finally brought me out of the blogging woodwork for my first blog in more than three months. I must post my own thoughts here as a gentle rebuttal to those who sit in judgment of a person who is no longer around to defend himself.

Yes, Michael Jackson was a celebrity. Not JUST a celebrity, but one of monumental proportions, one who sold his life, or what little semblance he had of one to begin with, for his fame and fortune. Yes, he increasingly grew more bizarre with the passing years. Yes, he was accused of unthinkable acts with the very children he purported to love. Yes, he was not found guilty of those charges.

But above all this, beyond the rumored purchase of the Elephant Man's remains, the "wacko jacko" tabloid accusations of changing his skin color, his nose, his chin, and the rest of his body; past the possibly fraudulent marriages to women who will likely be the only ones to know the whole truth, there was the artist.

And what an artist he was! The world has lost a singular talent, a boy-man who gave us some of the most compelling, unique glimpses of genius to grace the music world in several generations. Michael Jackson, with the Jackson 5, solo, and in collaboration with some of the most talented people in the business, literally changed the face of music and upped the ante for all that followed. I choose not to lose sight of this. I choose to remember the Michael that gave us "I'll Be There", "Ben", "Rock With You", "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Thriller", "Man in the Mirror", and too many others to name here. His music was a constant soundtrack throughout my childhood and adolescence. He brought happiness to me and so many others over the decades; this joy is what I choose to remember.

I choose to remember that a family has lost a brother and a son, that children have lost their father, that he was loved by others and meant the world to so many. I choose to focus on the good. The man was not a saint, nor would I ever claim him to be. Rather, he was just an ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumstances. I truly wish that it didn't end this way. I believe 50 is far too young for anyone to die. He still had things left to do on this Earth; don't we all?

Michael Jackson gave us all he had because that is what we demanded from him. In the end, his music will speak for itself. May he rest in the peace that he couldn't find on this Earthly plane.

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