Michael Jackson
1958-2009
I’m sure everyone’s already heard about the sudden death of Michael Jackson, but I’m still pretty shocked about this abrupt end to an unprecedented career. I don’t think anyone saw this one coming seeing as though I had just recently read about his attempts to make a comeback with his planned series of concerts at London’s O2 arena.
According to reports, Jackson collapsed in his Los Angeles home and paramedics arriving on the scene found him with no pulse and immediately rushed Jackson to the hospital. He was then confirmed dead at the age of 50 at 3:30 PM on Thursday. Jackson’s health has always been a source of speculation and he had recently postponed some of his upcoming London shows due to health issues, but I don’t think anyone had any idea that he was in such poor condition.
Michael Jackson’s influence on popular music as well as pop culture is monumental, he was easily the biggest artist of the 1980’s and was pretty much the Elvis Presley or Frank Sinatra of his time. He first made a splash as the lead singer of The Jackson Five before breaking out on his own with the classic 1979 album, Off The Wall. It was three years later that he released Thriller, an album that still stands as the best selling album of all-time. Of course it wasn’t just his music that made him an icon, he had an unmistakeable fashion style, created a slew of famous dance moves, and was one of the first pioneers of the music video.
Unfortunately my generation is probably most familiar with his outlandish personal life, filled with scandal as well as bizarre publicity stunts. He’d also been facing financial troubles in recent years, being millions of dollars in debt. However, despite having one of the most bizarre personal lives of any famous entertainer, I don’t think there’s any denying Jackson’s status as one of the biggest musical artists of the 20th century.