By Odeisel
Some of us are truly only free when we do what we love. When in full bloom at the height of our powers it’s almost as if God’s living grace is shining through us. And then the stage lights go off and the flashing lights or whatever price we pay for that sliver of greatness overwhelms us and boxes us in. That’s the true cost of greatness. It’s always fleeting. Always transient. The ultimate high, unattainable by anything but divine will.
We’re comforted by that light and imprisoned by its flicker. If there was ever anyone on God’s green earth whose existence and sanity was defined by this light and destroyed by its absence, it was Michael Jackson.
There aren’t many sights or scenes that you remember your life. There aren’t many things that you and you parents could share as entertainment. Such is the way of the world. Sock hops give way to Woodstock. Motown cedes its relevance to disco and so on. Many things reign for a season. Summers of Sam share space with Summer Olympics. But the indelible image of that shiny glove tossing that hat, four revolutions on those penny loafers, stopping on a dime to pause on his toes, and breaking out the moonwalk in front of millions is something no one EVER forgets. Not ever.
Michael Jackson was the most American of us all. Child of religion, born in the heartland of Indiana; raised in the shadow of factories and urban sprawl. Nurtured by family. Pushed by his parents to reach heights of which his previous generation could only dream. Brilliant and hard working at his craft. Seduced, by the heights of fame and imprisoned by its perverse lows. 
Abandoned by friends. Ridiculed for his difference. Crucified for his eccentricity. The absolute embodiment of nothing to something, playing itself out in a spectacular arc before our very eyes. For every American whoever worked two jobs to put themselves through college so they could get out of their box and see the world, this life was for you.
Michael Jackson was each and every one of us. But most tellingly, no matter what the world felt about him Michael, Jackson was Black America. Slave to the rhythm. Emancipated from Gordy. Ruled by religion. Reconstructed by surgeons. Profiled by media. Leeched when it was all good, and dropped then he was used up. Lauded for his innocence and prey for the same reason. Precursor to Lil’ Kim. For every beautiful Black child whoever felt unpretty, no matter how many of us think you are precious, this life was for you.
Fame is such a demanding and horrible animal and it has chased him for over 40 of his 50 years on Earth. We find solace in our solitude. We celebrate our biggest victories and lick the wounds from our greatest defeats away from prying eyes. Imagine if your solace was a stage? Imagine if your entire existence was The Truman Show or some pervasive reality TV show? What if you couldn’t break, because your every waking moment is recorded for posterity? For all of you dealing with the evils of fame, thrust in a spotlight unaware of the consequences, this life was for you.
Jackson dominated our consciousness for decades; at times both a liberator of our souls yet subservient to our whims. He is at once our brightest light and our darkest shame. This was the death of the 80’s, more pronounced than a balding Hulk Hogan, a retired Air Jordan, and a dead Jam Master Jay. 
If you are from the 70s, this was the death of your innocence much like Jack Kennedy’s death was for those a generation before you. He was every dream you ever dreamt and every imaginary friend you could have conjured.
If you were from the 90s, then the person who most symbolized your enormity and your daring, gigantic ambition is no longer here and you are less for it. The immense videos, rife with imagery, huge in budget and long on vision set the table for the Missy’s and the Bad Boy’s and the Busta’s.
But if you are of the millennium, then everyone you ride with owes their very existence to him. Usher doesn’t get his way, Omarion has no entourage, Chris Brown doesn’t run it, and Ne-Yo doesn’t exist. An entire generation of music and showmanship rests on the shoulders of the gloved one.
He said himself, you never can say good-bye and the longer this gets, the harder it gets because I know the end is coming. That typing that last period is the final word, for me at least, on the greatest performer I ever saw. The final curtain call for the triumph, the tragedy and the majesty of Michael Jackson. A man doomed from the moment he picked up the microphone, yet who only truly felt safe behind it. Finally he gets his respite from the cameras and the gossip and the shackles of fame. It’s ironic that someone so immortal and invincible in life could only find peace in his own mortality. His legacy is the ultimate victory, and shines as bright as anyone’s: Tyson’s, Jordon’s, J_____.
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Wow… this article is too touching because it embodies every thought that I am and was thinking when I heard of his passing. My mother and myself have never seen eye to eye with music but Michael is the one factor that bridges that gap. I still remember my aunts and mother taking out records of his and prince lol and showing me all of these pictures of how they dressed because of the MJ/Prince wars. Unno its so strange people can talk about all the negative but I can hear and see how this man.. this one person touched music. You cant listen to anything in R&B or Pop without hearing his influence. Its just there and so pressing you have to give him that due. He did alot for what we like to call music today. and past that I felt some of the same pains he felt and that you touched on in this. Pressure from family to do better, be great but at the same time being put down for not running with the pack, being cookie cutter.
I cant say we lost someone great because his influence will never die. He may not be here in body but his mark was made long before yesterday and will only continue.
Nice points in this article. You’re right, even though he rose to super stardom he definitely had humble beginnings like many of us and had to work for everything he obtained…sometimes at a price (privacy, etc). Though he had better days back in the day, his influence is something that was always present in music culture.
excellent tribute…i am speechless and tearing up all over again.
I’ll miss him too much. I grew up listening to his songs, watching his dance. I hope, your songs will live in our generation.. You will be remembered through your music forever. Everybody loves him from all over the world! Rest in peace…
I was impressed with Michael Jackson memorial yesterday! He seemed like a loving man who really cared about others. He will be missed by millions of fans but his legacy will live forever.
It’s so pleasing to read something truthful and positive for a change. Something based on facts and not just shared opinions/gossipy stuff. Well done. I am touched by your insight and righting the wrongness.
that is so true! verry good point! he’s the soul, the rhythm, the muse of today’s music. we dont have to forget the man! we have so many good things to learn from him and his life… his work for a better world… dont ignore his message! he got really powerfull over people and he was wise enough to use that power to bring love and sensitivity back to peoples hearts. lets not forget his philantropy. he was the man who stood up for peace, for love, for family, the poor people in pain, in dispair and for all the children for they are the next generation! i just hope atleast now we would open our eyes and hearts and follow that path, with God leading our way! peace!