Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

THE whole world was shocked when it was announced that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died of a cardiac arrest in Los Angeles last June 25. Just as we were reeling from the death of famed Charlie’s Angels Farrah Fawcett, hearing Jackson’s death sent text messages and twitters flying trying to confirm whether there was any truth to it.

But there it was on the news. The man who changed the way we see music videos, who won the most Grammys and did the "moonwalk" has left this earth.

Being a teen of the eighties, flashbacks came pouring in—I was 12 years old when Thriller came out, and it became the world’s largest selling album of all time. When it was released, we immediately begged our Dad to buy us the album, and spent most of our free time playing the record while trying to copy the dance moves in the video.

In 1983, Jackson performed his legendary moonwalk for the first time on the Motown 25 Years anniversary show and this has undoubtedly marked his place as a pop superstar. In 1984, he won a record breaking eight Grammy awards in one night. Thriller, became album of the year, in spite of tough competition from other famous artists and albums like Synchronicity by The Police, Billy Joel’s An Innocent Man and Let’s Dance by David Bowie.

The King of Pop’s music and style has influenced and inspired a lot of artists here and abroad. In the Philippines, Mr. Pure Energy, Gary V. is a self-confessed Michael Jackson fan, as well as singer Billy Crawford, who during his That’s Entertainment years, had mostly performed to his idol’s songs. His one and only concert in Manila in December 1996 drew an estimated 50,000 people and further proved his popularity with the Filipinos.

However, with fame, came controversies and scandals—and Jackson, no matter how popular he is with his fans was not spared. Allegations of child molestations, his facial surgeries that altered his looks dramatically and his reclusive, bizaare lifestyle gave people a different perception of the pop star’s image, prompting them to call him ‘Wacko Jacko.’

Still, for all his foibles in recent years, Jackson was a music revolutionary who transcended racial boundaries and pioneered the use of music video clips. Also despite his woes his hardcore fans had stuck by him and believed he was capable of a successful comeback, which was planned through a series of sold out concerts in London’s O2 Arena.

Instinctively, people react to his music straight away. He is probably in pretty much every record collection, no matter what age or era. And growing up in the second half of the 20th century, his songs had been the core music. It is no surprise therefore, that even now that he’s gone, the King of Pop—and his music—will live on.

( www.asianjournal.com )

( Published on July 3, 2009 in RedCarpet p. 2 )