Shocking

Once again we have had a threesome of famous people die in close proximity to one another, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.  Ed McMahon and sadly, Farah dying was not all that unexpected.  Ed was older than dirt and Farah’s downhill battle with cancer was well documented.  While the death of Farah, who was one of my first memories of a truly beautiful woman was the saddest, the death of Michael Jackson was shocking.

Yes for the past 25 years Michael has been almost as famous for his bizarre lifestyle as his music.  He has bleached his skin, mangled his nose to the point of disfigurement, straightened his hair as well as many other extreme measures to change his appearance.  He seemed determined to live as long as possible as evidenced by his familiar pose with an air mask on his face and the hyperbolic chamber he owned that was used to promote healing.  The guy was getting ready to go out on tour again for cripes sake. 

It will be interesting to see what the official forensic report comes back with.  I certainly don’t think he was trying to kill himself.  It feels odd today to count Michael Jackson among  the deceased celebrities list. The guy was the definition of a superstar for a long time.  He also was the subject of much controversy with his apparent fascination with young boys.  I wonder if he will become the next Elvis, a celebrity that continues to be famous far after he is put in the dirt?  Is Neverland the next Graceland? Will he be remembered more as the mega-performer or the bizarre introvert?  Who knows, all I know is it just feels pretty strange today realizing he is gone.