I'm talkin' 'bout the man in the mirror

I think the whole world is shocked and saddened by the news of the death of Michael Jackson. At age 50 no less! And right before he launched a huge series of shows! I admit that I was surprised to hear that he was going to tour again, or at least play in London this summer - isn't that a little out of character for our otherwise almost reclusive King of Pop? Maybe his untimely and unfortunate death is related to this impending schedule. Maybe not. All I know is that the world is definitely a different place now that Michael Jackson isn't in it.

What kid growing up in the '80s didn't adore the Thriller album? What kid didn't throw little living-room concerts, dancing on the coffee table while singing into an old brush, the vacuum cleaner nozzle, a plastic microphone, belting out Billie Jean? I was always partial to PYT (Pretty Young Thing) and The Girl is Mine, but who didn't love Wanna be Startin' Somethin'? I think we wore that record out in our house, and I know we weren't the only ones. And then there was the Sega game that my brother and I had. Moonwalker. Greatest video game soundtrack ever. Now I wish I had that game, had saved the Sega. That's one to keep for the ages.

It is true that MJ grew to be a little odd in his later years, and kept out of the spotlight. And even if you rarely heard about him, or heard of him only once a year when he either exiled himself to the Middle East, or was spotted by paparazzi whiter than ever, at least you knew that he was still out there, still living, still connected to all of our lives in some way. And now he's gone. And so is Farrah Fawcett, another icon of a by-gone era.

Doug just came upstairs to turn on the Michael Jackson news coverage, because there is news coverage of his death. Anderson Cooper is interviewing Reverend Al Sharpton, reading statements from Madonna and Quincy Jones... My aunt wrote in one of her emails today that it's as if a president died. And it is, almost even more so. Michael Jackson, as Reverend Al Sharpton says, was a trailblazer; he transcended race, music, and life itself. "He was not just some eccentric freak... he was brilliant." Well said. Today's loss is truly great, and I mean it.