Michael...

I was walking home from the grocery store yesterday when I overheard a girl yell to a friend of hers across the street that "Michael Jackson died..." It took me a few seconds to digest what I had heard but as the minutes went by I began to ponder did he really just die? I sat down on a concrete bench to check CNN.com on my blackberry - It was the slowest load ever and I lost patience so I checked Facebook instead. Sure enough 5 or 6 of my friends status updates were about Michael. "Was this for real?" I kept saying to myself still not really believing what I was reading. When I got home about 10 minutes later I dropped my grocery bags at the door and quickly turned on CNN on the television. At the time CNN wasn't confirming that he had died but rather that he had a cardiac arrest and was at UCLA hospital. Two major news sources were the first to confirm his death (LA TIMES & CBS NEWS) and eventually CNN confirmed it as well after they spoke to the LA coroner. I was in shock like the rest of the world - I couldn't look away or do anything else but watch as the story unfolded. From the words on the screen to the videos they were playing - it was intoxicating. This was HUGE!

I remember vividly when Diana died as I was home that night and was flipping through channels when I came across CNN and it said that she was injured in a car accident. I also watched that story unfold too on TV as eventually the words "Princess Diana killed" came across the screen. I equate Michael's death in very much the same way Diana's death effected the world. He was the Elvis Presley of my generation - like him or hate him - he redefined pop culture and more importantly redefined pop music. Sure he had a ego the size of Texas and was so self-obsessed that he kind of lost touch with reality in the later years. At the end of the day... His music will be his legacy as will his ability to entertain. Rest in peace Michael.