The first person I ever had a crush on was Michael Jackson. I was three years old, Thriller had just come out, and I lugged around a tiny notepad with MJ’s face on it wherever I went. This was back in 1982 during his brief hunky period, when his jheri curls caressed his not-too-bony cheeks, and his nose was, ya know, still there. Every P.Y.T. in the world wanted to moonwalk next to Michael in a graveyard, decked out in a single sequined glove and penny loafers.
Michael was a huge star before Thriller dropped. The Jackson 5, comprised of Michael and his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon, were a super-group in their own right, with hit singles like “ABC,” “I’ll Be There,” and “I Want You Back.” Later on, he won over hordes of fans with his work in The Wiz and 1979′s Off The Wall, which produced such college dance party classics as “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You.”
Even as his popularity shifted and his face changed drastically, Michael still made headlines. As a kid, I sat glued to the TV for both the “Black and White” video debut on FOX, and his statement about molestation allegations brought against him in 1993. His list of accomplishments and infamous incidents are endless: Bad, Captain EO, “Black Or White,” Bubbles the chimp, getting burned while filming a Pepsi commercial, dating Brooke Shields, his friendship turned feud with Paul McCartney, Neverland Ranch, palling around with Emmanuel Lewis and Macaulay Culkin, his changing skin color and face, his marriage (and divorce) to Lisa Marie Presley, financial troubles, his allegations of child abuse at the hands of his father to the molestation allegations brought against him. His life was a roller coaster of career highs and tragic, personal lows, and in recent years he seemed to be almost a ghost of his former self: pale, frail and barely there.
Michael is survived by his three children, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II, an unforgettable career, and legions of fans across the globe. While he’ll surely be remembered for the legal and personal drama that plagued his life, to fans Michael will always be that cocky and confident legend with the fast feet and the baby voice, who encouraged millions to look in the mirror and “make that change.”
I’ll miss him, we’ll miss him – weird ways and all.
