Michael Jackson dead at 50: World mourns

I have been a Michael Jackson fan my whole life. Having been born in the early 1980s in the King of Pop’s best years, MJ was part of my childhood. There are pictures of my holding the vinyl and listening to the music on headphones when I wasn’t even two.

I was a dancer growing up, and my dance teacher seeded a deep love of both Michael Jackson and Prince in all of her students. Their music inspired dance. We couldn’t help but move. When I was four, I danced to “Beat It,” and it only grew from there. We danced to “Jam” in gold-sequined, one-piece costumes that came with really funky hats; in the seventh grade, our silver-toned braces clashing with the gold in the bright lights. There was “Billy Jean” in one-piece costumes – black velour pants and an unbreathable long sleeve white shirt. “Thriller” in two-piece black costumes with a full zombie scene at the end in torn up flannel shirts and stage smoke; this was the year when a final jazz closed the recital instead of a tap dance because we’d all ruined our make-up and hair to become zombies. This dance still lives on as one of the very best ever put on in the school.

I could go on, but suffice to say my Michael Jackson memories revolve around being with a group of girls growing up, trying to understand the music and the beat so that we could put on a killer show at the end of the year and do some justice to the King of Pop. When Prince passes away, I will have a similar and equally difficult time getting over it. I hope that, in his memory, the dance school I grew up with will put on the biggest and best Michael Jackson tribute for next year’s show.

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I have always been a big fan, but didn’t realize how much his music has been a big part of my life until this morning. Despite the controversy in recent years, I’ll always remember his songs and the memories I have dancing and singing to them in so many places in the world and growing up. I was really sad this morning but I feel better now after sharing the good memories and singing with other fans. He died a legend and will always be remembered as a musical genius, an amazing choreographer and the king of pop

I also couldn’t help but think that, before Thursday, you wouldn’t have heard is name in anything but the butt of a joke. Really makes you reconsider how and why we ridicule people.

My parents tell me i started bobbing my head and rocking to his music when propped up, at 4 or 5 months. When i was bout 6 or 7, Dad brought two tapes detailing his life. I still remember scenes of him practising dancing outside of his house, late at night. The first tape i truly ‘possessed’ as a kid was ‘Dangerous’. i played it both sides at least 2 times everyday after school. I still remember being transfixed when i saw him do the moonwalk the first time. The first song i memorised ever was ‘Heal the World’. And then all the other songs on the tape. Over the years i started listening to other stuff, other singers. Then in the latter part of college what was inbred came back. I was kicked out of the library coz without realizing, i’d turned the iPod to full blast when listening to Black or White.

It is only on his passing away i realise what he meant. To my life, my growing up years, to our first visions of what LARGER THAN LIFE means. He meant so much. To our childhood.The first music we enjoyed, relished, started dancing to. None of realised it till now, or that it would hurt like this.

God bless him so much. RIP.

michael jackson is a very very talented person to the point that he rose as a pop icon. he would live forever in our history books and memories…

Michael Jackson is one of the greatest singer in our time. He is really the King of Pop and we would really miss this great person,