and the celeb death trilogy is complete

sad day... makes you wanna hug and kiss your loved ones.

I saw this on CNN then TMZ then the Huffington Post...

Me. Speechless. Too.

So very sad, it feels like the world will never be the same again. I was so hoping that he'd be able to release something new and be successful again. Now we'll never really know.

love, J-Mo :_(

I'm absolutely shocked. I am probably older than most folks on this site, at 49 years old.

When I was 17, I was able to see Elvis in concert and remember vividly when he died that same year. I was a senior in college when John Lennon was assassinated and now an adult when Michael Jackson dies.

I never saw this coming. It's just such a shock.

Without Michael Jackson, there would be no MTV.

He brought a lot of joy to his audiences, but he led such a sad life.

He had seemed so physically fragile in the past year or so, but it is still a shock. Just sad.

Polanski, Woody Allen and Jackson -- sick bastards in their private lives yet geniuses with their art.

*sigh*

Donna Martin Graduates! - Jackson was not convicted of child molestation charges. He was a whackjob, clearly, but it doesn't mean that he did what the tabloids say he did.

Anyway, sad day. I love Michael Jackson.

And yes, indychick is right, celebrities die in threes.

^ point taken, even if I do not agree, gb. I heard what the security guy said about the way MJ's joint was wired and drew the obvious conclusion. And don't even get me started on the whole plying young kids with wine aka "jesus juice".

Not threes this time -- but four.

Carradine, McMahon, Fawcett and Jackson.

Wouldn't it be interesting if they did a MJ tribute show on "So You Think You Can Dance"?

Does anybody know who choreographed his videos?

I felt really sorry for this guy while he was alive.

Imagine hitting your personal high note at the age of 23 -- it was all downhill from the moment Thriller became a global success (thanks to MTV --MJ's music has always left me pretty much indifferent). There was no way he'd ever top that, and he knew it.

His life appeared to be hell for the last couple of decades -- psychologically, physically, legally, artistically.

He was a fun freak to watch, though. No doubt his last breath was a sigh of relief.

When I first heard this, I felt like someone punched me in the fuckin' face.

Face it, whether or not you like him, or believed certain facts about his personal life, there is absolutely no denying the fact that he literally changed pop culture, pop music and the entertainment business as a whole.

There are a slew of people who are famous because he paved the way. He made music that pretty much defined the first half of my life. And for that, I thank him.

Rest in Peace, Michael.

pixielated:
Does anybody know who choreographed his videos?

One of Michael's early choreographers was Michael Peters, who did "Thriller" and "Beat It".

He died in 1994.

pixielated, i was thinking the same thing about SYTYCD. I doubt they will dedicate a whole show, but I bet the opening number on Wednesday is a tribute dance. I bet its awesome too, no matter who choreographs it.

I think they could do a lot with MJ's dance style. Different choreographers could adapt it to different genres. You're right, though, they probably won't. Think of how influential his dancing has been though!

Thanks, stillborn, I'll have to look him up. Too bad he died, I'm presuming, fairly young.

We are broke as a society if we mourn the passing of a drug-addicted pedophile, who had enough money to buy his way out of multiple child molestation law suits.

And just because he was not convicted, does not mean he didn't do was he was accused of doing.

Read Maureen Orth's 2005 Vanity Fair article (NOT a tabloid).

He was a sexual predator who sought out the most vulnerable victims. No amount of musical genius can mitigate sex crimes against children.

bellicosebaby...I agree with every word you wrote. However, it's undeniable that Michael Jackson changed the landscape of contemporary culture. His approach to videos changed the course of the way music and music videos were viewed....and the choreography in Thriller and Black and White (not so much his other videos) altered the course for choreographers. His influence is still felt.

Many people who have contributed positively in some ways have also had troubled and/or troubling lives. Jackson is one of the people. He was a genius musically, brilliant at marketing himself...and a deviant pedophile. It's a bitter combination.

bellicosebaby:

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

What horrible things you are saying about someone you never knew.

Your own opinions are just that - opinions. But to tout them as fact in order to insult a dead man?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Only MJ knows what truly happened and it is not your place to speculate or accuse.

Georgiababe: just a slight correction:

Only MJ and the kids he raped know what truly happened.

And they've been paid off handsomely to keep quiet about it.