I just came home, turned on my computer, and this news popped up on a newsfeed server: Michael Jackson has passed away, the cause of death, according to his father is heart attack. he was supposed to hold 50 more concerts this year, but apparently this is not going to happen.
I'm so stunned right now, I really don't know what to say. Usually when celebrities die, I don't give a rats ass, but this time I feel like a new page has been turned in the book of history, somehow...
All I have heard so far is that he was rushed to a hospital because of cardiac arrest. I hope he hasn't died, he was one of my idols when i was growing up and still love his music.
Weird man, but very talented.
:'(
CNN just now reported he has died. Thread was 9 minutes premature, but it's true now.
Poor guy. He'd had a hard enough life, and then he died so young...
He was a talented guy. Even in his forties, he could really dance! :) And Thriller was awesome.
Edit: Oh man, the TV's playing a clip of him singing as a little kid... breaks my heart.
CNN mentioned that African American men were more likely to die at around 50-ish... at first I was like "What does this have to do with anything?" So it wasn't really that young, considering.
that's funny. they say "Michael Jackson in coma" when i visit cnn.
But, yeah, small chance that you come back from cardiac arrest, and since Wacko hasn't looked healthy since his Thriller album I'd say he's never going to sing again. He was a good man, especially to kids.
I'm looking at it and it says "Michael Jackson Dies" and has said it for 10 minutes now.
(http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/5610/cnnlivejackodies.jpg)
Quote from: TerranRich on Thu 25/06/2009 23:31:53
CNN mentioned that African American men were more likely to die at around 50-ish...
Yet his father was there to announce it to the media. That must make him an exception.
I don't really know, I probably shouldn't believe the newssites just yet, before they're unanimous... But I'm really out of hope atm. Announcing him dead and then correcting it would be quite a mistake to do anyway.
Quote from: TerranRich on Thu 25/06/2009 23:37:22
I'm looking at it and it says "Michael Jackson Dies" and has said it for 10 minutes now.
Boy, would have wished for him a quick death, but a whole 10 minutes... ::)
It is now confirmed, my CNN page just updated.
Tuomas: What are you rolling your eyes at? jetxl said it still said "coma", and I provided proof it said "dies".
^ to point out a lame joke of mine in case it didn't come obvious to some :P sorry.
:'(
Jackson was amazing in the 90s, and that's how I'll always remember him, to be honest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FZcAzZOyOg
I used to love this guy when I was a kid, and not in that way, you pervs. I had at least 5 of his albums, all the new ones too. don't know where they are now, but I still think his music is great, nevertheless. It's a sad thing he ever had to stop doing it. I remeber buying Blood on the dancefloor with my own money. It felt great, as if I were an adult.
Rest in peace.
Goodnight sweet Prince.
I am taking a swig of booze every time I hear a reference to Michael Jackson.
To celebrate his influence on my life.
In honour,
I expect to die in 2 weeks
:=
RIP Man, I was genuinely shocked to hear this news... but man, I'm itching to tell some jokes I've thought up, but I know it's a bit tasteless, he's still warm, for crying out loud... come back tomorrow.
I was kind of shocked to hear this. This morning the buzz at school was Farrah Fawcet (sp?), then later on, I saw something on the tv at school. I could only read the news banner, but it said he was hospitalized. I didn't know he actually died until a few minutes ago.
It's really a pity. He was an amazing musician, but he was also the butt of so many jokes. It's like they say, it's the oddballs that are really the most brilliant.
Hm, I tought this was some kind of fraud. My friend talked about this the whole evening and I thought this was just nonsense, a story to keep everyone busy.. or something..
Well... all I have to say is... WHO CARES?
Do any of you know MJ personally. If so - and if it's a good relationship (haha) - than okay.... too bad. If not... then WHO TF CARES??
If there's one thing I hate then it's VIP-newz! F%$k off.
EDIT:
Quote from: Domino on Thu 25/06/2009 23:25:29
All I have heard so far is that he was rushed to a hospital because of cardiac arrest. I hope he hasn't died, he was one of my idols when i was growing up and still love his music.
Quote from: Tuomas on Thu 25/06/2009 23:19:02
I'm so stunned right now, I really don't know what to say. Usually when celebrities die, I don't give a rats ass, but this time I feel like a new page has been turned in the book of history, somehow...
Hm.. are you guys okay? ... it seems you've some kinda problem with idolizing random people and with mourning too... no offense.
There's always somebody in the bunch who says, "Did you know them personally? No, so who cares?" Well, major news outlets care enough to cover it.
Mr. Matti, the reason people care is because his music affected them. You don't have to know someone personally to appreciate them and miss their positive contributions. That's not to say Jackson should be canonized, but people who remember who he used to be will miss him.
Quote from: Mr Matti on Fri 26/06/2009 04:00:52
WHO CARES?
I do care. Michael jackson's music and dance moves were some kind of inspiration for my whil making any kind of work. I don't care about to many famous people.
But most of famous people have never done anything importatn to me. Michaal Jackson, as an artist, did something important for many people.
Who cares? all that people cares. It's not bad to show respect to a recently dead artist.
It's God damn Michael Jackson he's he's Michael Jackson. What i'm trying to say is it's Michael Jackson. I think people would care mr no care. Also it's damn god damn Michael Jackson for damns sake I thought he was invincible.
(http://www.joeclipart.com/blog/images/2004/12/20041204mjrobot.gif)
Being a musician, he has affected many people. So I think mourning his passing is well within the realm of reason for the average person.
Quote from: MoodyBlues on Fri 26/06/2009 04:07:48
Mr. Matti, the reason people care is because his music affected them. You don't have to know someone personally to appreciate them and miss their positive contributions. That's not to say Jackson should be canonized, but people who remember who he used to be will miss him.
Yeah, I admit I would miss people who I don't know personally too ... but not MJ.
Quote from: G on Fri 26/06/2009 04:10:03
Quote from: Mr Matti on Fri 26/06/2009 04:00:52
WHO CARES?
I do care. Michael jackson's music and dance moves were some kind of inspiration for my whil making any kind of work. I don't care about to many famous people.
Okay, I guess I don't wanna see you dance then...
Quote from: Obi on Fri 26/06/2009 04:14:50
It's God damn Michael Jackson he's he's Michael Jackson. What i'm trying to say is it's Michael Jackson. I think people would care mr no care. Also it's damn god damn Michael Jackson for damns sake I thought he was invincible.
Calm down Obi, it's not like Lionel Richie has died or something that important has happened...
But I thought he'd make a comeback album with Lionel Richie but now this will never happen. :( Also it's Michael Jackson
Quote from: Mr Matti on Fri 26/06/2009 04:00:52
Hm.. are you guys okay? ... it seems you've some kinda problem with idolizing random people and with mourning too... no offense.
For starters, Michael Jackson was not just some random person. He was a huge celebrity. So what if no one here knew him personally. He wrote a lot of great music that many of us grew up with. The things he acheived with his music are things that most musicians can only dream of accomplishing. He wrote chart-topping albums, one of which, Thriller, remained the number one selling album of all time for quite a while, and nearly every song on that album was a number one hit. Can you really blame people for idolizing him?
Second, I don't know if you've actually been following the purpose of this thread, but
HE'S DEAD. People mourn when somebody dies. Right?...
I wish people that reply to RIP threads with negativity and "who cares" would just shut the fuck up already and leave the rest of the poster be.
I don't usually post in threads like this anymore, but well....
Like Tuomas said. There's this feeling that a new page of history has turned. I didn't really like MJ, not his music, not himself as a figure.
But I was used that he was always there, always the controversial funny maniac, that's on TV from time to time. I was used to that from the 90s.
And now, when I imagine there will be people whom you tell "You remember MJ's song xyz?" and they'll reply "Michael Who?", it just makes me feel I'm getting old.
I heard McDonalds will be paying their respect with a burger made in Michael's honour called the McJackson burger. It is listed as "mature beef inside two eight year old buns".
But in all seriousness, RIP.
In the 25 years I've been alive, I don't honestly think there's been a week where I haven't heard a MJ song somewhere. No, I didn't know him personally, I never saw him in concert, and I never screamed in a queue of thousands of people for a slice of MJ pie.
Nevertheless, RIP.
Anyway, I think the guy is due an ounce of respect - he could transform for gods sake.
History will remember him as the most known person at a given period of time, more than the Pharaohs, Napoleon, Bill Gates, you name it.
To me MJ is a case study for the human condition. His life was fascinating in every aspect. Even his flaws were incredible weird and bizarre. Personally Michael Jackson was not an happy person, not one could be in his situation.
I guess he is the result of what life gave him, a incredible gift, maybe more than a human can receive because in the end he and the ones around him couldn't handle it.
MJ isn't the first and the last to perish due to a life of excess behaviours and consumption, the stress of believing you are bigger than most people will eventually kill your spirits and then your body. From Hendrix to Cobain there's a similar road that only a few can walk.
Only some can finish the walk.
Let's forgive his sins and mourn the artist.
I have to agree with Moody. I was down for the rest of the day when I heard Dimebag Darrell had been killed. I didn't know him personally or anything (of course) but he was one of the best guitarists in the world. I love his melodies and killer solos. The guy was God.
I'm not affected as much by Micheal Jackson dying (don't get me wrong, I liked most of his music, but he never inspired me in any way), but it is quite a shock. Almost unbelievable. Heh, he was one of those people that you would think would live forever.
Quote from: Obi on Fri 26/06/2009 04:14:50
It's God damn Michael Jackson he's he's Michael Jackson. What i'm trying to say is it's Michael Jackson. I think people would care mr no care. Also it's damn god damn Michael Jackson for damns sake I thought he was invincible.
:o
Obi are you okay, are you okay, are you okay, Obi?
Terran, I'm sorry for my comments, they were unnecessary. I was a bit drunk last night, ahem. And of course it doesn't matter if you know someone personally...
RIP whoever dies, so Michael included.
There was such a small article in the Dutch news paper that I thought it must have been some sort of cruel joke. But it's all over the place now.
I must admit, when a famous people die, I also often have a 'who cares' attitude... I don't tend to be quite as vocal about it as Mr Matti, but still. Butttt... Michael Jackson is no ordinary famous person. He was the biggest uberstar alive until yesterday. And while I fully expect to be swapping Jacko jokes fairly soon, even I've had to restrain myself (to a degree), out of respect to the man.
He was the butt of jokes for most of his life, and will surely be in death for a while... but having the radio on for an hour this morning made me remember just how many fantastic songs that man had, and not to mention the videos that went with them. And boy could he move... Fan or not, you gotta admit the guy's a genuis.
Matti: No problem :)
Yeah, the sheer number of hits that man had is incredible. I too had forgotten how many there were.
I can't possibly be the only person who actually prefers Weird Al's versions of MJ's songs over MJ's songs.
Can I?
Also:
QuoteFor starters, Michael Jackson was not just some random person. He was a huge celebrity.
Ninetoes, wtf, really? 'random' person? Would you call your sister a random person if she died? I doubt it! She's still not a celebrity though, but it makes her
no less worthy of mourning than Michael Jackson. Ultimately, this sort of situation always seems to devolve into people who idolize a dead celebrity because of their 'art' and those who are a bit more grounded in reality and see that, like everyone else, this was a human being who has died and is no less or more worthy of a tear than any other. If we'd stop placing people like MJ on impossible pedestals than perhaps the world would be a better place to live in, especially for these celebrities who have all sorts of drug addictions from the pressure and idolatry thrust upon them by fans.
Yeah, it's the fans' fault for the celebrities' lives going to shit. Great logic.
The man was an incredible performer and, regardless of his life devolving into some kind of freak show, he should always be remembered as such.
I was more surprised by his passing than anything else. Michael Jackson has been a defining part of popular culture for over three decades, and he had been performing for longer than the majority of people on these boards have been alive. I, like most older members here, grew up with him as a constant worldwide musical and cultural influence; when I was a child he had music in the charts, when I was teenager he had music in the charts, etc.
To note his passing is to note another point in my own transition through life.
To argue the relative worth of mourning him, or anyone, is as sordid as it is inane.
Quote from: ProgZmax on Fri 26/06/2009 18:49:34
I can't possibly be the only person who actually prefers Weird Al's versions of MJ's songs over MJ's songs.
Can I?
No, I'm with you on that one (but that's not unlikely cause I don't like MJ's music
at all)..
Quote from: ProgZmax on Fri 26/06/2009 18:49:34
She's still not a celebrity though, but it makes her no less worthy of mourning than Michael Jackson. Ultimately, this sort of situation always seems to devolve into people who idolize a dead celebrity because of their 'art' and those who are a bit more grounded in reality and see that, like everyone else, this was a human being who has died and is no less or more worthy of a tear than any other.
I think this devalues the contributions of celebrities a bit too much. Some celebrities are celebrities because they did contribute something to the world. So when these people die, it's not just a person dying, it's their art dying with them. Often what these people could do was unique to them, and so when people mourn them, they're not so much mourning the person as mourning the death of that person's unique contributions. And the value of
that may be worth more than just one person. That's the difference between the death of MJ and say, myself.
There've been a lot of deaths of celebrated people lately, MJ being the latest of them. I mourn for many of them and their lost art. Some of them I have never even heard of until their obituaries, but I still mourn their lost art because I discovered it too late, and there will never be new work from them to look forward to again.
Michael Jackson's impact on the world was undeniable. Perhaps it's less obvious over there, but if you come to Asia, people who don't listen to English music would probably name Michael Jackson as the only Western entertainer they have heard of.
Being a celebrity of Michael's calibre is a tragedy, I agree. However I think this is due to him never having had a normal childhood. Most people find fame in adulthood, or had a brief spark of fame as a child and fade into relative obscurity later. They have a frame of normalcy to refer to. Michael Jackson was a phenomenon from childhood. His life was destined to be a tragedy from the start, because he wouldn't be able to remember what it's like to be normal.
Quote from: TerranRich on Fri 26/06/2009 04:06:47
major news outlets care enough to cover it.
of course, cause there's major money to make out of it.
I've never enjoyed his music (over his entire career), just never appealed to me, and I'm old enough to remember thriller. liked the clip but could never get into the music.
Pretty strange life, we'll never really know which stories to believe.
Good example that money can't make you happy, I guess it depends how you use it.
I found it sad that he went to the lengths that he did to look like his sister. He was good enough to just be himself. His parents robbed him of his childhood, which was the start of all his problems I guess.
Sad that he's dead, but I'm surprised he lived as long as he did with all the extra stuff he's gone thru. though that extra stuff would be a contributing factor to a heart attack, probably from getting hooked on some prescribed medication and abusing it. pretty common in our society, not just celebrities.
He would have done more in his life than most at 50, so he's had his time, and dying early will only create a more legend status.
I'm not going to lose any sleep over it (slept well last night actually)
didn't that famous chick die as well from cancer farrah fawcett or something, she's been building up for a celebrity death for ages, finally dies but happens to be the same day as someone more famous, oh well, we are all going to die at some point.
Just have fun now cause you could die while I'm typing this
I didn't say it was entirely the fault of the fans, Terran. Get a grip. Fan lust and expectations are certainly a contributing factor, and to think differently would just be ignorant.
QuoteSo when these people die, it's not just a person dying, it's their art dying with them.
This is probably the most untrue statement in this entire thread. Hundreds of years after Newton's death (think about that) and we still praise his grasp of physics and astronomy; Davinci is still revered and talked about for his many works. Elvis is still 'the king'. The point? A person's contributions are the
one thing that guarantee some form of immortality, because as long as there are people who valued their works they will always be remembered. A person's art does not die with them; if anything it becomes more appreciated than ever.
You're not quite getting my point. Of course what has been done will live on, and possibly be expanded upon by others. But it's dead in the sense that there will be no more NEW work by that person. Newton will never come up with new discoveries or theories, Da Vinci will never paint or write or draw or invent anything else. Elvis will never put out another song. Michael Jackson will never perform his trademark dance moves again, or invent a new one. The potential is dead, and in that sense their art is dead. It cannot be changed or produced by them any longer.
But you're right that a person's work is their only hope of immortality. I accept that many people think that way, though I personally don't agree with it.
edit: Hmm, maybe it's a question of semantics. Would you accept that the person's ability dies with them?
If you're approaching the argument from that angle then there's really nothing I can say. If you're lamenting his loss because of 'what could have been' that's rational enough, but based on his output in the 80's/90's vs the last 10 years or so I'd say his most prolific years were behind him like so many other performers, but that's purely opinion!
something just a little bit strange.... he died on my birthday (June 25th)
A sign of some sort to me? yeah right... anyways, he was awesome in every song he did.
my favorites were thriller, billy jean, and dont stop till you get enough
just listening the Jackson 5 albums, really great !, RIP my king of pop.
Somebody should create a RON game for MJ ;D