Remembering The King of Pop

It is the rarest of occasions for my mom and I to sit down and watch, of all things, CNN. I can count on just my two hands the few times we've glared at the TV to watch as a headlining story unfolded... The OJ Simpson verdict, 9/11, the DC sniper, and most recently, the Virginia Tech tragedy. Never before has a celebrity death single-handedly silenced the entire household. But your death, pardon my phrasing, did the trick.

For my parents you were the only English music worth listening to when they first immigrated to the US many years ago. And even to this day, the only time my mother tolerates any non-native music is yours! Your albums were probably the first piece of pop culture they sampled, and although they never fully immersed themselves into American music, you did give them a little something they enjoyed.

I, on the other hand, never got to see you in person. Hell, I've never seen any musical acts in person... not one! But God knows if I had the chance to see you live, I would've done anything to do so. And even though I was but a wee little boy when you became the most recognizable face on the planet, I've come to immensely appreciate your legacy now - two decades after your dominance at the top of the charts.

If anything, you can see, just within the confines of my own tiny family, how important you were. Maybe you weren't a friend or family member to us, but you were one of the rare and few things my family and I shared.

I have to admit that, while CNN was still gathering all the details of the situation, I was holding on to some hope yet. Officially the news channels hadn't confirmed your death, and although all signs pointed towards what we now know as the truth, I still was grasping onto the off-chance that you were alive. But with the confirmation coming merely minutes after I turned on the TV, my heart sunk just a little.

Now, though, is the time to remember just what you meant to the world. You were the King of Pop. A singer. A dancer. A performer. An icon. But most of all, you were the voice of many generations - both past and present, and will remain so for the generations to come.

RIP Michael Jackson.