Is it just me or...

[LOU]

I would assume that those who get exremely upset due to the death of a celebrity/artist are experiencing something extremely visceral wherein they are reflecting on THEIR OWN LIVES and are seeing a bit of themselves dying along with said artist. IT BECOMES PERSONAL. We're all mortal--and we connect ourselves to those who entertain us or make art which we enjoy--it affects us in very deep and emotional ways. We all face the the same CONDITION and some of us react strongly when these larger-than-life figures suddenly take a final bow.

I guess what I'm saying is you are making apples and oranges comparisons.

That's what I've been talking about with my wife and Mom this evening megoat...it's the fact that you somehow become more in touch with your own mortality when an icon dies. The fact is MJ, to the extent I "knew" him, his music, really won't die. I'll still watch the videos, etc. like I always did. So that's not dead. The only way I can describe it is "If MJ can die...so can I. VERY easily in fact." I feel like that when people I once considered immortal icons when I was younger pass on. I feel more vulnerable to death for some reason.
Off the top of my head, when Lee Majors passes on for example, I will feel this way again. I felt this way when Roy Scheider passed on early last year...and when Reeve passed, Bixby, the list is alarmingly large in fact. So I guess for me, it's more of a selfish type of mourning...where I am not really mourning MJ; I am mourning for myself and my own mortality. That's how it feels anyway...

[Hector]

Also...I don't need any celebrity to teach me about mortality...I've learn that from family and friends who have passed on...not bloody celebrities.

[Hector]

Sorry...celebrities exist to entertain me...that's as serious as I take it.

[megoat]

But shed tears for people who I've never interacted or met in person?

No...that's only reserved for immediate family members and very close personal friends.

I would assume that those who get exremely upset due to the death of a celebrity/artist are experiencing something extremely visceral wherein they are reflecting on THEIR OWN LIVES and are seeing a bit of themselves dying along with said artist. IT BECOMES PERSONAL. We're all mortal--and we connect ourselves to those who entertain us or make art which we enjoy--it affects us in very deep and emotional ways. We all face the the same CONDITION and some of us react strongly when these larger-than-life figures suddenly take a final bow.

I guess what I'm saying is you are making apples and oranges comparisons.

[Hector]

[Hector]

Equating stupidity with raw emotion doesn't seem quite right to me.

You are way too hung up on celebrities...dude...you gotta move away from la la land...before it's too late.

[Hector]

I do get a little bit sad when certain celebrities dies...like Farrah Fawcett...who not only was a female idol of mine back in the 70s...but also because her disease hit too close to home.

But shed tears for people who I've never interacted or met in person?

No...that's only reserved for immediate family members and very close personal friends.

[LOU]

I know a lot of people might think that's the case, But I know there's a lot of people out there who didn't feel that way.

I've always been a huge fan, and yes I too laughed at the jokes and mad tv scenes and stuff like that, did I cry or was this the worse thing ever for me? No , But I was super sad and I gotta admit my eyes did get watery . My younger brother's also a huge fan, I mean he has the shirts,figures,cd's ,records you name it. he says no, but I'm pretty sure he cried a tear or 2

Not that I want to get into this again but yet again this apparently needs to be said. People need to STOP assuming that EVERYONE believed that molestation crap. I always liked MJ but mostly in the 80's; I am a die-hard Def Leppard fan before all other artists. So I am not speaking from some blind MJ, passing-out-at-a-concert, groupie perspective. I am speaking from an intelligent school of thought here and my reasons for seeing all that crap as nothing more than some white trash extorting money are perfectly succinct and intelligent had I decided to rehash it all here again.
So everyone has a right to an opinion but there is no need to start throwing words like "stupid" out there to describe people who don't believe the media's yellow journalism about MJ. Like it or not, MJ was the greatest entertainer of the 20th Century and has accomplished things in his life that I guarantee none of us will ever see duplicated by anyone else in our lifetimes. Whether we're talking talent, global fan-count, humanitarian causes, or even record sales. MJ had inspired a myriad of modern artists and inspired a generation. Kids 5 years-old know him and people in their 90's know him.
In fact, at our family's 4th Of July picnic this weekend, my 96 year-old grandmother was talking about how upset she was when she heard MJ had passsed. She went on to say how he did so many good things in the world. This is a 96 year old woman saying this!

So please, by all means, express your opinions; but do not insinuate for one minute that everyone agrees that MJ was a molester, because myself, and millions of others simply do not agree with you for very valid reasons above-and-beyond the groupie mindset...

So I am backing toys2cool here, he's 100% right. And you're damn right my eyes got teary too! If I thought MJ was really a child molester I would've happily killed the sicko myself; but I do not believe for a minute that any of that ever happened. I believe that MJ loved children because he was a man as a kid and thusly kid as a man. I think he was an easy target as he's been his whole life and some white-trash low life tried to capitalize on it. The good guy always finishes last.

So no, I have no desire to go sit all day and view a dead MJ, but I am not going to fault people who do. The guy was an entertainment legend who did things no one has ever done, and likely will never do again. He touched, and even changed people's lives. Art is supposed to inspire us isn't it? MJ took this to the very apex where no entertainer inthe world ever has...this is indisputable. Because of that he IS a god in a way, although I hate that term used to describe a celebrity of any stature. The world DID lose something major with MJ. And I would wager to bet that half of you bad-mouthing him now have a Thriller cassette in your house somewhere...he didn't sell all those records to no one, that's for sure.
So again, as in that other thread, be respectful of others opinion and refrain from using words like "stupid' to refer to MJ supporters, no matter how devout...we all don't necessarily believe what you do, therefore, we view MJ differently. He was, in my opinion...a person who was a star from his youngest years until his death...a life none of us can possibly speculate on. He was a weird guy no doubt, but he was a good man that legitimately cared for the world and helping people. Besides, most geniuses ARE weird (ie: Einstein, Van Gough, etc.) He wasn't on trial for being weird anyway...if that was illegal we'd see Bowie, Boy George, and Marilyn Manson in jail too.

[grayhank]

I mostly view these "celebrity" personas the same way I view cartoon characters. I don't really see them as being "real people" (although I know they are real people). If a person's life comes crashing to a halt due to some celebrity death, then they truly need to seek professional help, because there is certainly more going on underneath the surface.

It's a shame Michael died but thousands of people die every day. Unless these celebrities are part of your immediate family or you know them... who really cares? If that's the worst thing that ever happened to her in her life... she needs to go back and reflect upon September 11th. That's what a true tragedy is.

[huedell]

I was watching on E this morning ... They had some woman holding her baby crying saying "this is the worst thing that ever happened to me in my life" -- refering to Jackson dying.

I was a huge fan of John Lennon and when he died I was shocked --- but I didn't shed one tear for him --- or ANY celebrity for that matter.

Why are people sooooo stupid ?

Is the world just getting dumb ?

Equating stupidity with raw emotion doesn't seem quite right to me.

[kennermike]

Off the Wall was one of the first albums I remember hearing 1979 I was 8 my parents were big funk and Disco nuts so that got played over and over!

[MIB41]

I really liked Michael in the early and mid 80's with Off the Wall and Thriller. To me that was his contribution to music as a solo artist. Bad, Dangerous, and his other albums didn't sell nearly as well and didn't produce anywhere near the hits. So musically he was pretty irrelevant after the 80's. What he became after that was really just a slow motion train wreck as he flaked out. Take away all of the child molestation charges and he was still an oddity by every measure. Demanding to be called the "King of Pop"? Countless plastic surgeries that made him more goulish at every turn? Dangling his youngest infant off a balcony for fans? That alone puts him WAAAAY out there and does invite criticism for someone who wanted to call himself "King". I think that's more than fair. But when you add all the legal issues and then his interviews which did more to support the allegations than deflect them well... That's not the guy I saw in the 80's. I feel more for his fans who have stood by his side than himself. And for those fans, they have my deepest sympathies. But for me personally, this guy never appreciated anything he had - Incredible wealth, not only from his catelog but the Beatles as well; highly devoted fans; access to the best accountants, lawyers, and anything else he could want. He basically had more than most could ever imagine, yet he blew most of his fortune and burned countless people both professionally and personally who sought to support him. That does not strike me as a person who "cared" on any level. That was his hype machine, but not him. King of Pop? Nope. He was the King of Hype. A tragic end to a once promising talent.

[hobub]

This is what I think if when I think of MJ in recent years and now.

"It's ok, I understand, this ain't no Never Neverland."
-jgeilsband "Centerfold".

[MegoMark71]

I was about to go on the air when in came over ABC news Jerry Garcia had died. For some reason you just knew this time it was real. I was working at a country station at the time in a mid sized market and GM came in my office and asked if i was okay to go on the air. He said if i could do it i could do the first hour of my show all Grateful Dead. I balled my eyes out that day.
Damian i feel the same way you do about MJ. It is a huge loss to the music world.

[Mego Milk]

I cried for George Harrison.