Feature

Too early to be gone

Ramisa Fariha

IT was an ordinary Friday morning. As I logged on to my Yahoo inbox, an e-mail from the New York Times website fanned away my early morning drowsiness. “Michael Jackson is dead, R.I.P report”. I was shocked. I mumbled, “pop star Michael Jackson? 'Just Beat It' Jackson?” I couldn't believe what I had just read.

The first person I gave this shocking news to was my mother, one of Jackson's biggest fans. She ran out of the kitchen and turned on the TV only to find that her disbelief had been booed down by the BBC breaking news headline “Michael Jackson dies at 50.” There were subtitles, which included

“Married twice and leaves three children” and quotes from various television personalities. Michael Joseph Jackson, born August 1958, had been in the limelight ever since he was 5 years old.

Even though the King of Pop seemed full of life, his life was filled with sadness and loneliness. From a young age Jackson claimed that he was physically and emotionally abused by his father, but also contended that his father was a strict disciplinarian, which played a large part in his success. Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Jackson showed musical talent early in his life, performing in front of classmates and others during a Christmas recital at the age of five. In 1964, Jackson joined the Jackson Brothers. At the age of eight, he and

Jermaine assumed lead vocals, and the group's name was changed to 'The Jackson 5'. Eventually signing contracts with CBS Records and Epic records, Jackson eventually grew up to be a songwriter. In 1980 Jackson won the American Music Award along with the many others. Epic issued his second album; Thriller in 1982.The album turned out to be the apex of Jackson's career, and remained in the top 10 for 80 consecutive weeks.

Debuting his signature dance move the moon walk his performances were seen by 47 million viewers during its initial airing, and drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation" in 1992. The charity organisation brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch, to go on theme park rides that Jackson had built on the property after he purchased it.

In May of 1994, Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, but divorced less than two years later, remaining friendly. During the Australian leg of the History World Tour, Jackson married dermatologist nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe, with whom he fathered a son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. and a daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. After the couple divorced in 1999, with Rowe giving full custody rights of the children to Jackson, they remained friends. Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II was born in 2002.

Throughout June 1999, Jackson was involved in a number of charitable events. He joined Luciano Pavarotti for a benefit concert in Modena, Italy. The show was in support of the non-profit organization Warchild Later that month, Jackson organized a set of "Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit concerts in Germany and Korea. Other artists involved included artistes like Slash, The Scorpions, Mariah Carey, A. R. Rahman, Prabhu Deva Sundaram, and Luciano Pavarotti. The proceeds went to the "Nelson Mandela Children's Fund", the Red Cross and UNESCO. In 2000, Jackson was listed in the book of Guinness World Records for his support of 39 charities, more than any other entertainer or personality.

Even though Michael was accused of various inappropriate behaviours, all those were eventually proved wrong. To this day, Michael is remembered for his great works and versatility. He was a singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, dancer, choreographer, actor, author, businessman, financier, and philanthropist all together. The English music today owes a lot to Jackson. He was an iconic figure and a versatile genius. It's like death of music, with the death of Jackson.