Elvis may have left the building, but Michael Jackson, the 'King of Pop' lives on in our memories. Plus, he's everywhere: CNN, MSNBC, FOX, BET, MTV, MTV2, VH-1, VH-1 Classic, E-Network, Facebook, Twitter, My Space, Sirius/XM satellite radio, E-Bay, TMZ, YouTube and countless other Web sites. The King of Pop is no more. Or is he? Michael Jackson will live on for those of us who grew up on his music. Yes, I will freely admit it. I was a Michael Jackson fan. I am still a Michael Jackson fan. And I will always be a Michael Jackson fan. And since his untimely death Thursday afternoon, I have been in mourning.
You know how everyone asks, where were you and what were you doing when the news broke? Well, Mrs. Frederick and I were on Interstate 4, on our way to the Tampa Rays game against the Phillies. We were listening to "Mad Dog Radio" on Sirius satellite radio, when Christopher Russo interrupted his NBA pre-draft coverage to report: TMZ is reporting that Michael Jackson is dead from cardiac arrest." Wow! Holy you know what! I changed the channel to CNN and Wolf Blitzer was reporting the tragedy, not ready to confirm and at one point stating Jackson was now in a coma.
Then he reported what the Los Angeles Times had reported: That Jackson was dead. Before we reached St. Petersburg, about 30 minutes later, news of Jackson's death was all over the dial and on our cell phones. People were talking about it as they herded into Tropicana Field. This was one of those life-changing days, when big news hits, like 9/11, though no where near in scope of tragedy. Jackson was a performer who transcended all races,. genders and nationalities. He was a global figure; clearly the most famous entertainer in the world. Who else even comes close? Maybe star athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan? Bill and Hillary Clinton? Barack Obama? Madonna? Oprah Winfrey? Muhammed Ali?
And just think: Farrah Fawcett, the most beautiful and famous of "Charlie's Angels died earlier the same day, of cancer at 62. Fawcett, whose swimsuit poster was plastered on bedrooms and dorm rooms everywhere in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was a virtual afterthought. How about poor Ed McMahan, who died a couple days earlier? Completely forgotten when the news hit the Internet, TV and radio that Michael Joseph Jackson, the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" was dead at the age of 50. I loved Michael Jackson's music, his dance moves, his persona. I wasn't thrilled with all of the child molestation accusations, but like the 2005 jury, I didn't put much stock into the allegations. Remember, it wasn't until Michael Jackson that MTV played videos by African Americans and other minorities.
I loved "Thriller," the biggest selling album of all time. I was in college when MTV began broadcasting to a new generation of music lovers who grew up on Elvis, Motown, FM rock and disco. And Jackson was the trend-setter for the coming Digital Age, followed by Madonna. They were the bridge between The Rolling Stones, Elvis and Led Zeppelin of yesteryear with Justin Timberlake, Brittany Spears and Nelly Furtado of today. Who can forget 10-year-old Michael singing "Rockin' Robin" with his brothers in the Jackson 5 or a young adult Michael dancing to "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough," or "Billie Jean." There was also his magic with "We are the World," and his awesomeness with his early 1990s "Black or White." And admit it: Michael Jackson entertained us, not just with the glove or the moonwalk, or the crotch-grabbing.
Everything else and everyone else associated with him was entertainment for us, from Cheryl Crowand guitarist Slash, to AIDS victim Ryan White, "Goonies" star Corey Feldman, Emmanuel Lewis, Brooke Shields, MaCauley Culkin, Liz Taylor, Liza Minnelli, Jane Fonda, Michael Jordan (video), Paul McCartney. Of course, the are the already mentioned Moonwalk and "glove," the molestation charges and trial (and video of Jackson denying the accusations), Neverland Ranch, the brief marriage to Lisa Marie Presley with the "Kiss." There are the plastic surgeries for the nose. The list goes on and on. Yes, the King of Pop lives on...