one of the brightest stars in my lifetime

So many people touch our lives, personally or professionally, people we know intimately and people we've never met. In the age of celebrity, when we now have access to the details of their lives and the outlets that bring us such information, we know more about our favorite artists and professionals than the mere products they produce. For many of us, knowing a little bit about who they are is part of understanding the inspiration behind those works we appreciate.

Thinking about the celebrities who existed in my lifetime, none is as prominent as Michael Jackson. As a child, I had to learn about the significance of big names such as Elvis Presley and the Beatles who were no longer making music when I was a small child. Jackson was always there. As far back as my conscious memories take me, Michael Jackson was a constant. His was not only the first big name I knew of. His was the biggest.

Many will say that such artists don't deserve the status they've achieved. They didn't find a cure to any disease. They didn't feed all the starving people of any nation. They didn't save any lives. But didn't they?

Those famous for the art they produced are not the only artists in this world. So many of us will live our entire lives never dropping the word "aspiring" from the things we want to do or be. There are many things that hold us back. Sometimes we are our own largest roadblocks along the path to what we desire. Sometimes our lack of measurable success can only be attributed to bad luck and a life that isn't always fair. But that does not mean that people regularly abandon their dreams entirely just because the chances of being recognized for such dreams are slim. Sometimes those dreams live on till our death and provide the motivation to succeed in other ways. Sometimes all these dreams do is provide an outlet for expressing ourselves when we don't get the chance to do so because of our busy lives. As such, sometimes all these celebrities provide is a vestige of the world we desire, a world in which we can do something we love that reaches many people. Often, the one thing they provide is the one thing we need most: Hope.

Michael Jackson provided hope for so many. He's touched many more lives than any of us ever will. He's achieved immortality through things he was extremely skilled at. What's most significant in an age when it seems that so many seem to achieve that celebrity without skill or talent is that Jackson actually did have that talent.

Again, going back to our existence in the information age, we have been given access to Jackson beyond his talent. While most of us can easily see how that access hurt him and his friends, family and fans more than they have helped, much of it also showed us that Michael Jackson was not simply a celebrity but an incredible man with a big heart who cared, who promoted peace and love in a world that sees much to little of it. We've witnessed a man who did some wonderful things with his fame.

While I agree that the hubbub can be a bit over the top, it's difficult to not understand why our worlds have been taken over by the loss of the King of Pop. Perhaps there are those who claim to dislike anything to do with celebrity. Often those people dislike most things. A deep-rooted disdain for everything and the tendency to speak negatively about nearly anything comes from people whose misery is self made and not a terrible concern of mine. I feel no need to go out of my way to find things to be bothered with. There are even more who simply don't understand how big Michael Jackson was in this world and what he meant to so many people. Again, he wasn't just some famous singer. He was a symbol of hope for so many.

There are even then people consumed with the negative that seemed to follow Jackson around. As a fan and a genuine believer in his innocence, my only sentiment can reflect that of Marlon Jackson at his brother's memorial, "Maybe now they'll leave you alone."

Another thing to keep in mind when losing such a celebrity or those less known is that aside from everything else, this was the loss of a person who was loved. This was someone's son, brother, friend and father. While his death overshadowed those who also died around the same time, very few of us ever truly forgot how we lost others, celebrity or not, at that time or sooner. And we were sadly reminded of how many more people we'd lose in our lifetimes.

So the man is gone. His music still lives and his legacy is immortal. I've joined the masses who have mourned such a loss and I was sad for the people closest to him who felt this tragedy much deeper.

See you later, MJ. Thanks for the memories and a childhood filled with music.