Michael Jackson, King of Pop has Passed (1958-2009)

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, the most controversial megastar from the 80s, the international music icon, died on June 25th. It was a shocking and unexpected moment.

Michael was set to begin his absolute final tour in London on July 13th and many thought this was going to turn out to be just a stunt to postpone the tour. Perez Hilton posted a picture of MJ with the caption: "Heart Attack or Cold Feet?" But alas, it seems Michael has been taken to the rank of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis and so many other music stars who have passed from drug issues. MJ had a problem with prescription drugs, but no one expected him to die from it. It is particularly tragic because his father and all his older siblings outlived him.

And though it is, of course, heartbreaking for his immediate family and his die-hard fans, I think the news of his death had 2 even larger repercussions. First, it really demonstrated the globally instantaneous nature of information. Within minutes, MINUTES of his passing in LA, Twitter was shutting down with the number of people tweeting about it. Facebook was overloaded too. But before I even got to any of those sites (which is pretty quick because I am always on), I got a text message from a friend in London:

"They took my Michael away! My king! Michael Jackson has passed away"

It was as shocking to hear the sad news as it was to realize that someone in London ( a 6 hour time difference and thousands of miles away) heard the news before I did.

So I guess in the famous words, "It's a small world after all."

But to me, the biggest thing I noticed was the response from people. It is as though our whole generation has stepped up one rung on the ladder of time. We didn't know Elvis or Jimi Hendrix, we may have heard of Kurt Cobain but that was ages ago and had a small following, we hadn't really experienced the loss of someone we really really bonded with. Britney survived against all odds, JayZ, Diddy, Rihanna, Madonna, Backstreet, N'Sync, and even Paris and Lindsay (who we all assume abuse a substance or two) they are the pop stars of our generation, household names, and they are all going strong.

It is hard to accept, but I think we have all changed for this experience. We are more grounded now, yanked into reality by proof of our own mortality (during harsh economic times that rival with the Great Depression at that).

My nephew is 1 year old. He will not follow the dramatic tales of Michael Jackson, he will not live in an America that can be surprised by the election of a black president, he begins a new generation where pop icons are practically immortal and you still believe that talent should extend your lifespan. Where everybody is somebody and everyone remembers the Great Depression of 2009. He will not live in a world that struggled to remember not to write "199-" as a year, reminding ourselves that it is a new millennium.

These subtle changes switched almost instantaneously when we lost The King of Pop. Now we are more aware of our loss of innocence. It had been building in the backs of our minds, and now, with the digestion of one too many prescription pills and a doctor who failed to save a life, we have realized it. We are becoming the next older generation.