“We really cared about you”

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything in between can be dealt with.” These words were spoken by the king of pop who is now gone, but who will continue to live on as a legend. The man with a glove on one hand, the man who invented the concept of music videos, the man whose dance moves “thrilled” millions, Michael Jackson, is no more.

Michael Joseph Jackson, or MJ, as he came to be popularly known, was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, the seventh of nine children. At 1.14pm on Thursday, June 25, 2009, MJ was brought to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) medical centre in a state of coma after having said to suffer a cardiac arrest. The emergency physicians there kept up efforts to save him for about an hour, but to no avail.

MJ had a troubled childhood, but that didn’t perturb him, and by the time he was six years old, he, along with four of his brothers – Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, performed for the first time at a talent show, where they won the first prize. They formed a group called “The Jackson Five” (later known as “The Jackson 5”), of which MJ became the most popular.

MJ recorded his first solo album, Off The Wall, as an adult recording artist with Quincey Jones in 1979, but he became the man we know and love now in 1982, when he released “Thriller”, which was a smashing hit and topped the American Top 10 charts for 37 consecutive weeks. The next milestone in this man’s colourful life came in 1983, when he unveiled his signature “moonwalk” dance step while performing “Billie Jean” in a television special. The effect that move had, and continues to have on millions till date, is undoubted. Thereafter came the albums “Bad”, “Dangerous” and “HIStory”, though none of them received the kind of success that Thriller did.

MJ bought a 2,600 acre ranch worth $17 million in California in 1988, and named it “Neverland” after the name of the land of his fictitious idol, Peter Pan. MJ was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in Neverland in 1993. This, as well as other charges of child abuse, further tainted the man’s already tarnished image, although he was, at the end of the trial, acquitted on all charges.

It was also around this time that news of his increasingly bizarre behaviour started pouring in. However, according to an editorial by journalist and author Indrajit Hazra in the Hindustan Times (HT), “Wacko Jacko never really took shape” in India. So, when news came that he would be performing in Mumbai, the excitement in the air was almost tangible. Finally, on November 1, 1996, Jackson, glittering in a spacesuit, thrilled all audiences – old, young, celebrities, non-celebrities and politicians – with his dazzling performance. Such was the performance, that the atmosphere at the Andheri Sports complex, where the concert was held, was electric. Singer, producer and former VJ, Luke Kenny, said in an editorial in HT, “He did a bit in a crane where the crane passed over the audience… I would like to believe that for a split second he kind of looked at me!” This was also the time when one of the most oft-quoted phrases came about – “He even used my toilet,” said Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, whom Jackson paid a visit in order to use his loo.

Owing to the cost of maintaining Neverland and on account of a failing career, MJ’s financial condition was not too good. Post his death, it was heard that he was in fact being pressurised to undertake a 10-concert tour which was to be held in London starting later this July. That preparations for the concert were taking a toll on his health was one of the speculations that surrounded his sudden death. The concert, ironically, was named “This is it”.

As a child, MJ had had a troubled relationship with an abusive father, but he couldn’t find solace in relationships even as an adult. He married Lisa Marie, Elvis Presley’s only daughter in 1994, but they got divorced in 1996. He married Debbie Rowe in the same year and had two children by her, Prince Michael I and Paris Michael, before splitting with her in 1999. He is also survived by a third child, Prince Michael II, whose mother’s identity is unknown.

The negativity and controversies aside, the fact that the man was a sheer genius is evident in the fact that he won 13 Grammies throughout his career and over 750 million copies of his records were sold. His work and style have been an inspiration to countless, some of them being well-known faces in the Indian music and film industry. Shiamak Davar, choreographer and singer, said to HT, “Jacko will be remembered as a complete performer. Fans like me went crazy watching him perform.” Farah Khan, Bollywood choreographer and director, also told HT, “He is my guru. My dream was to choreograph a dance piece for him. It’ll never come true now.”

No sooner did the news of his demise start trickling in, than the cyber world became frenzied in its rush to know exactly what had happened to MJ. Search engines such as Google, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and others like YouTube crashed due to the sheer number of people seeking information. However, while millions will miss the man’s music, some are also of the opinion that he was indeed a paedophile, as he was accused of being. Said Anand, aka Sandy, who studies at Hyderabad Central University, “He may be remembered as a great performer, but he will also be remembered as a paedophile.” Another person, Saurabh Mehta, said, “I have never been a great fan of his. In fact, I never understood his style of music.”
But while some will miss the man’s dance moves and others his eccentricities, the fact remains that be missed he will. So, in the end, all I “wanna” say is that we (a lot of us, in any case) really cared about you, MJ!