Michael Jackson: Icons Die Too

by sara star | June 28, 2009 at 05:38 am

1151 views | 24 Recommendations | 9 comments

A comeback at the age of 50? It is possible… but realistic?

Michael Jackson gave us 40 years of incredible pop music. Now there is shock worldwide that he is dead. Gone too soon some say. Really? Even the King of Pop cannot escape the nature of life, even if we want them to live forever. Aging and death are a part of life. And Michael was no different. Apparently his health had been in decline over many years, becoming more fragile as the public screamed it was just part of an act. What act is that? We age, our bodies begin to decline. Even an icon cannot escape that. Now combine that with his financial woes. That also happens to many of us as we age. With physical health declining and ageism prominent, many of us face a drop in our financial status too. Somewhere we thought Jackson was above all this like he was St Michael, only to find he was human like the rest of us. I think a lot of us are sad because this great Star many admired was ultimately fallible. If our idols live forever, so can we, right? The shock is not so much that he is dead, but that we will all die one day and so will our loved ones.

I think it couldn’t have happened any other way for him. Life is what it is. He knew that. He has finally gone home where peace is possible for him, leaving behind an enormous legacy.

The following excerpts are from an article written by Ian Halperin, author of The Final Years Of Michael Jackson. And of course, I added a poem at the end.

Many in his entourage spoke frankly to me – and that made it possible for me to write authoritatively last December that Michael had six months to live… Six months and one day later, Jackson was dead.

(It is) suggested that he might already have had a genetic condition I had never previously come across, called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency – the lack of a protein that can help protect the lungs.Although up to 100,000 Americans are severely affected by it, it is an under-recognised condition. Michael was receiving regular injections of Alpha-1 antitrypsin derived from human plasma.

…the Jackson camp for confirmation, he said: ‘Yeah, that’s what he’s got. He’s in bad shape. They’re worried that he might need a lung transplant but he may be too weak.

‘He wasn’t eating, he wasn’t sleeping and, when he did sleep, he had nightmares that he was going to be murdered. He was deeply worried that he was going to disappoint his fans. He even said something that made me briefly think he was suicidal. He said he thought he’d die before doing the London concerts. …His voice and dance moves weren’t there any more. I think maybe he wanted to die rather than embarrass himself on stage.’
...
On June 21, Jackson told my contact that he wanted to die. He said that he didn’t have what it would take to perform any more because he had lost his voice and dance moves.
‘It’s not working out,’ Jackson said. ‘I’m better off dead. I don’t have anywhere left to turn. I’m done.’

.
It appears he was thinking about his children’s future

...According to two sources in Jackson’s camp, the singer put in place a contingency plan to ensure his children would be well taken care of in the event of bankruptcy.

…‘He has as many as 200 unpublished songs that he is planning to leave behind for his children when he dies. They can’t be touched by the creditors, but they could be worth as much as £60million that will ensure his kids a comfortable existence no matter what happens,’ one of his collaborators revealed.

What he would want to say…

.... ‘I want you guys to know I love you very much.

Is That It?

Never far from the heart
Lighting the path
Never far from speaking
Without words
Never far from dancing
Toward our sparkle

All of it was for you and me
Yet held the very stone
That led to love’s demise
Like a cruel joke
To be hung in the stars
Turned into fairy dust
For the next one

Not only here
But many lifetimes
We have shared
And tended this fire

We both knew
The final curtain
Would see it end
The beginning was always
The start of
A long goodbye

Somewhere in time
The clock never ticks
Somewhere in the journey
The question
Reveals no answer

Only a picture
Of infinite words
Where sound is silent

By Sara Star

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WisdomMountain

at 16:12 on June 29th, 2009

Yes. That's it.Birth-Aging-Sickness-Death is the cycle for all lives,including the Great and the Humble.
As one mourns in silence,one must know this eternal reality.
Beauty,Black Or White, is temporal on the skin.
But deeper and warmer in everlasting remembrance of one's creative power.
The answer is to pursue truth,justice and freedom anytime anywhere.
The right path is clear and bright for all enlightened souls.
So Be It.After Birth,Death Is Always Ever-Present in this short journey on Earth.
Human life is just a Short Span for One to Do One's Utmost Best.
That's All.That's It!

Hiranya Malwatta

at 04:32 on June 30th, 2009

This is a great piece Sara, thank you for this perspective on a great artist's demise.

Harvey G (not verified)

at 15:11 on July 1st, 2009

The mystery is why was this person an idol to anyone?

DollyandNiki

at 12:01 on July 4th, 2009

Idols mean alot of things.

He was one the of the greatest entertainers of all time, dancing, singing, its doesn't get much better than that. He entertained young and old, a class act.

Reda (not verified)

at 11:26 on July 11th, 2009

He was more than entertainer. There's a part that not many people know because it was not talked about in press. He was a very generous man, giving inconceivable amounts of money to charity (300 mln.$) (again, 300 mln.$) and visiting orphanages. He was a sensitive and hearty man, who declared love, peace and humanity not only via his music but also via his humanitarian work.