Michael Jackson has passed away.

[GK Punk]

He actually died of Cardiac arrest, which isn't a heart attack. This is actually what happened to my niece. This just hit way to close to home.

You can't be a child of the 80s and not feel something from this, he was every where when I was a kid. This is so shocking. My friend texted me while I was out telling me to turn on the news, so I had her just keep texting me updates until I could get home and turn on the news...

Originally Posted by Jester

Should we change the title of the thread?

I did.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Benvenuto

Stranger in Moscow is the SHIZNIT. Thank you for posting that, TMB.

God, yes. That song is so fantastic. I can't take this anymore.

[Bigfoot]

At first I was surprised by how many TMNT fans were MJ fans, but as GK stated, anyone who grew up in the 80's probably has a memorable moment that his music was a part of. He will be missed...

[ThirdMarioBro]

Me neither. I just feel dead inside.

Originally Posted by GK

He actually died of Cardiac arrest, which isn't a heart attack. This is actually what happened to my niece. This just hit way to close to home.

The same thing happened to my Mom.

[ToTheNines]

This makes me sick... I really don't wanna hear ****** Michael jokes tomorrow at work.

[XERO]

Sorry about that, guys.

This is just a dark day.

[Cure]

My favorites have always been "Billie Jean" and "Smooth Criminal".

F*ck, man. This sucks.

[Ninjinister]

So there I was, taking down a fraud website at work (obviously), when I accidentally hit the wrong bookmark, news.google.com. First story up top is a report from tmz.com: "Michael Jackson dead at 50".

"Holy F***!" I exclaim. "MICHAEL JACKSON IS DEAD!"

The entire office is silent for at least a minute, bewildered looks on everyone's faces. Then various co-workers are asking me for verification. I ask Lauren and Heidi, who are big on celebrity gossip, if TMZ is reliable (I don't know this kind of stuff). They confirm that it is. I am still awaiting further confirmation. One source doesn't do it for me. It was the same thing when I read about David Carradine.

Work grinds to a halt. Everyone is furiously pounding away at their keyboards and clicking their mouses, trying to find further evidence. All anyone can find quotes TMZ as their source. The girls are furious about Perez Hilton and E! Online timing out (and as it turns out, Jackson may be the reason).

Finally, I find an LA Times article that insists that their source is directly from the LAPD. This is 90% confirmation for me. I'm pretty certain that Michael is dead, but due to my conditioning, especially that of my work training, I need more evidence to be 100% sure. Some mild jokes start flying around the office, nothing too bad. A few Thriller and plastic body part quips are thrown, but nothing involving his alleged pedophilia, thank God. Those are left to the comments of the various news sites and blogs that I'm running across, and so they're easy to ignore. Co-worker Nick's cell phone goes off - a friend texts him regarding the reports of Michael's death. We joke how that's our "third pillar" of confirmation. This would actually only be the first of a godzillion times that someone's phone will go off before my shift ended at 4 Pacific, all dealing with people questioning and reporting the news. IGN has word of Michael's passing on their front page, and my infamous shift manager Elman calls that the "fourth pillar of confirmation".

On the walk home, ever Jackson song I know is running through my head. I also think to myself that now Farrah's an Angel and Michael Got Enough. Shortly thereafter, a car blazes down the street blasting, strangely enough, "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough". I nearly shout words of support at the driver, but they're gone too fast for me to even get the first word out.

100% confirmation comes when I turn CNN on the TV at home and they're interviewing the coroner. Reverend Sharpton starts talking about how close he and Michael were, and how he arranged for Michael to see his idol James Brown's body and to be there for every funeral procession of Brown's. I watch for as long as I can stand, and turn off the TV to go take a shower (I've just always thought that Al was unnecessarily loquacious and have never been able to sit through any of his speeches in their entirety).

So after I get out of the bath, I pop on my laptop and head to playlist.com to stream some Jackson songs in memory, just as I had did yesterday with songs related to the four family members of mine who had passed on June 24ths of the past. The site already has a memorial playlist set up, and that's what I've got on now.

So yeah... this has been a f***ing s***ty week to begin with... this is just more to heap on the pile.

God bless you, Michael Jackson.

[Guitar_Raph]

Can't believe Michael Jacson & Farrah Fawcett, all in one day! The only thing they had in common; they both appeared on The Dating Game.

Right now, I'll be watching that tribute on ABC which starts in minutes.

[Candy Kappa]

he will be greatly missed

[Machias Banshee]

[[Mod Edit: cleaned out the thread... please continue with the vigil]]


I always loved Thriller and Will You Be There... There's many others, but those are the two that I always think of first.

This week has been horrible, death-wise... we need something positive to happen..

[Jester]

Yeah, first McMahon, then Farrah and now MJ...it's been a rough week.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Machias Banshee

This week has been horrible, death-wise... we need something positive to happen..

Honestly, I don't know that any positive news could possibly extinguish the grief that so many are feeling for MJ at this moment.

[Jester]

Don't take this the wrong way, but what about Farrah?

[Warhorse]

Wow. This came as a big shock. I was driving home from the beach, and turned on the radio, flipping the stations, and came across a popular station that was playing Michael Jackson songs, back to back. I just thought they were playing greatest hits or something, they do that alot for alot of famous artist. But when I get home, my mom tells me what's going on, and then it hit me.

I'm still in shock. I'm watching the special now, but I wonder, is this how people felt back in the day when Elvis died?

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Jester

Don't take this the wrong way, but what about Farrah?

And don't take this the wrong way, but buddy...Michael f*cking Jackson. There's a reason all of the Farrah Faucet tributes have been dropped tonight in favour of MJ tributes.

[Bigfoot]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

...is this how people felt back in the day when Elvis died?

Good question... I wasn't around for Elvis, but am aware of all the speculations that he was alive, long after he passed away. Same happened with the rappers. There must be a part of us that doesn't want to admit they are gone.

[XERO]

Originally Posted by Peanut

And don't take this the wrong way, but buddy...Michael f*cking Jackson. There's a reason all of the Farrah Faucet tributes have been dropped tonight in favour of MJ tributes.

I'm sure Farrah and Michael don't really care anymore considering they're departed.

It's just sucks that we're the ones left with the agony of having to deal with it.

[Jester]

Originally Posted by Peanut

And don't take this the wrong way, but buddy...Michael f*cking Jackson. There's a reason all of the Farrah Faucet tributes have been dropped tonight in favour of MJ tributes.

Which sucks. She deserves some recognition too. It's awful enough that they are both gone, but for one's death to so overshadow the others is a bit disheartening.

[Bigfoot]

Originally Posted by Jester

Which sucks. She deserves some recognition too. It's awful enough that they are both gone, but for one's death to so overshadow the others is a bit disheartening.

She has a thread too...