A word before I start the post- Those who are expecting to read the minute details about the bad side of MJ, the media hyped molestations, the plastic surgery rumours and all that, please stay away from this post. Because, this won't fit your taste which is tuned to 'page 3 rumour' frequency. This also won't fit the taste of certain posers who think listening to MJ is a kind of debasement for their rocker sensibilities and image. (All Offense Meant to someone)
My introduction to MJ happened somewhere around the time I joined 2nd standard. There was a college guy in the neighbouring house behind mine, in Trivandrum. I used to hear all kind of music from there. Its from there that I heard music as varied as Rahman's Roja and Khaled's Didi. And its where I discovered one of the biggest music legends of all time-MJ. I still remember it was the song 'Beat it' that I heard standing at the door of our kitchen. I could recall it because he was playing it in a loop, rewinding that single song non-stop. I went to him after sometime(he was still playing the song) and asked whose song is that. He pointed to the wall. There he was, with a menacing pose, clad in an all black in a white background with the word 'Bad' and the name 'Michael Jackson' written on it. I hadn't seen that poster before there. Maybe, that was the time he also discovered MJ. Anyway, the poster left me confused, "Why would anyone add 'Bad' to their own name?' It took me some more years to realise that its the name of one of his iconic albums.
In school, we had a bunch of Jackson maniacs who used to discuss every detail of him. Years later, after a journey through boy bands and many crappy pop hits, I dived full length into rock and heavy metal. But MJ's music stayed on just like Rahman's. Many posers who call themselves as die hard rockers dismiss MJ as uncool. But the truth is, every rock fan my age had a period in their life when they worshipped Jackson as music God. Some of these posers still do, but are scared to admit fearing a 'loss of image'. The later years of MJ were a pain to his fans with bad news constantly streaming in. But fans like me found it hard to believe. His was a complex life of unprecedented stardom, controversies, big money, fall from grace, big debts and more. Its as if he lived the life of many men in one single life. He was a child who refused to grow up, the finest example of it being his mammoth neverland mansion. He had a mini amusement park inside that and also housed pets like chimpanzee. Maybe, he was trying to recapture the childhood that he lost when his father terrorised him and his siblings to practice non-stop and perform on stage. At the same time, he was also a man who was concerned about social issues. Songs like 'Heal the world', 'Earth song' and projects like 'USA-Africa(We are the world) show the socially conscious side of him. He also donated heavily to charity, having the record of supporting more charities than any other artist.

If the definition of a 'well-lived life' means to entertain people and making them happy, then there can be no better synonym for that than Michael Jackson. But, there were those big failings which are hard to ignore. Even so, there's hardly anyone who has given so much hope and so much joy to millions in every nook and corner of the world. There are those who live through their lives as unknowns. There are others who gain wide popularity all over the world. Then there's Michael Jackson, a man who was once voted as the most recognised human being on the planet. MJ, Thank you for the music and for the days of joy that you gifted to all of us. You're gone a little too soon. Then, as George Harrison told, 'All good things must pass'. You were not simply good. You were simply the best and the greatest.
Blazing 'Cross The Evening Sky
Gone Too Soon
Like A Rainbow
Fading In The Twinkling Of An Eye
Gone Too Soon
Shiny And Sparkly
And Splendidly Bright
Here One Day
Gone One Night
Like The Loss Of Sunlight
On A Cloudy Afternoon
Gone Too Soon
Like A Castle
Built Upon A Sandy Beach
Gone Too Soon
Like A Perfect Flower
That Is Just Beyond Your Reach
Gone Too Soon
Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day
Gone One Night
Like A Sunset
Dying With The Rising Of The Moon
Gone Too Soon
Gone Too Soon
-Gone too soon by Michael Jackson(written in memory of Ryan White)
your crusader Praveen