RIP Michael Jackson

I remember as a teenager walking through the local shopping centre. Everywhere I turned, the shops had television sets strategically placed, playing the latest video clip on the screens, over and over again. The video? Michael Jackson's, Thriller. Never before had any of us seen anything like it. Crowds stood and watched in amazement in front of the screens.

Throughout the years, Michael Jackson's life story became a constant as it played out on new shows around the world - and in my living room. His music, too, became the background pieces for many memorable life events - school formals, discos, wedding entertainment, parties, driving to places as it boomed in through the car radio, etc. Despite the many issues he, as a man may have had, Michael Jackson as a performer created so much of the music of a generation.

I'll be honest, I was never a fanatical Michael fan. I appreciated his music and recognised his brilliance but was not the type to stick his poster on my wall. The substance of his music only really dawned on me some time ago when, despite not having much input into the musical tastes of Generation Now (do they have a name yet??) my just-turned-teenager son could tell me who he was and what he sung and was asking me questions about him.

So today, when I read the news on my computer, I was shocked. I still am. Yes, as a person he had many problems, but as a singer and dancer and entertainer, we can only mourn the world's loss of a memory maker and a true legend.

RIP Michael Jackson!