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By GREGORY CLAY - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
They were the conspicuous signs of the times.
Suddenly, hats, posters and T-shirts seemingly popped up everywhere. There were "King of Pop" baseball caps. There were T-shirts featuring the likeness of Michael Jackson and Nelson Mandela; Michael Jackson and Malcolm X; Michael Jackson and President Barack Obama; MJ vs. MJ, that is Michael Jordan dribbling a basketball facing Michael Jackson dancing on his tippy-toes.
The memorabilia was a reflection of Michael Jackson's shocking death on June 25, 2009. Has it been that long already? Yes, it surely seems like yesterday.
The outpouring of emotion from fans around the world captured the moment. The international sense of loss was palpable. The collective mourning - which was part hysteria and part disbelief - was unlike anything we've seen since the unexpected deaths of Elvis Presley and Princess Diana.
"There are a lot of people who have been attached to Michael Jackson," says Dr. Alvin Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, during a telephone interview from Boston. "They feel they have lost access to Michael's creativity."
If the world's population is an estimated 6.8 billion, it seemed 6.5 billion of them offered a visceral reaction to Michael's death.
Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese was quoted as saying of Jackson: "Michael Jackson was extraordinary. When we worked together on 'Bad' (music video), I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other. Every step he took was absolutely precise and fluid at the same time."
"It was like watching quicksilver in motion. He was wonderful to work with, an absolute professional at all times, and - it really goes without saying - a true artist. It will be a while before I can get used to the idea that he's no longer with us."
The general public adamantly displayed an insatiable appetite for the ATM: All Things Mike.
As CNN president Jonathan Klein said during a Michael Jackson panel discussion in 2009 at the annual National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Tampa, Fla.: "There was such an enormous interest in this story. We were overwhelmed, globally. And we are a global network."
And the incessant media coverage showed: For three weeks straight, CNN's "Larry King Live," for instance, featured at least one segment on Jackson after his death.
Furthermore, according to Howard Kurtz, Washington Post media critic and host of CNN's "Reliable Sources," on the day of Jackson's death, CNN's ratings skyrocketed 937 percent at one point, MSNBC's 330 percent and Fox's 243 percent.
And newspapers such as the New York Post and New York Daily News produced special sections, replete with double-page-sized pullout posters of Jackson.
Says Richard Prince, Internet media columnist for the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education: "In this media environment, when there are websites and media outlets for everyone's particular interest, I don't think you can say there was too much media coverage of Michael Jackson. ...
"But I didn't see enough analysis about why the choices Michael Jackson made in his life led to his demise, and what that should tell the rest of us about the society that we have created. If this is what you have to do to become a megastar, is it worth it? He felt that he had to wear wigs and have plastic surgery to conform to what he believed was people's expectations of what a superstar should look like. Then suddenly, he didn't look like a black person anymore."
Remember, in the early minutes following the news of Jackson's death, AT&T reported that 65,000 text messages were transmitted per second (normal traffic was 40,000). Klein said CNN's Internet traffic increased fivefold from the time of Jackson's death to the memorial service held at Los Angeles' Staples Center on July 7, 2009.
The attendees paid tribute to Michael for his innovation, and, yes he was a pioneer, too.
Bryan Monroe, former vice president and editorial director for Ebony magazine, is widely credited with conducting the last one-on-one, domestic interview with Jackson, which appeared in the publication December 2007. When speaking of shattering a glass ceiling at MTV, Jackson told Ebony: "They came right out and said it - they wouldn't play my music. It broke my heart. I refuse to be ignored. So I came up with 'Thriller' and I was always trying to outdo myself . . . But when they played 'Billie Jean,' it set the all-time record. Then they were asking me for everything we had.
"They were knocking our door down. Then Prince came; it opened the door for Prince and all the other black artists ..."
The week of Jackson's death seemed surreal. That Tuesday (June 23), Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's longtime sidekick on "The Tonight Show," died at 86 of multiple health problems; then, early afternoon on that Thursday (June 25), actress Farrah Fawcett died of cancer at 62; later that afternoon, we were shocked by the news flash of Jackson's death at 50.
Says Poussaint, who has appeared on such television shows as "Nightline": "Michael Jackson had a lot of signs of a troubled life - his anxiety, his vitiligo (skin-whitening condition). People could see he was a delicate human being."
Delicate, but still profitable after death.
According to Forbes.com, Jackson was the third-highest earning dead celebrity in 2009. In the four months after his death, Jackson's estate earned approximately $90 million, behind only fashion designer Yves St. Laurent ($350 million) and musical composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein ($235 million). Behind Jackson was Elvis Presley, at $55 million.
Could Jackson's death, just as Elvis', also become sort of a mystery theater? Famous celebrity plus mysterious death often equals a ripe cocktail for conspiracy theorists.
For Michael, the equation was much more serious, though. He was found not guilty on June 13, 2005 of all 10 charges in a highly publicized child-molestation case.
Rumors dogged Michael during much of his adult life, from suspicions about alleged improper relationships with children to his own sexuality.
Many people viewed him as asexual, androgynous or even bisexual.
"He was a very fragile person," says Poussaint, who has worked as a script consultant for actor-comedian Bill Cosby's television shows. "His looks; he was incredibly shy; he had severe insomnia. Then he dies in this unfortunate accident under the care of a physician."
That physician was Dr. Conrad Murray. He has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with administering a jumbo-strength sedative in an effort to make Jackson sleep better.
Those revelations provided another shocker regarding the circumstances surrounding Jackson's death. Interestingly, Murray in May 2010 was lauded for assisting a distressed female passenger who became unconscious on a flight that left Houston heading to Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Jackson's family members have continued in the spotlight. Father Joseph, brother Jermaine and sister Janet have talked publicly about Michael's legacy. The surviving brothers also have appeared in a reality show on the A&E network called "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty."
What can we expect next?
"Michael Jackson has hardcore fans all over the world, but I think with time (the intense attention he attracted) will slowly fade," Poussaint says.
"You will soon have a whole generation of people who didn't know him. It's similar to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In time, people won't know the details of his death. Ten or 20 years from now, you may not see all these people in the streets, celebrating his life."
Still, at least for now, many fans, as the Jackson Five used to sing, "Never Can Say Goodbye."
By GREGORY CLAY - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
They were the conspicuous signs of the times.
Suddenly, hats, posters and T-shirts seemingly popped up everywhere. There were "King of Pop" baseball caps. There were T-shirts featuring the likeness of Michael Jackson and Nelson Mandela; Michael Jackson and Malcolm X; Michael Jackson and President Barack Obama; MJ vs. MJ, that is Michael Jordan dribbling a basketball facing Michael Jackson dancing on his tippy-toes.
The memorabilia was a reflection of Michael Jackson's shocking death on June 25, 2009. Has it been that long already? Yes, it surely seems like yesterday.
The outpouring of emotion from fans around the world captured the moment. The international sense of loss was palpable. The collective mourning - which was part hysteria and part disbelief - was unlike anything we've seen since the unexpected deaths of Elvis Presley and Princess Diana.
"There are a lot of people who have been attached to Michael Jackson," says Dr. Alvin Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, during a telephone interview from Boston. "They feel they have lost access to Michael's creativity."
If the world's population is an estimated 6.8 billion, it seemed 6.5 billion of them offered a visceral reaction to Michael's death.
Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese was quoted as saying of Jackson: "Michael Jackson was extraordinary. When we worked together on 'Bad' (music video), I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other. Every step he took was absolutely precise and fluid at the same time."
"It was like watching quicksilver in motion. He was wonderful to work with, an absolute professional at all times, and - it really goes without saying - a true artist. It will be a while before I can get used to the idea that he's no longer with us."
The general public adamantly displayed an insatiable appetite for the ATM: All Things Mike.
As CNN president Jonathan Klein said during a Michael Jackson panel discussion in 2009 at the annual National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Tampa, Fla.: "There was such an enormous interest in this story. We were overwhelmed, globally. And we are a global network."
And the incessant media coverage showed: For three weeks straight, CNN's "Larry King Live," for instance, featured at least one segment on Jackson after his death.
Furthermore, according to Howard Kurtz, Washington Post media critic and host of CNN's "Reliable Sources," on the day of Jackson's death, CNN's ratings skyrocketed 937 percent at one point, MSNBC's 330 percent and Fox's 243 percent.
And newspapers such as the New York Post and New York Daily News produced special sections, replete with double-page-sized pullout posters of Jackson.
Says Richard Prince, Internet media columnist for the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education: "In this media environment, when there are websites and media outlets for everyone's particular interest, I don't think you can say there was too much media coverage of Michael Jackson. ...
"But I didn't see enough analysis about why the choices Michael Jackson made in his life led to his demise, and what that should tell the rest of us about the society that we have created. If this is what you have to do to become a megastar, is it worth it? He felt that he had to wear wigs and have plastic surgery to conform to what he believed was people's expectations of what a superstar should look like. Then suddenly, he didn't look like a black person anymore."
Remember, in the early minutes following the news of Jackson's death, AT&T reported that 65,000 text messages were transmitted per second (normal traffic was 40,000). Klein said CNN's Internet traffic increased fivefold from the time of Jackson's death to the memorial service held at Los Angeles' Staples Center on July 7, 2009.
The attendees paid tribute to Michael for his innovation, and, yes he was a pioneer, too.
Bryan Monroe, former vice president and editorial director for Ebony magazine, is widely credited with conducting the last one-on-one, domestic interview with Jackson, which appeared in the publication December 2007. When speaking of shattering a glass ceiling at MTV, Jackson told Ebony: "They came right out and said it - they wouldn't play my music. It broke my heart. I refuse to be ignored. So I came up with 'Thriller' and I was always trying to outdo myself . . . But when they played 'Billie Jean,' it set the all-time record. Then they were asking me for everything we had.
"They were knocking our door down. Then Prince came; it opened the door for Prince and all the other black artists ..."
The week of Jackson's death seemed surreal. That Tuesday (June 23), Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's longtime sidekick on "The Tonight Show," died at 86 of multiple health problems; then, early afternoon on that Thursday (June 25), actress Farrah Fawcett died of cancer at 62; later that afternoon, we were shocked by the news flash of Jackson's death at 50.
Says Poussaint, who has appeared on such television shows as "Nightline": "Michael Jackson had a lot of signs of a troubled life - his anxiety, his vitiligo (skin-whitening condition). People could see he was a delicate human being."
Delicate, but still profitable after death.
According to Forbes.com, Jackson was the third-highest earning dead celebrity in 2009. In the four months after his death, Jackson's estate earned approximately $90 million, behind only fashion designer Yves St. Laurent ($350 million) and musical composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein ($235 million). Behind Jackson was Elvis Presley, at $55 million.
Could Jackson's death, just as Elvis', also become sort of a mystery theater? Famous celebrity plus mysterious death often equals a ripe cocktail for conspiracy theorists.
For Michael, the equation was much more serious, though. He was found not guilty on June 13, 2005 of all 10 charges in a highly publicized child-molestation case.
Rumors dogged Michael during much of his adult life, from suspicions about alleged improper relationships with children to his own sexuality.
Many people viewed him as asexual, androgynous or even bisexual.
"He was a very fragile person," says Poussaint, who has worked as a script consultant for actor-comedian Bill Cosby's television shows. "His looks; he was incredibly shy; he had severe insomnia. Then he dies in this unfortunate accident under the care of a physician."
That physician was Dr. Conrad Murray. He has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with administering a jumbo-strength sedative in an effort to make Jackson sleep better.
Those revelations provided another shocker regarding the circumstances surrounding Jackson's death. Interestingly, Murray in May 2010 was lauded for assisting a distressed female passenger who became unconscious on a flight that left Houston heading to Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Jackson's family members have continued in the spotlight. Father Joseph, brother Jermaine and sister Janet have talked publicly about Michael's legacy. The surviving brothers also have appeared in a reality show on the A&E network called "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty."
What can we expect next?
"Michael Jackson has hardcore fans all over the world, but I think with time (the intense attention he attracted) will slowly fade," Poussaint says.
"You will soon have a whole generation of people who didn't know him. It's similar to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In time, people won't know the details of his death. Ten or 20 years from now, you may not see all these people in the streets, celebrating his life."
Still, at least for now, many fans, as the Jackson Five used to sing, "Never Can Say Goodbye."
