Despite his cosmetic weirdness and juvenile playplace and questionable actions (pet chimpanzee?), you can't deny the fact that Michael Jackson was an incredible performer and an amazing singer...and too young to die. I heard the news yesterday at NBCU; my supervisor came in to tell me he'd had a heart attack, and then about 20 minutes later he was confirmed dead. It was so sudden and unexpected I didn't even know how to react. On my way back from work, the radio played I'll Be There by the Jackson 5 and I was surprised at how sad it made me.
I took this picture outside the UCLA Reagan Center yesterday. In the middle of the crowd there were a bunch of people dancing to Thriller...while others wore homemade t-shirts and held signs and boomboxes. Along with the constant sound of helicopters overhead all evening, it was a very noisy night (Westwood's been seeing a lot of those lately).
Back in the apartment, the occasional car will drive by with windows rolled down as "Beat It" and "Smooth Criminal" echo down the street. It's weird to think our generation has never known life without Michael Jackson (in some form or another, haha). R.I.P. Michael, and Farrah, and Ed, who have sadly been overshadowed but will be remembered nonetheless!