There's not much to say that hasn't been said already. Although I've never come close to meeting him, it feels as if a close friend has passed. Michael Jackson was, and still is, a huge influence on me. Like many other kids in my generation, the first record my parents ever gave me was Thriller. I've since picked up close to a dozen more copies. I've wore out most of them but I still have that very first one. Someone pointed out to me that I've used a Michael Jackson track in almost every show I've done. I think most would agree that you can't go wrong with MJ. He is a huge positive influence on most all entertainers and we will NEVER see a more prolific artist in our lifetime, period.
I would encourage everyone to tell everyone you love and admire how much they mean to you (I can be reached at relm(at)mikerelm.com) . No seriously, you never know if and when you'll get another chance to tell someone how important they are to you.
I use this as my computer wallpaper right now, it's called "Michael Jackson 5" by Glen Inocencio:
