Poor Farrah Fawcett. She was certainly a star, but her death was somewhat overshadowed by the same-day passing of a megastar – Michael Jackson. Three years later, many are remembering Jackson and wondering about his legacy.
It’s sad that Jackson passed away just as he seemed on the verge of a big comeback. His career was waning, although some would kill for such “waning” success. He wasn’t a hit machine like he had been in the ‘80s and scandals had tarnished the once glowing crown of the self-proclaimed “King of Pop.”
But, he was preparing hard for his best yet – the “This Is It” tour. However, before that could take place, he died at the age of 50. He may have been viewed as less popular than in his heyday, but news of his death crash both the TMZ and Los Angeles Times web pages.
So what is his legacy three years later? The doctor accused of giving him fatal doses of medication, Dr. Conrad Murray, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and began serving a four year sentence last November.
And, it seems that even death couldn’t stop a Jackson comeback. While there were certainly times when people thought he was strange (hanging son Blanket over the balcony, anyone?), it seems as if humanity still loves him and is willing to give him one more chance.
Clips of rehearsals from “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” were turned into a documentary/concert film. It ended up grossing $261 million – ranking it at #1 for its genre. The single “This Is It” was Jackson’s first song to chart on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary in seventeen years.
Maybe Cirque du Soleil put it best when they titled their theatrical production “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.” Just two months into that tour, sales had reached $100 million and Forbes named it the top touring act in America.
Perhaps Jackson’s greatest legacy is the children he left behind. Many shuttered to think what kind of life his kids led behind the masks. But, his kids seem frighteningly…normal, at least by celebrity children standards.
Daughter Paris has said “I didn’t get why I was wearing a mask. I understand it now. My dad wanted us to be covered [because] he wanted us to have a childhood.” That’s something Jackson, who started performing at age six, never had.
Paris and her brothers Prince Michael and Blanket are being raised by Michael’s mother and are attending private school and doing normal things such as taking karate lessons.
So maybe death can dull, if not erase, the bad times Jackson had and let him eternally retain the title he gave himself so long ago.