I wish people would just accept the truth about him. He died a has been, and a drug addict. I hope that the doctors and pharmacists and others who illegally helped him be a drug addict, and live out of control, and contributed to his being able to be above the law, and hurt children, get prosecuted to the full extent of the law. So he might have made a comeback. His fans worshiped him like he was a god. But it would have taken illegal drugs for him to do it. What has this country come to? Worshiping a drug addict pedophile just cause he had a musical talent that was mostly wasted? Sick tabloid mentality. Please bury the sick soul and let him rest in peace.

Young boys can sleep safer now. He should hsve died in jail but money talks.

DJP What with daddy Jackson capitalizing on Michaels death to publicize his new record company, and with a greedy bunch to argue over who gets the kids, that being worth some money in itself, the fight will be horrible, and I feel so sorry for the kids. They don't stand a chance at a normal childhood, and if they have any musical talent, daddy Jackson will be all over them. And I will still be surprised if all his creditors get what he owed them. It will be a huge mess, and a lot of greed at the feeding frenzy.

I don't think you have to worry about creditors getting what is owed to them, or his children being taken care of. He may have been $400MM in debt, but his music library is worth an estimated $500MM. Couple that with the recent spike in Jackson album sales, he is worth more dead than he was alive. Similar to Elvis.

Mr. Page,

A great article. What a wasted life! (Note I didn't say career.) It made my skin crawl when he defended the "pure beauty" of being in bed with a young boy. If there was a 45-year-old scroungy parkbench dweller wanting to go to bed with your young son, would you say "Sure, spend the day, and have a lot of fun!" MJ was the most dangerous kind of predator (if he REALLY WAS,,nod, nod wink, wink..): a famous, seemingly gentle soul who only wanted to share a teeder-todder and swing with a special friend who was FORTY years younger than him! Give a hand, too, to the parents who want to bask in the glory of stardom of this guy:
"Please, Michael, can we have little Joey come over to play?" All of the secrets of his demented mind will, perhaps never be discovered, either by his family or his high-priced lawyers, but perhaps scores of little boys will have the chance to have guilt-free productive lives in the future.

Good article. Jackson was a musical genius and showman. But between his father, and the sick culture that worshiped him, he couldn't handle life. He got hooked on the lifestyle and the worship, and let it destoy him. I suspect that if he hadn't been a rich black god, he would be alive today, doing time as a pedophile. No one person rates or deserves all the media time that he has been given, and it just shows the tabloid god worshiping country that we have become. For all of Jacksons riches and fame, he died a miserable and lonely hasbeen. He didn't provide for his kids, and was pretty much a deadbeat dad. As far as all that money he borrowed to live like a god king, way beyond his means, like Madeoff, he stole it, and I doubt most of his victims, financial or sexual, will ever recoup their losses. He may have made some pimp parents happy, but I expect quite a few parents are sleeping better at night, and some victims are feeling they got some kind of justice. A tragedy to be sure, but all kinds of people who were abused as a child, and all kinds of people with super talent, do good with their lives. I can be no more moved by his death than I can reading the obituaries, and I feel more moved by the murder of Neda or Tiller, and more sorrow for his children. Rest in Peace, tortured soul. But enough with the media frenzy. Another human has died who had an interesting life, and an impact. Except for his friends and family, we all have far more important things to deal with. And those of you who have to be mean should be ashamed of yourselves. Maybe you are jealous, and not just because when you die, no one will care or notice beyond a few friends and family. I doubt anyone will learn much from his life. But his music and memory will live on. Tribute enough.

To Marinemom , very well said , thank you :) I think you could add Britney Spears to that list . The media and the paparazzi's they employ create havoc in celebrities lives . Their total lack of respect, common decency not to mention their unrelenting pursuit of that one million dollar shot makes them a very destructive force in so many ways. Plus they cost every city tens of thousands of dollars in extra police security as they create public safety issues and of course personal safety issues for their target .
Laws will change and they will see themselves doing prison time for their invasion of privacy and creating public safety issues and quite probably the media centers that employ them .
These people strip others of their most basic human rights and are a scourge in our society.

For starters, I have never been a Michael Jackson fan. My tastes in music are different, and even as a 60's high-schooler, I was more likely to be listening to Puccini. But I knew him, of course. Everyone knew Michael Jackson. At least in recent years. And the impressions -- for me, at least-- were of a tragically lost soul who had missed completely the attachments of childhood that allow us to become solid adults.

We live in a society that is so driven by money that I think it's an easy default for those without to assume that those WITH have everything else besides -- self confidence, happiness, friends, good social skills, friendship with the face that looks back at us from the mirror at 5am. And we push these folks to show us what we're missing -- red carpets, paparazzi, tabloids, late-night talk shows. They are supposed to be perfect, so we can explain away our own imperfections as arising solely from our own lack of fame and bank balances (if I were an entertainment star and had megabucks, then I would be perfect too.) It's a delusional mindset that keeps us from digging deeper into our own lives and psyches, and making friends with our own images in the mirror, however flawed.

Seldom do child stars get the opportunity to accomplish the developmental milestones that are essential to competent, comfortable adulthood. We've all read the stories-- Karen Carpenter, River Phoenix, Elvis, Heath Ledger, to name a few who have died; Elizabeth Taylor, Lindsay Lohan, and many others who struggle with fame that found them before they were emotionally ready for fame.

Michael Jackson's quirks and problems were evident to anyone who saw his picture in the grocery-store check-out line. But autopsy reports, and answers to Clarence Page's thoughtful questions, will not resolve any mysteries. Michael didn't know himself who he was. For the millions of his fans, he and other child prodigies are just what we want to see reflected in our own mirrors or checking accounts.

A well-written article. Too bad that it inspired a few saints to exercise their index fingers.

Bottom line the drugs altered his mind, as it does anyone's. It seems he was looking for himself. His life had no meaning, he was a flamboiant star and the glitter fell off his suit.

Every one seemed to need some kind of God to worship and they chose Michael and before the other king was Elvis, both druggies, both bent on destruction, but Michael enjoyed fame at what cost to the American children, that he was ashamed of his heritage and trying to make people feel sorry for him. You say Thriller was your favorite, everyone when I saw the clip looked evil, but I guess that is why so many enjoyed it for the evil that was portrayed, as it goes along with what we are seeing today. Why is America failing, look at who she worships, not the God who saves, but the gods who destroy, and Michael was a destroyer.

Thank you Clarence Page, for the well written and insightful article.
It is indeed sad that someone with so much talent and potential and opportunity to influence so many for good, could be such a bad example. If the cause was his father then that too is implacable. I hope other abusive fathers will take note.

Did he want to be Liz Taylor or Latoya? He ended up resembling them both!How sad! He ended up a perverted Person(I can't bring myself to say MAN) Now he is being turned into an ICON!! Only in America!! Sad Sad Sad!!! Pity his poor chidren!! He was in such sad shape, how was he ever going to perform on stage?? He was a great performer, in the beginning, but he turned HIMSELF into a freak! SAD SAD SAD SAD!!!!!