Thoughts on Michael Jackson

The single most important image that I saw after the death of Michael Jackson didn't occurr at his funeral.  It wasn't the faces of his friends and family.  It wasn't the terrific performance by his peers.

 

The image I saw that means the most to me was the day after Jackson's death when Janet, his sister, drove herself away from his rented home in the Holmby Hills.  Simply put, at the end of the day, Michael Jackson was just like everyone else.  Did he have issues?  Yes.  Was he supremely talented, yes.  But he passed away, like all of us will someday, and his family, those he left behind, had to do what all of our family friends will have to do.

 

They had to get together and discuss who was going to do what.  Michael's family had to get together after his death and decide who would take care of the things he had at his home, pack them up, bring them back to the family in Encino.  Who was going to make funeral arrrangements.  Who was going to decide where and how he was buried.

 

These are things that all families go through after the death of a loved one, and to me, it was no more obvious that the Jackson's are a family then when I saw Janet driving herself away from Michael's home.

 

An icon?  Absolutely.  The greatest entertainer the world has ever seen?  Probably.  But Michael was also a brother, a son and a father.  That's what I believe is most important to remember about Michael Jackson.