Reader comments
Farewell, Michael, but never can say goodbye

Well put, peace.

I live in small town Ohio and ran across this article. THANK YOU. It was a very beautiful tribute.

Great tribute, written under deadline pressures. I like Scott's personal touch, making the Smokey Robinson connection from a recent concert he attended. Very thoughtful piece. I doubt many of the hundreds of articles written (and being written) this week will be as good as this article.

I love his music, but let's be honest, he is no role model and was often associated with children. He made a circus out of his child molestation hearing. You wouldn't want this guy around your kids (although, strangely some did). For reasons unknown, he really messed up his life and he let the fame destroy him. Sad that we pay so much money and attention to some of these people that go to such strange extremes to 'entertain' us.

"What's especially sad is that most people of a certain generation only know Michael Jackson as a crazy guy who had a lot of plastic surgery -- whereas the truth is, he was not only an unbelievably talented, groundbreaking performer, he also helped break down the racial prejudice in this country. He was an extremely powerful symbol -- a black performer who whites could relate to and then later in life, a white performer who blacks could relate to." --Jimmy Kimmel

I enjoyed the music of Michael Jackson. Thank you for this article. It was nice to read someone giving him a tribute that he deserved. It will help people to remember him for what good he did for the music industry.

Thank you for the lovely words.

He's already a part of his who grew up with his music.

Give me Miles Davis, Radiohead, Ray Charles, John Cage ... over your hero. Unless all you really want is sickly sweet, saccharine-filled elevator music sellout bubble gum pop. I prefer to be challenged with music, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

Sorry your hero, 'The King of Pop" is dead. Long live the king.

Michael gave all he could. His mom said many years ago. He has one fault, his heart is to big We can't protect him forever, he will have to learn. He saw good in us, he was naive. He did not see the world as all of us did. But then he was forced to, we did not take care of our totally devoted icon. Finally he is at peace My favorite jackson5 song is I'll be there. My fav michael is billie jean. His family will come together, they will do what is needed for his legacy. Thank you Michael for a lifetime of giving.

Two comments.. a "HERO" is one who saves a life or tries to save a life. An "IDOL" is a person we admire and want to pattern our own lives after. Please don't misuse "HERO". Our military men and women are heros and citizens who try or do save innocent lives are heros not musical artists, not athletes. Our police are heros, our firemen are heros - these people are in the business of saving lives thereby making them heros.

Beautiful tribute.

When I was younger, I was on the brink of suicide. Michael Jackson's "Beat It" helped me fight those feelings as did my parents and counselors. So don't go saying Michael wasn't a HERO. He helped save my life.

Peace back.
from Scossow

This is the best article I have seen so far. Very nicely done!

Thank you for putting together a piece that wasn't flaming MJ, but paying tribute from his early years on. He made mistakes, as we all do, but he still had good in him. Peace, Michael. You deserve it.

I think people took advantage of Michael, and ruined his reputation, for money. It's really sad.

Jackson had great performing talent but died alone and miserable even after making a billion dollars. Money and fame usually ruin people in the end as was the case with Michael Jackson. The guy was totally screwed up in the head but I think most folks overlook all the nutty stuff and focus on the 20 years where he during the 80- and 90's when he topped the charts.

You know, if Bono died today, I'd get it. I don't agree with his politics and he may not have been as popular as Michael Jackson, but at least he wasn't a dangerous individual. MJ is the last guy we should be giving a "Pope's Funeral."

Bono worked to make the world a better place, Michael lived to channel Elizabeth Taylor.

Bono grew up in a challenging life situation, Michael was worshipped as early as elementary school.

Bono embraced a variety of musical styles from blues, to reggae, to euro-techno, Michael pumped out bubblegum R and B (His duet with Paul McCartney could induce a hypoglycemic coma).

Bono worked to protect the under-privileged, Michael held babies off balconies.

Bono, I get. Michael, please, let him rest in peace, and let us rest in peace by moving on with some real news.

Michael died, and now the weather.

It's funny... I love Radiohead, and Neutral Milk Hotel, and Miles Davis, and Frank Zappa, and so on and so forth - but I also love Michael Jackson's music. Yes, Jackson did make different kinds of music than those other artists. It was very mainstream, and certainly not as complex. But sometimes I'm in the mood for that kind of music, and Jackson was one of the best at doing that type of thing.

To suggest that one can't like both complex music and an occasional "simple" song is hopelessly misguided. He was a master at what he did, and his "popcorn and bubble gum selling-out" music still holds up very well today - and it's certainly much better than the music of most of those he inspired like Spears and Timberlake.

Funny how you took time to read this. Especially if you didn't think Michael Jackson meant anything.