I've been trying to figure out exactly how I feel since it happened, and further, to put that feeling into words.

I don't think I have either task completely licked just yet, but holding it off any longer seems just plain absurd. 

So, first of all, Michael Jackson was the best musical talent since Elvis Presley, period. I listened to him quite a lot when I was an ankle-bitter, and my siblings listened to him even more. We all believe his death is a tragic loss, and I believe I know how my father felt when Elvis died. 

The life led by Michael Jackson receives mixed opinions. Some do not recognize his rather difficult childhood, which, for all intents and purposes, produced an individual seriously emotionally harmed. This is lucid when one considers all of the cosmetic surgery Michael had done. It's in fact quite common for those with such emotional problems to constantly change their appearance via cosmetic surgery, especially if they have the means to do so. 

It was this difficult childhood, I believe, which attracted Michael Jackson to children. And I don't mean in a sexual way; I mean emotional. He cared about children so much because of his childhood. He wanted, in his mind, to live his own childhood through them. I do not believe for a second he harmed children in any way, shape, or form. I think human beings are disgustingly similar to flies: Speaking philosophically, when shit appears, we're attracted to it - regardless. 

Either way, it's a great a loss. And I think if people understood a few things, they would look at Michael Jackson and his short life with a bit more compassion.