PERSPECTIVE: Passing of Jackson is end of a musical era

Being a local newspaper, we often try to steer clear of editorializing on national topics. That is especially true when it comes to celebrity news. But the passing of Michael Jackson is too momentous to let go without comment.

Many of our readers saw him grow from the Jackson 5 sensation to the “King of Pop” and finally to the main event of the media circus.

For others of us, he was a permanent cultural presence, one who existed for longer than we had and who would continue, perhaps, into a ripe old age.

There is a two-fold reaction to stars when they fall on hard times. One is to feel bad for them and root for a comeback; the other is to delight in their sinking, relishing the hubris that has become tempered by circumstance.

And these were the two reactions Jackson had to live with for much of his later career, as he met with criticism about his appearance, his newer music, the allegations of child molestation and his bizarre behavior.

Jackson was planning a comeback tour, and, no doubt, many were hoping that he would regain some of his dulled luster when he took to the stage again. Nobody knows if his attempt to get back on top would have been successful. Nobody will ever know, now.

So, at 50 years old, a star who, for decades, has been a near constant in our lives is dead.

Though most of us didn’t really know him, sadness settles over us anyway. We felt as if we knew him, and now he is gone.

— News and Messenger