Daily Independent (Lagos)
2 July 2009
editorial
Lagos — For every generation there are leading lights: men and women, who through sheer vision, consummate professionalism and exemplary character stand head and shoulders above their peers. And as beacon bearers they point the way forward to a society whose values have been darkened by timidity, deprivation and bigotry.
In spite of his human frailties, the late music maestro, songwriter, performer and businessman, Michael Joseph Jackson, was one of such icons. He died on June 25, 2009, apparently of cardiac attack at his Beverly Hills residence, United States. Born to Joseph Walter and Katherine Esther Jackson on August 29, 1958 in Gary Indiana, U.S.A,, Michael was the seventh of nine children.
His immense musical talents showed early enough - at the age of five. Soon after, he joined The Jacksons, made up of his older brothers, in 1964 to hone his tremendous skills in the art of dancing and playing the congas and tambourine, as they featured in clubs, winning talent awards.
His decision to go solo, prompted more by his increasing popularity amongst his ardent fans who saw in him, a star-in-the-making, was a wise choice. His early hits included the signature tunes, ABC, Got To Be There and I Want You Back. However, the watershed of his phenomenal career came with the release of ground-breaking, chart-topping hits such as Off The Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and History (1995).
Amongst his many achievements included the historic Thriller as the highest selling album of all time, with 50 million copies worldwide. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and garnered multiple Guinness World Records as The Most Successful Entertainer of All Time. Overall, he sold 750 million albums which earned him over 300 million dollars.
Besides, he won a record 13 Grammy Awards, and had 13 number-one singles, more than any other male artiste before him. In fact, Jackson was in 1992 decorated by former American President, George Bush, Snr, as "the leading light of the world".
Few would dispute that assertion. For, it was Michael who had a major breakthrough as the first black man to have his epochal videos of Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean played on Music Television, MTV. As a unique talent who became a towering figure in global entertainment, Jackson's distinct music, characterized by his soul-stirring voice and dazzling dancing skills broke down the barriers of race, religion, creed, colour, age and gender.
So overwhelming was his influence on pop culture that in fashion he left the imprint of his trademark hairstyles, white gloves, bowler hats and glittering jackets. Indeed, his acceptance by the white race opened the way for such other famous African-Americans as Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey and even President Barack Obama, who described him as "a compassionate person".
Truly, he was full of compassion. The smash hit, "We Are The World" performed with other music stars raised millions of dollars to salvage hunger-stricken victims of drought in Somalia in the 1980s. He donated part of the proceeds from his world tours to charity and succeeded in influencing real criminals to take part in his Beat It video, some of who eventually became professional dancers.
The lasting lessons to learn from his life include both the good and the bad. On the great side, as Mariah Carey, a fellow musician stated, we should "remember him for his unparalleled contribution to the world of music, his generosity of spirit in his quest to heal the world, and the joy he brought to his millions of devoted fans throughout the world."
Little wonder that in a spontaneous global response to his death it took only him to nearly break the Internet, with Google Trends reaching a "volcanic" level, as Twitter crashed and Wikipedia was temporarily over loaded. As Gary Taylor, president of MJJ community.com online, revealed, so far about 12 people have committed suicide on account of his death, eliciting caution from Rev. Jesse Jackson.
And on the sad side, Jackson could not manage his fame and fortunes. He died leaving a debt profile of 400 million dollars. Unfortunately, much of this was spent living a life of illusion to recapture his lost childhood. He kept weird pets, reshaped his face with cosmetic surgery and settled the accusation of sexual molestation of under aged children out of court.
The childhood that Jackson never really had later haunted him throughout life. Nigerian parents may learn from this the need to give their children breathing space, to let them enjoy childhood. Likewise, our government should strive harder to provide the enabling environment, including respect and reward for intellectual resource creation, so that this society will discover its Michael Jackson geniuses waiting to heal our world with their talents and compassion.
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