Katherine Jackson Sues AEG for Negligence in the Death of Michael Jackson

According to Popeater.com, the suit alleges that AEG failed to provide proper life-saving equipment for Michael Jackson when he was clearly ill and that they were negligent in hiring physician Conrad Murray as well. She also wishes to hold AEG responsible for the trauma of Michael Jackson's son, Prince, who witnessed the tragic moments of struggle and suffering of his father, before his death.

I always find these types of situations interesting, to say the least. There is nothing that rocks your world like death. We all know it's coming into our lives sooner or later, yet, I think that each and every one of us, on some level, thinks it will pass over us and our loved ones, somehow. But, it comes anyway. Like it always has and always will.

And, so it came to Michael Jackson, sadly, tragically and entirely too soon and his mother wants to hold someone, somewhere responsible. As if he didn't participate in his own demise and unraveling all of those years. Did not Michael Jackson have a choice in the life he was leading? Was he an innocent victim all the years that he reigned as the self-proclaimed King of Pop? I think not.

Michael Jackson had a symbiotic relationship with fame. It needed him and he needed it. Some might even call it a deal with the devil. Sometimes it surely smelled like it, with the stench of familial cannibalism and greed that surrounded his family. What else could you call it? They all benefited from it - even Katherine Jackson.

I met Michael Jackson once, when we were both children. About 13 years old, if my memory serves me correctly. I found him to be charming and sweet, very much a child, in every way, though he was already well on his way to belonging to the universe as the King of Pop. I got the feeling then that he longed to just be a kid, like I was. But, when his father would walk into the room and cast a long, foreboding shadow, it was very clear that it was not to be.

I'm a firm believer in one's personal responsibility; so, I can't help but hold the opinion that Michael Jackson eventually helped to perpetuate the hellish existence that ultimately swallowed him whole. It's sad, it's tragic and there is no denying the sting of death when someone you love is snatched away from you. It's always unfair. It's always untimely and it sometimes leaves a trail of bitterness in its dark wake.

One of the stages of grief is anger. It appears that Katherine Jackson has reached that stage and she wants someone to pay. I guess AEG is the easy target. She sure can't lash out at the choices her family made that ultimately cost her the life of her child.

Unfortunately, the ink has dried on that contract and the devil has already been paid.

Sources:

"Michael Jackson: The World Remembers the Man, I Remember the Boy" June 23, 2010. Associated Content. September 16, 2010. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5513474/michael_jackson_the_world_remembers.html?cat=2

"Michael Jackson's Mother and Children Suing AEG Over Singer's Death" September 15, 2010. Popeater.com. September 16, 2010. http://www.popeater.com/2010/09/15/michael-jackson-katherine-jackson-sues-AEG/