Michael Jackson's Death and How it May Destroy the Concept of Superstardom

With all the admittance by those from the late Michael Jackson's inner circle that the problems and pressures of superstardom killed the legendary pop star, the appeal of attaining such a pedestal must have been lowered a few notches in those out in the world seeking the same. It's obvious that Jackson was one of the first to redefine what superstardom was starting in the early 1980's, and he arguably became a quasi test pilot in what it's like to be in his particularly powerful role in pop culture. While that led many to think that Jackson was on profoundly dangerous ground influencing that many people and driving that many people around the world into frenzies over his innovative talent, it's almost impossible to imagine being who he was.

The only thing comparable is the job of President of the United States where what goes on in our Commander in Chief's head still attracts mystery. If only Michael Jackson had mastered the ability to lift his persona above the profundity unlike what President Obama's been able to do (at least as of this writing), we wouldn't be speaking of semi-tragedy here.

When someone gets placed into the unprecedented role of influence, it's always fascinated me how they manage to rise above it and place themselves in the role of a normal citizen. The career universe of music, though, has always been a strange world to reside in where reality so easily gets shut out. A President of the U.S. can easily get back to earth when he or she wants to through a number of options. The concept of the superstar in music managed to evolve or devolve into a coterie of people trying to control the artist from all directions if not barricading said artist from the world in order to keep the enterprise running smoothly.

Whether that speaks badly for those of you who work in the music industry, I apologize in advance. There isn't any denying, however, that there was a steady stream of music managers who followed the Col. Tom Parker style of management after the heyday of Elvis, especially when dealing with a profound talent who could rake in untold millions. These people didn't hesitate to place themselves within Michael Jackson's orbit by the 80's once his stardom became overwhelmingly bright to the point where stepping out his front door instigated a swarm of hyperventilating fans for life.

This isn't to say that it wasn't necessary to protect Jackson from the world when he clearly couldn't handle the realities of it. The most unfortunate aspect to superstardom is when one already has mental issues that need to be addressed and never do because their entourage is too afraid to intercede. Because such a scenario happened to Jackson, he became the most tragic superstar probably of all time, right along with being a new emblematic warning of what superstardom can do to a person. Even worse is when all the isolation of superstardom breeds other illness--hence bringing on the use of prescription drugs prescribed from multiple doctors who don't know what the other is prescribing.

The obvious comparisons to Elvis are overwhelming in how an isolated superstar can get addicted to myriad medications, eventually leading to the point of lethality. I've written about polypharmacy several times before and noting how it's killed numerous icons of entertainment as well as the non-famous. Now it's becoming the recurring story of how superstardom on Jackson's level ultimately ends.

Whether that resonates with those who sacrifice everything to attain iconic status in entertainment will become the most interesting prospect of Jackson's death.
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We might as well admit that America never learns lessons from tragedy. Within the steps of becoming famous, people still sacrifice their entire lives just for the thought of becoming a superstar in any particular field of media. It's continued that way, even with the reality of the top three best-selling artists/groups of all time having tragic outcomes. With John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson setting the bar for the same, recurring situations, is it going to take the death of Jackson to force fame-seekers to seriously consider other career options for the sake of living normal lives?

When you talk to people still blind to the realities of fame, they'll frequently say that the money and attention of being a superstar outweighs the other liabilities. In those scenarios, it's akin to trying to explain the throes of battle in a war: You have to be there to really understand. Just as with physical and mental pain that's never understood until you experience it, superstardom has become the magnetic angel of light that hides untold agony behind the veil. There's every reason to believe now that Michael Jackson dealt with as much physical and mental abuse as someone fighting in a war.

That comparison may have bitter divides when being a billionaire should afford you to get away from the above situation. But if you don't have stable family support or have a tendency to be vulnerable to the dark corners of the world, you're a guaranteed sitting duck. And even those scenarios can't prepare a single soul for being one of the most famous people in the world. We've seen countless examples of iconic talent who started out seemingly sane, then ended up a complete opposite of where they started.

What this means for the future of show business is going to be interesting to see in the years ahead. Unless there's a new generation becoming more astute to this recurring blueprint for how superstardom works, it'll keep repeating as it did with the death of Michael Jackson. The only way to stop that inevitable vacuum of destruction is to do away with the concept of the superstar. How that's done might sound profoundly impossible. Yet it all starts on the other side of the coin: Society that drives superstars into seclusion and madness.

Once the non-famous populace starts to treat superstars as normal people rather than demigods, stars in the mold of Michael Jackson can roam freely and feel healthier about their role in the world that they sometimes can't control.

This has to be kept to heart if we ever see another overwhelming talent in the mold of Jackson. When we see clips of those early days of Jackson's rise to superstardom in the "Thriller" era, it's hard to imagine it happening again at that level. If it doesn't, we'll at least have a singular, powerful example potentially bringing a new era where the humanized star killed the concept of the isolated superstar...