Michael Jackson's Fan Base

It's hard to imagine that Michael Jackson could have been more popular than he was to those in the United States. But he was. Michael was loved and cherished by fans from London to Caracas to Rio De Janeiro and Taipei, among others. In each country, Michael's music meant something different to the people who lived through it.

Those in Russia will probably remember that legacy most. During his first trip to Moscow in 1993, Michael was greeted with crazy-cheering fans, fans who were not even able to purchase his songs because it had been illegal until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Their only source of Michael's music had been passed from friends in the form of cassettes and VHS tapes up to that point. He became the symbol of everything American to the Russian youth, which they carry with them even to this day.

Russian television did not play Michael's music and did not show his music videos during the Soviet regime, so when the television stations became free-run, teenagers wanted to watch only Michael.

For all intensive purposes, Michael was the first world start to appear in Russia. His show was not comparable to anything that the country had seen up to that point. Michael's personality and freedom on the dance floor really stirred the soul of Russian listeners.

In Romania, people remember Michael as the symbol of their new freedoms after the fall of the Soviet Union when he performed in their country in 1992. In London, a live show is still being performed based on Michael's record-selling album, Thriller.

With his upcoming tour having been sold out, fans from around the world were awaiting the return of the King of Pop. Even though the tour will not happen now, the legacy that Michael left in the lives of those around the world will live on forever.