The Irony of Michael Jackson's Life and Death

Like many Americans, I sat today in shock when I learned of the untimely death of Michael Jackson. On television, images of Michael in his prime splashed across the scene. Local radio stations played his hit songs back-to-back in homage to the fallen pop legend. His iconography was undeniable, and despite all financial, legal and personal issues Michael has endured over the recent years, his star is what shined brighter than any controversy at the time of his death.

My thoughts went to my early memories of Michael. Born in 1976, my first coherent musical connection with Michael Jackson came with his legendary Thriller album. Thriller dropped in 1984, and despite it being his sixth album, it was my first venture into his world. His music moved me, and I remember watching the world premiere of Thriller on MTV, and then watching it again, and again, even memorizing the Thriller dance. I remember the red leather jacket and his signature glove. I remember the Moon Walk, his black shoes, and wondering why his pants were always so short. I didn't get him, but I was in awe of him.

As I got older, and started appreciating other genres of music, I was introduced to The Jackson 5 and appreciated his talent from the get-go, as well as his history.

Back to 1994, after the fire burned his scalp during the filming of a Pepsi commercial, I remember the beginning of his demise in the public eye. The jokes, the unrelenting tabloids, Bubbles the chimp, Neverland Ranch, the hyperbaric chamber, the short-lived and strange marriage to Lisa Marie Presley; it was all too bizarre, but it was also accepted that this was just Michael being Michael. It was all part of his fame and being.

Then came his children, the day he dangled Blanket out of that window, the child abuse scandal, the DNA evidence and the strip down, his interview with Martin Bashir, the money troubles, his flee to Bahrain, and quiet return to the States. Even with talk of Michael's return to the Stage in 2009 and how unlikely it all seemed, this all added to the fame and the mystery that was Michael.

Insiders say Michael craved fame even when he spoke out against the press and their accusations and ridicule. I once heard mention of a painting in the Neverland Ranch depicting Michael with Jesus and other iconic figures. He truly believed he was one of the most important people in the world, and many die-hard fans would agree.

Today however, when his dead body was taken from the UCLA Medical Center to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, an irony struck me. Michael was obsessed with his appearance and fame but was unhappy with it all, so when his body was draped in a plain white sheet that most Americans are draped in when they die, and placed on a gurney into a plain white coroner's van, the sadness really struck me.

He went out with no glamour, and just the basic dignity given to those who die at homes, hospitals and hospices every day. It makes you wonder if it was all worth it. Taking into account the troubles he experienced as far back as a small child, if today was the first moment he was able to find peace, do you think his fame and hardships were worth it for him in the end? No one will know.

Peace in death; It's a sad notion that makes you take stock of what's really important in life. His legend and music will live on forever, but today, perhaps for the first time ever, people of the world share one commonality with the King of Pop; we will all be placed under that plain white sheet one day soon. We all lived, and we will all die. Hopefully we won't share his fate of not realizing peace before our final hour.