[pope1982]

Jackson hid most of the time because the media constantly gouged at him and the way he chose to live his life. So with his come back tour scheduled and rehearsals underway as well as the fact that he was a 50 year old man, the sudden death of such a bright star was very much a shock.
It hurt to realize this really IS it.
It is easy for us to forget in our day to day lives what a HUGE star he was and how many people around the world who's lives he touched. People who cannot even speak English can perform his songs in perfect English.

Janet, remember... as much as one can, we had time to prepare ourselves for Farrah and Eds passings. She was sick for a very long time and he was elderly also ill towards the end.

As Americans and human beings, I think it important with the passing of time, with the new age of technology texting/instant messaging/googling and personal profiling... we remain and teach our children a little more empathy, tolerance, acceptance and patience for our fellow man.