I still can't believe it. I still can't believe he's gone. This is going to be a very small tribute to one of my favorite artists. I just wanted to write this to celebrate him in my own small way.I remember hearing a Michael Jackson song on my way to school on Thursday, wondering why they were playing a classic song this time of the day when it was usually the modern mainstream. I was falling asleep when the DJ announced Michael Jackson's death. My eyes were wide open.Michael Jackson is a legend. Who didn't know his name? Everyone can sing along to songs by the King of Pop. I can't name an artist who has reached his height of fame and significance to music today. He is unmatched and universal. Despite the waves of lies, controversies and media-speculation he had struggled with, nobody can deny that he is one of the worlds most loved and celebrated artists.From a very young age, he had changed the music world and even rescued it in the 80's. He dared to write songs that meant something, and he dared to be honest and talk about things like poverty, racism, and peace. He gave his music meaning, he danced with passion and heart and he became the epitome of what a true musician should embody. He inspired countless of artists who I bet wouldn't be successful today if MJ hadn't driven them to be amazing. And not only was MJ an phenomenal dancer, singer and genius, but he was a great person. He lived and loved and wasn’t afraid to care about other people. He exhibited pure kindness and love. He was different, of course he was different! But he didn’t try to hide it. He struggled with controversy, he was misunderstood and hurt, but he stayed strong. He gave what he could, and he changed the lives of people he knew he could. He did something worthwhile with his life. He did not only live for his music but he lived like his music; filled with energy, spirit and love. His numerous awards and records could not bring justice to how he lived. Often ridiculed by the public, he still stuck with what he had. It’s such a shame his image has been tarnished by media-generated stories and assumptions. But his talent was unfathomably beyond his time, even beyond our time, and his legacy will live on forever. I feel so blessed to have been a witness of his era, albeit cut tragically short. I feel like part of me, of thousands of more people, of music, has been lost. There will never be another Michael Jackson. There will never be anyone that can live up to him. His 50 years of living will forever be honored through his immortality in music. The world will never, ever be the same again.
