A first-hand account of the fallout from one drunken summer night in July 2005.

Friday, June 26, 2009

R.I.P Farrah & Michael

I know it's been ages since I've blogged. I'm sorry. My life has been very un-interesting in the past year or so. But as I sit here tonight, after feeling absolute sadness all day from the death of 70's pop-icon Farrah Fawcett, and later on, the sudden and unexpected death of Michael Jackson, I just felt the need to express my true feelings for the both of them.

The first news story I read online this morning was, of course, that Farrah Fawcett had died. This was nothing short of a blessing. This poor woman had suffered for the past 3 years from cancer. I have seen too many people in my own life suffer and ultimately die of this horrible disease, moreso my own grandfather. A wonderful musician, and overall human being who was nothing short of a Saint his entire life, ravaged by full-blown bone and lung cancer in his early 70's. Watching him suffer for that year (almost to the day) was the hardest thing I have ever seen with my own two eyes. The image of him lying on his deathbed will haunt me for my entire life, as well as the memory of myself and my family praying for him to die and be done with the suffering. I can only imagine Farrah's family doing the same. She was a phenominally beautiful, kind lady who had to overcome many obstacles in her life. Viscious rumors, abusive relationships, substance abuse, stuff that smaller people deal with everyday. But when all is said and done, we are all human. Life is not dictated by how rich or famous we are. Farrah's long-time companion, Ryan O'Neill, stood by her side until the end, and I was especially saddened to hear that they had planned to marry in the coming days, as they both knew the end was near. That day would ultimately never come. For a girl whose rise to fame began with the now-iconic poster of her in the red bathing suit, with the flippy blonde hair (which I currently have set as my desktop background) to the most memorable Angel of all time, to somewhat of a fallen star, she lived a relatively low-key life, only sometimes highlighted in the tabloids by nothing but negativity. In the end, I can only say thank God that her pain is finally gone. She will forever be immortalized in our hearts as a sex-symbol who dealt with problems that a lot of others deal with around the world everyday. My condolences go out to Mr. O'Neill as well as Farrah's family, friends, and fans around the world. You were a beautiful, wonderful person who will be dearly missed.

"...he was beyond phenomenon."

Much like the assasination of J.F.K, the death of Elvis Presley, 9-11, and the inauguration of America's first black President, the sudden death of Michael Joe Jackson seemed to stop the world for a few moments today. When I finally started to process what had happened, I wondered why I was so concerned. This was a man who was riddled with controversy over the past few years. Everyone seemed to have turned their backs on him. He was nothing more than an eccentric recluse who preyed on young boys. I myself often wondered if those allegations were true. Now that I've looked much closer at the life of a man who I once idolized as a young child, I can see that his life and legacy meant so much more. People don't seem to want to remember the good parts, like the Jackson-5, or the release of Thriller in 1983, the year I was born. How many people my age or a few years older always wanted a single, sequined glove and a red leather jacket? How many danced around their bedrooms to Billie-Jean or Beat It, completely awestruck at the very thought of Michael Jackson's persona. His life-long quest for world peace. I admit I never gave any of this stuff a second thought until tonight, until I had a chance to go through those memories again, reminisce with those feelings from my childhood. It's definitely no secret that this man was different. But I also have to wonder if that was a result of growing up in one of the biggest spotlights of all time, from the age of 5, until his death at age 50. He was under tremendous pressure for all those years. You have to admit that that must have some sort of mental toll on a person after awhile. Regardless, I can't help but think back on Michael as an enormously generous, kind-hearted, talented man, who set so many standards for people to come after him. If I had to sum up his life in one word, it would definitely be "unique". There has never been, nor will there ever be, someone quite like him. As I said about Farrah Fawcett, Michael was also a pop-icon who will never be totally forgotten. As I sit in my living room and watch the coverage on CNN, the people who have gathered at the L.A. hospital, outside of the gates of Neverland Ranch as well as his rented home, all unique and somewhat eccentric in their own ways, I can't help but feel the need to throw on my iPod and listen to his music. I do know that the first thing I am doing tomorrow morning, is driving down to the closest music store and buying my own copy of Thriller, which is something I have been meaning to do for quite awhile. Now I feel it's the least I can do for one of my childhood hero's.

Michael, you too will live on in the memories of so many people the world-wide. There are many bumps on the road of life, which you know all too well, but like I said, in the end, we're all human. And it don't matter if you're black or white.

4 Comments:

Anonymous meshugener said...

Hey,
About once a week I dutifully check to see if you have posted anything.
I have read everything
Throw us a bone and tell us what you have been up to.

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Blogger Cute Boy Chicago said...

I miss your regular postings! You're a great writer, and I love hearing about your life!

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