Remembering Michael One Year Later

June 25th marks the one year anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson.  So this blog post is dedicated to the memory of the legend, and to the man behind the legend. Because legends never really die, as long as we remember.

Thanks for Thriller, the first album I ever owned that I actually wore out and had to replace.

(And yes, it was an actual album...I am that old.)

Thank you for wearing highwaters and white socks, which looked silly on anyone else, but made absolute sense when you wore them (to enable us to focus on your feet when you danced).

Thanks for the Moonwalk, which I could never, ever do, though I repeatedly tried to learn, despite looking like nothing more than a dorky chick walking backwards. And nice touch, borrowing your mom's sparkly jacket the night you Moonwalked into history wearing it. ;)

Thank you for the trademark Fedora. You rocked it. And if I could own one thing in the world that you had ever owned, it would be one of your fedoras.

Thanks for the Jam video you made with Michael Jordan. After showing it to my six-year-old grandson, Dylan, I became cool for a day...and Dylan wanted to learn to Moonwalk!

Thanks for the Blood on the Dance Floor video too. 

Three words sum it up for me quite nicely: Red. Leather. Pants.

Thanks for the curls. Seriously. No one does curls like you did.

Thank you for that Smile. You know...
the one that only lit up the whole world?!

Thanks for making glitter accessories cool (even to those--who shall remain nameless--who still deny that they Bedazzled a white glove and wore it to school every day for a week in high school back in the 80's).

Um, thanks for stealing Elvis's signature move--the up on the toes pose.

Yeah, Elvis did indeed do it first...but YOU did it best. And with sparkles!

Thanks for having a sense of humor about yourself.

It's just too bad that much of the world never got to see it.

Thank you for This is It.

We'll never forget all that you sacrificed trying to bring it to us.

To the man and the legend:

Thank you for the music, the magic, and the memories that I will cherish forever.

Michael Jacskon
1958 - 2009