The ’70s died for me on Thursday, June 25, 2009. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, both icons, died on the same day. Entertainment folklore has it that stars die in threes; so adding in Ed McMahon’s death earlier this week truly means the ’70s are dead and gone. When icons die, questions arise about mortality—theirs, and ours. We don’t expect our worldly Tabloid Gods to die, ever. When they do, it is a 24/7 orgy of recrimination, speculation, and sadness, all with a creepy suspicion that we could be next. Their iconic bodies, stopped finally, speak to us in ways that call us to look upon their visages, and their lives.
Farrah Fawcett’s death, while not unexpected, is still sad. Wanting to be known for more than just a beautiful body and thick, luscious hair, Fawcett transcended her looks and became a wonderfully underrated actress. Her depiction of a Pentecostal pastor’s wife in The Apostle was so spot on, I wondered whether she’d sat through services right beside Robert Duvall. Perhaps her greatest work, however, was allowing herself to be filmed during her cancer struggle. Facing death in a youth-obsessed America is no easy feat, especially on television. Fans don’t believe that icons can die; until they do. Perhaps those around her were not as dignified as she was in her fight for life, but I believe her persistence in fighting mirrored her own tenacity in the roles she chose, and the life she lived.
Michael Jackson’s death, on the other hand, is one more chapter in what has proved to be an epic. Larger than life, the self-proclaimed “King of Pop” lived an “off the wall” existence from a very early age. With his singing and dancing talent, Jackson became a god, moonwalking above the crowds into his own world.
His idealized world at Neverland Ranch, and the songs he co-wrote and sang like “We are the World” (co-written with Lionel Ritchie), “Man in the Mirror” (video, left), and “Another Part of Me” focused on a quasi-religious, humanistic vision of all peoples loving each other, even as his own life descended into divisiveness. Lawsuits, allegations of pedophilia, addictions, and the dubious distinction of having his penis photographed (to check against a description given by an alleged victim of pedophilia), turned the transcendent icon into a tragic, tabloid staple, sure to sell magazines and push television specials. |
We loved the music, but the trash sold much more. Yet, for all of the crass tabloid fodder, Michael was his best when singing these hopeful songs that called listeners to become better human beings. He most certainly reached more people than the average religious figure, and his songs had an effect on an entire generation weaned on MTV. His own religious journey, from his childhood as a Jehovah’s Witness, to a foray into the Nation of Islam, to finally professing Shahada to become a Muslim shows an interior struggle, despite all of the fame, to find the peace he so often sang about. In all of the accolades and obituaries to come, Jackson will never be called a theologian, though he was one. A Pop theologian, to be sure, but a theologian nonetheless. Struggling with his humanity, half man, half child, he danced as much to entertain I suspect, as to take away his pain. In the dance, he became transcendent, divine. And in the end, it was the very body that he used to beguile millions that failed him.
As I finish writing this, Jackson’s body was loaded into a helicopter, flown from UCLA to USC, and placed quickly into a van for transport to the county coroner’s office in Los Angeles. The van passed close to one of Jackson’s greatest triumph concerts, a show in the Los Angeles Sports Arena back in 1989. It was the last time I had a chance to see him in concert, and he was phenomenal.
The memory that will stay with me, however, was of the first time I saw the Jackson Five. Here was a kid who looked like my friends down the block that I played with everyday—but he was really, really special. As he grew older, and looked less and less like me, I wondered at times who he had become. Yet in death, all I can remember is the soft-spoken voice, the wistful smile, and the greatness of his talents being overshadowed by his many issues. May Michael and Farrah rest, with family and fans left to grieve; their iconic statuses preserved in an array of media forms, which never die.
Tags: celebrity, celebrity religion, farrah fawcett, islam, michael jackson, nation of islam
The oppressive Jehovah's Witnesses cult is ground zero for Michael's 'dysfunctions'.They messed him up really bad.
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Danny Haszard born 1957 3rd generation Jehovah's Witness same age as MJ (been there)
http://www.dannyhaszard.com
I was feeling awful.This article made me cry
A singer greater than Frank Sinatra, Lou Rawls, or Bryn Terfel, a greater dancer than Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, or Rudolf Nureyev, a greater actor than Denzel Washington, Paul Newman, or Morgan Freeman, and a greater entertainer than Elvis Presley or Mr. Jackson's own mentor Quincy Jones, we lost today. We mourn the loss of this great spiritual pilgrim and pop icon victim who transcended gender, race, and even common sense.
Finally, a web site with comments that are reasonable. The newspaper responders and several on my Facebook page, some from alleged "compassionate conservatives" of "traditional family values," were filled with such judgment and vitriol.
Ed, Farrah, and Micheal have moved on to another part of living.
I'm not sure that it's helpful for the author to describe MJ's "foray in the Nation of Islam" as part of his "religious journey" while linking that same claim to an article that very clearly spells out that he was not at all connected, in any religious sense, to the NOI. And MJ's conversion to Islam took place less than a year ago. What of his "religious journey" between his Jehovah's Witness upbringing and last year? There must be something more interesting to say about this than to list three faiths, one of which he wasn't connected to and one of which he only joined in the last year of his life. And the author, gratefully, touches on some of these. It is in these areas, not in his connections to organized religion, that MJ's true religious significance can be glimpsed.
The negative influence of the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses on Michael and his family have been either downplayed or totally ignored for as long as the Jackson Family has received public attention. For those readers who really want to know what life is like to be reared in the WatchTower Cult, nothing beats real world scenarios, and of real world scenarios, nothing beats actual civil and criminal court cases.
The following website summarizes 900 court cases and lawsuits involving children of Jehovah's Witness Parents. The summaries demonstrate how JW Families rear their children and live life day-to-day. Also included are nearly 400 CRIMINAL cases -- most involving MURDERS:
DIVORCE, BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS, AND OTHER LEGAL ISSUES AFFECTING CHILDREN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
jwdivorces.bravehost.com
NBC is discussing Michael Jackson's "deep spiritual" life. They are interviewing one of his spiritual advisors Rabbi Shmuly Boteach from Iceland. "He was a profound man, a serious man", says the rabbi. "He envied children. He felt he had been robbed of his childhood."
Even after "Thriller" he went on Sunday witness for the Jehovah Witness. He wore a disguise.
Who would have known Mr. Jackson was such a deep man?
This is a story of a great man. I'm just glad before the end, he found his peace. I'm always fascinated by this man, even during the turbulence of controversy. It is sad for him to go through all that. There's a song in the youtube -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIv3h1E5d_E
I hope someone could clarify is it really him.
May we find peace and truth before the end. Inner peace, forever peace
Having lived in LA during the late '70's until the early '90's and getting to know some of his family, I think the honorable thing for all of us to do is respect him for giving us some of the greatest music and entertainment in the modern era. May he rest in peace and whatever his religious views were, he is still one of the greatest entertainers of the modern era and I will always enjoy his music and be reminded of the best time of my youth that he represents.
Yes, that is the best way to honor this great man and American hero.
Watch the interview with Quincy Jones on NBC. Good view of Mr. Jackson. "He was an old soul." "In many wayts, he was a vicitm."
Had MJ announced his conversion to islam in public?
Michael Jackson, the moonwalking former child star who became known the world over as the "King of Pop" before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. He was 50.I will not set in judgement over Michael Jackson, he was a great performer, and though he was accused of being a child molester, nobody really knows if that's true, or if it was just a way for someone to make quick cash. I just want to say we can't believe all that we hear, Hollywood is full of rumors. If it's true, it's in Gods hands, not ours. I say god bless his soul and my condolences to his family & loved ones. Let him rest in peace. I never knew him personally so I can't say what he did or didn't do. He paid his dues, so be it. Farewell to a great performer. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but I won't lose any sleep over the way I personally feel. So say what you will about my opinion, it's on you.
It was really a shocking n sad sad news about the death of MJ..
Whatever the media reports about his case of child molester i always believe that he was innocent n he is truly a man with a golden heart despite his strange behaviour..
A legend that will always be in my memory forever..
May he rest in peace..
I totally agree with you. We all know the type of world we live in so it's not unusual for these things to be said about Michael. RIP brother, I love you.
ed hardyThanks for your sharing...
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The respond to the death of Mr. Jackson seems odd and out-of-proportion to whatever the man contributed to our common humanity. I do not know his music. Much I hear in retrospect seems superficial. His dancing seems derivative of greater talents. His image from television news is of a vain and ridiculous man with narrow vision and unlimited appetites. His hideously ruined face makes looking at him almost impossible for more than a moment at a time. Yet I must be misreading this fellow. Certainly, he had some gifts that I seem unable to appreciate or admire.
Just looking at his dancing, I realize a genius at work. There is a gift there and great intelligence in expressing it. Men and women of great talent praise Mr. Jackson. Praise from someone like Quincy Jones, for example, is testimony to that.
Mr. Jackson earned immense wealth. He made some excellent investments, even as he seemed to squander the returns on his labor and ventures. In the arena of controversy, he did seem honest about his affection for boys in puberty and young adulthood and gave little evidence of little if any prurient pursuit of them. Further, I am not certain it would have been horrific had he lusted for boys.
He most surly was a pilgrim. Who knows what motivated his acts.
Michael Jackson has another reputation, too. It is a matter of record that he has paid many millions to settle allegations of child sexual abuse.
Mr. Jackson's face seems unfair and unkind. I retract that remark.
However, Mr. Jackson did seem, as Mr. Bob Herbert noted in the NYT today, detached from reality. I felt there was something seedy about the fellow.
More dispatches? Wonder who got to the "dispatch" verbage first, imonk or RD?
RD should at least tip it's hat to the long time lead player in the "intersections of religion,values and public life." He simply called it "culture and religion." Dr. Marty Marty of Context fame.
The article's title "When the Gods die..." makes me wonder what RD is really all about. Looks like we have a God that has mutated, morphed, or multiplied into Gods? That would be lots of Gods. Of course the kind listed in the article "When the Gods Die:.." could be listed as gods. Even that is a stretch. Back in the day before we ran out of cutting edges and started our search for things that were emerging, the Gods mentioned in the article were simply called icons.
Granted, not a very strong word. There is more bang for your writing buck with "Gods." So, is RD about re-tooling God ( monotheism) into a new pantheism with lots of lead Gods? That should be fun. Or, is RD simply going to torture the living daylights out of language and concepts hoping to mash everything into something we wind up calling the Big Blend?
Jehovah’s witnesses are heretical cult and this article tells it very assertively.
http://koti.phnet.fi/elohim/jehovaswitnesses
My sister has worked to set me right about Mr. Jackson. I don't know what to make of him. What a sad life he lived and yet what joy he gave millions on human beings.
Michael Jackson Memorial
Michael Jackson Memorial
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