Goodbye, Michael Jackson. And Thank You For The Music.

What a sad day it is for each and every person who has ever listened to and enjoyed a song by Michael Jackson. I didn't expect to see headlines on TV that read "Michael Jackson Dead At 50" today. I guess the boy who never wanted to grow old never really did. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is now immortal through his music.

I'm not even sure where to begin. I woke up in the morning only to watch Larry King have Celine Dion on the phone giving her thoughts on Michael Jackson's passing. What a wake-up call; it shocked the sleep right outta' my system. It was so shocking that, in all honestly, there was very little sadness. Not because I wasn't sad, but because it's still hard to digest that there's footage of MJ's body being taken into an ambulance. Who would've thunk, right? Now I'm not going to go into Michael's troubled life or his alleged criminal records. Unlike so many of those who were 'close' to him who will no doubt give their supposed condolences to CNN over the next week or so, I have honestly never cared about who Jackson was behind the curtains. I could care less about what people accuse him to be. All I knew was his music was inspirational, and he showed people what good music sounded like.

"Dangerous" was my first ever pop album on cassette. It was my first ever cassette, actually. I've played that thing so many times that the tape actually snapped! And although my taste for music has lead me away from pop and into the metal scene, I have and always will make exceptions when it comes to the King of Pop, and I'm sure anyone who has ever listened to his beats can't help but at least tap their shoes when one of his songs starts to play. I know I do.

Like so many have said before, the music industry today is fragmenting as we speak. And although it's a natural act of evolution, it's also the reason why we will most likely never have another Sinatra, Elvis, or Michael Jackson. I guess today really does mark the end of an era with the passing of the last great music icon. With a quarter of a billion albums sold over the course of his life, Michael Jackson will never be forgotten as he has sealed his mark in the history of modern music.

There's not much more to say. It's funny how just last week I was watching his popular "Dangerous" concert in Bucharest from 1992 and thought to myself, "God I wish this guy would make just one more solid album", despite knowing that he was in bad shape. The irony of it is Michael Jackson announced just recently that his world tour starting July 8 would be the official curtain call. It looks like there is no real curtain call for MJ. People will always crave that one last performance to no end.

Controversial to the core, weird, sometimes insane, a solid entertainer, a phenomenal dancer, and one heck of a musician. Michael Jackson was the definition of a superstar. I'm sure the guys in Heaven are cheering at the sight of a kickass Moonwalk right now. I think I'm in unison with the world when I say "thank you for the bombastic costumes, the white gloves, the zippers and crotch-grabs, the 70degree bends, the moonwalks, the tiptoe-ing, the weird stories, the hats, the awesome dance moves, the expensive and extensive videos, the fantastic concerts, and of course...the phenomenal, iconic, definitive, distinctive, sense of music".

Goodbye, Michael Jackson. Rest In Peace. You will most definitely be missed.

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Today also marks the passing of Farah Fawcett, one of the original Charlie's Angels. Farah was 62 when she succumbed to cancer. I never really got to enjoy Farah's films during her prime as I wasn't even born yet, but I've been keeping up with her progress and have heard and read a lot of good things about her.

Rest In Peace, Farah.