Michael Jackson (The King Of Pop...forever)

Michael Jackson passed away today at the age of 50.

My earliest memory of music was listening to Michael Jackson's songs as a child. Songs such as Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller, Ben, Bad, Man In The Mirror, Liberian Girl, Leave Me Alone, Dirty Diana, Black Or White, She's Out Of My Life and Smooth Criminal have accompanied me to my adulthood till this day and forever.

He also co-wrote probably the most well known charity single 'We Are The World' in 1985 performed by USA for Africa, a collection of music artistes from USA.

His collaborations with fellow musicians produced massive singles such as 'Somebody's Watching Me' (with Rockwell) and 'Say Say Say' (with Paul McCartney).

I could never ever forget 'Smooth Criminal' and it's outstanding video that showcased the King Of Pop himself at his best, along with his dazzling moonwalk.

In 'Black Or White', Michael Jackson sought to break down racial prejudice within the space of a song with its refrain 'it don't matter if you're black or white'.

For all his success and memorable music, Michael Jackson has been on the wrong side of the news ever since the mid 1990s, often criticized for his incessant spending, eccentricity and finally over the mill - accusations of child molestation in which he was finally acquitted in 2005. But he has never been the same since and seems worn out in recent years. He is just human like everyone else, for even the mistakes if he has made any. For me personally, i will rather (and had always) remember the man who gave the world the best music in modern times and for his generous heart in helping the world in his humanitarian works.

As soon as i heard the news this afternoon, i set out to write this on the blog, in loving memory of the most gifted and iconic entertainer of our times. I had planned to write about him and his music sometime ago and it is just sad that i had to write in this context of his passing away instead. As i pen off now listening to 'We Are The World', i can feel my eyes welling up with tears as Michael's gentle voice seeps into the first chorus.

You may be out of our lives now but not in our hearts.

I used to say 'I' and 'Me'
Now it's 'Us', now it's 'We'

- Ben

'We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving'

- We Are The World