Yesterday was an historic day in pop culture. First came news in the morning that 62-year-old actress Farrah Fawcett succumbed to cancer after a three-year battle.
Then, while media outlets were gearing up for feature stories on the former “Charlie’s Angels” beauty, news broke in the afternoon that 50-year-old pop icon Michael Jackson had died of cardiac arrest, and the airwaves became the all Michael Jackson, all the time network.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that American pop culture, and indeed pop music, wouldn’t be the same without Michael Jackson. From his signature moon walk and white glove to his video for “Thriller,” which came along at the birth of MTV and helped shape the video music industry, Jackson left his fingerprints all over the music industry.
What’s sad it that mingled in with all his historic successes are decades of bizarre behaviors and allegations of child molestation. A hundred years from now, people will be talking about his music, as well as his multiple cosmetic surgeries and tabloid antics. No matter what he accomplished, his memory will be forever linked to several snapshots in time: hanging his baby over the balcony; the transformation from young Michael Jackson of the Jackson 5 to the alien-like creature taking the witness stand in his own defense.
It’s the same with Farrah, in a way. Farrah Fawcett had a long career as an actress, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Yet we will always remember her one season on “Charlie’s Angels” and that red bathing suit pin up shot that originally appeared in 1976 in Life magazine. Why is that?
Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson weren’t the only ones who died yesterday; they were just the most famous. And yet we all leave this life having touched hundreds, or maybe thousands, of people. And we all will be remembered for snapshot moments in our lives.
When we meet God on the other side, will he say to us “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Or will the photo album of our lives offer just a few shining moments in an otherwise mediocre life dedicated to nothing more than self-promotion?
In the end, how will we be remembered?
Click here to subscribe to Gospel Soundcheck by email and have the Gospel Soundcheck headlines delivered daily to your email inbox. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter!
posted June 26, 2009 at 11:24 am
R.I.P IT WAS GREAT WHILE IT LASTED
posted June 26, 2009 at 1:02 pm
We all need to remember that we all have gifts that have been provided to us by God. Use them wisely.
posted June 26, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Well written. I am glad that somebody has had the heart to write something simple, yet not so provocative about the late Mr. Jackson. I am also happy that Farrah has not been missed in this torrent of publicity over him. They both had lives. They both finished their time in this world. The end. All else is pure speculation. Let us remember them in the best light possible for one and all. Forgiveness, if necessary, benefits the forgiver more than the person it is offered to… God Bless.
posted June 27, 2009 at 6:53 am
Michael Jackson is an AMAZING Person , he has a caring heart and will ALWAYS be the best Entertainer. Such a genius and will never be replaced. My Daughter and I attended his 45th B’Day Party and he was so sweet to talk to, he spoke to me about Glasgow, Scvotland, Edinburgh and he really liked it there on his visits.
People that think he is weird or wacko, I think that is sad. Don”t Judge a book by its cover. There are many werd people out in the world. He was loved for being the Greatest Performer and for being such a caring person.
He was done wrong in his short life.
His Childhood was taken away from him and My heart goes out to Michael Jackson.
R.I.P Michael
posted June 27, 2009 at 9:06 pm
God, after life, lol. How silly, and how cruel. Watching the Farrah documentary I am appalled that anyone (including her, though this is more understandable and I do not fault her for it) could possibly believe there is some omnibenevolent being out there. How vile, how wretched; shame on you, how dare you. (And please don’t even start with that Theodicy b.s.; you’re talking to one who has read extensively on that subject and majored in Philosophy. There is no satisfactory solution to the “Problem of Evil”, to say the least, and even most honest apologetics/theologians admit this…the ones who aren’t just selling logically fallacious and simplistic books to the gullible public for profit).
MJ and Farrah have ceased to exist in any sort of personal agent sort of conception, but at least they lived, and had some joy and success in their lives. Simple as that. Anything else is a vulgar, immoral, and intellectually dishonest belief/lie…and you know it, no matter how desperately you deluded yourself and/or pretend not to.
posted June 28, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I wondered why I should care about the death of MJ or Farrah, or pop culture in general, in the bigger picture of what’s important in this life. But you wrapped it up very nicely, in short form, especially in the last 3 paragraphs.
For the poor deluded fool who wrote of “reality” above: How hard is it to understand that a God of love, who wanted to create creatures who would love him voluntarily, also had to give them the option to do evil? But for Him to then provide a way for sinners to come back to Him, through Christ’s death on the cross, and have eternal life in Heaven, where there is no evil…..well, if that’s not love and benevolence, I don’t know what is. I pray you will open your mind and heart and let God speak to you, so you do not miss out on Heaven.