Michael Jackson... An Afterthought

After writing about the death of Walt Disney, Elvis and Michael Jackson I started thinking about the public's response to the deaths of these famous individuals.  And the way their early deaths marked their position within culture and society forever.


After Michael Jackson's death on July 25, 2009 many internet websites and hosts reported crashes due to an overload in the system including: Google, Wikipedia, Los Angeles Time, Twitter and AOL.  Within one hour of his death Wikipedia reported nearly a million views of his bibliography.  And it's important to point out that he was reported dead at 2am.  


Within a year of the superstars death Sony Music had extended their contract with the Jackson estate to allow the distribution of ten albums of either unreleased material or new collections of old work before the year 2017.  The contract was reported to be the highest valued contract ever made to single individual.... And the individual is dead!


It appears that an untimely death cements individuals within the subconscious of society ensuring them years of fame long after they have departed.  When remember Michael Jackson people remember his music, dancing and tours; not the notorious scandals that marked the last years of his career.


These events remind me of a quote my first year History professor used to repeat often:

“The past is never dead, it’s not even the past"

So possibly the departed are just as much a part of today as the living are!