Michael Jackson dead @ 50

[The Simonizer]

So Michael Jackson's dead. He died in his Bel-Air home due to cardiac arrest while he was preparing for his comeback tour to play at the O2 Arena in London. And while many fans mourn the death, and many critics still think he was "Wacko Jacko" from his court hearings, allegations, bankrupcies, and his health complications, make no mistake. He did leave a legacy. In fact his music and videos helped define a generation. The MTV era. Music has never been the same since then.

But was Michael Jackson a true model for social change? Or were we blinded by his good deeds?

Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old child named Jordan Chandler and his father Evan Chandler. Jackson agreed to a 25-minute strip search, conducted at his ranch. The search was required to see if a description provided by Jordan Chandler was accurate. Doctors concluded that there were some strong similarities, but it was not a definitive match. Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of the allegations made against him. By the fall of 1993, Jackson was addicted to the drugs.In late 1995, Jackson was rushed to a hospital after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance; the incident was caused by a stress related panic attack.

And then there were the financial troubles. Reports of financial problems for Jackson became frequent in 2006 after the closure of the main house on the Neverland Ranch as a cost-cutting measure.One prominent financial issue for him concerned a $270 million loan secured against his music publishing holdings. After delayed repayments on the loan, a refinancing package shifted the loans from Bank of America to debt specialists Fortress Investments. A new package proposed by Sony would have had Jackson borrow an additional $300 million and reduce the interest rate payable on the loan, while giving Sony the future option to buy half of Jackson's stake in their jointly owned publishing company (leaving Jackson with a 25% stake).

But despite all the controversial events he had during his latter half of his career. He did make a difference through his music and humanitarianism.

For most people, Jackson was famous for co-writing the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in Africa and the US. He was one of 39 music celebrities who performed on the record. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief.

From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund, and all of the profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.

Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation" in 1992. The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch, to go on theme park rides that Jackson had built on the property after he purchased it. The foundation also sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war and disease. The Dangerous World Tour began on June 27, 1992, and finished on November 11, 1993. Jackson performed to 3.5 million people in 67 concerts. All profits from the concerts went to the "Heal the World Foundation", raising millions of dollars in relief.

Following the illness and death of Ryan White, Jackson helped draw public attention to HIV/AIDS, something that was still controversial at the time. He publicly pleaded with the Clinton Administration at Bill Clinton's Inaugural Gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research.

In a high-profile visit to Africa, Jackson visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt. His first stop to Gabon was greeted with a sizable reception of more than 100,000 people in "spiritual bedlam", some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael". In his trip to the Ivory Coast, Jackson was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief. He then thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed official documents formalizing his kingship and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.

My point is, all Michael Jackson did in his life was to make music and contributing to positive change. He made bad decisions, and opinions throughout his lifespan. And his vision to change the world, might have been a bit ambiguous. But so what? He wanted to 'fix our world' through his music, and that's all he wanted to do. If it wasn't for so much bias, ignorance, violation of civil liberties, and pressure among the media. MJ would have continued to make his comeback tour and the world would go on from there. But now that Michael Joesph Jackson is gone, the responsibility to "fix our world' is ours. To put it into the words of Michael Jordan, "Maybe he destroyed the game...or maybe...you're just making excuses."

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the Simonizer, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Fix Our World Foundation.