"The world has lost one of its greats". Madonna

I was sat at my PC when I heard my phone ring and then the news was passed on to me that the legendary pop star and greatest entertainer in popular music history Michael Jackson had died. I immediately checked online for news and saw that the net was buzzing with unconfirmed reports that he indeed had suffered a fatal heart attack at his Los Angeles home.

The way the news broke reminded me very much of the reporting of the death of Princess Diana. It took me a minute to take this in. It was one of those moments where people remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.

I’m a music lover and in music terms he was a genius and a very, very big deal. He was very much in a class of one and his untimely passing can be likened to that of fellow music giants such as Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley.

Michael Jackson was one of only a few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once with The Jackson 5 and also as a solo artist. Other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time", 13 Grammy Awards and the sales of over 750 million albums worldwide.

His 1982 album Thriller sold 51 million albums alone, going Platinum 21 times over, making it the biggest studio album of all-time. The album had 7 no.1 singles which is unheard of now in record recording. The video for the single Thriller also revolutionized music videos.

He was reportedly planning a comeback and was living in L.A while rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London's O2 arena starting on July 13. The 50 concerts sold out in a matter of hours when the 750,000 tickets were released in March making it the fastest selling tour of all-time.

Whatever his shortcomings as a man were or were alleged to have been in the media, as a recording artist he was an icon and absolute music phenomenon.

R.I.P: Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

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