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Michael Jackson was rushed to the hospital earlier this afternoon with cardiac arrest. He is now being treated at UCLA medical center. By all reports, it doesn't look good. Please no mocking posts on this thread.

My all time favorite Jackson 5 song (then):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt9TUy0_GiM

My all time favorite Jackson 5 song (now):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wveI05xSslQ



My all time favorite (hard to choose one) Michael Jackson song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9OYMRwN1Q








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TMZ reports that he has died.

This has hit me a lot harder than it should have. I remember listening to Michael Jackson in preschool, and I feel like that's been taken away somehow.

A few months ago I loaded up Michael Jackson songs and videos on my kids ipods. They both loved the Thriller video. They also had the Motown anniversary performance where he first did his moonwalk.

They tried to share their appreciation of the music and performances with some friends at school and took a litle flak from some of the youngsters that had heard of him. I told them to like what they like and ignore the critics. I told them that when he got older he did get a little weird, but what they were enjoying was from when he was oyunger and that they could like him that way.

I mention all of this because when I got home from work today my 8 year old was crushed to find out this guy he had been enjoying on his ipod had died. He was genuinely upset.

As for myself I'm a bit torn. I'm glad to see him go so that his image can no longer be tarnished by his eccentricities. I've hated to see him torn apart in the press over the last 20 years. I have no idea if he was guilty or not of the charges made against him. I like to think that he was innocent.

By all accounts it sounds like this final concert run he was getting ready to start was going to be really great, and a nice capstone to an incredible carreer. It would have been a series of concerts his kids could have watched as opposed to just seeing their dad on video. A shame he wont be able to do them now.

I for one will miss him. I grew up watching the Jackson 5 cartoon show, and I recall the Off the Wall and Thriller albums coming out and climbing up the charts. I was 13 when Thriller came out if my memory serves. I remember what a big deal it was when the Smooth Criminal mini movie came out. I think at one point he transformed into a car and rescued some kids from an evil scientist.

He's off on a great adventure now. I wish him the best on the beginning of this new chapter in his life.