Someone earlier in this thread said they didn't know why his death hit them so hard. I wonder if they are around my age. I think the reason it has hit so many people hard is because he really is the first icon from our childhood/teen years to pass away shockingly. He is our James Dean or Elvis to our generation. Just my theory.
I think this has a lot to do with it.
When I first heard, I will admit to not really feeling much of anything. I was speaking to my boss on the phone on the way home from work and I told her about it and I had about zero emotion. It was just a statement of fact.
But as the evening wore on and the news coverage was playing, they were showing clips of songs and videos. DH heard "Smooth Criminal" playing it the background of some newscast and he decided that he wanted to see the entire video so he grabbed "History" on DVD. I remarked when he grabbed it that it was one of the oldest DVD's in his collection and then we realized that it was the FIRST DVD in his collection. Ok, so I get a little teary.
We watch some videos and then I say that I wish we could see MJ's Motown performance - you know, where the whole world stood in disbelief at the young man on stage who just seemed to be "floating." So, he put that DVD in.
That's where it hit me like a ton of bricks. I think watching that finally brought up that teenage girl inside me and suddenly it wasn't just this guy in the media that everyone called "Wacko Jacko." It was now this young man, the one who I ADORED, the one who brought so much faith and hope into my young life. And not only was he talented, he was such a GOOD person. He gave to others and was always kind.
He was always there - One of my first memories is watching him on TV doing "Dancing Machine". I drove my mom crazy asking her to buy me that record (and we also had to buy a record player!). When I was 14 and the "Thriller" album was hot and my friends and I watched that video over and over and OVER again. He was there when I was 18 and in the College Program and my roommate and I would go to Epcot and watch Captain EO as many times as we could in a day (and the pre-show, Makin' Memories, was just so appropriate!). She and I were so different in so many ways but our common bond from the first day was my MJ.
A few years later, I meet a guy who seems very sweet and we liked each other. One of the first things we talk about is our tastes in music (because he worked in the music industry). We both admit our love of Michael and share some memories of him and listen to his music together. We stay up late into the evening listening to MJ remixes. He became my DH not long after.
A few more years pass and now we have a beautiful daughter. She fell in love with MJ when she was in 2nd grade and listened to him all of the time. Her first iPod had nothing but MJ music on it and here she was, my daughter, learning the Thriller dance just like her mom did so many years ago. It was just.... cool
Then, on the night he died, he brought my family back together to watch his videos and talk about memories of him. We spent a rare evening together. DD is now 15, but she never stopped loving MJ.
So, it may sound cliche, but Michael has just been a part of my life for more than two decades. He has helped me get to know people and been a huge part of the soundtrack of my life. I danced to his music at my proms and I danced in the street with thousands of people in celebration of his life just a few weeks ago. It's more than a loss of a celebrity to us.. it's a loss of a commonality and something that brought so much joy.
And for some reason it makes me feel so... old.
But, for those who wonder how you can mourn the loss of someone you never knew... this is my response. I'm just glad he left a legacy of music and videos that I can enjoy with my grandchildren. Heck, maybe even my great-grandchildren.
Wow, you are even more cold than I thought since you just put your foot in your mouth by making judgements on me without knowing anything about me. If you don't like how we feel on this thread then go elsewhere to a thread where people talk about what you want to talk about. I don't participate in threads that I have no interest in. That was extremely rude. 
I really do think that is what it is.
I think you've summed this up beautifully. I totally agree.
I don't understand why people post in a thread they have no interest in.
the only thing I can think of 
