CLEVELAND - In the pantheon of legendary entertainers, there have been just a handful that have transcended their field of excellence and become global and cultural icons; Frank Sinatra. Elvis Presley. The Beatles.Michael Jackson outshines them all.
As I prepare to tearfully watch Michael's memorial service along with the rest of the planet, my thoughts have shifted partially to his place in history. On the music side and in terms of sheer stature, Michael eclipses those other highly celebrated figures. During the 1940's, no one was Sinatra's equal as a musician (his film work was acclaimed somewhat) and crooner and many aspired to be like him. Presley was possibly the original pop idol-turned-fan-obsession during his historic rise to fame in the 1950's and the Beatles, most notably Paul McCartney and John Lennon were veritable heads of state to their legion of fans.
With the stratospheric success of the Thriller album and the ensuing gigantic spike in popularity of Michael Jackson, his stature ascended to unprecedented levels which amazingly expanded with the release of the Bad album in 1987. With the release of several cutting-edge and revolutionary music videos and three larger-than-life world tours between 1983 and 1997, Michael's international status and acclaim skyrocketed to epic levels. Even the rampant controversy and media infatuation with his personal life fueled his immense popularity, albeit dubiously in some cases. In any event, evidence of his expansive legend is evident in the global grief-turned-celebration that has taken place since the unthinkable tragedy of his death two weeks ago.
Michael was a global figure, transformative and incredibly relevant across all nations and ethnicities. No wonder a man that could sing like Michael did, dance like he did, give like he did and create like he did holds the regal status that he does.
He was simply the best.
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