Who's dead?

Everybody must have heard it already: Michael Jackson, the king of pop, died yesterday in a hospital in Los Angeles. 

I'm not a big fan of his music anymore. I was a big fan when I was about 10 years old. I even had records of him. And in the videoclip 'Bad' he seemed like a really tough dude in the eyes of a child. But now I couldn't care less about his music. Still I feel (without sarcasm) sad about this event. With Jackson's dead it's safe to say that a little piece of musical history died with him. And the saddest thing is that he died right before his planned comeback.

Especially the story behind Wacko Jacko's turbulent career intrigues me. He went from an ultra rich superstar to a bankrupt loser in the eyes of the public. His career proves what I already experienced myself: that success is relative. Even his brothers, the once so famous members of Jackson Five, don't earn a penny anymore. If there was a movie about his life, it would be one of the most sensational stories on the big screen ever (a lot of Hollywood producers are probably thinking about a Michael Jackson movie already).

I always have to do with people who go from fame and fortune to nothing. It's a really bad feeling. Especially the fact that you feel powerless. Once the negative spiral has started, it seems there's no escaping from it. And everybody looks at you as the object of mockery, because you're a has-been. Jackson fell so deep, I think nobody can imagine what that must have done to him. And even then he found the strength to plan a comeback. I have the deepest respect for that.

Everybody will probably experience a time when things aren't going like they hoped it would. Jackson's career proves that it even happens to the best. There's no shame in missing a few steps on the way to the top. But if you can still feel good about yourself once you hit rock bottom, then nothing can stop you anymore. From then on things can only get better.