The love we have received from the fan community is heartwarming and to be sent letters from around the world from people who loved Michael and
were affected by his brief but brilliant life were a great comfort and a reminder of how small the world truly is as well as the power and healing of togetherness. Thank you so much for sharing your stories, I was deeply touched by them all.
I want to send a final farewell to Michael today, the day of his burial. I am so grateful for his influence and inspiration, he touched my life as well as millions of others and that legacy lives on and continues to inspire us all.
May Michael rest in peace forever.
On a side note, I'd like to encourage people not to go to Forest Lawn today. The police have already warned that the neighborhood is blocked off so no one will be able to see anything, and having once lived in Los Angeles for several years I can say that the traffic is already horrendous during those evening hours. This is occuring on a weeknight during which countless people are taking to the roads returning from work to be with their families. As strong as the fans desires are to be there, please be respectful of the safety hazards and problems a large tu
rnout will cause. Apparently there will be media there to record some events so people watching TV will end up seeing more than if they went to the actual location. Not to mention, there is a heavy police presence to ensure fans do not sneak in. Also, a few news organizations I shall not name have decided to release the whereabouts of the family tonight, which is horrifying. Such media is contributing to the creation of a society that has an incessant and self-entitled 'need to know' everything at the expense of human dignity and respect. I urge fans to contemplate the implications of such behavior and to be aware of this mourning family's (and friends) needs to mourn together in privacy. A lot of people think celebrities deserve to be hounded and have every private detail of their life be public knowledge. The truth is that celebrities like Michael Jackson, his family, or any other entertainment figure deserve(d) the right to keep something for themselves and to have their own lives away from prying eyes, especially during times of tragedy.
I am sad it has taken so long to actually bury Michael, though none of us know the full reasoning. However, the funeral arrangements and location were just as I would have hoped for and I believe were done as Michael himself would have wanted.
Lastly, the Jackson fam
I am sad it has taken so long to actually bury Michael, though none of us know the full reasoning. However, the funeral arrangements and location were just as I would have hoped for and I believe were done as Michael himself would have wanted.
Lastly, the Jackson fam
ily has come under a great deal of ridicule for having Michael's estate pay for the funeral expenses (per Katherine Jackson's request). I hope that people bear in mind that Katherine Jackson never had a career and was a stay at home mother and Michael Jackson paid his parents bills so the Jackson family itself has little money (aside from Janet). Marlon was recently working at a supermarket stocking shelves and the other Jackson members have dwindled in bankruptcy many times. The family still doesn't have complete access to its inheritance as such things take time, hence a motion was made in court. The funeral expenses are outrageous and Katherine Jackson suddenly has three young children to support, hence her request for finances to help raise them as well.
I can only hope that people try their hand at being compassionate instead of judgmental when it comes to this family's every action as well as tragedy or celebrity life in general.
I can only hope that people try their hand at being compassionate instead of judgmental when it comes to this family's every action as well as tragedy or celebrity life in general.
Forever Young.
RIP, MJ.
1958-2009
