i actually got teary when this was confirmed, and i never do that with famous people.
he was brilliant. he kinda fell off after the mid 80s but theres still some great stuff within what he released later. shame it hasnt dated as well due to the production but still, he was so so good. weird to think how long hes actually been doing this too - from the 60s (well just about) to now. i didnt think hed be able to do the shows tbh, he hasnt been well for a while, or at least not at the peak of health and hes not the type to just do a basic stripped down show. so if its true that all the rehearsals are what triggered it, then im not surprised. but i dont know why hed have signed up to do all those gigs if he couldnt hold up. i mean i know he needed the money but still...
ive read a couple of interesting bits - one was on the guardian, the other was on blog rhapsody where someone wrote about the paranoia and dread in his lyrics and how he was trying to escape himself for so much of his life/career. i know a lot of people think mj was really corny (why on earth the bbc interviewed ppl at glasto about this i dont know, but am interested to see if anyone does some covers) but regardless of what you think about songs like beat it, we are the world, heal the world etc, or how he broached the issues, he at least talked about things like ganglife, the environment, etc. he was a superstar but he still had those 70s soul ideals in his music. cant imagine any of the guys inspired by him (neyo, usher etc) doing the same.