What makes a good performer?
Versatility, bravery, courage, innovation and talent.
Michael Jackson, had all of the above and more.
He was never scared to be who he truly was, which is hard enough as it is, without the pressures of being a performer.
As an entertainer, Michael changed the industry as we knew it.
He added heavy bass lines, wore one glove, and created dance moves that will be remembered decades to come.
But besides his unprecedented and extraordinary career, he was one of the world's most giving humanitarians.
Michael was trying to solve world hunger before any association had come about. He wanted to eradicate child poverty and poor living conditions all over the world before people knew those were even issues.
One of the greatest things about Michael was how much he taught us, in so little time.
He taught us how to moonwalk, to thrill, how to let go of the one we love, our ABC's, what falling in love felt like, that one person can make a difference, and that difference starts within ourselves.
He challenged his listeners to look beyond the color of his skin, and the media coverage and see the depths of his gifts to us; gifts that are singularly timeless.
His music will never be forgotten, nor his dance moves and good will.
He was one of the few who's reputation did not out grow himself, as a person.
Michael outperformed every expectation any audience any where had ever held up to him.
On stage, he had no limits, no rules.
He was able to defy anything that was set before him, and overcome it.
He believed that the world could be a better place and spent the majority of his life trying to make it so. He made us believe this as well, and got people to listen to him and the message he stood for.
Michael knew that everyone had goodness is their hearts, and through his music, he sought to bring that goodness out because that was the key to peace.
He wanted peace more than anything.
He was never concerned about how much he made, or how well he was known, or what people said about him.
He knew that none of that mattered, and that too, he taught us. That none of it matters.
Michael saw the big picture, and because of that, he wasn't afraid to be himself, to go out there and be different.
To make change.
In the words of Al Sharpton, "Michael Jackson wasn't strange, it was strange what he had to deal with."
For someone who was so talented, and so selfless, society had a poor way of repaying him by attempting to scar his reputation and mocking him.
In spite of all this, Michael continued to move forward and flourish.
But on June 25th, we lost this remarkable man.
Now, we are left with the lessons he taught us, and our memories of who he was, and how much he meant to us.
He will always be remembered in our hearts, and as such, I suppose we will never really lose him.
Michael Jackson continues to live through his music, and his works here with us.
He will be missed.