Six years after Michael Jackson‘s death, on June 25, 2009, many of his fans are still mourning. Today (Thursday) marks the anniversary of the King of Pop’s passing, and the internet seems to have exploded with remembrances, tributes and well-wishes.
The a cappella group Pentatonix posted an original medley of 25 Michael Jackson songs to YouTube earlier this week, and the video has racked up more than 3 million views. An amateur photographer in Goochland County, Virginia documented Jackson’s face in a cloud formation in the sky during a lightning storm. The photographer says that he was originally compelled to take photos of the storm itself, but he thinks it’s “pretty wild” that so many people have gotten excited about Michael Jackson’s face. He insists that he did not edit or doctor the photos.
Jackson’s music was as world-changing as his fame was polarizing. He was the third youngest of nine children in the Jackson family, and he began his musical career as a child, as the lead singer of the Jackson 5. He grew up in a two-bedroom house in Gary, Indiana.
“I just wonder how did they fit all of those kids in there,” said a recent visitor to Jackson’s childhood house. She also said, “I can’t believe he’s gone. It was just like Whitney (Houston). They’re gone too soon.”
The house has become a major draw for Jackson fans since 2009. Today, people have been leaving flowers, teddy bears, and written messages. When Jackson died, thousands of fans trampled the grass in front of the house. Today there is a granite monument, but the grass has been fenced off.
Michael Jackson was only 50 years old when he died unexpectedly of heart complications. Details surrounding the death were suspicious, and Jackson’s doctor was accused at one point of administering the wrong dosage of medicine. He is survived by three children, one of whom recently graduated from high school in California and is expected to attend Loyola Marymount University in the fall.
Many experts in the media and in music believe that nobody will ever achieve the level of celebrity that Michael Jackson achieved during his lifetime. This is partly due to the sheer superhuman amazingness of Jackson’s music and performances, but also due to the changing media landscape of today.