The death of the King of Pop has no doubt rocked the world, no matter where you're from or what generation you belong to.
His life was a tumultuous one and of all the stories and memories that have been told of Michael over the past while, none touched me as much as this one.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a close friend and confidant of Michael's, gives a very personal account of the interactions between Michael and him and between their two families. What starts off as an angry and unforgiving account turns into a warm one with questions that will probably never be answered.
What's different about this article is that it ponders the use of one's life and some of the biggest questions over death.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on this so drop us a comment below.
Master of an Empty Kingdom: The Tragically Short Life of Michael Jackson
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach reminisces over the death of his estranged friend, Michael Jackson.
I did not expect to be as saddened by the death of Michael Jackson as I turned out to be. Not that I am cold-hearted, but I lived in the constant dread that his death was imminent. When I was close with Michael, there were just too many times that he walked out of a room with a doctor, after complaining that his foot or back or neck hurt him, all lightheaded and woozy. There was no way that a body could survive so regular an assault. So after begging him to give up the painkillers and failing, I steeled myself against the inevitable by feeling angry and disillusioned. Was Michael not the man who had squandered so many blessings? Was he not the friend who, after I had invested two years of my life into helping him rehabilitate his, treated me as if I were a nuisance because I dared to push him to fix his shattered existence? I would overcome my feelings of pity with a spirit of defiance. No, I will not cry. He hadn't earned it.
But then the news came that he had died. And I was devastated. Especially when I saw my children's tears. Michael was accused of pedophilia. But my children and his children were playmates. Yes, I made sure to supervise. But the children did not see him as a monster. Michael brought cartoon videos for his kids and my kids to watch. We sat in my living room on Thanksgiving laughing and joking. And the children missed him.
Once, when my son Mendy was eight years old he accompanied Michael and me to a kosher restaurant in Manhattan. Mendy tried to order. The waiter focused on the adults. Mendy felt ignored. He kept on repeating his order. Michael heard him. He interrupted the waiter. 'Excuse me, but this child is trying to order. Can you please listen to him?' It was not something you'd expect from a superstar. They were supposed to be utterly self-absorbed, right?
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I don't know anything about Michael Jackson's morality. It seems to me though that he was a devoted performer and may well have suffered from the physical ailments that performers are prone to - especially at his age and doing what he did. This would make me think that his painkiller habit could well have stemmed from the kind of dysmorphia that can result from repeatedly misusing your body. I am a musician but I've never thought before about dancers and actors and the fact that they must encounter similar problems. They have to perform regardless of whether or not their body wants them to. Of course, they could forget their career and attend to their bodies needs but for a big star like Jackson how hard would that be. Sometimes they are isolated from the very information they need to help them to recover. How closely the body and soul are connected is a question for another thought provoking article! Thanks for this one.
just leave him alone, give him rest. i have read his interviews, all i saw was a wonderful person with unique talent being unfairly treated many times.
I always sensed a sweet innocence in Michael and the rabbi speaks well. I really appreciate Leila's comment about the body of a dancer. I am not a dancer but I have observrd them and the body suffers from constant physical stress of that nature. How do we know how to judge? I am not sure what happened to Michael Jackson, but his death suprisingly, deeply saddened me. There was a great deal of meaning to his life, that will be celebrated for a long time.