Remembering an Angel (1947-2009) and a King (1958-2009)
Posted: Friday, June 26, 2009 by Travis Cody in
Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer yesterday. She was 62.
I had the poster on my wall as a kid. I think I still have it folded in all my stuff. So many of the girls I knew tried to wear the hair. I watched Charlie's Angels. I thought all three of those ladies were beautiful...Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and dear Farrah. Of course Farrah was drop dead gorgeous. And to all those guys like me who were just starting to think seriously about girls...well, who needed Playboy?
Even when she did finally pose nude for the magazine in the 1990's, I didn't buy a copy. I didn't need it. I had the fantasy and my dreams, and that was more than enough for me.
But she was more than a pretty face with a great body and the hairstyle of the 1970's. After only one season as an Angel, she tried to make it in film with limited success. Ultimately she earned critical acclaim in an off-Broadway production of the play Extremeties. She followed that up with an Emmy-nominated role in the TV movie The Burning Bed. She earned two more Emmy nominations along with 6 Golden Globe nominations for her work through the years.
She was sexy and she was sweet. She was strong and she was gutsy. She fought a public battle with a devastating disease to help inspire others. Now she leaves the pain of cancer behind, and can finally be at peace.
I hate cancer.
Farrah Leni Fawcett (2 February 1947 - 25 June 2009)
Michael Jackson died suddenly yesterday, reportedly of cardiac arrest. He was 50.Wow. This was obviously quite the shock. I had barely begun to process Farrah's death, and then whammo...Jacko is gone.
I remember the Jackson 5. The 7th of 9 children, Michael joined his brothers when he was 11 years old and released such chart topping hits as I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, and I'll Be There. While continuing to record and tour with the Jackson 5, Michael started his solo career with singles such as Got To Be There and Ben.
Michael starred in the movie The Wiz in 1978, with long time friend Diana Ross. His next solo album project was Off The Wall, released in 1979. The album had 4 top 10 hits and was the first to do that in the US. Michael sold more than 20 million copies of OTW world wide, won 3 American Music Awards for it, won the Top Black Artist and Top Black Album at the Billboard Music awards, and he won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance.
Michael Jackson was on his way to becoming the King of Pop.
With the release of Thriller, that title was locked down. Some stats for the album:
- 80 consecutive weeks in the Billboard Top 10
- 37 weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts
- 7 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, the first album ever to do so
- Certified for 28 million shipments by the RIAA, which is Double Diamond status
- World wide sales are quoted at as many as 109m copies
- Michael won 8 Grammy awards for his work
There has been so much written and said about Michael Jackson. He was an icon in the music industry, but he was also a troubled soul. He suffered physical and emotional abuse as a child at the hands of his father. He struggled with body image. And he endured such diseases as vitiligo and lupus. His oddities have been well documented, some true and some complete fabrications either by himself or by the media.
I choose to remember Michael Jackson the singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, actor, and entertainer. He changed the way music and dance go together, and that is to be celebrated.
Be at peace, Michael.
Michael Joseph Jackson (29 August 1958 - 25 June 2009)
Rest In Peace