Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 16 July 2009 — Page 3

The Muncie Times • July 16, 2009 • Page 3

continued from page 1 me special pause as I watched the news accounts and memorial services surrounding the 50-year-old King of Pop, Michael Jackson's unexpected death, June 25 Family and fans gathered on July 7 at the Los Angeles Staple Centers for the televised memorial service. According to the Associated Press, an estimated 1.6 million people registered for the online lottery and a chance at one of the 17,500 free tickets for the memorial service.. Up front in their matching dark suits, gold-colored ties and white gloves sat brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marion and Randy - minus Michael, who lay in the $15,000 gold-plated coffin covered with a blanket of flowers. Also seated in the front row were sisters Janet, LaToya and Maureen Reilette (Rebbie), dressed in black; beside their mother Katherine and father Joe. Completing the close-knit family were Michael's three children: Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Michael II or “Blanket” the youngest; their faces uncovered for the public's first look at who would be the heirs to Michael Jackson's legacy, but who only missed their “daddy”. Just the week before, Michael had spent countless hours in practice at the same Los Angeles venue, in preparation for launching his 50-city world tour that was set to begin July 13 in London and what would certainly be his last tour, in his own

words, leaving him financially set for the rest of his life. The “rest of his life” ended that evening, following rehearsal at home in bed on June 25, following what may have been a drug overdose caused by injections to aid him with his inability to sleep. According to MSNBC.com, medical officials said there was no indication of trauma or foul play. An official cause of death could take weeks to determine. The family has requested a second independent autopsy, making a burial date unknown at this date. Yvonne Doyle, executive director of the Human Rights Commission in Muncie, remembers Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 well. “The group was one of a kind. They were very important and inspirational for African Americans, especially at that time (1970s and civil rights),” Doyle said. “I liked all of the music of Michael Jackson throughout his different stages of life.

“It is very sad to see him go” Doyle is not alone in her sentiments. Although ticket agencies world wide have promised to fully refund the fans' money spent on tickets for the proposed 50 show tour, many fans have opted to forfeit their high priced tickets for the final souvenir of the concert that Michael will never perform. As during his life, controversy continues to surround the affairs of Michael Jackson. Will ex-wife and surrogate mother Debbie Rowe raise the two children she provided Michael, or will the three children be raised by his mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, as his will indicated or by Motown great Diana Ross, 65, should his mother be unable to raise the children? Wire.com reported that Michael Jackson's Facebook following has surpassed 7 million, putting the King of Pop on top of the social networking heap, beating President Barack Obama's 6.4 million followers. The

stats were reported July 7 by ABC News, which webcast the Los Angeles memorial services for the late Jackson. Although not bom until 1992, Muncie Central High School student musician Natasha Whigum remembers Michael Jackson from her childhood, when her older brother, Robert, played his music at home, on the CD player and showed her Michael Jackson's “moon walk.” Natasha said she and her cousin even dressed up as Michael Jackson last year, during homecoming spirir days. “He (Michael Jackson) was actually one of my favorite performers,” the marching band percussionist said. “My favorite song was ’Man in the Mirror.' I liked it because he was telling us to start with ourselves, if we want to make the world a better place.” Significantly, Michael Jackson and, earlier, The Jacksons and The Jackson 5, were the first black teen idols to appeal equally to audiences of all races, thanks partially to the successful promotional relations skills of Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy. The Jackson 5 were the first act in recording history to have their first four major label singles: “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save” and “I'll Be There” hit the top of the American music charts in 1970. The reasons for their out-of-the-box success boiled down to one simple truth: “The singing and the songs make us happy,”

wrote soul-music biographer David Ritz. “They are moments on incandescent beauty-young, wildly optimistic.” According to coverage of The Jackson 5 on the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame Web site, “The Jackson 5 rose from humble circumstances in Gary, Ind. They were the eldest sons in a family of nine children born to (a) steelworker and his wife...When Joe saw that his charges had talent, he devoted himself to molding them into a well-rehearsed group that (performed) Motown and other soul/R&B hits of the day.” Initially, when father Joe realized that his sons had talent, the family group was named Ripples & Waves Plus Michael, then the Jackson Brothers and finally The Jackson 5. When they began performing in 1964, Michael was just 6, but obviously gifted in song and dance. According to hall/inductee/the-jackson-five, the five boys performed at talent shows and as opening acts on bills that took them tc places like Harlem’s Apollo Theater, where they won an amateur nighi competition in 1967. “All the while, Michael Jackson studied the moves of the masters: theii onstage choreography how they phrased a song the way they worked i crowd. His heroes anc tutors included Jame; Brown, Sarn and Dave Jackie Wilson, Etta Jame: and his older brother Jermaine, who himsel was a disciple of Marvii continued on page <