With the passing of Michael Jackson, once again the debates begin. People who ridiculed him for his recent escapades and are now praising him for his work. The jokes started coming to my phone via text message and Twitter early last night. While lots of people can say he was a troubled soul (and I would be one of them), I don’t think anyone can argue that his was an influence on culture like few people can achieve.

Since I was born in 1969 I wasn’t completely aware of the Jackson 5, though I think few of us didn’t know the songs by heart as children. It was in my middle school and high school years in the 80′s, when Jackson was at the peak of his career most would say, that I was most drawn into his music. There were few people who weren’t, and even today my son who just turned 18 was a fan of Michael Jackson’s work and was shocked by the news of his passing.

His contributions to the music industry can’t be denied, he was one of the first (if not THE first) singer to make music videos into the epic productions they are today. I heard in a news broadcast yesterday a comment stating that it would be difficult to find a home without a single copy of his “Thriller” album in it. I know I personally have bought the album at least 3 times. Jackson’s music helped to drive and shape a large part of my particular generation and the ripple effect is still felt in the new generations.

I was one of those that were disappointed by his recent legal troubles and the claims of misconduct with children. I know I will probably be bashed for labeling it that way, but I don’t see a need to be more specific than that. Everyone is familiar with what he was accused of, and like most people think of O.J., have a gut feeling that the only reason he wasn’t convicted of these charges was because of his celebrity status. That, however, doesn’t diminish his previous contributions to so many peoples lives. It is my feeling that his troubled past, and the demons that he fought were most likely a part of what made him who he was. In his earlier career he was able to keep them at bay enough and was able to use them to his advantage to make some of his best music.

While I don’t condone anything that he was accused of, and I was definitely one of the people passing on the jokes about him (I even did it yesterday on Twitter and will most likely forward more of them in the near future). I can still recognize that he had an impact on my childhood and any time a Michael Jackson song comes on I can’t help but sing along with it. His performances that you can find online still make me stop and watch in amazement at the performer that he was. His recent history shouldn’t diminish his overall character and people should remember him for the entire person he was. Gifted performer, darkly troubled internally. He fought demons I would wish on no person, but somehow he managed to still give all of us the gift of his talents. It is strange to think that in less than a year we will rarely hear much about him, and there will never be another new Michael Jackson song, or sordid news story about his troubles.

Rip Michael Jackson, thank you for all you were able to give to us, I hope you have finally found peace from your demons.

Greg – @GWHicks

P.S. Another great post by a Twitter friend of mine, Lori Deschene or @BeMeaningful, The Good That Came from Michael Jackson’s Lost Childhood. Follow her for both great blog posts, and uplifting twitter posts.