Jackson. * Photo credit: wikipedia

Michael Jackson’s journey from very ordinary beginnings to global superstardom is a continuing story of the journey of the African American. When he was born into his large family of nine siblings, Joe and Katherine Jackson would never have believed that their child would grow up to be the greatest superstar in of the modern world.

His death in the same year that the United States swore in its first black president is a unique twist of history. You see, it was the Michael Jackson of the 60s, 70s and 80s who symbolized the beginning of a crossover for black performers into the power apparatus of a white-dominated media. Michael was a type of forerunner for the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods and even Barack Obama. He was a transformational paradigm.  

Michael Jackson was the last entertainer who may be considered a truly global phenomenon. And when compared with previous superstar entertainers with iconic pedigree, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Frank Sinatra, many argue that owing to his massive global following, he was actually bigger than all three. Michael Jackson is the one contemporary artist who took the global superstar baton from these earlier icons.  But it appears that as of date there may be no one to pass it on to. Even the iconic Madonna is nowhere near worthy of receipt of that global accolade in terms of her worldwide influence and effect on pop culture. 

Calling Michael the King of Pop is an understatement. He was the king of Pop yes, but he was much more. He was a dazzling performer; he was the King of Dance; his 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time; Michael never stopped learning, he was a student of music, a student of dance, a master of his art. He became his own genre; he was an art form on two legs: Michael became a symbol of the 20th Century, a global icon. 

People did not see race and colour when they saw Michael. And like Sammy Davis Junior, Nat King Cole, Sidney Poitier, and Harry Belafonte, and ultimately Barack Obama, he was a true product of the Americas, the symbol of a new world culture and fast approaching post-racial world; a global meritocracy and paradigm that places substance and content above skin colour. In fact it can be argued that he was the fore runner of a truly post racial America even before the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods and Barack Obama. Michael was a purveyor of a brand new genre that was multi-racial, eclectic and even nonsexual. He became the purveyor of a modern cosmopolitan culture, a paradigm of the ethnic and social mix of the large multi-ethnic city. His music was an anthem of the modern global village; a shrine has even been dedicated to Michael in Russia: his pedigree was therefore international. His genre was a unifying phenomenon.

Michael Jackson was the most masterful entertainer of recent times. In 1988, the New York Times Critic Anna Kisselgoff called him "a virtuoso who uses music for its own sake --- an avant-garde dancer---he shows us that movement has a value of its own –Astaire once called Jackson to offer his compliments.’’  Jackson became in the words of a former head of Sony ‘’ the cornerstone of the entire music business.’’  Another critic has determined that Michael’s music will never go out of style, his genre is classic.

In terms of artistic inventiveness and self invention, his like may never be seen again. Michael Jackson was more than an entertainment and music phenomenon; he was also a cultural and social phenomenon. He became "the genre,’’ a living manifestation of the art form he created. And in his wake he made a way for a whole new generation of American performers from Mariah Carey to Jay Zee. His art form is expected to influence generations of artists. He broke all of the barriers and he was the ultimate crossover artist. He was the antidote to mediocrity.

A wise man has said that you never appreciate the worth of someone until they die. Michael’s funeral in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009, was a surreal affair, but it was also a celebration of his life. It was the most widely watched funeral in history, with billions of people on the planet watching the event. With over 17,000 invited guests at the Staples Center, and a third of the LA Police Force, security was massive and unprecedented; it was a roll call of US power and celebrity. A testament to the singer’s superstar status, it is compared with the global spectacle of Princess Diana’s funeral on September 6, 1997. And it was both a very private and very public affair. 

This was also the first funeral that was an internet phenomenon, the biggest broadcast in world history, with "virtual funerals’’ and "virtual vigils’’ being held worldwide. It showed both the closeness of the Jackson family and the global following of Michael.  Thousands of fans flew in to LAX for his funeral from all over the world: Asia, Europe, South America, and Australasia, even Japan and Israel, where he is especially popular.

There is however one final epiphany. Michael Jackson was a powerful personage in a public sense. He was a great philanthropist and humanitarian, contributing over 500 million dollars of his personal fortune, to various charities; he made the Guinness Book of Records as the Pop Star who gave the most to charity. He was also among the people who made a Martin Luther King Public Holiday in the US a possibility. Even Nelson Mandela of South Africa and a number of world leaders have paid tribute to his greatness. His estate is now expected to grow in value exponentially. Notwithstanding his debts, he will be richer in death than in life, already his $400.000.000 owing is expected to be paid in months not years. And like Elvis Presley he will be bigger in death.   
 
Jermaine Jackson’s rhapsody of "smile" at the memorial was a fitting tribute to his baby brother. Michael put a smile on a billion faces. May he be remembered not for his international superstar celebrity, or his global brand, which is now priceless, but for his colossal contribution to modern culture, African American history, the entertainment arts, and the fact that he was a very nice guy!

One final word came from the children of Martin Luther King Junior exhorting the Jacksons to remember always that "nothing shall separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.’’

To this we can all only say, Amen.

Dickson Igwe is a Christian thinker and writer

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