The tragic end of Michael Jackson

The Jerusalem Post ^ | June 26, 2009 | Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

[kress]

I was on vacation with my family in Iceland when my office called and shared the terrible news of Michael Jackson's passing. My wife and children were with me in the van. We could scarcely believe what we had heard. The children all remembered Michael fondly. He had given them their dog Marshmallow who is a member of our family until today. My daughter teared up. And while I was heartsick at the news, especially for his three young children, I was not shocked. I dreaded this day and knew it had to come sooner rather than later.

In the two years that I had attempted, ultimately unsuccessfully, to help Michael repair his life, what most frightened me was not that he would be arrested again for child molestation, although he later was. Rather it was that he would die. As I told CNN on April 22, 2004, "My great fear, and why I felt I had to be distanced from Michael ... was that he would not live long. My fear was that Michael's life would be cut short. When you have no ingredients of a healthy life, when you are totally detached from that which is normal, and when you are a super-celebrity you, God forbid, end up like Janis Joplin like Elvis... Michael is headed in that direction."

I am no prophet and it did not take a rocket scientist to see the impending doom. Michael was a man in tremendous pain and his tragedy was to medicate his pain away rather than addressing its root cause. On many occasions when I visited him he would emerge from his room woozy and clearly sedated. Who were the doctors who were giving him this stuff? Was there no one to save him from himself?

[PGalt]

Interesting article by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Thanks for posting.

[Northern Yankee]

In many ways his tragedy was to mistake attention for love. I will never forget what he said when we sat down to record 40 hours of conversations where he would finally reveal himself for a book I authored. He turned to me and said these haunting words: "I am going to say something I have never said before and this is the truth. I have no reason to lie to you and God knows I am telling the truth. I think all my success and fame, and I have wanted it, I have wanted it because I wanted to be loved. That's all. That's the real truth. I wanted people to love me, truly love me, because I never really felt loved. I said I know I have an ability. Maybe if I sharpened my craft, maybe people will love me more. I just wanted to be loved because I think it is very important to be loved and to tell people that you love them and to look in their eyes and say it."

One cannot read these words without feeling a tremendous sadness for a soul that was so surrounded with hero-worship but remained so utterly alone.

So sad indeed.

[Alex Murphy]

As I told CNN on April 22, 2004, "My great fear, and why I felt I had to be distanced from Michael ... was that he would not live long. My fear was that Michael's life would be cut short. When you have no ingredients of a healthy life, when you are totally detached from that which is normal, and when you are a super-celebrity you, God forbid, end up like Janis Joplin like Elvis... Michael is headed in that direction."

"In many ways his tragedy was to mistake attention for love."

Ping for later

[Varda]

I love Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (usually) but this should be titled “Requiem for a Singing Pervert”.

[ETL]

"The children all remembered Michael fondly."

Yeah, he was real nice to kids, especially boys...

From February, 2003:

"Pop superstar Michael Jackson admitted last night in a television documentary [2003] that he loves to have young boys sleep in his bed.

What's more, everyone should do it, says the 44-year-old Jackson, who was accused of sexually molesting a 13-year-old boy a decade ago, and who admits recently encouraging a 12-year-old cancer sufferer to sleep in his bedroom.

“It's what the whole world should do,” Jackson told interviewer Martin Bashir on the Granada television program, "Living With Michael Jackson," according to a London Times account. Granada is one of the largest independent television companies in the United Kingdom."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30853
______________________________________________

"He said there was nothing sexual involved: "We go to sleep. I put the fireplace on. I give them hot milk, you know, we have cookies. It's very charming. It's very sweet. It's what the whole world should do."

http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123607&page=1

[count-your-change]

Should the world go into thirty days of mourning or will having the earth stop in its orbit be enough?

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

I home that M. J. has finally found the peace that eluded him during his life.

[bonfire]

Amen!

[a real Sheila]

but the most pressing question is this-
What does KING OBAMA think of MJ’s passing?
The world waits for his statement!
We don’t know what to do until we hear from the great one!
</extreme sarcasm>

[sueuprising]

Rabbi Boteach reminds me of those celebrity gurus who find their own niche in the popular culture by asserting that they are trying to help some hopelessly self absorbed entertainer. From where I sit, Michael Jackson, was a pop icon who,like other pop icons, wove an unnatural cult around themselves and paid the price for it. What, in heaven’s name, did this disturbed man do but jump around immorally, sing in a high voice, and seduce children? It is sickening.

[MrLee]

Wasn’t Elvis sorta like that too?

[rovenstinez]

Okay, so Michael Jackson died. Now, can we move on? He was a ZERO to the left of the number 1. He contributed nothing good to society, his role model for American youth was destructive, WHY DOES THIS GUY GET FRONT PAGE ON FOX NEWS. I’m turning off Fox News for 2 days...until he gets put on the back page. I’d rather read about a HERO who died trying to save young lives in Pakistan. PLEASE>

[exDemMom]

You must keep in mind that Michael Jackson never had a normal childhood. From the time he was very young, he was put on a stage and parade in front of millions. It is not unusual to see people who become famous break under the pressure (Roseann Barr and Britney Spears come to mind), and for Michael, the pressure began at a very early age. The fact that it damaged him beyond repair is not something I could hold against him.

Dear Lord, may your child Michael Jackson find the peace that he never had in life.

[Eye of Unk]

I am just a couple of years older than MJ and all my life I was never really impressed with him except on a couple of occasions like when he sang the song “Ben” a thriller movie made when I was a preteen, his act at Disneyland which I never saw and the constant bombardment of his Thriller album on every single radio station on earth.

He had talent but it never turned me on.

A candle burning at both ends burns twice as bright and twice as fast my motto.

[Huck]

I pretty much agree with you. I give MJ some slack because he was a child star, and we all know how that story goes. To me, he's basically the same as Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, etc. He was not raised properly, became famous and rich way too early. And basically was a total freaking mess.

I don't even think he was that talented. I'll give him the moonwalk. That was kinda cool. But songwise, what has he done of any lasting value? He did some catchy dance tunes for a few years. But put him up against Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke...what's he got? None of his songs had any depth. He'll be remembered more for his "career" as a tabloid freak than for any of his music.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

I agree with you exDemMom. A tortured mind is something some people will never begin to understand, or find empathy for. Michael was abused from an early age by his father in many ways from what I’ve read. I believe it fundamentally scarred him for life. In some aspects, he never stood a chance unless there had been someone there to help him and support him make huge changes in his life. No one was there. Everyone only saw the money they could make from knowing him. As with most abused people, he also created a lot of pain later in life ~ self reported false news stories, strange behaviors to garner attention/love, etc.

This is how I choose to remember him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zpTQCQEFhg&feature=related

[McGruff]

Aw Jeez, not another Michael Jackson thread

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Jackson was a dysfunctional role model for kids during much of his career. A totally sane society would have protected their children from his influence.

[Ann Archy]

RABBI Schmuly considered Michael one of his BEST FRIENDS! Even after the pedophile stuff came out.
yuk.