I know for quite a few of us, Micheal Jackson was a steady part of out musical diet growing up. Just like a lot of musicians back in the day, we could always take for granted that there would always be another Jackson Five or Michael Jackson hit on the radio. 

Here's a place to post your memories of him,

what a talented man in dance ,song and showmanship.at times we judged him by his crazy antic, but lets not forget his music and how much we enjoy dancing and listening to it. He is at peace now and he has left us with some wonderful memories  that we draw from his music and his stage presents.

FYI--VH1 Classics is showing his videos all weekend.  I'm taping.  He had such great talent.  I hope he will be remembered for that and not the sad things that took over his life.

I agree with you Linda, He has 3 beautiful children and he did leave a grand legacy. Hopefully, they can live out there lives remembering there DAD as a great artist .

I can honestly say that I've grown up with Micheal Jackson. I remember as a kid, a couple of years younger than he was when the Jackson 5 ruled the world, singing just about every song they put out on the radio. Little did I know way back then that being able to sing a Jackson 5 song could get you a lot of girls. Hell at that age, I didn't really care. All I knew was that if there was a song I like, I was going to learn it.

It seems like for a lot of us "soon - to - be- 50 - somethings", Micheal has always been there. Several projects during his teen years. The Jackson 5 becoming The Jacksons and the subsequent musical growth that came with it. A lot of people still think that Micheal didn't do anything solo until "Off The Wall", but I remember an album called "Music & Me" that was a personal milestone. I tolerated "Ben" (lol). C'mon, a song about a rat ? Give me a break ! 

I didn't realize until just this second how much of an emotional connection I've had with this man's music. Thinking back, I guess I was always a cheerleader of sorts whenever he showed growth, so you can imagine how I felt when he dropped "Off The Wall". 

I was an young adult by then and just as I imagine Jackson contemplating his next move, I contemplated a career as a musician. You see, by that time, I'd been fronting a ten piece rock band with horns and of course, Micheal Jackson music was a part of my playlist. In fact, it was the Jacksons "Shake Your Body" that brought my mother one of her proudest moments as a parent. The band I was in, "Cargo", performed it as part of a set during a battle of the bands competition. It was the first time my mom had ever seen me perform on stage. Thank you Mike !

We both got older and more growth ensued. My career in radio started almost 31 years ago. I never imagined that I would go from listening to Micheal Jackson on the radio to playing Micheal Jackson on the radio. I remember driving home one afternoon in 1982. I was about to pull into my driveway when I heard the opening chords to what I still think is one of the best Micheal Jackson songs ever, "Beat It". I couldn't move and I couldn't turn off the radio either !! Micheal had officially reached "bad ass" status in my eyes. "Thriller" is still the largest selling album in history !! And yes I had one of those silly red zipper jackets LOL !!

I guess the one thing that I loved and hated about Micheal as time went on was his unwillingness or inability to reinvent himself. Through subsequent projects, the music sounded somewhat dated, but I rooted for Mike just the same. I always felt like there was THE seminal M.J. album for THIS period in time, just like "Thriller" was for the 80's. I thought he came close with "Invincible". When "You Rock My World" first came across my desk as a Program Director, I played it IMMEDIATELY ! When "Butterflies" was released as a single, I played that too ! I wasn't too thrilled with the label when they didn't push anything else from it.

Despite all of Micheal's problems, and he had quite a few of them, it was the music I always held on to and it's the music that I always will hold on to. 

Blessed Be Micheal Joseph Jackson ! May the Lord and Lady keep you and make you whole again.