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THE KING IS DEAD (SLIGHT RETURN)

Perhaps the most depressing aspect of Michael Jackson’s demise is that, for all the singer’s peculiarities, his death so exactly echoes the deaths of countless of other troubled, prodigiously talented entertainment icons down through the years (Elvis, Judy Garland, Hank Williams etc. etc.) It has the same basic plot (the gift as the curse) and exactly the same cast of characters (sycophants, leeches, quack doctors.) There will, no doubt, be further revelations about Michael Jackson’s personal life in the coming weeks and months, and it’s safe to assume that it won’t be pretty.

But on a happier note for now, this personal remembrance, written by Deepak Chopra’s (wonderfully monikered) son Gotham Chopra, is among the more interesting tributes to Jackson I’ve come across in the last few days. In it, he talks about planned strip club visits, sacks full of cash and doling out sex advice to a man seventeen years his senior – on the occasion of Jackson’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. There’s also a touching MySpace tribute from Jacko’s first wife here. It is apparently genuine (although one does have to query her use of the word “gutted” in the eighth paragraph.) The comments are pretty funny too. Finally, The Onion Remembers Michael Jackson. My favourite headlines from the time of his child molestation trial: “Michael Jackson Hires Magical Anthropomorphic Giraffe as Defense Lawyer”, “Michael Jackson’s Reputation for Punctuality in Ruins” and “Enchanted By Own Innocence, Michael Jackson Molests Self.”