This post was submitted by Rocky

It’s currently 1:43 AM and I still don’t quite believe it. I think I’m still in a little bit of shock. Words are failing me, and lying here in bed, having just watched at least four hours of videos on MTV Jams with my friends, and all the coverage and speculation on the 24-hour news channels, it still seems like a weird dream. So many great songs. So many memories. Childhood, middle school, high school, college and beyond. His music was there through it all. And now he’s gone? Who even knew that Michael Jackson was mortal?

When my roommate first texted me to tell me of his passing this afternoon, I didn’t have much of a reaction besides, “Well, that’s newsworthy.” I guess I’ve never really considered myself a huge fan. I mean I’ve enjoyed his music over the years, but I wasn’t releasing white doves at the end of his trial. Let’s put it that way. His music has certainly been a constant throughout my life – the earlier Jackson Five and Off The Wall cuts passed down by my family, the later albums on constant rotation in the homes of friends and on MTV – but it wasn’t until I started making this mix that I started to get a little teary, thinking about how much I’d taken his artistry and his talent for granted. That voice and those moves! Is there an artist from the last twenty years that can even come close to him? Now say what you will about him personally – clearly the man was dealing with a more than a few demons – but he had that uncanny ability to tap into the universal ear and the universal heart with his music and inspire millions and millions of people around the globe, something very few people have ever been able to do.

Truly, MJ was one in a trillion and his contributions to pop music, culture, choreography and so many other areas were immeasurable. He will be missed. Please enjoy these twenty-five reasons he absolutely deserved to be called the “King of Pop.”

Thanks for the music, Michael! R.I.P.

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