The 'King' is dead

'The King' is dead, 'The 'King's' public image has risen, 'The King's' records will be re-issued again.

Michael Jackson was one of the 20th Century's true cultural icons, his untimely and tragic passing deserves to be mourned, and a week to the day the lurid details are still headline news. I have to say that I have never been truely comfortable with over-long, over-dramatic, over-sentimental outpourings of public grief (see Diana, Jade Goody etc.).

By and large, not only do they have a tinge of the ridiculous, they also has a significant whiff of insincerity. The commotion surrounding Jackson's death is no different. I find it hard to reconcile the love and respect that is proclaimed for the man when those same people pouring their hearts forth are also proposing to send his corpse on a tour or selling and publishing photos of his final living moments.

Jackson's live was wrecked by the excesses of those who said they loved him, those who used him as a route to riches. Sadly, even in death it looks like Jackson still has yet to find peace.