I don't know how to feel on this. I am personally surprised. They say celebrities always die in 3's... I was waiting for the ball to drop on someone, but I never in a million years would have thought Jacko.
I didn't like him, but when I was a kid the first cassette tape I ever owned I got for Christmas 1982, I was 9 years old, it was Thriller and I still have it lol. I remember watching the Motown 25 thing live visiting my dad and the moonwalk blew everyone's mind.
When I think of him I think of ABC and the Thriller songs. He did do a lot in music, how much was him, and how much was Quincey Jones I don't know... but I will say you can't deny he was influential in many ways.
Yeah he became a freak, and with all the weirdness surrounding him it almost overshadows everything. I'll say thank you for the entertainment he provided, and all I can come up with is dude WTF? about the latter years.