This Just In: Jackson Still Dead

For me, the death of John Lennon was a shocking and profound moment, where I am forever able to relive the moment I heard the news. For my mom, the same can be said of when Elvis presley passed away. Of course, I know exactly when and where she was when she heard the news because I was the one who told her after hearing it on TV.

And so it is for many that the passing of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009 will forever be remembered as a day of unspeakable sadness. His death, like his music, touched many, cutting across generational, ethnic, and geographic boundaries. Perhaps moreso than any other performer - even the Beatles or Elvis, or, sigh, Garth Brooks - he was a global phenomenon, adored by tens, perhaps even hundreds of millions of fans the world over.

As I write this, the news of his passing is mere hours old. I heard the news on a radio station while out running afternoon errands. Since returning home, I have avoided televised news coverage of the event. I imagine most within the news community are feeling the adrenalized rush that comes with a death of this magnitude.

For the 24-hour news networks who've no doubt sucked every last bit of marrow from the indiscretions of the latest politician to fall from grace, such news must be absolutely intoxicating. The only thing more sickening is the idea that millions will sit glued to their TV's for the next few days, hungry for some new morsel of information to prolong the buzz that pulses within them.

He's dead, though. What else is there to report?

"Well, maybe he commited suicide. Ooh, wouldn't that be juicy?" I actually heard someone say that only moments after his death was confirmed and I immediately felt ashamed to be of the same species as them.

While we humans have the ability to love our children and to lend a hand in time of need, we also have an insatiable need to be entertained. What seems to entertain us most, though, is celebrity misfortune.

Sadly, Michael Jackson's death won't so much bring a hint of sadness to our day as it will a sort of glee. Who, upon hearing of Jackson's death, didn't immediately ask their friends, co-workers or family members if they'd heard the news?

And of those who knew of Jackson but weren't big fans, how many will be rushing out to the store over the next few days to pick up one of his albums?

The man is dead and we are all ambulance chasers, every last one of us.