The Moonwalker's final walk - We'll miss MJ

MJ was an unsurpassed entertainer, a gifted and driven song-and-dance man who wielded rhythm, texture and image to create and promote the best-selling album of all time, ‘Thriller’. As a child star he was precocious; as an adult he was childlike. His only competition was himself. Within the razzle-dazzle of his songs, he sang about fears and uncertainties in that high, vulnerable voice: flinching from monsters in ‘Thriller,’ wishing he could just ‘Beat It’ when trouble began. His own face slowly became a mask.
Despite all his time onstage and on air, MJ stayed remote: styled, rehearsed and choreographed. He had one of history’s largest audiences, and it never really knew him. There was no denying his talent. His ambition was seductive when he urged ‘Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough.’ He offered something to everybody on ‘Thriller,’ which may have been the most strategic crossover album to date.
MJ wasn’t just an oldschool show-business expert who could sing and dance onstage in real time; he was also more than ready for the music-video era, turning his songs into high-concept video clips. His dance moves were angular and twitchy, hinting at digital stops and starts rather than analog fluidity — except, of course, for his famous moonwalk, the image of someone striding gracefully without ever leaving centerstage. The world-beating success of ‘Thriller’ was MJ's triumph and burden. He had the sales, the Grammy Awards, the screaming audiences in every country he toured. MJ never stopped being catchy, but behind the sheen some of the songs grew darker and stranger. But, no matter how harsh some of his critics might be on his social behavior, he'll always be billed as the King of Pop.