Michael Jackson brought me so much happiness
Jun 27 2009 by Mieka Smiles
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HOW do you react when you hear that your childhood idol has died? Disbelief was the first emotion when my mum phoned me with the news, quickly followed by shock and now just immense sadness.
And, with the risk of sounding melodramatic, I think the words ‘Michael Jackson is dead’ will take quite a while to sink in.
I have been a Michael Jackson fan since I was a little girl and his music has brought me and millions of others across the globe years of joy and happiness.
I can remember obsessively watching his videos – particularly Thriller and Smooth Criminal – in awe and dreaming of one day getting the opportunity to see him live. The fainting of fans, the swaying of candles to Man in the Mirror and the general craziness that surrounds a Michael Jackson concert was something I so wanted to be a part of.
I think I was 13 when it was announced that he would be coming to London for the HIStory World Tour.
My dad moved heaven and earth to get me and my best friend Vicki tickets and then drive us down there to see Michael perform his greatest hits on stage.
We queued at Wembley Arena from 6am, thinking 12 hours sitting on concrete steps with no food or water was small price to pay to see our idol in the flesh. Of course we were the first in line. The concert organisers took pity on us and put us in a VIP area, just metres from the stage.
So, was it worth it? Yes a thousand times. It’s a memory that will last a lifetime and one that I hope to regale time and time again to any children I might be blessed with.
Sadly in the last 15 years or so Michael’s personal life has been dogged with accusations of the worst kind. But for me at least it’s always been easy to separate the music from the madness, as I hope others will now do. So from me and your fans, rest in peace Michael – a legend who will never be replaced.
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