Kenenter: Remembering Michael Jackson One Year Later

Remembering Michael Jackson One Year Later

6/25/2010 01:20:00 PM

Tomorrow (Friday, Some Places Today) marks the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, and perspective is a funny thing. For some, his eccentricities and scandals have fallen behind louder, happier memories of his music and flair. For others, not so much.

"In death, Michael achieved something he could not in life -- a washing away of the controversies that dogged him and a unity of appreciation for his talent and legacy," David Perel, creator and executive vice president of RadarOnline.com, tells PopEater. "There is a much greater recognition of his role as a family man and devoted father. Much of his music has been rediscovered and a new appreciation for the artist and his immense talent has emerged."

We took to the streets of New York City to find out how the public remembers the King of Pop a year after he left us.

"It's a shame that he's gone. He was a real, incredible talent," one interviewee told us. Another person's first thought? Oddly enough, Jackson's pet monkey, Bubbles.

"I really enjoy hearing him now," a German woman visiting New York said. Another added, "His music lives on after him --he's still on my iPod."

"While we're all still interested in his kids, his eccentricities, and his dysfunctional family, the one thing that binds everyone globally are the songs. In any club in the world, a DJ just has to put on 'Billie Jean' or 'Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough' to get people dancing -- the whole room is charged with electricity," Roger Friedman, the columnist behind ShowBiz411, tells Us. "The bad stuff has fallen away, and Michael's music has become the lasting legacy."

Not all the less savory Michael memories are fully forgotten, though -- particularly the bizarre and unexpected nature of his passing. "Sadly, Michael was the architect of his own demise. He played Russian Roulette with his life," Friedman says. "The victims are his children, who have been left to navigate a very choppy sea. I can only hope they will survive."

RadarOnline's Perel expounds: "Remembering Michael now is a bittersweet experience for many people. His talent and his devotion to his children have become even more starkly apparent, but the factors that led to his death and knowing they were avoidable continues to haunt many. The shock, surprise, pain and anger are still remarkably raw for his fans and others who loved him. The passing of a year seems to have done very little to diminish those emotions everyone felt when first hearing the news."

As long as people are grooving to 'Smooth Criminal' and prisons are collaboratively reenacting the 'Thriller' dance, it seems the anniversary of Jackson's passing will be marked for years to come.

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