Serious said:

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And hundreds of celebs in Europe that we don't know in the states. When P dies he will get a good send off from the African-American community.

midiscover said:

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Don't underestimate the popularity of Motown and a week or two is enough coverage.

In amazement here.....at who doesn't think Prince would have a reaction as MJs or maybe that Madonna would have a bigger deal made over.
I'm sorry but MJ was a great entertainer BUT I've never seen him do the splits, play the guitar, piano or have as many songs as Prince does.
Same w/ Madonna, great entertainer but does she write all of her songs and music?? Does she even have anything to do w/ that? Does she make her dance moves or does someone else tell her what to do on stage????
(scratching head)

shortnsweet said:

none of this has anything to do with how famous they are and what kind of worldwide media impact they will have when they die.

errant said:

Well I can't think of one person in the entertainment industry that doesn't sweat Prince's balls!!

pennylover said:

Are you serious?

shortnsweet said:

well you obviously do if you think his going to as big a news story to the world as MJ's.

errant said:

why yes, yes I do. And you probably do too or why else would you be @ PRINCE.ORG

I don't think so at all. When Prince dies, I see his death being only mentioned on MTV (that is if they still have their news segments). I see VH1 maybe doing a day long marathon with things such as "Purple Rain" and some of the specials that he made for their network during the 1990s. As far as BET goes, I see them showing maybe "Purple Rain" or maybe "Under The Cherry Moon" if they even do that.

Not to mention there is an entire new generation of shit hoppers many of which not only don't like Prince, but never did. The only reason they are all into Michael Jackson right now is because they were propped in front of the television set as infants, toddlers, and pre-teens to watch Michael Jackson as if they were watching "Barney" or "Sesame Street" so a part of their youth has died just like a part of our teenage years has died. Prince was never a part of their youth like Michael Jackson was. When Prince dies, I see very little being done and the world will go back to being shit hop as usual. I was in a club on New Year's Eve of 1998 and of 1999. If any two years should have played "1999" as soon as midnight came, it would have been those two. Instead, all night long was shit hop and when midnight arrived, it was still shit hop as usual.

shortnsweet said:

This really isn't about who's more talented.Prince is a musical genuis/musician but when it comes to global popularity and icon status,he is simply not as popular as MJ or Madonna.His death will be a big deal,but it won't get as much coverage as MJ's death,or Madonna.MJ's memorial service was shown on all the major networks...do you honestly think they would do the same with Prince's memorial?

Popularity definately is the factor. And the world has lowered it's standards so much since the 1990s that even after Prince is gone, people like Tupac or Notorious BIG will be remember much more than him which is a damn shame.

OJ SIMPSON LMAO

Ok, I'm serious, now, What about Jesse "ambulance chaser" Jackson? Do you think people will memorialize him like King?

[quote]

candy2277 said:

I don't want him to die. I'm too happy seeing him in prison.

NDRU said:

I agree with this. No matter when Elvis or Michael had of died they would of got the most attention as they were just the ulitmate as far as fame is concerned, but the fact that they died young made the reaction hysterical. Which is why I think the only other person to get anywhere near this type of reaction will be Madonna. As she is the most worldwide famous person now that Michaels gone. She was his counterpart pop culture wise, like Marilyn was to Elvis.

Although I do know the older she gets the less shocking and tragic is will be. This is horrible but I think if she had of died in 2002 or 2003 she would of been as iconic as Michael, or Marilyn is probably a better comparison, as she has just become too much of a 'normal' popstar since then, less awe inpsiring, less tragic, which is great for her as a person, but in history being happy and fullfilled doesnt make for a great story.

vainandy said:

Whoever's name is getting typed into a search engine the most nowadays will definitely get a big sendoff if that person was to die suddenly and/or tragically. If Britney had died during her meltdown, she would have had a big sendoff because her name topped several search engines last year alone (mostly due to her personal problems and not her actual 'talent').

I think Prince and Madonna will grab headlines when they leave this life for the next because they have left a huge mark on the music industry, but if they were to die suddenly and/or tragically, than I do believe that their sendoffs would be a big deal because there are people who like to jump on the fan bandwagon when someone famous dies unexpectedly.

A perfect example of this is when Aaliyah died. I met soo many people who had never even heard of her and these same individuals rushed to the store to buy her albums. They were never even fans of hers while she was alive and now they were mourning her death...which really pissed me off, to an extent, because I loved her when she was alive and considered many of these people to be 'fake fans caught in the moment'. If you didn't appreciate her in life, don't rush to do it after she's gone because it looks phony and somewhat insulting IMO. She can't enjoy all those album sales now because she doesn't need them anymore where she is.

Man, I remember the day she died. I was in cat dissection lab and my lab partner, who was one of my friends, had the audacity to make this comment to me (she didn't know I was a big fan): "Spoiled brat. She and her friends forced that poor pilot to overload the plane. It's her fault that she's gone now." Man, I had to really talk myself down because I was 5 seconds away from jumping across that table and slapping the dog shit out of her. Regardless of what she thought, any pilot with a brain would have told all of them 'no', but that wasn't the case and all those people lost their lives due to that pilot's bad and irresponsible judgment call. I would have told them all 'no' and if they would have insisted, I would have refused to fly the plane and told them to find another pilot. If it had been Jesus Christ Himself, I would have told Him 'no', because I refuse to risk my life for some suitcases and extra people when I know it's exceeding the plane's weight capacity, but that pilot was coked out of his mind and wasn't even supposed to be flying due to his license being either suspended or revoked (can't remember). Totally preventable tragedy. She should still be here and out acting Beyonce's no acting behind.

If Michael had passed away at the age of 86 in his sleep, I don't believe it would have been that blown out of proportion, but he died at only 50 and very suddenly and tragically, so a big deal was going to be made...same goes for Princess Diana, John Lennon, Biggie, Tupac, JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and Kurt Cobain, who all got shitloads of media coverage and outpourings of sympathy despite some of the questionable things they did during their short lives. Hell, Natasha Richardson, who I had never even heard of, got a lot of media coverage after her sudden death earlier this year. E! Network just recently did a True Hollywood Story on her and she wasn't what many consider to be a popular actress, but her tragic death thrust her into the spotlight. It's the way a public figure leaves this world that can be a huge factor in how their sendoff will be.

Like someone above posted, if Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Rihanna, or any other popular star was to die suddenly, it would be a big media story, but if they go out like Ed McMahon who was 86 and in failing health, they would be reduced to a sidenote because death is a part of life and if you die at an old age due to old age problems, it's not really that big of a deal, because death happens to everyone in this world.

In Michael's case, he has such a large fanbase and soo many people in the entertainment industry have emulated him that his sendoff may have been big even if he had died of natural causes. Giving almost 45 years of one's life to the industry warrants a big deal funeral in my opinion even if he hadn't died soo soon. He helped mold the framework for what pop music has become and that's a pretty big deal because pop music is a big deal, but that's just my

I think that something that is really missing in this discussion about who will be grieved and why, is a look at how an entertainer interacted with their fans.

MJ and Elvis both made it really clear just how much they loved and needed their fans where as an artist like Prince almost goes out of his way to antagonize their fans except when on stage. Many celebrities work really hard to maintain their privacy and this forces to keep a certain distance from their fans.

Think about it and you will have no problem bringing to mind a picture of MJ or Elvis stopping to greet their fans and sign autographs. That connection is a huge part of how they are grieved. Think of Prince and his fans and it brings to mind lawsuits and broken cameras.

MJ and Elvis "shared" a love with their fans allowing their to be a greater level of personal grief at their passing. I can't think of any other artists who maintained that relationship with their fans.

As I said in an earlier post, I can't think of anyone right now who will ever gain the attention of Michael or Elvis, but that is just because that person has made it on the scene yet. Hopefully someone will come along soon who breaks down all the barriers in current pop music and takes it all somewhere new AND loves their fans as much as their fans love them.

Of course, an argument can be made that artists reliance on that unbridled love from their fans is ultimately what kills them...
[Edited 7/16/09 13:59pm]

Its sad when people pass away, but the fact that Michael Jackson just passed away.Its affected me a lot I've never felt this sad for any celebrity before.

I haven't read all the responses, so was probably already stated, but I definitely think Paul McCartney, especially if he dies after Ringo, and is, therefore, the last Beatle to die.

I don't know if the hysteria will be in the same vein as Jackson hysteria, but the media coverage will be intense and the the number of stories offering retrospectives of the Beatles and their place in music history will be overwhelming.

LOL, hardly anyone will mourn Oprah imo. I heard that she's not even big outside the U.S.

Oh yeah regarding large public reaction in terms of someone's death no doubt, legendary singers like

Aretha Franklin
Stevie Wonder
Madonna
Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr
Mick Jagger

suga10 said:

I don't think any celebrity would get the type of outpouring of grief and coverage, simply because I think MJ appealed to so many people of different ages and backgrounds all over the world. A lot of people also grew up being fans of Michael since they were kids and grew up watching him as a kid as well, so there's a big nostalgia factor there.

The only celebrities I can think of though who would come close to this type of coverage are Madonna and Paul McCartney.

Possibly Michael Jordan and Ali as well, but yeah Madge and Paul are the only one's I can really think of that can compare.

It's very complex..

If Michael had lived to be 75 years and died quietly in the night, yes he would have been missed, but not like this.

If he had contracted cancer and died in a slow and media haunted fashion, then once again, not like this.

He died with everyone looking at him to go in to action. He was 50 and about to blaze the stage one last time.

We have been robbed, and like all great robberies it comes unexpectantly and at a high cost.

So it is a phenominal death.

lowkey said:

Exactly! Michael had to have the most diverse fanbase of all time.

I was out there at The Apollo myself when they had a tribute to Michael for two days. There were blocks and blocks of people waiting on line. Pretty much everyone had an MJ t-shirt on, his music was blasting everywhere. There were MJ murals all over. Stores actually shut down and had signs saying "We Miss You Michael" in front. I have never seen anything like it. The day I went it was raining, pouring heavy but no one got off line except to get some shelter and they went right back to waiting. I saw people of all ages and races there that day. It was incredible the impact MJ had. No one gave a damn! about the scandals in that line, I know I didn't. MY ass still couldn't even get in to the see the tribute there were so many people, but we were all there because of MJ's music and contributions to pop culture. You don't attract this many people because of your "bizarre" lifestyle. Maybe that's what kept him in the headlines lately, but in the end, it's all about the music for a lot of us. I wasn't there because I was fascinated with any drama in his life. Michael was such a big part of my childhood, as he was for many people, his music really touched me. That's why I was there.

And actually think back to how huge he was in the 80's, there weren't many scandals going on with him aside from the minor plastic surgery. If he had died back then it would have been HUGE news as well, so it has nothing to do with his lifestyle at all or any scandals. People who say that just don't understand Michael's impact.

But I believe Michael would have gotten a lot of coverage no matter what. No, he wouldn't have gotten as much coverage if he had died at lets say 80 years old, but it would have still been a big deal no matter what age he passed at. Just look at James Brown. He was in his 70's and his death got a lot of coverage. It wouldn't any different for Michael.

kalelvisj said:

Hmmm interesting, but I have to agree about both Elvis and Michael being good to their fans. That is one thing that made MJ's passing in particular so hard for me. People I know always ask me why I love Michael Jackson so much and they've been asking me that for years, but that is definitely one of the reasons. I feel like Michael really always showed a lot of appreciation for his fans. I never heard of him refusing to sign autographs or being nasty or rude, he would always make the time. He'd even call fans up or just chat with them, even little things like sending them pizza and drinks if they were waiting outside his hotel to see him. Yeah some people think both MJ and his fans are crazy and that's fine, but it was a special relationship and love that MJ had for his fans and vice versa. He made you feel like you knew him personally and was always very grateful for all the support, as was Elvis. Elvis was an upstanding guy and always seemed to be very respectful to his fans as well and I respect that. I've never heard of him being nasty or rude to people either.

On the other hand I agree that I feel like maybe they both lived too much for the fans and the adoration. That certainly isn't healthy, but either way as fan of Michael, I always appreciated how kind he was to his fans.
[Edited 7/16/09 19:37pm]

Madonna

The main reason why MJ's death is getting such a large world reaction is because of the way he passed. Kind of like Kurt Cobain and Bob Marley when they passed away unexpectedly. But if he were to pass at like 70+ I don't think the reaction would be this way.

trueiopian said:

ehuffnsd said:

Thats kind of a pointless thing to say, as its obvious, and it would be the same for any celebrity. Elvis and Marilyn wouldnt have got their reaction if they had of died in old age. Or Princess Di. No one would

The point is even if anyone else, including Madonna, had of died young or unexpectedly, they still wouldnt of got the reaction Michael did. But I still think Madonna is the person who will be the most mourned celebrity after Michael
[Edited 7/16/09 20:58pm]

Michael Jackson was likely the most famous person in the world. There are few people in the world that can match the span of his influence and importance in global popular culture and only a few can match this type of global outpouring in death.

his life was ruled by tabloid and therefore his death made a big splash. tabloids love controversial ppl. There is saying even bad news is aslo good news. He has always been controversial even in the 80s but he went over the top in the 90s thats when he lost all this fans. Death always ignites forgiveness for a certain amount of time but over the long run his legal problems will always used in the same sentence as his music. i think he blamed his dad for everything but he has been a grown man for a long time. His dad didnt inject all the drugs into him. Inducing coma so he could sleep thats too much
[Edited 7/16/09 22:56pm]