Thank you for the music and the great memories it helped create.

The entertainment industry is still reeling in the wake of Michael Jackson’s premature death. The 50-year-old King of Pop passed away around 2:00pm PST on June 25, ostensibly as the result of cardiac arrest.

Jackson was American, but his music captivated fans all over the world. Guinness World Records estimates that his 1982 album Thriller sold 51 million copies globally, more than any other album in history. Although the iconic performer was arguably the most famous man on earth in the 1980s, more recently he had suffered a string of troubles, including that infamous 2005 child molestation trial. His last concert tour was in 1997 and his final album, Infamous, was released in 2001.

Jackson’s death is made even more tragic because it came just as he was about to attempt a comeback – in July, the artist was slated to begin performing in a run of concerts at London’s O2 Arena that would have continued until March 2010. Rumour had it that he then would have embarked on a worldwide tour that may have brought him to Macau’s Venetian Hotel.

Regardless of his erratic behavior, Michael Jackson was one of the few musicians who can justifiably be labelled a superstar. Here, local music veterans speak to bc about Jackson’s legacy and what his music means to them...

‘Sad that the biggest pop icon in modern history is dead. MJ was a superb performer and singer at the height of his fame. He grew up famous and led a really strange life with lots of sad things happening in it. I like his voice. I like his songs. He is imprinted onto musical history just like Elvis and the Beatles. RIP.’
- Chris B, The Underground

‘I work sort of late, so I got up around noon, and the first thing I hear is ‘Michael Jackson is dead.’ I couldn’t believe it… He’s had such a long string of hits. Just look at the fact that he’s got several volumes of greatest hits, and then you go back to the hits that he had as a member of the Jackson Five. He was a very significant and very legendary artist. And when you compare – I would never knock today’s artists, but very few, if any, will be remembered decades down the road, certainly not 100 years from now. But Michael Jackson will stand out with the Elvises and the Elton Johns and the Beatles and so on as someone influential and as someone who was huge.’
- Anders Nelsson, musician

‘He’s popular around the world, and to many generations who have been familiar with his music. And he died at 50, which is quite a premature death. His music will live on, of course. He’s arguably even more wide-reaching than the Beatles, Prince or the Rolling Stones.’
- Andrew Dembina, music producer

‘MJ has had a big influence on me. His music initially attracted me towards the entertainment arena; the singing, dancing and flaunting was just so fascinating to see while growing up. However, I’ve only come as far as being a DJ who doesn’t know how to sing or dance. MJ created a musical world for so many that he will never be forgotten. His words, grooves and style have genuinely affected lives around the world.’
- Arun Ramanathan, DJ

‘I grew up listening to him, and his songs were quite a big part of our lives as teenagers. One of the first albums, Bad, was probably the first album that me and my brother heard of Michael Jackson’s. We got a gift set of Bad and just listened to that over and over again. The people that liked his music will always like his music. Obviously, the controversies that he’s had, people will still remember that as well.’
- Ben Tse, The Lovesong

‘I think his impact on me as a musician and vocalist and artist is great, for sure. Just glancing through my Facebook newsfeed, it’s pretty obvious that he’s had a big impact on a lot of people in my generation, just because of the music that was popular as we were growing up. I have memories of going to a friend’s house and watching the newest Michael Jackson video on MTV. I think that shaped a lot of that early adolescent period of my life. He’s obviously proven that you can do some pretty crazy stuff and really not have a negative impact on your sales.’
- Jeff Caylor, musician