Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

Unlike many of my peers I didn't have the famous swimsuit poster on my wall during the 1970's - I was a traditionalist and had Marilyn Monroe's 'Seven Year Itch' which would later be joined by Debbie Harry and Kate Bush. Farrah wasn't my favourite 'Angel', that honour(?) went to Kate Jackson as the sensible and intelligent Sabrina Duncan.

Nevertheless it's always sad to hear of the death of somebody who was there as part of your adolescence and part of those Saturday nights when Dr.Who and The Generation Game weren't showing over on good old BBC1.

It's always interesting watching and listening to the media reaction when somebody who has lived their life as publicly as Michael Jackson dies. Jackson didn't have the 'normal' childhood that most of us took for granted and his induction into the family 'business' at an early age also meant that he never had a proper adolescence, the chance to grow-up in private was taken away from him as he toured the world with firstly his brothers and latterly as a solo superstar.

Michael Jackson's finest musical moment for me was on the Jackson Five's I Want You Back, I can remember in the mid seventies just after The Damned released New Rose one of the NME scribes stating that it was the first 'loud' single to be released since the 1970 release by the pop group from Gary, Indiana. The infectious singing by MJ and the rich harmonies by his brothers make it the perfect pop single.

I'm not sure that Michael Jackson had recorded anything worthwhile over the past twenty five years but that doesn't make him unique, Stevie Wonder hasn't either but unlike Jackson the boy who first came to prominence as a child prodigy was able to grow-up out of the public glare. Jackson's musical mountain was conquered with the release of Off The Wall, the album that most critics cite as his best. Ironically Jackson was so pissed off with the lack of awards that it's release garnered that he set about recording an album that he wanted the critics, public and musical big wigs to acknowledge as a masterpiece. That album was off course the biggest selling album of all-time: Thriller.

Certain sections of the media turned against him, trying to portray him as a child molesting freak, somebody who wanted to change his appearance through the use of cosmetic surgery, somebody who dangled babies from hotel windows, slept in an oxygen tent, had a monkey as his best mate and lived the life of a self-styled Peter Pan. His fans though stuck by him as the speed of the tickets flying out of the window at the O2 arena box office for his UK concerts testified. He will alas not be playing those gigs, the cause of his death remains a mystery and will no doubt lead to new conspiracy theories. It seems those who spend their working lives seeking to give us pleasure must also satisfy our most basic desires after their death, it is no longer a question of when and where but how and why.

'Friends' will appear in front of the camera and on the radio and, for a cheque, will tell tales, an industry will grow, album sales increase - even now there is talk that instead of refunds being given for the O2 gigs special commemorative tickets will be offered instead. In years to come all the hoo-hah surrounding his life will be forgotten and people will celebrate his music and surely when any artist dies that is all we, as paying public, have the right to do.