I know some have said they are sick of the over-coverage of the passing of MJ. But I think as everyone bids farewell for the final send off to MJ today at his memorial service, I wanted to express a few things about MJ and his impact. As a nerdy, little Asian kid growing up in the 80’s, MJ had a profound impact on me. I remember when ‘Thriller’ first came out and I listened to that cassette tape on my boombox until the tape got ruined. They say he represented the broad cross-over and for me, he was just that. I can’t remmeber what kind of music I listened to (except classical) before MJ. And after MJ’s ‘Thriller’, that’s when I started to listen to other black artists and just other types of music in general. During this time, I was taking classical piano lessons learning from Chopin to Bach and then I discovered ‘Billie Jean’. I wanted to learn this song so bad that I begged my classical piano teacher to teach me how to play ‘Billie Jean’ on the piano. Hence, the cross-over from classical into pop music. Before I was exposed to the Beatles, before Depeche Mode, and before U2, it was all MJ and I’ll never forget the impact he had on me. He was testament to how much influence he had on music, pop culture, and even race. At the height of his popularity, he was loved by people around the globe.

Today will be the final send off to MJ. I think it’s truly fitting for the world to gather for just a moment and pay respects to a person who was so gifted, talented, and special. Icons like MJ only come once in a lifetime. MJ’s life is a story of triumph, of celebration, and of tragedy. Life goes on and time never stops. But at least for a few minutes, we can reminesce about his music and his legacy.

R.I.P. M.J.