Michael Jackson's moves, music remembered

Reference : http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=405547

Michael Jackson's moves, music remembered
6/26/2009 10:05:02 AM

By Mike Klein
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
Just as Elvis Presley's death was imprinted on an earlier generation, many today will remember where they were when they heard Michael Jackson died.
"I was on the bus on my way back from Milwaukee, where I'd gone to see the Twins play," said Brent Ackerman, 47, operations manager at Cumulus Radio in Rochester, whose stations include KROC-FM.
Jackson, the 50-year-old musical superstar, died Thursday, just as he was preparing for a series of 50 concerts starting July 13 at London's 02 arena.
He died at UCLA Medical Center after apparently suffering a heart attack at his rented home in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him. His brother Jermaine said an autopsy was being done today.
Pam Burchill, 35, of Rochester, remembers dancing to Jackson's music at junior high dances, repeatedly renting "The Making of Thriller" and trying to learn the moonwalk in front of a mirror.
And today, her two children ages 3 and 5 love to dance around to Jackson's "Thriller" album.
"Once it's starts playing, soon you standing and dancing," Burchill said. "You just can't help it, which is probably why I love that music so much."
She was glued the television Thursday night, watching shows remembering his life.
"It's a sad day, and it's more sad because of where his life had gone," Burchill said. "People wanted him to be happy. I wanted him to come back and get it together."
Ackerman, 47, said Jackson, whose "Thriller" remains the best-selling album ever and who is credited with changing the music video into a storytelling format, was a cultural phenomenon, one of the few people to actually change popular music.
"When it came to pop music, he definitely was a trailblazer," Ackerman said. "He inspired many of today's artists. He was an icon."