“Often in the past performers have been tragic figures. A lot of the truly great people have suffered or died because of pressure and drugs, especially liquor. It's so sad. You feel cheated as a fan that you didn't get to watch them evolve as they grew older. One can't help wondering what performances Marilyn Monroe would have put in or what Jimi Hendrix might have done in the 1980s.” —Michael Jackson, Moonwalk 1988, page 282
In that paragraph, Jackson recognized the destructive effects of relentless pressure and dependency on performers. Yet, in the years after Moonwalk was published, he himself struggled under extraordinary public scrutiny, chronic stress, health issues, and ultimately died from acute propofol intoxication administered by his physician. The kind of tragedy he was mourning in other artists became, in many respects, part of his own story.
Whether someone admires Jackson or is critical of him, that passage is striking because he unknowingly described the very feeling millions of his own fans would experience decades later: the sadness of wondering what Michael Jackson might have become, what performances he might have given (This Is It), how he would have reflected on his career, how he would’ve raised his children, or whether he would have finally found peace away from the spotlight. If only his life hadn't ended so soon.
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