Michael, Michael, Michael.  What can one say?  Yes, he is arguably ths most successful pop entertainer of the last half-century.  And, yes, he became so odd and wierd in the past 20+ years.

But, I was always a huge MJ fan.  I grew up on his music — and I loved “”Off the Wall” and “Thriller.”   I did like the Jackson 5 music as well as some of his later albums, but those two albums were the favorites.

I DJ’ed for over 15 years, including DJ’ing over 500 wedding receptions.   I used to always say that Michael Jackson was a dj’s best friend since if you have played his music, you could get the dance floor going (especially at wedding receptions).

I also worked in promotions and marketing at a few Washington, DC radio stations.   Since concerts were a big part of our job, I’ve probably attended 150 – 200 concerts, but I can easily place Michael’s concerts at the top of the list.  Nothing else really came close.

The way he moved and danced on the stage was incredible — the fans would shriek with joy and amazement (it might have been how the fans reacted to the Beatles in concert in the ’60’s).

I’ve seen many, many great acts (U2, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Who, Janet Jackson, Dave Matthews and on and on), but none matched the fervor of a MJ concert.

So, although he was out of the limelight the past few years … and although he did so many wierd and odd things, the memories I will take away are those two dynamic albums and the memorable concerts I was fortunate to see.

RIP, Michael.