Michael Jackson...is dead.

[bmah]

Originally Posted by iluswirl

if I had seen a person I never knew in my life die in the street (which does not have to be a terrible death), I would feel much more terrible over that person's death than Michael Jackson's. Celebrities don't need to be so special.

Certainly, I would feel more bad for someone who never even had the opportunity to take off in life. The reason though why the death of a celebrity is a big deal is because of what they contributed to society. For MJ, it was changing people's perception of music. People liked his music a lot so that's why it's a notable loss. Of course, the death of a random person off the street is, while less noticed, just as sad because that person never had the chance to shine.