The Cullen Press

Last year, I remembered crying a lot. I was stunned and I thought I was going to cry for days. I was crying for a man who will never know I existed. However we all know this man. He was Heath Ledger. Never will I forget the James Dean of our era.

This year another set of news rocked the world. And he was the icon of all eras. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson and also a fallen angel, Farrah Fawcett. She lost her battle of cancer just before The King lost his battle of life.

Looking back, Farrah Fawcett was a true Hollywood success story. Winning a campus beauty contest got her noticed by an agent, who encouraged her to pursue acting. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles and her healthy, all-American blond beauty was immediately noticed. She quickly got roles in various television commercials for such products as Ultra-Brite toothpaste, and Wella Balsam shampoo, and also made appearances in some TV series.

She got a taste of major success when she won a supporting role in the science fiction film Logan’s Run (1976). She came to the attention to the highly successful producer Aaron Spelling, who was impressed by her beauty and vivacious personality. That won her a role in the TV series “Charlie’s Angels” (1976). She played a private investigator who works for a wealthy and mysterious businessman, along with two other glamorous female detectives, played by Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith. The show immediately became the most popular series on television, earning record ratings and a huge audience. All three actresses became very popular, but Farrah became by far the best known. She was America’s sweetheart, and found herself on every celebrity magazine and pursued by photographers and fans. While she enjoyed the success and got along well with her co-stars (both of whom were also of Southern origin), she found the material lightweight. Besides the stardom, like many normal human being, she faced the ups and downs of life too such as a divorce from actor Lee Major, a battered relationship with James Orr, a long relationship with Ryan O Neal and devastatingly so her battle of cancer. She has been battling cancer from 2006 and was declared cancer free in 2007. However, the cancer returned and she was hospitalised this year, her condition critical. She breathed her last today, 25th of June 2009 at 62. For us she will always be remembered as a Charlie’s Angel, the American Sweetheart and the woman who fought hard against cancer.

Meanwhile, King of Pop, Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958 and has been entertaining audiences nearly his entire life. By the early 60s the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964 Michael and Marlon had joined in.

A musical prodigy, Michael’s singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of “The Jackson 5.” An opening act for such soul groups as the O-Jays and James Brown, it was Gladys Knight (not Diana Ross) who officially brought the group to Berry Gordy’s attention, and by 1969 the boys were producing back-to-back chartbusting hits as Motown artists. As a product of the 70s, the boys had emerged as one of the most accomplished black pop/soul vocal groups in music history, successfully evolving from a Temptations-like group act to a disco phenomenon.

Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 80s he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group. Record sales consistently orbited, culminating in the biggest-selling album of all time, “Thriller.” A TV natural, he ventured rather uneasily into films, such as playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz (1978), but had better luck with elaborate music videos.

In the 90s the down side as an 80s pop phenomenon began to show. Michael grew terribly child-like and introverted by his celebrity. A rather timorous, androgynous figure to begin with, his physical appearance began to change drastically and his behavior grew alarmingly bizarre, making him a consistent target for scandal-making, despite his numerous charitable acts. Two brief marriages — one to Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley — were forged and two children produced by his second wife during that time, but the purposes were obviously image oriented. Despite it all, Michael Jackson’s skills as a singer, dancer, writer and businessman are unparalleled, and it is these prodigious talents that will ultimately prevail over the extremely negative aspects of his seriously troubled life.

The news of his passing came early morning (Singapore time). I was awaken by my mom who told me he was gone. I was shock not as shock as the Heath Ledger tragedy but shock nonetheless. CNN was the channel of the morning. A few minutes later, it was confirmed The King died of cardiac arrest. I could feel the devastation of the world.

The King was the first of everything. I may not be in touch with the world of Farrah Fawcett but I was certainly in the world of Michael Jackson. I grew up with his music. My favourite song was Beat It among many others. Until today, I listen to his songs. He remains one of my favourite artistes, a once living legend. Despite the accusations, the troubled life he drown himself in, nothing will waived his kind of legend. He was in the world of his own and for that I connected with Michael Jackson. Nothing will overshadow his superstar talent. There will be none like him.  In his own words, he will always be Peter Pan. Your music will always be in our heart.

Here at chasingcullens, our heart and condolences goes to the family of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. They will be remembered as the way they should be, nothing more, nothing less. May you rest in peace.

Death is, sometimes, the only way, to ease such a certain pain.