At 3:07 PM today, my friend Danielle texted me the news. My heart immediately started pounding in my chest. I didn't want to believe it. MJ is gone.

Having been born too late to remember his golden years, I grew up just like many of you, in a world where Michael Jackson wasn't "The King of Pop" but rather "Wacko Jacko," a bizarre man with a laundry list of eccentricities, sequestering himself away in his mysterious Neverland Ranch. The image of a little boy with the huge Afro singing his heart out on The Ed Sullivan Show or the memory of a strapping young man breathtakingly gliding across the stage at Motown 25 had already begun to fade away from public consciousness forever. I think Entertainment Weekly put it best when they named Michael as one of the top 10 greatest entertainers of all time:

"That the name Michael Jackson doesn't immediately conjure such images—that he more often inspires thoughts these days of a freakish sideshow act—is entertainment's great tragedy. For all the glory of his spectacular showbiz ascent, from wonder child to Epic Thriller, it pales in comparison to his Icarus-like fall."

For years, I used to laugh at the thought of Michael Jackson. Who didn't? He made it so easy for us to poke fun at him with his rampant plastic surgeries, pet monkeys, and allegations of child molestation.

But I distinctly remember that day in high school when my friend Sam and I were cruising down Jeffers Lane in his Dodge Dart when he started playing a familiar song on his CD player. I really liked it and I knew I'd heard it before, so naturally I asked him what it was; it was Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal." Suddenly I grew fascinated with the man's early glory. I wanted to know more about the time when he was "The King of Pop" and not just "Wacko Jacko."

I became obsessed with Michael. I listened to every one of his albums repeatedly. I pored over every one of his music videos. I cranked up "Billie Jean" as I slid around the kitchen in my socks. I got ridiculously giddy over his reunion concert with The Jacksons and replayed the footage over and over and over. I proudly dressed up as Captain EO for Halloween last year. Before long I began to forget his ugly public image... and I grew to appreciate Michael Jackson as the extraordinarily talented stage performer he truly was.

Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)

He was without a doubt one of the greatest, most influential entertainers in history... and he should be remembered exactly as such. Because he's a lot like Star Wars: love him or hate him, you have to respect that he's had an unprecedented, ENORMOUS impact on popular culture. For better or for worse, he changed the world forever.

Rest in peace, King of Pop... and thank you for everything. We'll never be the same without you.