On June 25th, 2009, part of my childhood died...

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.” – Michael Jackson

Say what you will, but I am a huge Michael Jackson fan. When I heard he had died, I immediately had flashbacks of my childhood. Growing up with 3 older siblings, I knew who Michael Jackson was and loved his music. I remember looking through my sister Traci's Michael Jackson sticker album. I recalled her sparkly glove. I remember watching Thriller and being a tiny bit scared. I also remember watching Dangerous with my brother in the family room.

I was sad. It seemed as though when the King of Pop died, so did a piece of my childhood.

This must be how it felt when Elvis died.

So many great Facebook comments were left on the newsfeed. My brother sported my favorite: "Tonight, I will only wear one glove, and it will sparkle in his memory."

When I was in high school, our favorite thing to do was go to Disneyland JUST to watch Captain EO. I think it would only be appropriate to reopen Captain EO as a memorial for Michael Jackson.

(and yes, that IS Angelica Huston)

Sure, people think he is crazy. After all, he is an alleged pedophile (mark the 'alleged' part). There is no doubt that he IS the King of Pop. There is no doubt that he had a HUGE influence on the music industry. There is no doubt that he is a part of my childhood. I will listen to his music forever.

"I can’t find the words right now to express how deeply saddened I am by Michael’s passing. We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones."

- Justin Timberlake

This was his last rehearsal before his death. I TOTALLY would have bought tickets for this tour...