“God damn it.” That was my first thought when I first caught word that Michael Jackson had suffered a heart attack earlier today. Like many, I kept my eye on Twitter for updates, all the while hoping for the best. Seriously, in what kind of sick sad world could we lose Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson on the same day?  TMZ was the first to report his death, and it was eventually confirmed by the LA Times.

By now it’s probably not worth rehashing the events of today any further. Those of you who care are already thoroughly depressed, and those of you who don’t have probably clicked away. I don’t even consider myself a diehard fan, but I thought a few words are in order for the passing of a man who has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.

First off, he helped shape what was cool in the 80’s, which is most clearly seen in Miami Vice (produced by Michael Mann). Consider the following clip from the series pilot:

It’s probably hard for someone who hasn’t lived through the 80s to grasp the fact that Jackson was once considered a badass. Another iconic representation of this is the Martin Scorsese directed music video for Bad (here’s a Youtube link to the 7-min version of the video):

Jackson also had a penchant for the cinematic, which perfectly coincided with the rise of MTV and music videos in the early 80s. The John Landis-directed video for Thriller is a prime example:

Landis also went on to direct the video for Black or White.

The saddest aspect of Jackson’s death to me is that he never got the chance to overcome all of the gossip and controversy surrounding his personal life and wow us again as an entertainer. His last album, Invincible, certainly didn’t accomplish that, and I always thought it would make for a helluva comeback story.