After the shocking news of Michael Jackson’s passing on Thursday afternoon, many celebs released statments to the media. Here are a few from some of Michael’s closest friends and some of the musicians/artists that were directly inspired by him.
Quincy Jones: “I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words.Divinity brought our souls together on The Wiz and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the 80′s.
To this day, the music we created together on “Off The Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication.
He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever.
I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
Chris Brown: “Michael Jackson is the reason why I do music and why I am an entertainer. I am devastated by this great loss, and I will continue to be humbled and inspired by his legacy. My prayers are with his family. Michael will be deeply missed, but never forgotten. He’s the greatest… the best ever. No one will ever be better. ”
Click here to view Chris Brown’s tribute to MJ at the WMA’s back in ’07.
Usher: “This loss has deeply saddened me, with a heavy heart I composed this statement. May God cover you Michael. We all lift your name up in prayer. I pray for the entire JACKSON family particularly Michael’s mother and all his fans that loved him so much. I would not be the artist, performer, and philanthropist I am today without the influence of Michael. I have great admiration and respect for Him and I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to meet and perform with such a great entertainer In so many ways he transcended culture. He broke barriers, he changed radio formats! With music, he made it possible for people like Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama to impact the mainstream world. His legacy is unparalleled Michael Jackson will never be forgotten.”
Elizabeth Taylor: “Dame Elizabeth Taylor is too devastated by the passing of her dear friend Michael Jackson to issue a statement at this time.”
Taylor, who was a close and dear friend to Jackson for several years, was the one who dubbed him the “King of Pop.”
Paul McCartney: “I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever and my memories of our time together will be happy ones.”
Madonna: “I can’t stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever!My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless.”
Read more celebrity comments and reactions to MJ’s passing here.
Its good that they reconize his influence on their careers..
Rip Michael Jackson
R.I. P MJ. your music will live on and you will always be with us!!!! Greatest Performer ever!!!!
I AM STILL IN SHOCKED…..
rip to MJ…side note.. how dare usher refer toh imself as a “philantrophist”?…..really??
Ucommenting on Michael jackson he need to be commenting on his divorce with tameka… RIP MJ. I have a question was billy jean a real person or just a song. Curious minds want to know.
michael we will always love you, RIP :S
*********They said Madonna was actually trying to hook up a show to do with him for ************one of the London shows. I still can’t believe it.
An ICON has passed away I never thought of The King passing. I am devasted by the news I still can’t believe it RIP to him.I will love him forever!!!!
Hopefully now Michael will get the respect he deserves, for his HUGE contribution to music. There has never been and will never be another King of Pop.
Something about Usher’s statement seems like it was straight from his publicist, not his words.
Michael Jackson was a great entertainer and his music will out live all of us because he made classic songs that people love. Its good to get positive feedback from the entertainment world and society since he has influenced so many of them. My heart goes out to his family, its always sad when someone loses a family member.
tv.girl77 – What do you mean “now he will get the respect he deserve”? One thing you can say with Michael is that he got his respect when he was still alive. He has been acknowledged many times by his peers, fans and everyone in between.
…I st…i still can’t believe it. I’m sitting at work in my cubicle crying. When i first h……….heard the very sad news i was listening to the radio in my car on my way home from…….. work…The first song that came to my head was “Rock with You” son…… too emotional and i was crying in my car. R.I.P Michael you will always be ……..remembered. My parents couldnt believe it either, they were shocked we all ………grew up with his music and, he is the reason for music great music….
……………Michael we love you!
Love MJ but if there is a tribute to him and cb is not in it I will be sadd….
even tho this is a sad day in american history lets not forget about the WRONG he did and the pain he caused to others…
love you michael i will only have positive memories of you
My heart is shattered still! can’t believe it! i feel like its my own family member that passed, my heart and prayers is with his family! only thr Thriller album and Off The Wall will be coming from car and house this weekend :’(
RIP…give B.I.G a hug 4 me up there
Oh how he will be greatly missed!
RIP King Michael!
I am incredibly sad. Rest In Peace Michael, You will never be forgotten.
What a lot of folks don’t know about Usher is that he gives thousands of dollars every year to many charities. Not only that he is a strong and intelligent communicator so he does not need anyone (not even a publicist) to craft a statement from him. One need only look at his career and you can see the enormous impact that Michael obviously had on him, so his words came from his pen and his heart. Stop hating!
I’m so sad that Michael Jackson is gone. I can’t believe I’m actually in tears over someone who I have never met, but nevertheless feel so such a strong connection to because of his music. You will live on forever Mike. Your music and legacy will live on forever!!!
If Chris Brown ever wanted to make a comeback, now is the time to do it. I hope to see him do a tribute to Mike on the BET awards this Sunday. He’s probably the only one who can.
R.I.P Michael Jackson, we love you and you are deeply missed. You are the greatest and there will never be another you all when your kids have there kids and there kids have kids there still aint going to be another person like you MJ you are a Legend not to me but to the WORLD. All the best to MJ family we are all sharing this moment together.
Love MJ always and forever
ChrisBrown SHOULD PERFORM AT BET AWARD’S MJ TRIBUTE SIGN THE PETITION NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://twitition.com/vhhj3
……………@4cinderella…do you even know what a philanthropist is??? it means:
…….. …….Patron, Humanitarian, generous donor, Good hearted person..
…………………..READ A BOOK SOMETIME………ignaorant…and this isnt the time
…………….be bashing either.
…………..All this is just too much.
…………..I jus know his family is crushed….wow.
………….. Hey CL, did Diana Ross say anything related to MJ’s death?? I kno they
…………..were close.
Love Love Love MJ. RIP
Love Love Love MJ. RIP
I am si sorry to hear of Michaels passing. I am glad that people in the music industry have respect enough to realize how much of an influence he was in music, dance, and mainstream alone! Heaven alreadsy has so many greats already so I guesss God needed another headliner. I can see the billing now
MELODIES FROM HEAVEN
feat
Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Johnnie Taylor, Left Eye
Big Pun and Aaliyah and B.I.G.
Tupac and Luther
and
Starring MICHAEL JACKSON
I’m sure Doctor Mattie Moss Clark is the music director and Sammi Davis Jr. has the choreography.
RIP Michael Jackson. We are going to truly miss you!
Its good to see these other artists paying respect to Michael I wonder if Paul McCartney will get the Beatles masters back but as I watch all this media coverage and videos by him I realize that all the music that I listen and all the dance routines in videos where dancers are really dancing comes from Michael. Music is what it is today because of this man and we all know everyone dies eventually but this is truly sooo sad.
?Th This MAn gave us his life ! !! ! ! ! his music will always live on ! !! ! ! just like it has! ! ! ! ! !
MAN, I BEEN UP ALL NIGHT SAD AS HELL! I SERIOUSLY FEEL LIKE I LOST FAMILY FOR REAL. AND TO THINK JUST LAST SATURDAY, MY DJ, MY BABY MANNIE FRESH PLAYED SOME CLASSIC MJ, ROCK WITH U AND DONT STOP TILL U GET ENOUGH. I WAS ON THAT DANCE FLOOR DOING THE SNAKE AND ROBOT LIKE CRAZY WHILE I WAS FEELING MY WINE! I LOVE U MICHAELLLLLLLLL! THEY PLAYING HUMAN NATURE RIGHT NOW ON THE RADIO! DAMN THIS HURTS! GOD BLESS HIS FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FANS EVERYWHERE!
Michael is the KIng and NO ONE will ever take his spot. I am still in shock!!
eveything usher said was so true..I will miss him very much.Another legend is called to heaven..I also hope usher,beyonce,ciara,chris ,ri ri,&lloyd pay a tribute to him at the bet awards
I tried to just say, well its sad hes gone and move on, but its affected me more than I even realized. This man was a legend and impacted so many lives and careers. The sad part was watching how he enjoyed being on stage, yet his life off the stage was no so great. Man its just real sad this man had to live like that. At least now nobody can hurt this man ever again. RIP MJ.
@ 12 yeah, but the same people (celebrities) turned their backs on him and didn’t come to his aid or defense during the rough patches in his career either, so that says a lot about the industry. Al Sharpton made a similar comment on Larry King last night. So, I totally agree with what #9 said.
I truly see none of these comments except for Quincy and Elizabeth Taylor’s as being more authentic, maybe Usher or Chris Brown since they are the youngins that looked up to him…everything else is based on human emotion and sympathy nothing more. I mean listen to Paul, still bitter about the Beatles thing, referring to him as a ‘boy man’…WTF? I read a comment by Beyonce that I’m sure she couldn’t possibly have formulated on her own since she can barely talk…beautiful words, but this is the same person that shitted on him in a comment ref. him and his family/up bringing on MTV when B’Day was released back in 2006. But give respect now? Please…
I’m only believing the words of true fans, and his family, about his impact and lives that he touched. These celebs can kiss my ass.
I UNDERSTAND THAT PPL ARE UPSET WITH CHRIS BROWN BUT HE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO PERFORM A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON!! HE IS THE CLOSEST THING TO MICHAEL I HAVE SEEN!!
Oh gosh, oh gosh…I’m still wishing that this is all a dream!
I remember when I saw Usher performing with Micheal. That was when Usher was still in his prime and although I Loved Usher at that time, the big smile on my face was not from Usher…it was from seeing Michael perform.
I remember Usher bumped into him as they were performing on stage and I’m like booooy…don’t you knock Michael Jackson down!! LOL! One of many happy memories. R.I.P MJ!!!!!
P.S. That dress that Liz Taylor has on in that pic is GORGEOUS!!
I REALLY HOPE THESE YOUNG CELEBRITIES(BLACK AND WHITE) TAKE HEED TO THIS TRAGIC SITUATION
STOP CONSTANTLY CHASING FAME…ENJOY YOUR BLESSING
YES, ITS GREAT TO LOVE WHAT YOU DO AND WORK HARD AT IT…BUT DON’T MAKE IT YOUR ENTIRE LIFE CAUSE SOONER OR LATER YOUR GONNA HAVE TO PASS THE MIC…
LEARN HOW TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE FAME
I can’t believe he is no longer with us, but the Bible says tomorrow is not promised to no one. You def should live your life to the fullest and cherish each day.. If there is a tribute performance to MJ on the BET awards, Chris Brown is the only performer who can pull it off. He’s the best entertainer that there is out there now. All judgment aside about his personal life, you have to admit CB killed it at the WMA’s performance in 2007.
As twisted as this may sound…Chris Brown is one lucky bastard! His name is the first thing that the celebs are saying that was most influenced by MJ. MJ’s death will overshadows the Chris Brown situation….So when he comes out, he might come on top again!*smh* Dont get mad, I am just stating the facts of this twisted world.
But on another note, I am sadden by MJ’s unexpected death:(. These past couple of years has been hell for him! Nearly all of us were sooooooooooo quick to judge him, but didnt consider his circumstances. I mean, NO ONE was bigger than Michael Jackson! NO ONE! Therefore, it should not have been that surprising that abused his body the way he did. He did it because he was trying to please everyone instead of himself:(. He was taught by Joe how to please everybody before himself. This is why he was soooooo messed up in the head perhaps. As an entertainer, he distracted us from all the unnecessary ills of the world at the times. I am just in utter shock as I type. Too much has happen this week! I never thought I wanted Sunday morning sooo bad in my life. I need to go to church:(
I LOVE USHER’S STATEMENT. VERRRY TRUE.
@40, I COULDN’T AGREE WITH U MORE. FAME DOES THIS SORT OF THING TO U, WHETHER PEOPLE WANNA BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
It’s sad that at this time people would take the time to hate. Regardless if Usher’s statement was from his publicist or not it was a true statement. Michael was a true icon and nothing can ever take that away. It would really be nice for BET to put a tribute in the show for him. I think Usher and Chris would do a wonderful job. I just wish that us as black people can come together at this time and focus on his importance. Usher’s personal life isn’t of importance right now. Besides Usher does do a lot to help in the comminity for those who want to bash. We will never know why he chose Tameka to be with but that’s something he has to live with not us. We all have been in relationships with the wrong people at one time or another. Please people let’s grow up because we have lost someone DEAR to the music industry.
He gave up ALL the simple things in life so that we all could be entertained….
You are truly missed Michael
R.I.P. to Michael….on another note, I can’t believe how some of you people are talking about this man molesting children…were you molested by him? That man was AQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES. Let him rest in peace please! As strange as he was, he was still a human being & he deserves respect. This really pisses me off how people are saying he’ll be missed but don’t forget about the pain he caused to people? What about the GOOD he brought to MILLIONS of people around the world? STFU kids, because you have NO IDEA wtf you’re talkin’ bout.
I NOTICED PAUL MCCARTNEY CALLED HIM A BOY THAT WAS NOT COOL.. I KNOW HE IS BITTER ABOUT THE BEATTLES CATALOG.. BUT HE NEEDS TO SHOW RESPECT
Usher never sounds sincere to me, therefore, I agree with many of yah comments. Of course he is sadden by MJ’s death(God that is hard to say)…but I just like how he turned it to be kinda about him. I am probably being too critical and biased since I really dont like Usher,lol…Heck, I would rather have Chris Brown do a tribute for MJ before him! (Gosh, I cant believe I just said that) I guess if Ri-Ri moved on, we all can.
But I’ll cut the bull-crap….MJ’s memory is more important! Words are not enough…Michael Jackson G.O.A.T.
gotta give respect where it’s due. the man has influenced the entertainment business for the past 40+ years and the entertainers that live on today.
CL – can we show him the same respect and remove those previous “gag” posts and ill comments previously posted.
We’ve lost a LEGEND! He’ll live with us forever through his music. My condolences to his family, friends and loved ones. Michael definitely left us too soon.
Aaaaaaaaaaw, crap yah already know there is going to be some drama with Mj’s estate. I bet Paul McCartney is going to try to get the Beetles stuff back and their is going to be some drama.
okay again…this is making me cry all over again…I’m trying to accept it it’s just so hard. Love and Miss you MJ may your soul RIP! I can’t imagine how his family feels…
I agree that Chris Brown should do a Tribute, I saw him do it before and he was really good… It seems more natural…
Usher tries a little too hard, goes a little over the top to me….
MICHAEL’S CHILDREN WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY PRAYERS!!! I WISH THE BEST FOR THEM IN LIFE AND I HOPE THEY KNOW HOW INFLUENTIAL THEIR FATHER WAS
this morning it hit me that he’s dead, last night I was in a class so I didn’t know if it was true.
It just hit me.crazy
People can say what they want, but Michael was a true talent and Icon. I prey that people will remember his music and what he did for millions around the world. Remeber that he had a mother, father, sisters, brothers, and children.
Finally he can REST IN PEACE. You will be missed. Much luv…….
(knocking on CHRIS BREEZY door) “ITS TIME…DON’T F*CK IT UP!”
SORRY IF I MAKE MANY FELLOW POSTER UPSET…BUT LET’S ME REAL…CHRIS BROWN IS THE ONLY BLACK MALE ENTERTAINER OUT NOW THAT CAN DO A MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE JUSTICE…SORRY ITS THE TRUTH!!
AND YOU BEST BELIEVE WITH ALL THAT BOY JUST WENT THROUGH….IT WOULD BE A TRIBUTE WE WON’T FORGET….THAT DAMN BOY WOULD DANCE HIS SOUL AWAY ON THE STAGE
I won’t dwell on this but I bought up Usher’s comment because it does make a difference he it was his words or a publicist. For him to be influenced by Michael as much as he had been, the statement should come from HIM, not a publicist. And if they are his words, great. But like I said, it doesn’t sound like it to me. Moving on…
HANDS DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT CHRIS BROWN TRIBUTE IS THE BEST IF NOT GONNA BE THE BEST ANYONE IS EVER GONNA DO SO YEAH BET BRING IT ON. R.I.P MJ., MAY UR SOUL REST IN PEACE.