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.
I just watched a video of “Dirty Dianah” …*Singing* “Dirty Dianh gone…”I mean he was rocking the crowd with Eddie Van Halen on guitar.I was standing up and rocking back and forth because Michael ALWAYS gave 100% down to his toes… I always loved Michael and Janet. He respectively has earned King of Pop because he has legacy from when I was a kid on to adulthood. Janet has earned her icon title too. No doubt. Michael made the family’s wealth. He was THE JacKson of the Jackson 5. He was awesome…*Tear*….
I have to say condolences to MJ and his family but I do wonder whenevr tragedies like this happen JAY Z AND bEYONCE never ISSUE PUBLIC STATEMENTS OF SUPPRT AND I THINK THIS IS TERRIBLE.
I noticed this when Jennifer Hudsons family died and Beyonce NEVER issued a statement of support. When Foxy was on charges or TI or Chris Brown Jay Z Never stepped up and said anything. I know this may seem petty but they are music industry heavy weights do they think they are too big of an artist to show support to others?
I am discusted in ther apayju. hE IS TOO ARROGANT AND i AM SO sick OF HER…
i still can’t believe he is gone. i feel like i am watching a murder series on tv when i hear updates; it just doesn’t seem real.
unfortunately, according to CNN just now, there may be some evidence of over usage of prescription drugs that may or may not be confirmed in 4-6 weeks. so far, there are no signs of foul play or internal sickness…
micheal, i really wish that u had the support u needed to get you through the tough times u may have been having. i appreciate every moment of ur childhood that u sacrificed to entertain the world and break down culture/color barriers. ur legacy lives on through so many artists that u have and will inspire for centuries to come.
i will continue to blast his music and celebrate his life. and if there are any tributes in the philly area, i will be there supporting just as u deserve.
r.i.p.
I hear alot of commentators state that…”Michael Jackson gave up his childhood so you all can be entertained…” Sh*t, well why didnt they say this when he was alive? No one was saying this during the trials. The press treated this man so bad because he was so vulnerabe. Part of his manhood they took from him caling him names. Everyone has a concious. Those same people that ripped him alive including Pariz Hilton will have to deal with their own conciousness and guilt…
I hope his family (because many brothers had money problems), would be able to profit something out of this. I hope they profit off of his death in a positve way. So Randy, Marlon would get back on their feet. Jermain and Tito get out of IRS debt. I know that his children will be fine. I digress.
@119
BEYONCE DIDN’T WRITE HER’S EITHER. YOU CAN TELL BY THE WORDS THAT WERE USED. SHE HAS NEVER TALKED LIKE THAT.
MJ was the best. He is such an incredible entertainer and I’d also love to see Chris Brown do a tribute to him.
Please sign petition for Chris Brown to perform a tribute to the amazing King of pop Michael Jackson at the BET awards:
http://twitition.com/vhhj3
neither usher nor chris browns situation has anything to do with this post so why criticize them as they pay tribute to a legend.. have some respect ppl. R.I.P. MICHAEL
I live in Amsterdam. I reached home at 12:00 started reading a blog site and saw some crap about “REST IN PEACE MICHAEL”, I thought…how much more will he suffer in the eyes of the public??” I turn on CNN, and i see “Michael Jackson is in a coma” I was in shock for an hour until they finally confirmed he was died. I got up off my couch….. spread eagle style on the floor…. and BAWLED like a new born baby. The pain felt soo bad ppl my roommates didn’t know what to do with me!!
I walked through the streets of Amsterdam in a ghostly fashion for about 5 hours, trying to come to terms with the news. I met fellow die hard fans who all just described the whole experience as weird. I shopped to get my mind settled because Lord knows i need to concentrate for my exams next week!!!!
I know this is long but I just needed to see if anyone understands the lost, hollow, empty, eerie, unrealistically surreal twilight zone aura that came over me since i heard my legend, icon, and King of Pop checking out on us and moving on to higher heights????
Bob Marley
Tupac
Biggie
now…..
M JACKSON
As the late great Bob said:”when I die, my music will live on 20, even 30 years from then”. And The Lord knows that goes for MJ as well.
I wanna say ppl goo and try to get Chris Brown to perform by signing the twititon. Yes he did wrong, yes he is sorry, but are we going to scrutinize him forever and never give him a chance to redeem himself, can’t we forgive him just like we did Michael through those horrible media draining years???? He is young, extremely talented and is ever learning!!
DAMMIT!! Lets heal the fucking world by starting with our own attitude and mentality towards each others.
That’ all……
IF ANYONE CHECKS THE ITUNES STORE YOU WILL SEE MICHAEL JACKSON’S ALBUMS TAKE UP THE TOP 9 SPOTS. THE BLACK EYED PEAS ALBUM IS #10 RIGHT NOW. WOW!
@123
GIRL LOOK UP THE VERY LAST TIME HE WAS MENTIONED ON THIS SITE. VERY DISRESPECTFUL. SOMEONE POINTED THAT OUT LAST NIGHT. ANGEL SET IT AS SOME TYPE OF JOKE. WHO WORE IT BEST, MICHAEL JACKSON OR AMBER ROSE. ALL OF THE COMMENTS WERE NOTHING BUT NEGATIVITY. MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE IF NOT ALL ARE SINGING A VERY DIFFERENT TUNE ON ALL SITES ALL ACROSS THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
OK NOW YOU WANT TO MODERATE ANGEL WHATEVER! I CAN TALK BAD ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE BUT NOT THE LAST TIME YOU MENTIONED THIS MAN ON YOUR SITE. WHICH WAS SOME KIND OF JOKE? OKAY WHATEVER.
As a long time follower of concreteloop, this is my 1st comment on the site. I like many of you, grew up adoring MJ, wanting to emulate his every move. But as I grew older, I began to see the human in him. We take foregranted the simple blessings of normalcy, something Michael never had, yet his light STILL shown bright.
I just like to remind some of the posters that while he sometimes he withered under the gravity of his on spotlight, as an artist he was a genius in modern times. And unless Christ is a concreteloop reader, NO ONE on the site is in a position to pass judgement on him. WE ALL fall short of His Glory, so let us not take anything away from someone who has done and meant sooo much to sooo many. Mike you WILL be missed.
CB isnt the closest to MJ
CBs music isnt even classic or timeless
He doesnt have 1 dope video
Or 1 classic album
Hes only the hottest singer to young females
CB is for the easily entertained
He shouldnt touch MJs music
Sorry……………………………………….??? Don’t be sorry man, you’re speaking the truth. I think the saddest sight thing right now in the wake of his death will be the inevitable ‘Tribute’ performances that will only serve to hammer home that Greatness really did die yesterday… let the likes of Neyo and Chris Brown have their careers but don’t dare tout them as worthy replacements for the Best. Those mediocrely talented wannabes have forever been paying ‘homage’ i.e. biting left, right and center the Legacy of the Greatest Entertainer who Ever Lived Inc. throughout their careers. It’s just those too young to remember MJ at his best who eat up their plagiarism like it’s fresh. Those championing Chris Brown as MJ’s natural successor, hoping he’ll get his Redemption piggy-backing on the back of this tragedy need their heads testing. Those acts despite being good imitators of better artists, will never hope to match what MJ achieved in terms of charisma, uber talent, ORIGINALITY, likeability and critical acclaim. In fact, if they truly are ‘so inspired’ by Michael Jackson then why is their music so awful? MJ was an ambassador on so many levels and lastly, shouldn’t be cheapend by lazy comparison to unworthy noughties artists
can be another beyonce, usher, chris brown, rihanna. Never another Michael. RIP.
To Chris Brown,
Sorry you are no Michael Jackson nor even close. Please do not ever mention this fool in the same breath.You are Not on the same level. Never will be. Usher or anyone else in this matter. Do not get it twisted you buck tooth alligator…Now scram, get your fake moonwalking self out of here…
@133
Exactly it aint that Chris Brown does it best. It’s just that Chris Brown did his dances the most. I’m sure Usher can do it just as good but he never wanted to actually do everything just like MJ. He took bits and pieces and used it into his own work. And Chris Brown is probably not the one with the ill intentions. But his fans on here using different screen names trying to make it seem like everybody wants him to perform. When they want him to use it is a way to resurrect his career its obvious.
I want Chris Brown to do a tribute to MJ @ da bet awards. Yeah I said it! he’s dancing skills is sick!
I remember how Elizabeth Taylor put her reputation on the line and stood up for Michael publicly, when all his other so called celebrity friends faded into the background. I hope she does say something.
Everyone commenting on Chris Brown doing a tribute needs to remember how big Michael was globally. In some parts of the world Chris is more known for his situation with Rhihanna. and has officially been convicted of a crime + you just have to look at the negativity it’s drawing already on the blogs.
I really wanted to meet him. This world drve him to it those crazed maniacs!
Michael your voice is endeable in my heart and your movements are guide my life. I will forever thankfull.
I have not listened to Michaeal, I mean really been a die hard fan since the 80′s but I am so devastated by his death that after the shock wore off, all I could do is cry! This man was amazing y’all! I love you Michael, may God bless you and keep you in perfect peace!
my heart is crying inside. I grew up watching michael from his debut until now. If I may say, michael was definitely a tender hearted man . he gave so much of himself, to so many, effecting young and old, he has made history in transcending all cultural and racial barriers. I don’t , and never did ,believe the ugly rumors of the molestation charges , I think the only thing michael was guilty of was loving and identifying with children so much it hurt him. He grew up too fast in the limelight and felt sad and lonely for missing so much of his own childhood that he wanted other children to truly enjoy their childhoods. Everyone loves michael young and old, this is evident! We all make some unwise decisions through our life , those without sin cast the first stone! my heart and prayers with your family and may jesus take you in his arms michael, and comfort you like no one else can. I love you and will miss you terribly your friend, kimberly
Being here overseas military deployed it appears for a moment all seems to be at peace. Much of the world has taken a moment to pay tribute to an ICON. Myself, coming from a kid growing up in the 70’s the man has made changes and contributed so much, there will not be another for awhile. Gonna miss you Michael R.I.P. much love to the family.
SSG Greene, O.W. Calif. ARNG, Kosovo
Many Masses and prayers will be offered up for a perfect peace for the soul of Michael Jackson, a man who touched so many with his God-given gift. I pray that in repose, he truly finds peace.
Growing up all I ever wanted to do was be like Michael Jackson. He brought so much passion to his music….but it was more than just music! He was a beautiful person, that went above and beyond for the world! Its sad that we lost such a person…but he will live on through his music, through his family and through us the fans!!! You’ll catch MJ bumping through my speakers….Long Live The King Of Pop
hey angel, i read this morning that the reason Chris Brown didn’t perform was because Jay-Z demanded BET not let him perform or else he and Beyonce would not perform. is this true? I would have loved to see Chris Brown perform. people really need to let him get on with his life, life is to short, as we’ve seen. but can you find out? thanks.
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.