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If truth be told, I was never really a fan of Michael Jackson. Although I was at the ripe-for-picking age of 12 when Thriller was released, I didn’t drink the Kool-Aid. However, my closest friends and classmates did, and it wasn’t long before my suburban Jewish day school was overrun with young boys trying to do the moonwalk and wearing faux red leather jackets. I quickly learned that the standard-issue black cotton yarmulke does not stay put on a Jew fro when attempting to replicate the King of Pop’s dance moves.

But even though I refused to sit through the special one hour version of the “Thriller” video or beg my mom to take me to the Victory tour at the Astrodome, Jackson’s music nevertheless still had an impact on my life. How could it not? Although not by choice, it was an important part of the soundtrack of my formative years. His songs were played everywhere I went – Bar Mitzvah parties, the mall, talent shows, friends houses, movie theaters, roller rink, you name it.

Only cynics can claim that Michael Jackson didn’t have some kind of impact on their lives. He has been performing since he was 5 years old; that’s nearly half a century. It’s astonishing to take a quick look at his catalog and see how many hits he had through the four decades of his career. He was a pop idol to the highest magnitude, like one we’ve never seen before and that we’re likely to never see again. This is the “Elvis is Dead” moment for a generation of music fans and a day we’ll always remember.

JamsBio has a rich collection of Michael Jackson memories, shared by fans from around the world. I’ve selected a few of my favorites, but I encourage you to check out more here and or in the special Michael Jackson memory widget below.

	From Marni from Australia: “I remember Michael Jackson’s impact on the world of music, fashion and dance from a very young age. When I started school in 1985, Michael was all around me. Girls wanted to be with him and guys wanted to be just like him.” Read more.
	From Playful Professional from Alexandria, VA: “I don’t remember who my choir teacher was or what possessed her to pick such great music but my fifth grade choir concert we sang songs like “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson and “Hero” by Mariah Carey.” Read more.
	From marybethellis from Washington DC: “Your socks were going to get dirty. Your socks, by the end of the night, would be a grey slab of embedded dust from toe to heel, beyond the reach of Clorox, and there was nothing for it but to peel them off” Read more.

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