Disclaimer: Some of you are gonna be upset if you don't read the whole thing. I ask that you read it all before you choose to reply to anything I've said.
"His Death has been his greatest comeback"
I disagree with the wording, but I agree with the general premise. I believe that NOTHING would have vindicated Mike more than death. As spectacular as the This Is It shows could've been and as incredible as the album he was working on could've been, it would not have been enough.
Over the years, Michael Jackson has become the punchline to numerous jokes and been looked at as nothing more than a weird, plastic surgery obsessed, used to be black and is now white child molester. In the court of public opinion, he was guilty when the 1993 accuser's family took the $20 million (I know the insurance paid 15 million and not the 20 thats widely reported, but let me make my point). No matter how weak the Arvizo case was, most people thought "again? he must be guilty." The slanted media attention did not help at all. I'm not sure how it was in other countries, but here in America, this is how it was. The overall thought seemed to be, "he made good music at one time BUT...." What followed would be anything negative, regardless of if it was true or not.
Fast forward to June 25, 2009. Many fans' excitement had been building since the announcement of the shows. Fans were making travel plans, buying new outfits, and expressing their excitement to see Michael again. The general public knew that there were shows coming up, but didn't care much. He's just a 50 year old broke weirdo that needed the money to get out of his 400 million dollar debt. There had been very little positive reporting about him in over 20 years. Why should they believe he was going to do anything spectacular?
Then he died.
Death has a way of bringing the positive to the forefront. The most positive thing about Michael Jackson's professional life is his music, his short films and his performances. Everyone knew who Michael Jackson was. What his death did was force people to remember why everyone gave a damn about him in the first place. All he wanted to do was make music and perform on stage. In the weeks after his death, we were bombarded with all of his videos and singles over the course of a 40 year career. His songs were all over the radio and his short films were plastered on all of the music channels. Add that to the fact that there was footage of what he had been doing leading up to his death. Creating new performances, creating new short films and creating new music. That's why people cared about him in the first place.
With all of the technology that is available, it is easier than ever to access anything. Just youtube it. Youtube suggest other videos for you to watch. This may lead people to watch videos that the average consumer forgot about or didn't know exist. The Thriller video could lead to Remember The Time, which could lead to Earth Song which could lead to In The Closet.... When something is widely reported or is constantly around, it feeds public interest. His death did just that.
His death was not his greatest comeback, because he never left. I believe his death was his greatest resurgence. It was his return to prominence. Once again, it was all about the music, the short films and the performances.
