Michael Jackson has passed away

[CMH]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

I just feel he was a very insecure dude. I don't think he wanted to be white, but imagine being the most popular person in the world, then all of a sudden, you get vitiligo and suffer serious burns in a Pepsi commercial accident?

Also, imagine growing up as a 5-10 year old and doing shows at clubs with strippers? Imagine your older brothers and dad having sex with groupies with you in the room and just an adolescent. Imagine people telling you they miss the little Michael once you've started going through puberty.

His mom said in a 1980 interview that he became more shy as he got older, and those are reasons why.

He was definitely very shy and I'm sure there are great levels of insecurity that he dealt with everyday.

I think for those reasons, his children will be stronger. They were kept in a bubble for most of their lives - but really, what other choice did he have? They were the children of Michael Jackson. They simply cannot go to school with other children. It would be a nightmare for them, the school, and the other students. No one would benefit. The children were better off the way they were raised and there's a good possibility that by seeing their father being so shy, so shut off from the world, that they developed ways to combat that themselves, to overcome his fears.

I agree with people that suggest Paris's speech was a sign of that. They'll be fine so long as the family raises them right.

[Flyboy]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

Reports surfacing that Michael's infamous glove was worn to hide early stages of vitiligo - the disease that caused the depigmentation of his skin.

Guess Michael didn't change his color to be white. But, people will believe otherwise, I'm sure.

Yep. My girlfriend has it on her hands so it's a true condition. She also pointed out to me that why he wore the glove as well.

[cubsfan203]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

It's shady, I agree. We never saw those patches on his face. Though, I can't say for sure I remember how Michael turned white. He just was or maybe it was so gradual you couldn't notice without looking at old video?

At worse, I think he could have quickened the pace with surgery to avoid looking patchy on the face. I wouldn't be surprised.

One of the ways to treat the disease (in severe cases) is to bleach the skin to match the area that has vitiligo. I don't know if that's what he did, because I haven't read up on it, but being african american it would make sense to do that because it would look horrible if it spread rapidly. I for one don't think he "wanted to be white," and most of the people that think that have no idea about the disease.

[CMH]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

I've seen people with vitiligo (the store owner on my block, a Dominican man, has it). It looks awkward on darker skin.

It's not ugly to me. I understand it's something that a small population faces and well, they aren't sick. They're just losing pigmentation.

But for a star to go through that, it wouldn't work well for marketing purposes. If MJ bleached his skin to avoid looking like that, I can't blame him.

[Scottdau]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

I've seen people with vitiligo (the store owner on my block, a Dominican man, has it). It looks awkward on darker skin.

It's not ugly to me. I understand it's something that a small population faces and well, they aren't sick. They're just losing pigmentation.

But for a star to go through that, it wouldn't work well for marketing purposes. If MJ bleached his skin to avoid looking like that, I can't blame him.

How did we know he had this. I know they always said he had it, but when did it start happening?

[CMH]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

It seems that it started when he busted out the glove. Hands seem to be the first thing to go (not confirmed. Just based off a few reports).

That would make it between Off The Wall and Thriller. I would imagine that between Thriller and Bad, vitiligo hit him harder as he was beginning to look noticeably whiter around the time of Bad's release.


It was a few years between Bad, huge public appearances and the release of Dangerous. Perhaps that is when he took the bleached route?

I now wonder if perhaps MJ's fascination with gloves, surgical masks, sunglasses, his choice of clothes, etc. were more than just for purposes beyond style, cleanliness, and shyness. Perhaps they were ways of covering himself up so people wouldn't notice the changes he was going through?

Pure speculation on my part. Just thinking out loud.

[JohnTesh]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

Dr. Klein was on Larry King Live Wednesday and was very clear and articulate when it came to speaking about MJ's vitiligo. Poke around cnn.com to find out more details.

[Po Pimp]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

It seems that it started when he busted out the glove. Hands seem to be the first thing to go (not confirmed. Just based off a few reports).

That would make it between Off The Wall and Thriller. I would imagine that between Thriller and Bad, vitiligo hit him harder as he was beginning to look noticeably whiter around the time of Bad's release.


It was a few years between Bad, huge public appearances and the release of Dangerous. Perhaps that is when he took the bleached route?

I now wonder if perhaps MJ's fascination with gloves, surgical masks, sunglasses, his choice of clothes, etc. were more than just for purposes beyond style, cleanliness, and shyness. Perhaps they were ways of covering himself up so people wouldn't notice the changes he was going through?

Pure speculation on my part. Just thinking out loud.

Maybe disguise was one reason (though a surgical mask in public makes you stand out even more), but he stayed covered up due to the melanin being lost in his skin, so he had to stay out of the sun, plus he had lupus.

[CMH]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

Dr. Klein was on Larry King Live Wednesday and was very clear and articulate when it came to speaking about MJ's vitiligo. Poke around cnn.com to find out more details.

Yea, that's the report I was referring to.

[Vince]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

Big time SMMFH at people who think he bleahed just to be white...Morons...

[mvb34]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

Big time SMMFH at people who think he bleahed just to be white...Morons...

Why when it wasn't explain until later on.

[CMH]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

This concerns me:

Meanwhile, Joe Jackson told ABC that he and his wife, Katherine, should have custody of Michael's three children. "They'll grow up to be strong Jacksons," he said.
He said Michael's daughter, Paris, who spoke at the Tuesday memorial service, was taking the death hard and was crying whenever Michael's name is mentioned. He said that she might have a future in the entertainment business along with the youngest son, nicknamed Blanket, who "can really dance."

Now, I get it that they are Jacksons and music will undoubtedly be a part of their future unless one of them vehemently decides to take another course of action (wouldn't be surprised if one becomes a doctor/researcher as a result of Michael's death). But, we all know how Joe is and for him to speak about them being strong Jacksons and having a future in entertainment, I just really hope that he doesn't try to push them the way he pushed his kids.


Yea, his kids became pop sensations, and one is arguably the best entertainer that ever lived, but, I doubt that Michael would have wanted them to follow his path. Maybe as adults he wouldn't mind; he'd probably tell them that it's their choice, but he wouldn't push them to it. The kids are 12, 11, and 7 and 7 is already older than Michael was when Joe started pushing music on him. So, it's obvious that Michael had no desire to do the same.


Now, I do think that Katherine and Joe should have custody. They apparently were very close to Michael and knew the kids well. I just hope that the rest of the family and Katherine will put Joe in his place if he tries to over do it.


There's also the cloudiness surrounding their blood relation to Michael, and Rowe's boss continues to deny that he is 100% the father, though he hints that it's a possibility. He also has hinted that Jackson and Rowe had a sexual relationship. FYI, Lisa Marie, despite her belief that Michael was too immature to have children, also stated after their divorce (a time when someone might not even want to admit this information) that her and Michael had a healthy and active sexual relationship. So, Michael can possibly be the father to Prince Michael I and Paris - I believe it was confirmed that Michael did not provide sperm for Blanket. The truth will come out sometime, I'm sure.


So, if they might not even be Jacksons in blood, they wouldn't possess his genetic talent. This is not why I'm not supporting Joe's enthusiasm, but it seems to be a perfect way to setup disappointment for these kids when they will forever be linked to Michael Jackson. A better route might be different music or to go into producing, becoming a label head and make the important decisions.

[JohnMarshall12]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

I don't see the controversy surrounding MJ to die off anytime soon. He will always be viewed as eccentric or strange depending on your point of view.

[SPTO]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

Wow YP I just hope the family doesn't exploit those two kids. We don't need to see more dysfunction in that family as it can be a vicious cycle.

As to MJ's health issue with his skin, I never knew that. I always kinda thought it was due to too many plastic surgeries. Interesting stuff tho.

[Misfit]

Re: Michael Jackson has passed away

Joe Jackson's lawyer should be around him at all times acting as his mouthpiece, because the guy is doing his family no favors. I believe the Jackson's have only two things going against them as far as a custody battle is concerned, age and Joe Jackson.

The age goes without saying, both Katherine and Joe are in their 70's and will be in their 80's when the eldest kids are heading off to college. The age is of a bigger concern for the youngest son, but there's no one to challenge their custody rights on him so its a moot point. I strongly believe given the children's age and their lack of a relationship with their biological mother the courts will never award her custody. There just isn't a strong enough argument in her favor to separate the two from their youngest sibling and go against the will of their father. Even if he isn't the biological father (as some have alleged) his name is on their birth certificate as the father so in the eyes of the law it does not matter if those children do not carry his DNA.

Joe Jackson, on the other hand, has a reputation of being abusive and has admitted to striking his children as a measure of discipline. The childhood of the Jackson children has been well documented and if a custody battle is to come it will surely be brought up. It is my understanding that Katherine Jackson maintains her own household separate from Joe Jackson so that will help in this instance. I also would think the other Jackson siblings will not allow their father to treat the children the way he treated them.

I do find it interesting what he said about Michael's daughter Paris and her crying at the mention of his name. During the memorial on Tuesday, she seemed to have everything well put together. Whenever the camera showed the children she was attentive, smiling, singing, whatever. It wasn't until she tried to speak about him that she showed her pain.