Michael Jackson 1958-2009

I was packing my bags to go to London when I heard the news that Michael Jackson died on 25 June 2009. Ina lillah wa inna hirrajiun....My first thoughts for him was May Allah Bless his soul. On the MAS flight, I took the Daily Mail and there were several pages regarding the sudden death of the King of Pop, with sideline stories of him being charged with child molest(the Jordan case) and also the confessions of Lisa Presley, his ex-wife of 2 years telling about the fact that he "was hot in bed". The stories carried contrasting views about the real life of MJ. Only God Knows the truth.
Michael Jackson's death reminded me of the sudden death of my idol, Elvis Presley. In fact, over the Internet, the deaths of these two icons were reported to bear some similarities, ie both died due to an overdose of prescription drugs. But now we know the MJ's sudden death was due to cardiac arrest.
It was to attend my son's convocation that brought me to London this time. My son Ammar Zaid told me that some years ago, he saw Michael Jackson being driven down the road in Section 11 Shah Alam where we live. It was in mid 1990s when MJ made a historical visit to Malaysia and his trip was sponsored by Datuk Seri Syed Yusof (popularly known amongst fellow Malaysians as Jojo). That was when my 12 year-old son then, who was on his bike, saw MJ in person in the car being driven down the road in Section 11, Shah Alam. What a story, believe it or not! But it is true.
It seems MJ's Muslim name was Mikaeel. Semoga Allah mencucuri Rahmat keatas rohnya. Al-Fatihah....