On the night of his death it would be a travesty to ignore the importance of Michael Jackson's contribution to modern pop music.

My earliest memory of his sound was "Beat It". It defined an important part of my introduction to popular music and brought out the dancer in a half-dozen of my pre-pubescent peer group. Never one to pine over fashion, I was not entirely immune to wanting my own (how many zippers?) leather jacket and single white glove.

Billie Jean is still on my "Top Music" playlists (though I now prefer a cover by Chris Cornell, live in Sweden. Just awesome.)

So long, Michael. Your music lives on.

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