Off Topic: RIP, Michael Jackson

First Farrah, now the King of Pop, in the same day. Tragic.

Like Barry Bonds pre-2000, Jackson, in his prime, was an incredible talent who devolved into a walking freak show as he got older. Neither Jackson's or Bonds' obituaries will be able to tell their stories without mentioning the sordid details that knocked them from their heights. Too bad, since the highs were about as good as it gets.

To wit, the opening paragraph from the news article:

Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted “King of Pop” who emerged from childhood superstardom to become the entertainment world’s most influential singer and dancer before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50.

What a shame.

Here's a photo album. It gets pretty grizzly starting around photo 17. Yeesh.