Yesterday, David picked up on a fake tribute to the late Michael Jackson from “David Miliband”. Here are some tributes, culled by the New York Times, that appear to be real:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez called the star’s death “lamentable news,” though he criticized the media for giving it so much attention.
Turns out that “Thriller” was actually pretty popular among autocrats:
The former Philippine first lady, Imelda Marcos, said she cried on hearing the news. “Michael Jackson enriched our lives, made us happy,” she said in a statement. “The accusations, the persecution caused him so much financial and mental anguish. He was vindicated in court, but the battle took his life. There is probably a lesson here for all of us.”
Which is, presumably, that the rule of law is a bad and dangerous thing? Imelda should know: she was acquitted on 32 graft charges last year, but has another ten to go. Anyway, not everyone is vindicated in court – and it can get pretty crazy in jail:
Jackson fans lit candles at a spontaneous memorial in Hong Kong, while in the Philippines, a dance tribute was planned for a prison in Cebu, where Byron Garcia, a security consultant, had 1,500 inmates join in a synchronized dance to the “Thriller” video. “My heart is heavy because my idol died,” he said.
Fair enough. My heart would get a bit heavier because I was treating 1,500 human beings as prancing automata, but that’s a matter of taste. Could a tribute come from a more depressing source? Er, yes:
Fellow singer Celine Dion said in a statement, “I am shocked. I am overwhelmed by this tragedy. Michael Jackson has been an idol for me all my life.”
