The Strange Story of Michael Jackson Ends

Michael Jackson is dead at 50. Cause of death?

No matter what the coroner determines, the true cause will be the same disease that killed Anna Nicole Smith, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and scores of other “stars.” The killer is slow poisoning of the human soul by the toxic effects of adulation and wealth.

Enormous wealth makes almost anything possible. And the adulation of throngs and enablement of sycophants makes everything permissible.

Elsewhere, I have written:

The sad fact is, post-modern, post-Christian society hasn’t stopped being religious. The culture has simply replaced the old God with new gods. The new cathedrals and worship houses are concert arenas and multiplexes. Inside, you’ll find masses of misguided people who assume famous folks are smarter, wiser, happier and generally more special than the rest of us.

They’re not.

The truth is, many, though not all, celebrities could not truthfully answer in the affirmative the question “Are you smarter than a 5th grader?” Many are fools in the purest, crystalline, biblical sense of the term. Many are genuinely unpleasant, dysfunctional people. In fact, according to a recent scientific study, celebrities tend to die prematurely at a rate two times higher than the general population because they are so prone to adopting self destructive ways.

Certainly, anyone who dies at 50 has passed too young. The passing of Michael Jackson–an incredibly talented man who lost his mind as he lost his way–is no more of a tragedy than any other premature death. But it is no less one.

~ by David Holland on June 26, 2009.