I was in a funk all day. I woke up late, groggy, in the early afternoon. I ate lunch, did a little internet surfing, but after only a few hours being up and active, I didn’t feel much up for anything and could only go back to lie in bed. Around 6pm, I read an email header on my phone that said Michael Jackson had suffered from cardiac arrest and had been rushed to a hospital.

I thought that in itself was tragic but didn’t think much more about it. “Hopefully they fix him up,” I thought as I drifted off for a few more hours of sleep.

I woke up some time after 9pm and started up my time-delayed DVR recording of So You Think You Can Dance, and the start of the show began somberly as Nigel began eulogizing. “These things happen in threes.” I knew Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett had died; was Michael that third? Is it true?

As an artist with a legacy that stretches back four decades, he’s had the opportunity to touch and influence several generations. Certainly the current group of pop entertainers readily admit to owing a debt to the inspiration and amazement that Michael’s performances provided.

One of my strongest childhood memories was the shared obsession with Michael’s dance moves I shared with my then best friend Chris. We’d pore over the videos, pausing and rewinding, analyzing them. We’d practice spinning, balancing on our toes, and, of course, moonwalking.

I don’t think the wishes to “rest in peace” could apply so aptly to many more people than Michael. I’m sure the escape from the turmoil his life has suffered through for this past two decades is welcome.

Watching a lot of the coverage on CNN, many of those close to Michael during his later years didn’t feel as shocked or surprised that this happened at such a young age. They asked if you could really imagine him as an old man. No, I really couldn’t. Part of it is that he never grew out of his adolescence. Another part is that he is always changing physically.

Stars that burn as brightly as his are never destined to burn long.

I don’t care where you stand regarding his relationships with young children. It’s inarguable that he changed the world, and for many of us, was our world.