I don't usually comment on the life - or death - of celebrities. It's really not my thing. But our store, Wine Valet is in the heart/center of Beverly Hills and for the last hour you can see the stunned faces after the shocking news of the death of Michael Jackson.
We haven't even had time to grieve for Farrah - and bloggers are already chatting away about how "unfair" it is to have her story upstaged by Jackson's untimely death. But I think there's something deeper here - and it's a long look in the mirror - these were two individuals who greatly influenced pop culture gone at a young age.
And while Jackson's death might be the more shocking because it came out of nowhere - afterall, we'd been reading for weeks about his payback/comeback that was just around the corner - both deaths remind us that the media plays a huge role in who "lives" and who "dies". And today, while they continue to rush to play out the final chapter for each of these stars the sadness that abounds is that they each had their own difficulties in life, compounded by the media's intensive attention to their fame and that neither will have the chance to redeem themselves, clean the slate or be held up in a glorious comeback ever again.
The parking lot is stilled now - I'm sure everyone is home glued to their tv for additional word to make sense of Jackson's death. His music will live on, his investors will file for bankruptcy and the final chapter is over.
For those of us who grew up with the two in our lives - not on video or late night reruns - it reminds us that each day is precious, life is short, let's make it sweet. I'll drink to that.
