Even the brightest stars will fade away

Michael Jackson. Two words that dominated network TV and international print media last week.

He was a phenomenal entertainer who was famous for one reason or another around the world, so it's hardly surprising his death at 50 made headlines. But even the threat of nuclear war in North Korea was all but ignored in the frenzy that surrounded his sudden passing. Why?

His music catalogue is enormous, his career spanned four decades and he has millions of fans. These might be reasons enough for the international outburst. His death stole an incredible talent from us, but it's amazing how dominant the topic was in the media.

Someone asked me Friday if we were going to do something on it. That defines for me the magnitude of this man's death in terms of the popular consciousness.

Even so, I'm baffled by the public and professional response every time a superstar or pop icon dies. It's as if time freezes; the world seems to stop spinning, if only to allow us a moment to process so astounding an event.

I was working at a hockey school in Oakville, Ont. the day Elvis died. We didn't have text or e-mail then, just plain old word of mouth, and when someone told me Elvis had been found dead I flat out didn't believe it.

Those who have the kind of privilege, talent and resources as the King of Rock and Roll (and the King of Pop?) simply weren't found dead. Ridiculous! Rock and roll never dies, right?

However, as exalted as we allow celebrities to be, they are human; the universal laws still apply. Then there are demands, deadlines, commitments and accountabilities. For an entertainer of Michael Jackson's stature, my guess is you could multiply those a hundredfold and have it just about right.

Millions have enjoyed his music and I've wondered how he managed to mine his soul to come up with some of what he wrote. From childhood, he put his life on display for all to see and people glorified him for daring such an impossible thing.

It was a shock to hear of his passing. It struck me in much the same way as the news about Elvis. At first blush, it just didn't make sense.

But the more you think about it the more you realize that anything is possible and no one, not even the great ones among us, are immune. We know innately that each of us will at one time or another be touched and taken. We know this. Maybe that's why part of me marvels at and is at once puzzled by the insatiable appetite for this story.

I think we react strongly when a celebrity dies because it hammers home the reality that even the most anointed among us will not be spared. At 50, 60 or 90, this was going to happen. He, like everyone else, must pass.

That's hard on the head; a truth that hits way too close to home. And, even though he was a legendary musician and entertainer, the ongoing fascination with his death suggests we have forgotten somehow that our conclusion in life is to leave it behind and we are all the same when that moment arrives.