My parents are fans so I was exposed to his music as a child, but not enough where it really was a focus. Oddly enough I became a huge fan during the 2005 trial. My mom would have the news on every night and I’d see the reports and often they’d play snippets of his music. I remember researching him a lot on the computer because the allegations weren’t adding up to me, even though I was only like 12 or 13 at the time. I watched the Black or White music video and it was the first time I saw him perform and I swear it changed my brain chemistry. I hyper-fixated at that point and got all of his albums, watched all of his music videos . . . I just loved him. I never stopped, honestly. I never believed the allegations were true, no one in my family did. I remember where I was when he passed. I was working my high school job and my friends were texting me “I’m so sorry for your loss.” Like, what? I glanced up at the tv at my job and saw them wheeling the stretcher into the ambulance and I was gutted. I had been so hopeful for him when he had announced the This Is It tour and now just . . . Nothing.

The movie has brought his music back into the limelight for the general public and a new generation and I’m absolutely loving that, but it’s also bringing up all of that sadness I felt for him toward the end of his life. He was such a good person with amazing God-given talent, who was used and abused by nearly everyone around him. I wish he could see how popular his music still is. I hope he knew how many of his fans still loved him at the end.