Celebrities in the media are consuming far too much of our lives. 

Case in point: Michael Jackson has now been gone for a little over two years, yet people are still talking about his death. 

On June 25, 2009, both Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcet died, yet no one is still talking about the latter.

In the days immediately after Jackson’s death, you could not escape the former entertainer. 

Every other channel had some type of program involving Jackson. There were multiple biographies, newscasts and, of course, celebrity gossip shows buzzing about Jackson’s death. 

I was left wondering, how is it that people all of a sudden love Jackson so much? During my childhood I recall people making fun of Jackson. 

To see people mourn Jackson as though he was some great Messiah was just downright odd. 

 He is without a doubt an icon that has touched many lives. But has everyone forgotten the child molestation accusations? 

Why is it that once a celebrity dies, we put them on a pedestal, forgetting everything horrible they have done while simultaneously idolizing them for their accomplishments?

Immediately after Jackson’s death, his music sales skyrocketed. In the days following his death, “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” dominated the airwaves. As terrible as it sounds, Jackson’s death may have been the best thing that had ever happened to his career. The media stopped portraying him as an alleged child-molesting, washed-up, 80’s pop star. 

“I don’t think radio stations had been playing his music in the last couple of years, due to his legal issues,” said Greg Strassell, the senior vice president for programming at CBS Radio. “Then all of a sudden the audience wanted to hear his songs again. I think they had forgotten how great that music was.”

Jackson was obviously a talented artist, as well as a tortured soul. 

He had been a celebrity since the tender age of 10. Being in the spotlight for your entire adult life can understandably have negative repercussions. It would probably be easier to count how many child stars did not end up having a lawsuit with a family member, a drug addiction or a couple of mug shots.

It is great that people are finally giving him credit for his musical talent again. However, obsessing about him, releasing his CDs over and over again, and showing reruns of documentaries about his life is not going to bring him back. 

There are far more important things that should be on the headlines of newspapers. 

Frankly it is disgusting that the verdict of Jackson’s doctor’s trial was on the front page of a CNN newspaper. Jackson is dead, and honestly, people need to get over it.