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Valley fans hail Jackson's legacy
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Video: Michael Jackson Remembered
Patrons and barbers at a Youngstown barbershop remember Michael Jackson
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Photo by William D. Lewis
Barber James Kershaw watches Michael Jackson's funeral on his phone as it is broadcast on TV in the background at Legends Barbershop in Youngstown.
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Photo by William D. Lewis
Watching TV coverage of Michael Jackson' funeral while waiting for haircuts at Legends Barbershop in Youngstown are from left are: Vincent Thomas, Kenneth McIntosh and James King, all of Youngstown.
By Jon Moffett
Vindicator Staff Writer
Many of The King of Pop’s loyal subjects remained focused on their television sets as fans, friends and family said goodbye to Michael Jackson.
“He was an entertainer, a great entertainer,” said Jonathan Barret, 67, of Youngstown. “He was one of the best.”
Patrons of the Legends Barbershop on the city’s North Side watched the memorial service Tuesday on plasma televisions as they waited for haircuts.
Employees as well as customers of the Belmont Avenue business had plenty to say about Jackson.
“It’s incredible to see the whole world come to a stop to watch,” said Manual DeBose, owner of the business. “The whole world stopped and forgot their problems to watch Michael.”
Benjamin Diaz, 28, also commented on the global impact of Jackson’s death, saying, “I wasn’t around for the Elvis or John F. Kennedy memorials, so it’s just something incredible to see. It’s not as important to me, but it’s important to the world.”
Maybe the biggest fan of Jackson was 29-year-old James Kershaw. The barber wasted no time expressing his sadness over Jackson’s death and his fondest memories of the entertainer.
“Me, my son and daughter were watching his greatest videos Sunday, and the music that he made was just timeless,” Kershaw said. “A lot of the music, even to this day, is just sweet. Everything he did in terms of production, videos and concepts were just before their time.”
Kershaw said his favorite Jackson song was a toss-up between “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” and admitted to owning a Michael Jackson coat as a child. He said he’ll remember the entertainer for the good he did in the music world.
“As far as the country and the world, everybody should remember him for everything good that he did,” he said. “Once you reach a certain level of success, you always have people who are going to take shots at you for money or whatever type of reason. He bumped his head a couple of times, but the fact that he never had a childhood and always being in the studio made him a little naive to how treacherous the world is.”
Despite allegations of sexual abuse against children in the early 1990s, Jackson’s fans considered him to be a great entertainer first and foremost. They agreed the national attention was warranted, and Jackson deserved the spotlight one last time.
“He got his due,” Barret said.
DeBose agreed, saying, “His legacy will live on.”
jmoffett@vindy.com
SEE ALSO: Trip down memory lane finds a personable, approachable star.
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Comments
I'll bet right now Michael is wishing for some hail to fall in hell. The pedofile who did those perverted acts with children is getting what he deserves. Once again the black community shows why there is such a racial divide in this country. How anyone could honor such a person black or white is beyond me?????
(Yawn)
My goodness.
The man is DEAD. Let it go already.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Where was everyone when he was living?
hes not really dead,hes hiding with rodney and the other dude...
and again why is this drivel top news?
here is a news tip VINDY REPORT THE REAL NEWS
Did anyone see the poor woman who was in the arson fire in Warren has died of her injuries?
That is much more newsworthy than the mj junk
She should br honored more than a kiddie molester wanna be
mj was no icon no role model he wasnt even a great singer after he turned 8
VINDY has no priorities
is this too offensive?
yes it is offensive, u say ONE negative WORD and it'll be offensive and such.......
Say what you want about Michael Jackson but digest these facts . Here was black man who was obsessed with looking white . The white race who he looked up to was miniscule in their support of even the good points of his life upon this Earth . The black race, knowing what he has transformed himself to look like, supported him unconditionally . I am flattered that he he looked up to the white race . Rest in peace Michael knowing that many upon this Earth will have a prayer for you and your family .
I'm as (if not more) critical of the Vindy as the next guy but they are hardly the only media outlet to report stories about Jackson. In fact, based on what I've seen their coverage doesn't even come close to the extent of most other outlets.
Calm down.
Now the new hero to honor is Steve McNair. The Tennessee Titans are opening up their stadium for the fans to pay their respects. Isn't there something about a married man with four kids that is out messing around with another woman that means anything to these people.
Wait a minute, the phrase of a fellow poster comes to mind,
"IT'S THE CULTURE"
Steve was whacked by very same woman he was having an affair with . His wife would have treated him much better than that if he would have stayed home . Yep, Steve was a part of the culture !
ITS ALL GOOD !
http://i30.tinypic.com/2zgddh1.jpg