Michael Jackson dies at 50 - RIP

My local news is reporting that Michael Jackson has died after suffering cardiac arrest this evening. Despite the controversy later in his life, I always thought that he was absolutely a musical genius - probably in the top few of all time. He was a trailblazer - ahead of his time - and was one of the most fantastic performers I have ever seen. Maybe it was because I grew up to a soundtrack that included a lot of his music (and lost sleep when I was little due to the Thriller video) but everything that has happened surrounding him in recent years made me sad, in a strange way. (Disclaimer: Not that I condone messing around with kids, if he was guilty.) And the news of his passing leaves me with that unusual heavy heart that I always feel when a celebrity dies who had been in the pop culture cloud surrounding my life for many years. I can't judge anyone's heart and don't know where he stood with the Lord, but I do hope he sought forgiveness in Christ before it was too late, and that he is at peace now.