Michael Jackson dies: A life full of health and emotional issues comes to an end

My parents let me stay up late the night "Thriller" first aired on "Friday Night Videos." A grade school friend of mine dressed in a red leather jacket and single white glove, doing his talented rendition of "Billie Jean," and wooed all the girls in my class with his moonwalk. I watched in awe Michael Jackson was connected to a strange and compelling assortment of A-listers -- Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Taylor, Reverend Al Sharpton. I cheered him as he collected Grammy Awards. I've played the Jackson 5 while dancing with my son. I watched in sadness and horror at singer's troubles that showed up on his face, in his trials, in his life that was way beyond normality.

And tonight, CNN and the Los Angeles Coroner have confirmed that the "King of Pop" is dead at the age of 50.

What seems the most unfortunate in this death that has rocked the Internet and shaken millions of fans and tabloid readers, is that Michael Jackson's musical genius is overshadowed by his scandals.

Michael Jackson's life ended following cardiac arrest but was plagued by serious health issues. His scalp was severely burned on the set of a Pepsi commercial, and he admitted he developed a pill addiction while recovery from resulting surgery. Almost a decade later, reports surfaced that the singer was suffering from lupus that went into remission. Over the years, he was treated for dehydration, low blood pressure, and recurring back pain. There were overlapping reports of concern for his dependency on prescription medications. He claimed (and his doctor concurred in a public statement) that the skin condition vitiligo caused a loss of his pigmentation. I know I am not alone in thinking that deep emotional trauma must have caused his extreme body image issues, many cosmetic surgeries, and mask wearing.

Other health complications are rumored to plague Michael Jackson, fueled by Internet chatter that he was not physically able to perform on stage. CNN says rumors that the singer had skin cancer were said to be the reason an extensive comeback tour was postponed to 2010. 

Those rumors were addressed by Randy Phillips, the president and CEO of AEG Live, who said Michael Jackson had no health problems.

We will probably never know what happened in Michael Jackson's private sphere and it may be a long time until toxicology and coroner's reports give us more information about the circumstances of his death and whether new rumors of suicide and prescription pill abuse were at the heart of his death. We will likely be left to keep on speculating about all of the other medical conditions and emotional complications that Michael Jackson may or may not have had.  The world, I am sure, will keep watching to see whether Michael Jackson's troubles and triumphs show up in the lives of his three children.

Hopefully, some of that strangeness and pain will eventually quiet, and the volume will turn up on his incredible musical contributions in a nearly 40-year career and our memories of "Thriller", "Billy Jean" and many, many other Michael Jackson moments.