Billie Jean is NOT my lover.

Way to steal Farrah's thunder, Michael.

The King of Pop is dead at 50 years old. Well, at least supposedly. My husband just finished telling me that he doesn't think Michael is dead at all. According to him, this is just one huge publicity stunt, and Michael will rise again on July 13, the date he's scheduled to perform his first sold-out London concert. He'll open the show with "Black or White" and emerge on stage re-pigmented like Robert Downey, Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" (although I think that may have been a hoax, too).

That reminds me of a story my friend told me about his six-year-old son. This kid was watching an old Michael Jackson video on TV a few months ago. He turned to his father, looked very confused, and said, "Michael Jackson used to be black?" HA!

Seriously, though, all joking aside, I am in total shock right now, as is the rest of the world. Michael Jackson is dead, and he died of a heart attack at only 50 years old! How crazy is that?

I must admit, when I first learned that Michael had been rushed to the hospital and had stopped breathing, I immediately thought that he tried to kill himself or had overdosed on medication. That almost would have made sense, considering all the bizarre behavior Michael exhibited over the years. It's always possible that something suspicious may have triggered that heart attack, of course, but I'm sure the medical examiner's results won't be available for some time. If it truly was just a regular old heart attack, it really is a tragedy. Fifty is pretty young, especially to have a fatal heart attack. It's so sad.

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, and I loved his music. However, I sort of grew out of my MJ obsession when he began getting paler and paler. When he was accused of child molestation, I got rid of all my Michael Jackson tapes (that's right, cassettes) and never replaced them with CDs. I refused to shell out money that would benefit someone I thought was guilty of a terrible crime.

That's why I'm so surprised by how sad I feel today. We'll never know what Michael may have been guilty of, but we do know that he created some amazing music that touched millions of people worldwide. "Thriller," "Beat It," and "Billie Jean" will live on forever, as will dozens of other MJ classics.

As a side note, it was so interesting to watch this story unfold late this afternoon. With technology as amazing as it is these days, news of Michael's condition spread globally within a matter of minutes. I work downtown, and when I left the office, everyone on the street was talking about Michael, skimming headlines on their cell phones and asking each other if they had any new information to share. All the Chicago radio stations (well, at least the good ones) were playing Michael Jackson tunes and urging listeners to pray for Michael. Then the official word came down that Michael didn't make it, and the radio support rally turned into a tribute. It was actually pretty moving.

Michael, wherever you are, you kept the world entertained with your wonderful music, creepy Peter Pan ranch, fashionable veils, and translucent skin. You may have been a less than perfect man, but you were one hell of a performer, and the music industry has lost an icon. Rest in peace.