“Smile†(for Michael and Elvis)
Posted on July 26, 2009
Filed Under East meets West, Guest Columnist | Leave a Comment
By Susan Stackpole
“Smile, though your heart is aching. Smile, even though it’s breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by. If you smile through your fear and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow you’ll see the sun come shining through for you.” The words of Charlie Chaplin echo across continents as people from all walks of life grieve the passing of Michael Jackson. Originally, I put off writing this piece, as it leaves a hole in my heart that Michael Jackson died such a tragic and most likely preventable death. Silly as it sounds, I felt by not acknowledging it, perhaps I would later come to discover that news of his death was all a cruel joke and that Michael was happily hanging out in his “giving treeâ€.
My wonderful editor spoke to me about doing a piece that compared Elvis and Michael Jackson in life and death. In the piece, I would discuss how they both died similarly mysterious and tragic deaths from drug overdoses, both of them being recognized on every corner of the globe, and how their music forever altered pop culture. I would discuss how the trappings of fame caused Elvis and Jackson to become increasingly more private and how a laundry list of ailments resulting from grueling performance schedules and injuries led to unconquerable drug dependencies that eventually took their young lives. I would also mention the heartfelt sympathies extended the world over for the children they left behind. Somehow, it seems like that’s all been said before. A quick visit to Wikipedia.com and browsing Google.com, and you’ll know everything you wanted to know and more about Elvis and Jackson in life and death. It is perhaps more fitting to explore the trappings of celebrity and the vulnerability that reminds us superstars are just like us, except perhaps with more talent and wealth.
Elvis and Michael Jackson both were being heavily medicated for performance-related issues, including injuries and health complications resulting from their grueling schedules. Excruciating tours with regular nightly performances and daily travel and rehearsals are excessively daunting, not allowing for the body to rest properly. The intense energy rush of nightly sold out performances where audience erupt into fits of screaming and fainting, all before the performer even does anything become increasingly difficult from which to naturally decompress. Intense late nights followed by early mornings of travel and show rehearsal put tremendous physical and psychological strain on any performer.
Dr. Robert Rey of “Dr. 90210†states that doctors are challenged medicating patients with enough drugs to help them comfortably manage pain without crossing the line into overmedicating and addiction. Large sums of money help celebrities find individuals without scruples who are willing to aid their addictions. Elvis was found with fourteen drugs in him when he passed, and Jackson was found with a serious surgical drug only meant to be administered in the hospital. Would Elvis and Jackson still be alive without the extraordinary funds that allowed them to obtain the drugs by any means necessary?
Elvis and Jackson both left children behind. Paris, Prince, and Blanket, Jackson’s children await final custody determinations. Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’s daughter, grew up the center of media scrutiny only to be thrust back into the spotlight during her brief marriage, which ultimately broke under the emotional stress. Lisa Marie Presley best summed up the similarities between her father, Elvis, and Jackson in her honest and heart wrenching MySpace blog following Jackson’s death. Lisa said Jackson, fourteen years prior, expressed his deep fear that he would die the same way Elvis did. Lisa revealed, “He stared at me very intensely, and he stated with an almost calm certainty, ‘I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did.’” Lisa said she did her best to deter him from the idea and that she spent a large part of her marriage to him trying to save him. Lisa shares, “At that time, in trying to save him, I almost lost myself. He was an incredibly dynamic force and power that was not to be underestimated. When he used it for something good, it was the best, and when he used it for something bad, it was really, really bad.â€
Celine Dion’s lovely sentiment expresses the loss felt all over the world, “I just want to send my prayers and love to Michael’s family. I can’t imagine how difficult this is for them….to lose someone so special. And it’s the same for everyone in the world who loses a loved one. It just keeps reminding us of how precious life is, and that we never know when it’s our time. God Bless his soul.” It seems in death, Elvis and Jackson’s deaths serve as cautionary tales that make us more aware of our own vulnerabilities and inspire us to live our lives to the fullest. As people across the world united to grieve Jackson’s death and celebrate his life, it seems his dream of healing the world was a little closer to being realized.
“We are all a part of God’s great big family – And the truth, you know love is all we need.†~ Michael Jackson “We Are the Worldâ€
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