Remember The Time: Where Were You When You Heard That Michael Jackson Died?

June 25th, 2012 - By Victoria Uwumarogie

Source: Soulsessionsradio.com

While getting my two-strand twists re-done at my favorite barber shop in Harlem this past weekend, the radio was blasting throughout the place, and for some reason, anything that had to do with Michael Jackson was playing: Jackson 5, young MJ and of course, young adult Michael before the physical changes, during the iconic Thriller days, and after all the changes. Something hit me: Is this the anniversary of his death? I low-key panicked as if I knew him and needed to call to check in on a family member, but after a quick check via Google, I saw that the station decided to celebrate a little bit early, and I wasn’t complaining. I was actually tapping my foot kind of hard in the barber’s chair to “Can You Feel It” and singing with it to “Off the Wall.” The live version that is. Was Mike not killing it vocally on that joint?

That’s when my hairdresser asked me where I was the day Michael Jackson died. After less than five seconds of thought, I could recall that day, what I was wearing and how I was feeling: horrible. I was home for the summer, finishing getting dressed at my parent’s place in little Matteson, IL, awaiting just the right time to head to my summer class at the local community college. It was a random geography course to fill up a humanities credit that slipped both me and my advisor’s minds. In a span of five minutes my mother and I went from talking about how sad it was that Farrah Fawcett had passed away to being extremely shaken by the sudden breaking news that Michael Jackson passed away. I remember my mother slightly tearing up at the prospect that the young man she watched grow up and blow up had passed way before his time, and possibly in a manner that would bring a lot of drama for his name and his family. As I quickly had to go to class, I balled like a baby in the car on the way listening to “Never Can Say Goodbye” as the radio DJ played every song Michael ever touched. I called a friend to share my disbelief, and once I hit class, the first 30 minutes of the two-hour course were spent not speaking on geography but remembering MJ at his peak. Clearly, to say I remembered that day well would be a massive understatement.

Back to present day, or something like that, my hairdresser told a story of receiving a text message about his death and how no one believed it until a random man ran into the store they were in and and got his Paul Revere on, telling everyone he was dead. Another guy waiting to get his hair cut told a story about being shocked while visiting family in the South. The stories went on and on. Before I knew it, folks were comparing it to where they were when Barack Obama won the presidency in ’08, his inauguration the next January, and where they were on 9/11…

9/11 as in September 11, 2001. I didn’t realize what an “interesting” comparison that was until after I had made my way back to Brooklyn.

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  • anonymous

    Shout out to the south suburbs! I was in my freshman year of college at the dining hall when I heard, shows that his music and fame reached all ages.

  • http://www.facebook.com/imani.finn Imani Finn

    i was heading to my baccalaureate mass. it was two days before my high school graduation.

  • Stacy L

    I was at home watching the news and listening to the radio. I had just gotten laid off like 2 weeks before, and when the radio started playing all MJ songs I was happy, for a second, it made me feel a little better. Then I just so happened to turn my head left to look at the tv and my local news station (and I live in Baltimore, MD) was reporting that he was rushed to the hospital. (It was between 5pm-6pm our time b/c it was the evening news), Then I started cycling through radio stations and every station w/ even a little bit of reception was playing MJ.. then he was gone. it’s still sooo surreal to me, b/c it feels like he should be here

  • Bday Girl

    He died on my birthday June 25th. I sort of had a preminition. Told all my friends to wearsomething red but 3 days before my party I called everyone and asked that they wore black and white in honour of MJ’s massive tours that was about to kick off in 2009. So we all wore classic black and white. As we gathered to snap a group photo outside the event venue at about 9pm BST. MJ was being resusitated by an ambulance crew in his home across the Atlantic. A few hours later I received the tragic news. So every time my birthday comes round… I always remeber the times and celebrate an outstanding artist.

  • Candacey Doris

    I was doing volunteer work at an nursing home. I went in to see a patient i knew an she was bawling because Michael was dead. Of course she called him “that cute little black boy” but she was crying like he was her child.

  • Is It 5:00 Yet?

    I was just starting this job…matter of fact it was the third day when he died. I received text messages from people, but thought it was a rumor. Came home and saw Entertainment Tonight..truth verified.

  • MarcoPanache.com

    I was at work when the news broke and as shocking as it was to me, all i remember are the white people, in my predominately white office, dropping what they were doing and they all began glaringly staring at me over their cubicles for some sort of a reaction. It was the freakiest thing thing i’ve ever experienced!! Even the ‘ol white security guy was peering at me. It felt like i was abducted by aliens and was being poked and prodded for human emotion. Can anyone explain that to me?? …bcuz I’m convinced i work in an office full of aliens, and i fear they’re plotting to take me back to their planet and experiment on me like some mangy lab rat…

  • FromUR2UB

    I read it on the internet when I got home, and at first thought it was a hoax. Then I checked CNN and confirmed it. I never believed he would live to a ripe old age, but was still saddened by his death when it happened. All those memories of my eight-year-old crush on him came flooding back. In 1971, when I heard on the radio that the Jackson 5ive were going to be at the Cow Palace, my father didn’t get a moment’s rest for about two months after that. I argued that everyone else got to go to concerts (meaning my sisters, who are a decade older than I am, like I had a right to expect the same privilege at eight!) I worried the life out of him until he got finally took me to the box office to get the tickets. Anyway, I finally got to see them in person, and it was worth it!

  • IllyPhilly

    I was in Iraq and they told us like a week later.

  • RedButterfly81

    I was at Party City shopping for party supplies for my daughter’s 1st birthday which was 3 days away and the radio was playing at the store when they stopped in the middle of a Rihanna song to announced MJ had died. I was in shocked and didn’t see that one coming at all. I even remembered Farrah Fawcett had died that morning and her death was overshadowed by MJ’s death. When I got home I played my Michael Jackson albums.

  • Anonymous

    I was shocked, still can’t get over it. His music hits your soul. When Mj songs come on everybody including babies start moving their bodies. I’ve been listening to his songs all day, this guy’s talent was out of this world. The greatest entertainer that ever lived, and most talented artist. Thank you for your humanitarian work, and you will always be remembered. Your music will go down generation. R.I.P Michael Joseph Jackson.

  • sammi_lu

    Had just got off work early and hopped in my car turned the radio up and immediately start singing along to P.Y.T. immediately followed by Rock With You. By now I was happy hype like I always get when MJ comes on, when I heard the 3rd song come on a question popped in my head..”Why is my favorite alternative station mixing MJ like this?” I turned to every station I had programmed and all were jamming one of his hits. That same frantic panic was welling up inside me I felt going through the radio stations the day Biggie died..I knew immediately he was gone before the Dj came on saying R.I.P.