Michael Jackson was born is August 1958. So was I. Michael Jackson grew up in the sunburns of Midwest. So did I. Michael Jackson had 8 brothers and sisters .So do I. When Michael Jackson was 6, he became a superstar, and perhaps was the world's most beloved child. When I was 6, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it. My spent my childhood searching for my mother figures; sometimes I was successful. But how do you recreate your childhood, when you are under the magnifying glass of the world of your entire life?

There is no question that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest talents the world has ever known. That when he sang a song at the ripe old age of 8, he could make you feel like an n experienced adult was squeezing your heart with his words

That the way he moved had the elegance of Fred Astaire and packed the punch of Mohammed Ali. That his music had an extra layer of inexplicable magic that didn't just make you want to dance but actually make you believe that you can fly, dear to dream, be anything that you wanted to be, Because that was what heroes do .And Michael Jackson was a hero.

He performed in soccer stadiums around the world, he sold hundreds of millions of records, he dined with prime ministers and presidents. Girls fell in love with him, Boys fell in love with him. Everyone wanted to dance like him. He seemed otherworldly ,but he was also a human being. Like most performers, he was shy and plagued insecurities.

I can't say we were great friends but in 1991 I decided I wanted to know him better. I asked him to dinner. I said My treat. I will drive. Just you and me.” He agreed and showed up to my house without any bodyguards. We drove to the restaurant in my car. It was dark out but he was still wearing sunglasses. I said "Michael I feel like talking to a limousine. Do you think you could take off your glasses so I could see your eyes? He paused for a moment and he tossed his glasses out of the window looked and me with wink and a smile and said “can you see me now? Is that better?"It that moment I could see both his vulnerability and his charm. The rest of the dinner, I was hell-bent on getting him to eat French fries drink wine have dessert and say bad words, things he never seemed to allow himself to do. Later we went back to my house to watch a movie. And we sat on the couch like two kids. And somewhere in the middle of the firm his hand snuck over and held mine. It felt like he was looking for a friend more than a romance .And I was happy to oblige him. At that moment he didn't feel like a superstar .He felt like a human being. We went out a few more times together.

And for one reason or another we fell out of touch. Then the witch hunt began. And it seemed like one negative story after another coming out about Michael. I felt his pain. I know what it's like to walk down the street and felt like the whole world has turned against. I know what it's like to feel of helpless and unable to defend yourself because the roar of the lynch mob is so loud that you are convinced your voice can never be heard. But I had a childhood. And I was allowed to make mistakes, and find out my own way in the world without the glare of the spotlight.

When I first heard Michael was died, I was in London, days away from the opening of my tour. Michael was going to perform in the same venue with me a week later. All I could think about in that moment was, I had abandoned him ,that we had abandoned him, that we has allowed this magnificent creature that once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to built a family, and rebuilt his career, we were all busy passing judgment. Most of us had turned our backs on him.

In a desperate attempt to hold onto his memory, I went on the Internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage. And I thought my god, he was so unique,

so original, so rare. And there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king. But he was also a human being. And alas we are all human beings. And sometimes we have to lose things before we can truly appreciate them. I want to end this on a positive note and say that my son age 9 and 4, are obsessed with Michael Jackson. There's whole lot of crotch-grabbing and moon-walking going on in my house. And it seems like the new generation of kids has discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that where every Michael is right now, he is smiling about this.

Yes.Yes, Micheal Jackson was a human being. But dammit, he was a king. Long live the king.