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The Passing of Two Legends

Michael Jackson Farrah Fawcett

The entertainment world lost two of its brightest stars today. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett were influential in so many facets of pop culture — from music to fashion to TV.

Farrah started her career in TV commercials in the late 60s and had bit parts on shows such as “I Dream Of Jeannie” and “The Six Million Dollar Man”. But, it wasn’t until her breakout role as Jill Munroe on “Charlie’s Angels” that Farrah became a household name practically overnight. Although she was only on the show for one season, her image of a sun-soaked, blonde California girl was instantly iconic. A poster of Farrah in a red bathing suit became the best selling poster of all time and her feathered haircut was one of the most copied and imitated styles of the late 70s/early 80s.

Not content being just another pretty face, Farrah set out to become a serious actress in the 80s, winning praise for her work on the Broadway play “Extremities” and later a Golden Globe nomination for her work in the TV movie of the same name. She would also get an Emmy nomination for “The Burning Bed”, a movie about domestic abuse. Through the 90s and early 2000s she worked steadily, garnering more praise and award nominations for her acting.

And as for Michael Jackson…what can be said that hasn’t been said already? Starting his career as just a child, he performed regularly with his brothers in the group The Jackson 5. In 1968, they were signed to Motown and the following couple years saw the group release a staggering amount of hits. Their first four singles, “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There”, all shot to Number One on Billboard.

In 1978, Michael appeared as the Scarecrow in the film “The Wiz” with one of his childhood idols Diana Ross. He also worked with Quincy Jones, and a fast friendship formed. Quincy went on to produce Michael’s next two albums “Off the Wall“, released in 1979, and the gigantic hit “Thriller” in 1982.

The 80s belonged to Michael Jackson more than any other artist. From his music videos to his catchy pop tunes, no one came close to the kind of success Michael achieved. His music influenced countless artists in the 90s and through today. Everyone from Justin Timberlake to Usher to Britney Spears owe a lot of their success to the trailblazing work of Michael.

J&R President Rachelle Friedman knew Michael personally. She spoke to CBS 2 about her fond remembrances of him. Regarding the controversy that surrounded him later in his career, she had this to say:

“He was like a beloved uncle to [children], he didn’t do anything inappropriate,” Friedman said. “In fact, they were picking out DVDs and some of them were violent. He said, ‘No, these aren’t the kind of DVDs I want you bringing home.’”

We here at J&R are saddened by the loss of these two great stars and pass on our thoughts & prayers to their families & loved ones. They will be missed.