So just weeks before he was set to complete a mammoth 50 shows at the o2 Arena, Michael Jackson has sadly, and for more his millions of fans, devastatingly, passed away. Jackson was pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, L.A at about 2:26 pm on 25th June 2009.

Around the time of finding out, someone said to me, "Imagine being so famous that within a couple of hours of your death, the majority of the population of the developed world were aware of it." And he was right, Jackson's death is surely the biggest shock to hit us since Princess Diana clipped that corner way back in 1997. But one thing that struck me about Jackson's death is the speed in which it spread around the people, with the use of mobile internet, sites such as Twitter and Facebook and text messages, I received dozens of emails, texts and tweets giving me the news while I was sat in a bar watching Brazil vs South Africa. I knew about the demise of a legend well before it was even breaking on the news. Crazy.

Michael Jackson has over the years been one of the most individual, and inspirational people to ever step into the limelight. Since singing 'ABC' back in the day with the Jackson 5, he has never been clear of controversy, be it his plastic nose/face or his straight out weird perception of how to bring up your kids (from waving them out of the window, to keeping them hidden behind masks). Even his far fetched Never Neverland style attitude to life has often been brought under criticism in the past. Something that is undoubtable however, is the commitment Jackson had to charitable causes. Jackson was an active member of too many charities to name in this article. On top of this he wrote "We Are The World" with Lionel Richie in 1985, performing the hit with every ounce of passion he had for anti-injustice, donating all of the proceeds to projects in Africa. Jackson was also entered into the Guiness Book of Records under 'Most Charities Supported by a Celebrity' - it is estimated that Jacko donated no less than $50 million to good causes in his lifetime.

Credentials such as this are unquestionable, and throughout his life, aside from the controversy, he really did come across as quite an eccentric philanthropist - the man just loved to make other people happy. The idealistic fuzzy bubble that he lived in was not something that we could ever understand, but his music was something that is almost universally acclaimed, and when the jokes (that have been going round like wildfire) blow over, lets hope we remember this musical legend for what he has contributed to the world