By Nicosia Smith in New York
Some of ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson’s grief-stricken fans found some relief by descending on Harlem, New York to express their feelings on paper, plastic and plyboard at a makeshift memorial that was set up outside The Apollo Theatre.
At a simple table with a plastic cup holding a few pens and a sign asking for a contribution of a quarter from those signing, toward the purchase of the pens, one by one fans from around the world wrote their tributes. There was representation from all the continents it seems; Asia, Australia, Africa, North and South America and a predominant European presence. Many seemed surprised at the magnitude of handwritten tributes, the flowers, posters, teddy bears and cards left for the ‘King of Pop’, but were nonetheless happy to add to the lot.
In Harlem last Friday philosopher and artist Earl Cayard who helped organise and manage the tribute site said that on the approximately 200 meters of wall with more than five layers, 350,000-500,000 people had already penned tributes. The wall is outside the Apollo on 125th Street called Nat King Cole Walk. The posted sign reads “Apollo Theatre ‘Off the Wall’” tribute to Michael Jackson (‘Off the Wall’ was the title of Michael’s first solo album, released in 1979).
On Sunday, Cayard said he had no idea how many persons had signed since Friday but on Saturday – Independence Day — fans had visited the site as late as 1 am. I tried to find my tribute which had been written on Friday and could not, as new layers of cloth or plastic had been placed over it to facilitate new fans.
What will become of all those thousands of signatures, several fans wondered as they poured their hearts out in ink on paper. Cayard, a committee member for ‘Artist in the Street’ who collaborated on the event with Rev Al Sharpton and movie director Spike Lee, said steps will be taken to have the memorial preserved. On Friday he said the signatures could end up at the Smithsonian Institute and on Sunday he said suggested that some may be housed in a planned museum in Jackson’s hometown Gary, Indiana.
Meanwhile, the Apollo, where the then Jackson Brothers won Amateur Night in 1969, before they were called The Jackson 5, was the memorial site for countless fans, since Jackson’s death on June 25. From Tuesday to Thursday last week, 600 persons at a time were allowed inside the Apollo to pay tribute.
New Yorker Jean Blount, 53, said on Friday that since Jackson’s death she had only missed camping outside the Apollo one day. The woman said she grew up with Jackson’s music and “I have lived through the whole Michael era.” She pointed out that many never thought that they would live to see a Black US president or to see Michael Jackson die.
Blount opined that the huge outpouring the entertainer was receiving was because “we had no clue who we really had around us… awesome reality of who Michael was.” She posited that Jackson’s contribution to music was structured, “he was heavenly blessed… our angel of music.”
Harlem resident and fan Eddie Council said Jackson opened the doors of MTV for the black artist, being the first to have his music played on the music network in the 1980s. Forty-five-year-old Renee Harrison was five years old when she went to the Apollo for Amateur Night in 1969 to see the Jackson brothers. He was truly a legend and icon; she said, adding that she thought he was charismatic and a loving human being since he spoke of love and encouraged the world to share and give love. Harrison said he was “Gone too soon”.(“Gone Too Soon” was included on the album ‘Dangerous’ but it had been released on December 6, 1993 to commemorate the death of Ryan White, who became the face of AIDS when he was diagnosed five years earlier at the age of 13.)