He was deemed innocent by a jury, and that can be because of the very poor testimony that was given. Now, was it poor becuase they were ill-prepared? Or was it poor because their story was weak, sensationalized, and possibly not true? Only one person left living REALLY knows the answer to that.
In another case, he settled out of court. Now, if you were a parent of the child in question, would you rather settle out of court for a few bucks, or go to trial with your strong case and put this "child molesting scumbag" behind bars, like he deserves? I would vote for the latter, unless or course, I didn't really have a case and was just looking to get paid.
Catch my drift? I'm not saying he was guilty or innocent - I'm saying who can really be sure of either at this point?
The bottom line is Jackson had two VERY disctint sides. He was a musical and entertainment master, extremely creative and irreplacable. There will likely never be another like him. The music industry is a bit different than it was back in his hayday, and what he accomplished likely will never be able to accomplished again.
We're talking about the MOST famous person on the PLANET.
The other side is the super rich guy with really wierd habbits, the strange diseases, medications, lawsuits and bunch of bones in his living room. I think it's unfortunate that this is side we hear of most often.
Is John Bonham regarded as an amazing drummer or an alcoholic?
What do we remember Ray Charles for? his music? Or his drug use?
Hollywood and press like nothing more than to kick you when you're down.
Despite his faults, he was the most talented entertainer to exsist. I know some of you will start to rattle off singer, bands, etc that you feel are better - but keep in mind that talent, on this level, can be subjective, and I point towards the amount of fans this guy had - and even still has, 19 years after releasing anything worth mentioning.
The man was a legend - a strange one, but a legend none the less, and will be missed...sort of, cause he was really weird.