A.R. Rahman:
"I am shocked at the untimely passing away of Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musicians of our times. MJ, for most of our generation was an icon who made uncompromising music. He pushed the milestone of Pop music to unbelievable levels through the 80s and 90s.
I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision. I met him personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles and we vibed very well. He said that he loved India and the Indian people. He said he heard good things about me and he was praising the chord progression of Jai Ho's chorus.
He was bursting with energy and told me that every dance move he did came from his soul and did a five second stunning example. It was like a lightning strike.
He was concerned about developmental issues such as Global Warming and about wars and its damages to the human community. He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the likes of "We are the World" for him. I nodded in awe...!
He introduced me to his three lovely bright kids. The kids told him "I love you Dad". And he replied, "I love you more" as a proud father. I wished him well for his concerts and he said "God Bless you".
After hearing the shocking news, I wished it was another rumor which would fade away soon. It took me time to believe that he is no more.
I remember, my late sound engineer H. Sridhar had brought me a video of the premiere of 'Remember the Time' when I was recording 'Kadal Rojave' for my first movie Roja. Seeing it inspired all of us that afternoon.
Now, there is no Sridhar and no Jackson anymore. I hope all of us value people's existence more and respect them when they are alive. LIFE IS SHORT...! Artists and their art live for ever. Jai Ho, MJ! We love you for your music, regardless of all the controversies!"
(Chennai: Expressing shock and grief at the death of Michael Jackson, music composer AR Rahman recalled the influence which the King of Pop had over him in his formative years. Jackson was among the big guns in LA’s music industry who met Rahman and praised his work when he won the Oscar. During the meeting, MJ had introduced his children to the Indian star and urged him to compose an anthem on the lines of ‘We Are The World’.
‘‘I am shocked at the untimely passing away of Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musicians of our time,’’ Rahman said on Friday. ‘‘MJ, for most of our generation, was an icon who made uncompromising music. He pushed the milestone of pop music to unbelievable levels through the ‘80s and ‘90s. I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision.’’
Rahman remembered the time when his late sound engineer Sridhar had brought him a video of the premiere of ‘Remember The Time’ while he was recording ‘Kadal Rojave’ for his first movie, ‘Roja’. ‘‘Seeing it inspired all of us that afternoon. Now, there is no Sridhar and no Jackson anymore. I hope all of us value people’s existence more and respect them when they are alive,’’ he said.
Rahman had an opportunity to meet MJ personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles. ‘‘We vibed very well. He said that he loved India and Indians. He said he had heard good things about me and he was praising the chord progression of Jai Ho’s chorus,’’ said Rahman. ‘‘He was bursting with energy and told me that every dance move he did, came from his soul and did a five-second stunning example,’’ he added.
According to Rahman, MJ was not only a music legend but a caring human being who was concerned about developmental issues such as global warming, and also wars and the resulting damage to human community. ‘‘He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the likes of ‘We are the World’ for him. I nodded in awe ...!,’’ said Rahman. MJ also introduced Rahman to his three ‘‘lovely, bright kids’’. ‘‘The kids told him, ‘I love you dad’ and he replied ‘I love you more’ as a proud father,’’ said Rahman. ‘‘After hearing the shocking news, I wished it was another rumour which would fade away soon. It took me time to believe that he is no more.’’
Rahman said the world would continue to love MJ for his music, ‘‘regardless of all the controversies!’’
source: Times of India
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Amitabh Bachchan:
“In the early 90’s on another private visit to New York, the door bell of my room in the Helmsley Palace Hotel rang, and I sauntered up to open it. There as I stood in the doorway, across me, was Michael Jackson ! He looked a little surprised as he turned around to those he was accompanied with and in his now well known soft voice gently spoke up – “Oh ! Excuse me ! I think I have the wrong room !”.
“I have no recollection of what I said in return, whether I said anything at all, how long I remained in that state and when I closed the door to come back in. But that was him and he had come to the wrong room !!”
“Later the next day, my friend Mohan Murjani, who was perhaps working with MJ on some project and staying in the same hotel, set up a meeting for me with Michael Jackson and we met and laughed at the previous days incident and exchanged pleasant conversation. He was soft spoken, very humble and most polite. Introduced me to his Mother who accompanied him and then I was out of there !!”
“I never saw him again but when he came to perform in Mumbai at the Andheri Sports Complex, Prateeksha, where I live, shook the entire night with the vibrations of all his most popular numbers booming out from the venue.”
“An exceptional artist has gone. Someone that created an almost outer world experience for all of us with his art.”
“When I get back I shall pull out an old birthday party recording of 7-8 year aged Abhhishek, dressed like Michael and dancing to ‘Thriller’.”
Amitabh bachchan from his blog
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Farah Khan:
“It was so sudden that everyone is in a state of shock. Infact he was going to have his live shows after a long gap and everyone was looking forward to that. But all that won’t happen now. The feeling is yet to sink in; I am myself in a state of shock. He was my reason I chose my career- choreography. He was the one who made me feel so passionate about dance. For me, it all started with him. Since childhood I have always been obsessed with him. I never had any formal training in dance, it was only his videos that taught me and inspired me to do better.”
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Vishal Dadlani:
"Goodbye, Michael Jackson. The one thing we never let you be was a human being. You went from a God to an alien to a demon. But if we remember you for anything but your music, the failing will be ours. Sorry for all the harassment, thank you for all the music."
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Sajid :
"It is a big loss for the music industry, and he was a legend of sorts, someone who never paid heed to the image or personality, that he carried and the way we remember Bob Marley, Michael Jackson also falls in the same league. Today is by far a very mournful day for the entire music industry."
Wajid :
"It's indeed very sad news, I was driving when I got this message from someone, I was so shocked that I actually stopped driving and started to think about the man since then.It's actually a very big loss to everyone, because all of us have grown up listening to his songs; he was a real example of a perfect singer and performer... a complete artist.
I was in fact looking out for his new album that he was composing, but now everything has come to a stand still and I am at a complete loss for words."
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Jatin Pandit:
"A major section of the music industry has been wiped out; he was in a class of his own. I was really fortunate enough to witness his performance when he came down to Bombay. He was a rare combination of performance and talent."
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Sukhwinder Singh:
"I am totally shocked. Since the time I first heard this news, I felt a great sadness from somewhere deep within."
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Saroj Khan:
"It's a great loss to the world. He was not just a lovely dancer, but also a wonderful creator. I admired him very much. God bless his soul to rest in eternal peace."
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Ganesh Hegde:
"It's an extremely sad day for the whole industry. His death means a total end to the world of music and an era in itself. There's a lot of reason for the fact that I am here and am what I am today.
One of the main reasons is none other than the King of Pop Michael Jackson! He is the one who showed the way to many people like me that rags can surely be transformed into riches.
I still remember the day when I had a chance to meet him just for a minute. And trust me, I must have told him 'Sir, I love you' at least 20 times in 10 seconds. He, very generously said that 'I like it'. That's the most important one minute of my life."
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