Pop Cultural Icons Die

I grew up watching Charlie's Angels and secretly wishing I could be Jaclyn Smith. I loved her hair. I never aspired to be Farrah Fawcett -- she was the unattainable goal in my book. And, Kate Smith, well, I just thought she was too plain. Of course, remember, I was a young girl back then, so my perceptions should have shifted since then. They haven't. However, I will admit, that I think they all looked just as good in 2006 as they did in the original series (see below). I think every person I know wanted Farrah's hairstyle and attempted to imitate it, including me with my nine-year-old mousy brown hair.

I was saddened to read today that Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer at age 62. In my mind, she will always be the same age she was when I collected those Charlie's Angels cards so back in the 70s.

And then there is the shocking death of Michael Jackson at age 50. People, I'm not too far from that age myself, so what a shocker. I've related it to the death of Elvis Presley. He was such an iconic pop culture figure that, albeit strange and different in his later years, was a multi-faceted, talented individual that seemed above death -- a reminder to all of us of our mortality, I suspect.

I remember, vividly, when the Thriller album was released and trying oh.so.very.hard to learn the Moonwalk -- and failing miserably. How I longed to be able to dance like those dancers in the MJ videos. He was one of my first true experiences with music videos. It was like a mini-movie filled with magic to me. I remember we were one of the millions of people who had that Thriller album (no, young people, they did not have cassette tapes, DVDs, BluRays or IPods back then -- we had vinyl).

I've remained transfixed through the years at the changes, allegations, and continued superstar status of his image and life. There was always some type of fascination -- much like I'm sure the fascination surrounding his death. I'm sure I'm one of millions who currently pore over news stories about his unexpected, sudden death.

Each of these individuals were part of the framework of my early years growing up, and I am saddened at their deaths, especially so very young. I wish the families of each of these individuals peace and understanding from the public during this difficult time.