​ Michael Jackson was born in August 1958.So was I.Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest.So did I. Michael Jackson had eight brothers and sisters.So do I .When Michael Jackson was six, he became a superstar, and was perhaps the world's most beloved child. When I was six , my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it. I spent my childhood searching for my mother's figures. Sometimes I was successful, but how do you recreate your childhood when you are under the magnifying glass of the world for your entire life.

Michael Jackson生于1958年8月，我也是。Michael Jackson在中西部的郊区长大，我也是。Michael Jackson六岁的时候，他已经成为了一个超级巨星，是全世界最受宠爱的孩子。当我六岁的时候，我失去了我的妈妈。我觉得他比我更惨(原文：我认为他拿了比我还要短的树枝)。我没有母爱，然而他从来没有童年。当你从未得到过什么的时候，就会对其非常着迷。(为Michael恋童事件埋下伏笔)。我童年的时候常常想象妈妈的特征，有时候我也会成功，但是当你的生活暴露在整个世界的聚光灯下时，你要如何重建你的童年？

​ There is no question that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest talents the world has ever known. That when he sang a song at the ripe old age of eight he could make you feel like an experienced adult was squeezing your heart with his words. That when he moved he had the elegance of Fred Astaire and packed the punch of Muhammad Ali. That his music had an extra layer of inexplicable magic that didn't just make you want to dance but actually made you believe you could fly, dare to dream, be anything that you wanted to be . Because that is what heroes do and Micheal Jackson was a hero.

毫无疑问Michael Jackson是众所周知的天才。排比结构 当他在八岁这么老成的年纪时(显然是反话)，他可以唱出像一个饱经风雨的成年人的歌那样震撼你的心灵；当他像Fred Astaire(一个舞王)那样优雅并且像Muhammand Ali(拳王)那样有冲击力般跳舞的时候；他的音乐有无法言喻的魔力，不只能让你跳舞，实际上使你更自信，敢于做梦，让你相信你可以成为任何你想成为的。那常常是英雄做的事，而Mickeal Jackson就是一个英雄。

​ He performed in soccer stadiums around the world, and sold hundreds of millions of records and dined with prime ministers and presidents. Girls fell in love with him, boys fell in love with him, everyone wanted to dance like him. He seemed otherworldly — but he was a human being. Like most performers he was shy and plagued with insecurities. I can't say we were great friends, but in 1991 I decided I wanted to try to get to know him better. I asked him out to dinner, I said "My treat, I'll drive — just you and me."

他在全世界的体育场演出，卖出了百万的唱片，和大臣、总统一起吃晚宴。女孩对他狂热，男生也爱他，所有人想像他那样跳舞。他看起来像是另一个世界的人——但他也只是个和我们一样的人类。像很多表演者一样，他很害羞，也缺乏安全感。我不能说我们是很好的朋友，但是在1991年我想试着了解他更多。我邀请他出去吃晚餐，我说："我请客，我开车——就我们俩"。

​ He agreed and showed up to my house without any bodyguards. We drove to the restaurant in my car. It was dark out, but he was still wearing sunglasses. I said, "Michael, I feel like I'm talking to a limousine. Do you think you can take off your glasses so I can see your eyes?" He paused for a moment then he tossed the glasses out the window, looked at me with wink and a smile and said, "Can you see me now? Is that better?"

他同意了并且没有带任何保镖出现在我的门口。我们开我的车去了饭店。外面已经黑了然而他依然带着墨镜。我说：”Michael，我觉得我在和豪车说话。你能不能摘掉你的眼镜让我看看你的眼睛？“他停了一会然后把眼镜扔出了窗外，带着电眼和微笑看着我说：“你现在能看到我了吗？有没有好一点？”

​ In that moment, I could see both his vulnerability and his charm. The rest of the dinner, I was hellbent on getting him to eat French fries, drink wine, have dessert and say bad words. Things he never seemed to allow himself to do. Later we went back to my house to watch a movie and sat on the couch like two kids, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, his hand snuck over and held mine. It felt like he was looking for a friend more than a romance, and I was happy to oblige. In that moment, he didn't feel like a superstar. He felt like a human being.

那一刻，我能看见他的脆弱和迷人。剩下的时间里，我拼命让他吃法国炸薯条、喝酒、吃甜点，说一些脏话，这些他看起来从来不允许自己做的事。然后我们回到了我家，像两个孩子一样窝在沙发里看电视，在电影的中间，他的手握住了我的手。比起爱情，那更像是在找一个朋友，我很乐意的接受了。在那一刻，他看起来不像一个超级巨星，而是一个普通人类。

​ We went out a few more times together, and then for one reason or another we fell out of touch. Then the witch hunt began, and it seemed like one negative story after another was coming out about Michael. I felt his pain, I know what it's like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world is turned against you. I know what it's like to feel helpless and unable to defend yourself because the roar of the lynch mob is so loud you feel like your voice can never be heard.But I had a childhood, and I was allowed to make mistakes and find my own way in the world without the glare of the spotlight.

我们一起了一段时间后，出于一些原因不再联系了。他的厄运开始了(原文：女巫开始狩猎了)，一个接一个的负面新闻朝Michael涌来。我感受得到他的痛苦，我知道那种走在街上全世界都好像在与你为敌的感觉。我知道他一定觉得很无助，他无法凭他自己的力量保护自己，因为暴民的声音震耳欲聋时你的声音看起来永远不会被听到。但是我有童年，我会允许自己犯错，我能找到自己在没有闪光灯照耀的世界里的生存方式。

​ When I first heard that Michael had died, I was in London, days away from the start of my tour. Michael was going to perform in the same venue as me a week later. All I could think about in this moment was, "I had abandoned him." That we had abandoned him. That we had allowed this magnificent creature who had once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all passing judgment. Most of us had turned our backs on him.

当我得知Michael去世的消失时，我在伦敦，刚举办完我的演唱会。Michael本来将在一周后和我一样在这里演出。我这一刻脑子里只有一句话，”我抛弃了他“，我们每个人都抛弃了他。我们竟然允许这样一个让世界沸腾的如此优秀的男人滑向地狱(cracks:裂缝)。尽管他试着拥有一个家庭，重建自己的人生，我们却不停地判断他的对错(为他贴上各种标签)。我们所有人都背叛了他。

​ In a desperate attempt to hold on to his memory, I went on the Internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage and I thought, "my God, he was so unique , so original, so rare, and there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king." But he was also a human being, and sometimes we have to lose things before we can appreciate them.

在我狂热地想保留与他的回忆时，我在互联网上看他在舞台、电视上的歌舞片段，我想：“天呐！他是如此的独一无二，与众不同，如此珍贵，再也不会有像他一样的人了。他是一个天王。”然而他依然也是个人类，我们常常在还没来得及感恩的时候便失去了。

​ I want to end this on a positive note and say that my sons, age nine and four, are obsessed with Michael Jackson. There's a whole lot of crotch grabbing and moon walking going on in my house. And, it seems like a whole new generation of kids have discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that wherever Michael is right now he is smiling about this.

我想以一种积极的方式结束这段话，我的两个儿子，一个九岁一个四岁，深深的为Michael着迷。总是在家里跳他的Crotch grabbing(抓裆舞)和Moon walking(太空步)。看起来新的一代人已经发现了Michael的天分并把他在此带回给我们的生活似的。我希望无论Michael现在在哪都能为这件事感到欣慰。

​ Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being but he was a King. Long live the King!

是的！Michael Jackson是个人但他更是一个王。王者永存！