“We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations, and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.” —Justin Timberlake [People]
“I am stunned. My friend, Michael Jackson is dead. He lived with me for a week on the Golden Pond set after ‘Thriller.’” —Jane Fonda [Janefonda/Twitter]
“Yesterday was a sad and a bad day for me, because I think Michael Jackson died of a broken heart and a broken soul … It’s kind of haunting that these record companies wouldn’t give him the light of the day or these radio stations wouldn’t give him the light of the day over the last couple years, but now that he died everybody’s on his jock, so to speak. It makes me angry because in the end, no matter how much he messed with himself or his appearance, which to me didn’t mean anything to anybody when it came down to him wanting to entertain and just make people have a good time, I just thought all of that was irrelevant … I feel kind of crappy for the hypocrisy of this country and its coverage.” —Chuck D [WNYC]
“I can’t stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless.” —Madonna [People]
“I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me.” —Lisa Marie Presley [Detroit News]
“We had come to count on the privilege of this view into Jackson’s clearly pained existence. Yet we continued to dance to his songs at parties, exalt the talents of his youth and younger years, and give him credit for changing the landscape of music. It was as if there were two different Michael Jacksons, the one who was here and the one who was already gone. And now that Michael Jackson is gone, not just the part of him we loved and worshiped, but also those parts of him that we questioned and mocked, we are left with a confounding and massive emptiness.” —Carrie Brownstein [MonitorMix/NPR]
“I truly hope he is memorialized as the ‘83 moonwalking, MTV owning, mesmerizing, unstoppable, invincible Michael Jackson.” —John Mayer [johncmayer/Twitter]
“Michael Jackson was my musical God. He made me believe that all things are possible, and through real and positive music. He can live forever. I love Michael Jackson. God Bless him.” —Wyclef Jean [Detroit News]
“I have great admiration and respect for him and I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to meet and perform with such a great entertainer, who in so many ways, transcended the culture. He broke barriers, he changed radio formats. With music, he made it possible for people like Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama to impact the mainstream world. His legacy is unparalleled. Michael Jackson will never be forgotten.” —Usher [People]
“I knew Michael as a child and watched him grow over the years. Of all the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was the most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched.” —Dick Clark [Detroit News]
“I come to you today with great sadness, acknowledging the loss of the greatest entertainer in the history of mankind. For me he was more than that, he was my idol, he was a role model, he was someone to cry to when my childhood was unbearable, he was a brother, he was a dear friend.” —Corey Feldman [TMZ]
