The King of New York

Yesterday, Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, passed away and left in his wake a world of grieving fans and followers. While the details of his death and the analysis of the influence of his life's work on American music is best left to other publications, the Losers Guide does have some insight into Michael Jackson’s impact on New York City.

All night long, large crowds gathered in Times Square and along 125th street in Harlem to celebrate the man who had become one of the most celebrated pop sensations of all time. We joined the fans along 125th street who swelled around car stereos blasting hits from Off the Wall and Thriller and dancing in the streets together. Earlier in the day, the Reverend Al Sharpton gave a brief but impassioned eulogy of the man outside the famed Apollo Theater, expressing the hope that now Jackson "gets the respect he was due." An impromptu shrine was then set up in his honor outside the Apollo, and news cameras rolled for hours to capture the emotion of the night. The Losers Guide was there to catch some of these moments in picture and video form:

Above: A crowd gathers around a Lamborghini and rocks out to old Jackson tunes

Below: An impromptu shrine is set up for fans

Above: Many cars on 125th street either blasted old Jackson songs from their speakers or wrote short memorials on their windshields

Below: A girl dresses up like Michael Jackson (left); And yes, someone made a t-shirt already (right)

Say what you will about his personal troubles, but there’s no doubt in our minds that Michael Jackson was among the greatest pure showmen and performers that we are likely to see in our lifetimes. This is clear in this clip that we found of Jackson performing “Billy Jean” in New York in 2001.

And finally, here's a short VIDEO of people chanting in tribute to MJ.