Michael Jackson and Prince: The similarities that led to their deaths

Two giants in the industry pay the ultimate price

We all have perspectives on situations and writers can put theirs in print. The above image of Michael Joseph Jackson and Prince Rogers Nelson was in my Facebook newsfeed and it brought back an interesting memory from 2009. It was mid-June and I was reading a Jet magazine. There was a story about Prince needing hip surgery because of all the years of dancing in heels and doing splits on stage.

I showed the article to my husband and we discussed how Prince had worn his body out because he desired to please his fans. I then said "Michael Jackson has also gone above and beyond putting wear and tear on his body. I wonder what price he will pay. Less than a week later on June 25, 2009, my question was answered. Michael had died as a result of the drugs he was given.

I read all the stories about how he could not sleep and was being given medication that was supposed to be used as anesthesia. I wondered if he had any clue that he should not be doing that to his body. Close to 7 years later on April 21st, 2016, Prince was found dead in his home. It was revealed that he had been taking prescription meds for pain.

Micahel and Prince were known to abstain

No one knows what anyone does in their private time but it was said of Prince that he did not smoke, drink, or do illegal drugs and would not allow those who toured with him to indulge either. Those who worked with him said he would not allow people to curse in his presence. A lot of people laughed at that one but I understand. I have never understood why people use expletives in typical sentences.

Where I might say Good morning how are you today I cringe at those who would say What the f**ck is up with you today. How you doing mother fu**er. How the hell is everything? Some people just prefer clean language that is all. As far as Michael Jackson he reportedly drank wine but did not drink hard liquor, smoke, or do drugs.

In my opinion, both Prince and Michael believed that whatever was prescribed by a doctor would not harm them and yet they became addicted. Tw men who were known to remain clean ended up dying from drug overdoses. How ironic is that? Both men were considered strange and reclusive which is a trait of many artists.

Geniuses among us

Each in his own way was a genius and both admitted that the music business tried to take everything from them. Prince even went around for a few years using a symbol for his name in protest of the powers that be wanting to take over what he had created. He was referred to as The Artist formerly known as Prince. Michael and Prince fought for the right to own their music.

Prince and Michael were said to be perfectionists and wanted everything just right. They loved their fans and always wanted to give great concerts. I saw the Jacksons in concert in Roanoke, Virginia in the late 1970s and saw Prince in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1985. When they died it was as if time stood still and everywhere I went people were in shock and playing Prince and Michael Jackson music for weeks after their deaths.

Gone too soon

Both men had a strange style of dressing that wa peculair to most of the rest of us but it was them. Most people say there will never be another entertainer who can produce what Prince and Michael Jackson did and I agree. I was stunned in 2009 when Michael passed away less than a week after I asked my husband about the price he would pay for abusing his body. I had no idea that the issue Jet sjaerd about Prince needing hip surgery would ultimately lead to his demise.

Michael died at 50 and Prince at 57. Both left us way too soon. I often wondered did it ever occur to either man to slow down because they could not do in their 50s what they did at 20. Neither needed the money and they could have retired at any time. They loved entertaining and appreciated their fans and the desire to remain relevant and strut across the stage took them both. This is just my reflection you can feel free to disagree.