Washington, June 26 (DPA): Scores of curious passers-by trickled into a sports bar in downtown Washington, shocked to see news of Michael Jackson's death flash across the massive TV screens instead of Thursday's sports events.
The reactions varied from wide-eyed disbelief to sheer despair until the management started playing some of Jackson's greatest hits. Suddenly the mood turned dramatically, became almost celebratory, as some people held hands and began singing "Remember The Time" from his hit album "Dangerous".
"It hasn't hit me yet. My boyfriend texted me with the news and we switched channels," said Hilary Tutman, 21, a server at Bar Louie. "My ma called - she was crying on the phone. I loved him when I was little and can forgive him for all the scandals - I only want to remember the best of Michael."
Outside the bar, crowds gathered around two men in their 20s who were belting out Jackson hits like "Thriller", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad" and "The Way You Make Me Feel".
"I learned how to moon walk watching his videos. He made me proud to be African American. He healed the world," one of them said, referring to the song that led to the creation of a charity of the same name aimed at improving children's lives all over the world.
On Thursday, Jackson's fans chose to remember the iconic pop star who broke cultural barriers with his signature singing style, moon walking and unique fashion sense - he made military-style jackets and sequined gloves immensely popular. They opted to forget his scandal-tainted final years, his genius obscured by multiple plastic surgeries, child molestation charges and increasingly odd behaviour that earned him the nickname Wacko Jacko.
"He invented pop the way it is now. Justin Timberlake, Usher... all of them only try to emulate what he started," said James Quander, 36, an attorney from North Carolina. "My four-year-old daughter Lani bops to his music on road trips - especially from (his album) 'Off The Wall'."
Yoland Crumity, 48, a bus driver for senior citizens, said she grew up listening to Jackson and he gave her a "sense of my place in this world".
"I'm so sad because I wanted him to make a comeback. I was sure he would redeem himself and now we'll never have that chance to know him again," she said. "With his death I feel that I have lost a very important part of myself, and memories that I shared with my brothers."
An increasingly frail and financially-challenged Jackson had been preparing for a 50-concert run in London, billed as his come-back tour. As Crumity shouted out, "I'll always love you, Michael", people on the streets started cheering, but a few girls couldn't hold back their tears.
One of them cried and said, "He's gone to a better place, where he will be understood. This world did not get him. He will finally be at peace."
In Los Angeles, hundreds of fans gathered outside his home, the hospital, near his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, playing his music, some of them dancing. "His music was such an inspiration to me - it's such beautiful music. His songs helped people heal who were troubled in the world," one fan told local TV station KTTV. "Let's remember him for his beautiful music."
"If I learnt anything from Michael's music and all his trials and tough times, it was - be true to yourself," said Anthony Hailey, 25, a security guard originally from Gary, Indiana who now works in Washington.
"Michael was born in Gary and even though he became world famous and forgot his roots, he will always belong to us," Hailey said. "My grandma who is 95 listens to his music, although it is rarely played on radio - but there will be a huge Jackson revival now. Her favourite song is 'You Are Not Alone'... I wish Michael knew that he was not alone."