Gone Too Soon

The other day, Sorcy said ::

that guy knew how to rhyme life

pretty good..might have got kicked around.must have had only words to console him

and he crafted it into beautiful worded songs

He was talking about Michael Jackson. I agree ! Songs like HISTORY and MAN IN THE MIRROR have really thoughtful and good lyrics. Lyrics you can identify with, especially if you have been through tough situations. A song which he performed based on his personal experiences was GONE TOO SOON.

The song is a dedication to Ryan White, a teenage haemophiliac who was diagnosed HIV+ in 1984 after a contaminated blood transfusion. He was expelled from school due to his contracting AIDS. Parents and teachers demanded his expulsion. During this time Michael Jackson befriended the teenager, and spent a lot of time with him as well as bought him many gifts. Ryan White died in 1990 at the age of 18, living 5 years longer than the doctors' predictions. His family were hugely grateful to Michael Jackson for staying by the teenager's by-side and offering him comfort.



This song was used by the singer to garner funds from president elect Bill Clinton for AIDS related research. At the inauguration function for the president, he started the song with the words

I would like to take a moment from this very public ceremony to speak of something very personal. It concerns a dear friend of mine who is no longer with us. His name is Ryan White. He was a hemophiliac who was diagnosed with the AIDS virus when he was eleven. He died shortly after turning eighteen, the very time most young people are beginning to explore life's wonderful possibilities.

My friend Ryan was a very bright, very brave, and very normal young man who never wanted to be a symbol or a spokesperson for a deadly disease. Over the years, I've shared many silly, happy, and painful moments with Ryan and I was with him at the end of his brief but eventful journey. Ryan is gone and just as anyone who has lost a loved one to AIDS, I miss him deeply and constantly. He is gone, but I want his life to have meaning beyond his passing.

It is my hope, President-elect Clinton, that you and your administration commit the resources needed to eliminate this awful disease that took my friend, and ended so many promising lives before their time.

Ryan's mother Jeanne White says about Michael Jackson :

Michael was a very dear friend who I can't believe is gone. It's still so confusing to me how this could happen to such a great person. We knew Michael not just as a entertainer, but as a friend that would call up on Mothers day and tell me Happy Mothers Day because he was thinking of me. He talked about his sister Janet alot. He loved hearing stories about Ryan and Andrea because he loved how close Andrea and Ryan was just like him and Janet. He talked a lot about his Mom and how I reminded him of his own mom. (I was really thrilled)

One thing I would love people to know about Michael. He was a superstar, entertainer, recording artist, but the silliest things made him happy, having simple fun, laughs, cartoons, playing jokes and making people happy.

I remember when Michael came to our house for Ryan's funeral and Michael spent a couple hours in Ryan's room, he just wanted to be close to Ryan. He just sit on his bed for hours. Michael later asked Andrea to see Ryan's red Mustang. Andrea took Michael outside in the front yard where we had Ryan's car surrounded with flowers from people all around the world. Michael got in and turned the car on and "Man In The Mirror" was playing. Michael knew that was the last song Ryan had been listening to. It just thrilled him to know that. It was the simple things that put a smile on his face. He later released "GONE TOO SOON" for Ryan but who would have known he would be joining Ryan and he too would be "GONE TOO SOON"

Any wonder why I admire the singer so much ???

"Gone Too Soon"

Like A Comet Blazing
'Cross The Evening Sky
Gone Too Soon

Like A Rainbow Fading
In The Twinkling Of An Eye
Gone Too Soon

Shiny And Sparkly
And Splendidly Bright
Here One Day
Gone One Night

Like The Loss Of Sunlight
On A Cloudy Afternoon
Gone Too Soon

Like A Castle
Built Upon A Sandy Beach
Gone Too Soon

Like A Perfect Flower
That Is Just Beyond Your Reach
Gone Too Soon

Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day
Gone One Night

Like A Sunset Dying
With The Rising Of The Moon
Gone Too Soon

Gone Too Soon