I'm going to talk about Michael Jackson, just because everyone else is.

Today the world lost the best performer that ever lived- or exhausted itself of a deranged paedophile, depending on who you talk to. It's all too easy to dismiss the King of Pop as a lunatic who is addicted to plastic surgery and somehow bleached his skin; and totally discount what he has contributed to the world.

For the past five or so years, popular culture has been rife with digs at Jackson due to the accusations of child molestation made against him. The masses have cited this as a reason for being indifferent and even relieved at his death- we could always do with one less paedophile, they say. While he was brought to court over the charges in June 2005, he was actually acquitted- of course, this little technicality has never stopped the constant vilification his image is subjected to. Apparently modern justice is based on the premise of "innocent until proven guilty"- but somehow this has been perverted so that for someone of Jackson's celebrity, it's more along the lines of guilty after proven innocent. If it is true and has just escaped the justice system as so many things do, then it's disgusting and inexcusable, but we just don't know that. The best assumption that can be made in this case is that the courts and their jury got it right, and it is unethical to presume otherwise.

Another common reason used as a justification for laughing at Jackson's tragic death is "he's a freak because he looks funny", and the worn out adage that he somehow bleached himself white. Before concluding that he's a freak, therefore his achievements don't count, on preconceived and erroneous notions; let's look at some facts commonly available in the public domain- an uncommon practise, considering how many people believe things just because they're commonly accepted by the ignorant. First, Jackson is a sufferer of vitiligo, a skin disease that progressively lightens patches of skin. Second, yes, that's right, only patches of skin- therefore his whole body did not turn white as a result of vitiligo. But what would you do if your skin suddenly developed patches of a completely contrasting colour? You wouldn't just leave it be, especially if you had a high-profile career and were constantly in the public eye. While initially he covered the lighter patches with darker make-up, after the vitiligo had sufficiently spread, it became simpler to cover the dark patches with light make-up. While it remains unconfirmed, Jackson probably did undergo some permanent cosmetic skin lightening of the remaining darker regions- understandably, as he would look like even more of a "freak" if his skin was patchy. Furthermore, he was obviously insecure about his looks, as evidenced by his extensive use of cosmetic surgery.

There's no denying that Jackson's face has been altered dramatically since the height of his fame in the eighties, with at least two (probably more) nose jobs and various cheek and chin alterations. And if that made him happy, then good on him for doing it- it's not like his undergoing surgery hurts anyone other than himself. Besides, no matter how much he changed his face, at least he never looked as creepy as Robert Pattinson.

Jackson's contributions to popular culture through his music and dance are nothing short of colossal- there is no doubt he was extremely talented and it's such a shame that his fame was overshadowed by his more questionable antics. But ultimately, his public persona- the glittering, singing, dancing artist; and his actual identity as the messed-up molester that he has come to be known as; cannot be considered in the same breath. His extremely successful career and stellar contributions to his industry cannot be depreciated based on his personal life.

He will be missed.