Michael Jackson was 50 years old when he died (1958-2009). He was a consummate entertainer, if I may say, literally. His entertaining consumed him. While some people use drugs to escape, Jackson used them to push his body to keep performing. It took his life. (Prince falls into this category too.)

Here is Jackson’s Thriller video, recorded in 1982. It was groundbreaking at the time in that it resembled a short movie.

The Thriller music video was included in the National Film Preservation Board’s National Film Registry of “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films.

His dancing and the sound track, the beat, the music!, get me every time: