Michael Jackson's death on Twitter
Within minutes of people hearing reports of Michael Jackson being taken into hospital, the social networking site Twitter was buzzing with rumours and questions. As it dawned on millions of users that the king of pop had died, the site was inundated with tributes.
Demi Moore, one of Twitter’s best known and most prolific users tweeted soon after hearing the news: “I am greatly saddened for the loss of both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Especially for their children!”. Stars were not the only ones expressing their surprise. Politicians added their voice to the outpouring.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, wrote soon after the news had been confirmed: “Never has one soared so high and yet dived so low. RIP Michael”. He later remarked on the wall-to-wall coverage of the event on 24-hour news channels, writing: “CNN has basically become an mj-only version of mtv!”
Dance music star Calvin Harris added his voice to the millions of mourning fans, tweeting “I can’t believe it, Michael Jackson rest in peace” and the “Prince and Michael where I come from was our Elvis and Beatles ... show sum Respect!!!!”. Lily Allen’s tweet was brief, profane, and expressed only her disbelief.
Many users, after the initial reports, used to the site to spread the news of Jackson’s death. One wrote: “Michael Jackson is now moonwalking in heaven. Rip.”, while others merely hoped the news turned out to be false. After hearing the news user BillionaireBen wrote: “Associated press say hes dead. By faith our words can move mountains, So Let this mountain be moved in2 the sea & long live the king of pop!”. Other fans noted that the passing away of the king of pop marked a momentous moment in the world of music. “We will never be the same! Today the pop music died!” wrote shavostorm.
Pretty_Elliece added: “Today music has officially died — Rest In Peace”. - guardian.co.uk
