Taiwanese music circles remember Michael Jackson

Yu Guang, a veteran music program host and concert agent said he was very sad and confused over the pop star's sudden death at the age of 50.

Yu, who invited Jackson to Taiwan in September 1993 for a concert, the third stop in the pop icon's "Dangerous" concert tour around Asia, said the Michael Jackson he knew was simple and pure and had a childlike innocence.

But Jackson, Yu said, also loved and was single-mindedly devoted to music.

Wu Chien-heng, a renowned Taipei DJ, said he had been a Jackson fan since when he was in high school and loved to mimic Jackon's signature "moonwalk, " a dance move that saw Jackson glide across the stage and set off an instant fad across the globe.

Wu said Jackson's "Thriller" in 1982 opened the door for him to Western pop music, but he picks Jackson's 1991 hit "Black or White" as his favorite.

"It was a great song with a global perspective and compassion," Wu said.

Wu said many pop icons have visited Taiwan and given concerts here over the years, but none have been on a par with Jackson, who raised the standards of music and performance to new heights.

Jackson, whose hits also included "Billie Jean," "Off the Wall, " and "Bad, " died Thursday in Los Angeles of cardiac arrest, leaving behind an unfulfilled series of comeback concerts set for London in July and hefty debts.

He was one of the most successful entertainers of all time, with 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles, several groundbreaking music videos, and sales of hundreds of millions of albums and singles during his lifetime.

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