Ober Khok

THE early demise of a superstar triggers the domino effect of sadness, a frenzy to revive and honor his memory and, as one cynic acidly said, calculations on how much commercial value the star’s death would haul in.

Last week, the music icon of the ‘80s passed away due to cardiac arrest. He was half-a-century old.

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Michael Jackson’s (MJ) life was marked by glory, achievement and controversy. His early passing reminds us of the deaths of Elvis Presley, James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe.

It is ironic that now that they are gone, they have become more famous and precious. Just the mention of their name evokes a definite style and legacy.

Jackson left unreleased recordings that could represent millions in sales. His death and commercial resurrection are similar to what happened to Presley who died at 42.

It is eerie how the world mourns now. It is suddenly Jackson-focused and remorseful for the jokes, the snide remarks and the criticisms it hurled at the King of Pop.

As if to make up for its oversight and insensitivity, the world is now lavishing tributes upon The Peter Pan of music.

Of what use is it now that he is gone? You can say he has his family who will feel consoled that Jackson’s fans are still there and that his detractors have decided to rest the acid pen and jaundiced camera.

Sira-Sira Store does not want to be left behind in the race to record a Jacksonian tribute. This column jogged through the Internet to find out what Jackson liked to eat.

Wikianswers.com said that MJ liked M&Ms, popcorn, cheese, potatoes, sushi, Mexican and spicy food. What do you know — these are our favorite munchies, too. It makes us feel we have something in common with MJ.

Early this week, ABS-CBN searched for Filipinos abroad who met Jackson, no matter how briefly.

Last July 1, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau chief Ging Reyes interviewed Larry Banares, who met Jackson in the ‘80s. At that time, Banares was the executive chef of Disneyland Hotel.

The hotel was frequented by Jackson, Banares said. He was privileged to prepare The King of Pop’s meal.

“I found him to be very serene, gentle and a very kind person,” he said. “One night, we were in a suite cooking and we were preparing a very special meal for him and his entourage and we were really working hard to get the meal out. Michael came out in the kitchen, ‘this smells so good chef, I can’t wait to eat’. He came back moments later and grabbed me by the arm and said ‘chef come on you’re gonna sit down and eat with us’,” he said.

The soft-spoken Banares said he had a camera, but was too shy to ask Jackson to pose with him. However, Jackson saw the camera and said: “Oh great we’re taking a picture.” Banares said he cherishes the picture to this day.

According to him, Jackson was a strict vegetarian at that time.

He added that he “learned to perfect” Jackson’s favorite food, anything with tofu. One recipe was for a Mexican dish. It was cheese enchiladas with the green tomatillo sauce. “And we perfected that dish because it was one of Michael’s absolute favorites,” he said.

According to 10news.com, which also interviewed Banares, Jackson loved tofu ice cream. However, one night when the Gone Too Soon singer was visiting, they didn’t have the special ice cream. A worker took care of that, 10news.com reported.

“They had a pint of ice cream flown in by helicopter that landed on the top of the Sierra Tower at the hotel in time for (Jackson) to enjoy,” Banares told 10news.com.

We wish that the same care and timing were given to Jackson when he felt his heart go too soon.