How the Famous and Flawed Captivate Us

As with Elvis and Princess Diana, Michael Jackson's Death Has Drawn Out Fans And Tributes

(CBS)  What is it about superstar celebrities? When Elvis Presley died, nearly 80,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis for his funeral. About 100,000 did the same in New York in 1926 for Rudolph Valentino. And an estimated 2.5 billion watched Princess Diana's funeral on TV.

This week thousands waited in line for as much as an hour and a half for a chance to write their thoughts about Michael Jackson and sign their names on a memorial wall outside the Staples Center, as CBS News correspondent Jeff Greenfield reports.

But what explains the lines a half mile long? The spontaneous memorials? The explosion of online tributes? Why the outpouring of attention for someone whose life was, in every way, so distant from ours?

For many, it was the outsize nature of his talent:

Rodrick Thornton, signing a t-shirt and hanging it on a tribute wall, said he had to be among the thousands who came to New York's Apollo Theatre last week to say good bye.

"I remember growing up as a kid I used to go up in my room, I had a big afro and I used to sing like Michael Jackson - do my tapes and everything," Thornton said.

"I've had a lot of family problems since I was born. He was always the one I would resort to," said another fan, Krystal Perez.

Perez says Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" - especially the lyrics - struck the deepest chord for her.

"The best line in that song would have to be the um, the chorus," she said, singing, "I'm looking at the man in the mirror / I'm asking him to change his ways / and no message could have been any clearer / if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change."

But fame and talent - or genius - only take us so far. They cannot fully explain the size and scope of what has happened in the wake of Jackson's death. As with other icons, there were also sorrows, troubles, death at an early age.

"James Dean had it, clearly Elvis Presley had it, Marilyn Monroe had it and I think it's something to do with this combination of extravagant talent and vulnerability they had," said Margo Jefferson, author of "On Michael Jackson."

And that vulnerability - the whispers about his looks, his health, his private life - only fed the fascination.

"He paid a big price for that, but he's a huge part of the global cultural landscape," Jefferson said. "He may be the most famous person in the world."

And finally, there is us. The avalanche of coverage has a message beyond the story; it tells the world that this is a matter of enormous weight - and for millions that creates a powerful impulse to be part of an event so large.

"Michael Jackson has an indelible effect on my life and I feel like I had to be here and experience with everyone else," said one fan, Lori Watzman.

That may be the only real answer, when we ask "Why all this?"

[connita2]

Famous for their great talents (or extraordinary beauty Diana , Jackie,...) we the fans follow talent and kind deeds even when the media or critics had or want to cash in with them.

[speakinup22]

Some people have nothing better to do.

[heliocracy]

Genius? Really? Has no one listened to any music besides the most shallow, vacuous pop that the labels could pump out to make a buck? Genius in pop is like being the best dog waste remover in the country...you're still dealing with s*h*i*t.

[airboatboy]

Damn, it's been over 3 days and he hasn't risen from the dead. Now I'm starting to get worried.

[debinok1]

Are we captivated, only in terms of being held captive by the media who choose to show nothing but this garbage day in and day out. I think most people grew tired of the constant media blitz over his death the day after he died. The media is just not smart enough to figure that out.

[jasperlily]

"..........captivate us?" Where do you get this "us" stuff? I'm not captivated by any of it. The media is captivated by greed - grinding an unworthy topic into the ground for "ratings". I got so sick of it days ago that my tv is off except for a few select programs. Too bad the media is so twisted that it can't give the time of day to people who really matter - the quiet every-day people in this world who help others in need, try to make this ragged world a better place, not those who make a great noise and exhibition of themselves. Why make saints out of the shallow ? MONEY

[John_Merritt]

'How the Famous and Flawed Captivate Us'. Please, speak for yourself. Captivate us only in the sense we are held hostage to the onslaught of coverage via TV and Internet for most of us who are curious at best, and abhored more accurately.

If this is the measure of a person's greatness, than we definitely set the bar way too low. I for one, aim higher and have taught my children the same. Now whether they listened or not, remains to be seen.

[stn_sage]

I agree with Mr. Merritt! This varies from person to person. I think the media VASTLY overstates the REAL alleged fascination and preoccupation the public has with celebrities, because it's easier---and safer---to talk about them then to inform the public about REAL problems that threaten their livelihoods or their very existence!

I tend to look upon celebrities as curiosities or FREAKS due to the extremes at which they live their lives! And, I can't say I idolize them because I see them---often times---as pathetic examples of humankind and a big part of the problem, and NOT the solution!

So, maybe it's just wishful thinking on the part of media bosses?!