June 26, 2009 11:34 EDT
" The death of Michael Jackson came as such a surprise to me. At first I felt incredibly saddened, but as I sat and thought of Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of our time, it put a smile on my face. He was such a dynamic person who touched tonssssssssssssss of people with his talent! That’s incredible! A round of applause for Michael" --Vanessa Simmons
"It hasn’t hit me YET!!! I know when it does I will be a f**kin WRECK!!!!! I loved and still LOVE Michael Jackson!!!" --Brandy
Thank you Michael for your hard work, dedication, philanthropy & the sacrifice of your young spirit . Your vision and imagination live thru us. I don’t know what to say. --Erykah Badu
"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me." --Lisa Marie Presley, former wife of Michael Jackson and daughter of Elvis Presley
Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him! --Sean "Diddy" Combs
"I knew Michael as a child and watched him grow over the years. Of all the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was THE most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched." --Dick Clark, host of "American Bandstand."
"Michael Jackson was clearly one of the greatest entertainers of our era. His influence dominated and defined our culture not only in music, but in fashion, dance, film and so much more. Often overlooked are his spectacular skills as a songwriter, composing both music and lyrics for his immense body of work. In an era in which most songs are composed by teams, Michael was the sole composer of dozens of songs that endeared him to audiences around the world. A BMI songwriter since 1976, his BMI catalog contains more than 150 songs, more than 20 reaching multi-million performance status on American radio and television." -Del Bryant, President & CEO, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
"The entire Apollo family is saddened to learn of Michael Jackson’s untimely passing. Michael first performed at the Apollo in 1969 with his brothers when he was only nine years old, winning Amateur Night, and catapulting their career as the Jackson 5. We will always remember Michael in our hearts as a true Apollo legend, known for his professionalism and grace. Our sympathy goes out to his entire family. He will be deeply missed." -Jonelle Procope, Preszident & CEO, The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc.
"I was so excited to see his show in London. We were going to be on tour in Europe at the same time and I was going to fly in to see him. He has been an inspiration throughout my entire life and I'm devastated he's gone!" -Britney Spears
In this Billboard video clip, a Michael Jackson fan from Ohio reacts to the King of Pop's death outside the Michael Jackson press conference on June 25, where fans gathered to mourn. More MJ fan reaction videos are in our video player.
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