Thousands of Jackson fans honor pop icon at rock hall

By Harlan Spector

Plain Dealer Reporter

CLEVELAND

Friends Jennifer Pineda and April Dos Santos hoped for a special way to honor pop star Michael Jackson on the one-year anniversary of his death, but they couldn’t find a fitting remembrance in their hometown, New York City.

They thought about Gary, Ind., the childhood home of the Jackson 5, where the anniversary was marked with the unveiling of a monument to Michael. Instead they chose Cleveland. They drove through the night from Queens to join hundreds of Jackson fans Saturday for a weekend tribute at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Fans celebrated their love of the iconic entertainer as they bounced to his music in the Rock Hall’s main lobby. They took in special screenings and gazed at displays of Jackson’s outfits and jackets and the famed white glove, which rotates in a glass case.

“He was an absolute genius and groundbreaking,” said Dos Santos, 40. “The way he could move his body, his costumes, his originality. He inspired people to want to do new things.”

Jackson died at age 50 from an overdose of sedatives as he was preparing for a comeback tour. Rock Hall spokesman Todd Mesek said Jackson devotees inspired the weekend tribute.

“It was unusual in that people were asking us. They had a need to show appreciation for him,” said Mesek. He estimated 3,500 people came through the doors Saturday, about 1,500 above average for this time of year.

Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, has been in Cleveland for a few days and was expected to make several appearances in the area Saturday. Mesek said he didn’t know if the family patriarch would stop at the Rock Hall.

On Friday, Jackson filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in Los Angeles against the doctor charged with administering a lethal dose of drugs to his son.

The harsh details of Jackson’s life and death seemed far from the minds of people lining up at the Rock Hall in the morning.

Lauren Krozzer, 18, of Bedford, came dressed in black and silver sequins. She’s been infatuated with Jackson since elementary school.

, and she described the day that her Billie Jean costume arrived as “one of the best days of my life.”

To see his costumes for the first time, “You really feel like you’re close to him,” she said.

Security staff had to occasionally tell visitors that photos of the costume displays were not allowed.

“Just seeing his outfits is surreal,” said Akela Stanfield, 27, of Chicago. She was in Cleveland for a conference and felt she had to pay homage after growing up with Jackson’s music.

“My father always played the Jackson 5. My parents were pastors, so we didn’t play a lot of secular music,” Stanfield said. “But we played that.

“I think when he died, a little piece of American culture died with him,” she said. “People don’t want to let that go.”