There was once a beautiful little boy who was gifted with a golden voice and an ability to dance like no other. He lived with his four brothers and two sisters and his parents in a typically dysfunctional family. (Authors note: It is a pity that the family unit is always portrayed as perfect, and in fact we spend our entire lifetime discovering that no family is perfect after all).

A perfect family works hard, loves it's children unconditionally, never rebukes them, makes them pray regularly (after all, a family that prays together, stays together), eats three square meals a day and allows them to be educated, have sleep overs and holidays in the most beautiful resorts. The family gathers for every significant occasion, birthdays, weddings, graduation and even concerts and school functions. If anyone is ill the whole family flocks to the hospital. (Again, authors note: how many of us manage to make this a reality).

This little boy however was a normal child in a normal family without the trimmings mentioned above. He was encouraged to use his earthly talent for the benefit of the group, and they became world famous for their entertainment value. This is where the family values started to erode. The mere thought of a price on a head changes all objective thinking.

Typical dysfunctionality started from that moment onward. If he did not sing a note correctly he was punished. He wanted time off and he was punished. He wanted to play with friends and this was not an option. No longer a little boy, but a star performer, his humanness caused him to embrace the lifestyle that caused the least friction for him. Soon he became a household name in his own right.

Suddenly however it was not a realistic existence anymore. He was not happy with his appearance. Perhaps if he became a different person he would become more normal. The face changes were a hit with his adoring audiences. His performances notched up a huge following. Who were his fans? Normal people? Or again the products of dysfunctional families looking for meaning in his plastic looks and frenetic dancing. He was no longer a chubby faced little boy, or a defiant teen with an attitude of a gangster. He was now like a white rabbit, whispering where are my gloves and hat........and how can I pay my bills????

He was a clean living person with a soft personality. His closest companion was a chimp. The Freudian analysts were having fun with dissecting his persona. He built a home based on a Peter Pan Neverland and invited children to play there with him and his menagerie of exotic animals.

All of these actions were explained away on a childhood he never enjoyed. Unfortunately the childhood reclaimed had a dark undertone. He paid millions to a little boy who made unspeakable accusations. He then spent the rest of his fortune and much much more. He was fast becoming a reclusive enigma. The need to be normal induced him to acquire his own family. He married the original King of Pop's daughter, perhaps to produce a prodigy of musical proportions never seen before. This did not happen and they divorced. He then married a nurse friend who agreed to bear him children, but in fact there is no resemblance of him in his offspring. No worries, money took care of the biological imcompetencies. No matter how wierd he became, remember he is still a normal dysfunctional person living his dream.

For this reason, suddenly after years of illnesses, financial failure and public accusations of indecency with minors at his fantasy home he decided with his enablers that the world would embrace a comeback.

There have been rumours by bookmakers that he would never make it on to the stage. There were even further bets made that a stand-in would perform on his behalf, and no-one would be able to tell the difference. After all, his face was altered on numerous occasions and his dances were easily copied. The music could simply be relayed and all the stooge needed to do was mime his actions.

There were further reports that he was in excellent health and could perform after all. Except for one thing, he was a 50 year old man with a history of injuries and ill-health, and the stamina required to perform 50 concerts would exhaust a person even 30 years his junior. Perhaps the stand-in started making demands, even threatening to expose the scam. (Remember this is a fairytale).

This has all the makings of a Thriller. Enter a penniless doctor and confidante who could make it all go away. Wait, what go away? The impersonator, the concerts, or the disappointment of fans who have bought tickets to the sold- out concerts. He would not however be able to make the embarassment of a has- been performer go away, if the plot to dupe the adoring public was discovered.

Aha, Fate in the name of a powerful anaesthetic drug entered the scenario. We have a 911 call. The frantic person does not identify who is lying in cardiac arrest on the floor. The doctor disappears with the patient into thin air for a long time. The dead body is now being examined for signs of the cause of death. Who is dead? A press release informs the adoring public that their Idol is no more. His record sales out perform all previous records and the internet almost crashes with the amount of hits on his name. The estate is already flush with money and the children have no further money worries. His father is starting up a new record label and hundreds of unreleased hits are due on the market soon. The perfectly normal dysfunctional person is now everyman's hero for dying suddenly in suspicious circumstances. It can't get more dysfunctional and therefore it is perfect. An Icon is born.

(Author's note: Remember now, this always happens when somebody famous dies, by the way. It is a terribly sad occasion and the outpouring of grief is always strangely over the top, cathartic and bordering hysteria. The money factor is suddenly irrelevant, so spend it to feel better as if it will make the deceased grant forgiveness for our dysfunctionality. It is an interesting human condition actually, but certainly a moneyspinner if one is not a deep thinking person capable of doubletake).

A very rich deceased Icon is now born. The whole world is a stage and the entertainment value of his death is huge. Now as fairytales go, nobody actually realises how much we are relying on one another to provide the momentum for a huge performance without the main actor even being present.

Rumours and counter- rumours fly about how he died. He will not be on public view. He cannot be buried in his Neverland Estate yet. His brain has been removed for further forensic tests. Perhaps he will be encapsulated until science can really figure out how this person could influence so many millions even with all his imperfections. Perhaps the brain is being kept for insurance purposes or because without the brain the body is merely a shell. He can be buried, but not really be dead. Actually answers are hardly the issue right now. Respect the dead and bury him quickly. The show must go on.

This fairytale is confusing me terribly. Who gets to live happily ever after. I like to believe he did not die and whenever I hear him singing about a world that needs healing I am hoping that he is truly healed. Maybe if I visit his beloved chimp he adored for a while and dumped, I may get some answers to why fairytales are so wierd. He is certainly going to be a Peter Pan from now on. Fantasy has become reality.

DId he manage to make a difference in the world??? Perhaps......

a new face and a new life.?? I truly wish him well and thank him for the music and the entertainment. He has earned his rest and a chance to be normal, if there ever is such a thing.

The rest is HIStory.