This orgy of eulogies for Jackson is embarrassing to American society. The guy was a very talented, very troubled man, and now he's dead, a victim of his own lifestyle. It's sad, and hard on families and is a form of death which is predictable. Many people in the headlines are bemoaning the poor guys fate. They saw this coming, and did nothing. It's not as if there isn't precedent among entertainment celebrities, as if the end weren't telegraphed at the beginning. Here are some other people who overdosed on narcotics.

Sid Vicious, Kurt Cobain, River Phoenix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, John Belushi, Paula Yates. Junkies lose about 18 years of their life expectancy to the addiction. Dozens of people die every day from heroin (narcotic) overdoses.

The endless memorials, endless discussion of where to place physical memorials, the endless discussions over the estate are for families, not for a voyeuristic public piling out of their trailers to weep in front of record stores. We've seen him on TV before, all we've ever wanted to see and really don't need to see more. There are records and CDs for those who want to watch more, in the privacy of their own homes.

Dying of an overdose isn't exactly like pulling children out of a burning nursery. Let him rest in his new-found peace.