by Pete Langenfeld

Created on: June 26, 2009   Last Updated: June 27, 2009

The death of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon this week got me to thinking about Elvis Presley and the price of fame.

I watched some of the breaking news coverage of Jackson's death and while I agreed with a lot of what was being said about his lasting legacy, there was something that caught me off guard and which I disagreed. They were discussing his life and the impact he had on society. The belief was that he was the greatest entertainer ever and that no one has ever had to endure the crushing fame that he did. The first part I may not agree with, but that is mostly a matter of opinion and is always open for debate. The second part forgets the likes of Elvis Presley and the Beatles just to name two.

I know people will have the argument over who was the greatest, Elvis or Jackson, but the amazing thing is that when you compare the two you realize how much they had in common.

Elvis was born dirt poor in Mississippi and rose to great fame as a young man, he was a very shy boy who seemed to come to life on stage. He was at home on stage, but when pulled offstage and into the real world he had trouble. As his fame grew he became more isolated. But he never lost his generosity towards others, his random acts of kindness are legendary. His fame grew to the point that if he wanted to go to a movie or amusement park he would have to buy out the whole place (or go late at night when no one was there.)

The fame, and wealth, that he achieved had a curious affect on him. When you get to a point in your career where you can literally buy anything you want or say anything that you want to say, that's what you do. You start to believe that you can do anything and your life is filled with "yes" men or men who don't have the power to tell you "no." As Elvis's career ebbed and flowed he became addicted to pain killers. I'm sure that the use started with legitimate pain, but in the end the pills were taken to deal with pains of the soul, not of the flesh. Elvis died of a heart attack on August 16th 1977. He had battled health problems for years, problems brought on, in part. by a life style that he could not control or escape from. It is believed that his years of prescription drug abuse brought on his heart attack.

Michael Jackson was born to a poor family in the tough world of Gary, IND. He rose to great fame as a young man, at the demands of a tough father who expected perfection. Jackson was a very shy young man who, when he was on stage, seemed to be

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