Michael Jackson

The moment I heard the king of pop died will be memorable. I was at the market on Portobello Road when a wizened old man brought a newspaper to a merchant. The Chinese booth holder asked "You bring me good news?" With an African lilt the newspaper salesman replied "No-- bad news, Michael Jackson died." The three of us gathered around the headlines and photos, sharing reactions and speculating. Each of us in our own way said "poor guy". Three of us from different worlds, a special travel moment.

His death is a huge deal in London where he was about to appear. I wondered as we headed to South Africa what the coverage would be. Front page news is that he had a special relationship with South Africa, and was planning to retire here.