R.I.P.: King of Pop, Queen of '70s Pop Culture

People die all the time.  The fact is that none of us are getting out of here alive.

Yet Thursday's double-whammy death of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, and, of course, Ed McMahon's passing earlier in the week on Tuesday, hit celebrity watchers and fans around the world particularly hard.

Jackson's sudden collapse and death Thursday in Beverly Hills was the shocker, of course.  Jackson, reports have indicated, was preparing for a comeback tour -- "a final curtain call" he referred to it -- to show his kids what their dad did for a living.

Now, just like that, the King of Pop is gone.  The Jackson legacy dirt will fly once the mourning settles a bit.  For now, though, it's time to reflect on a life that thrilled millions.

Many of the people I've read who talked about Fawcett's career mention that they had her iconic poster on their wall growing up.  That's no surprise, either.   Fawcett's big-smile, big hair swimsuit pose of 1976 has been called the best selling pin-up poster of all time.

For all practical purposes, the Corpus Christi native who attended U.T. Austin and went on to fame as a TV "Charlie's Angel" was the iconic symbol of 1970s celebrity in this country.  Apparently, though, Fawcett wanted to make her mark in drama, which she finally did with a heart-breaking documentary about her cancer fight as the disease worked its terrifying, unrelenting destruction.

We lost three entertainment icons this week.

May they all rest in peace. 

Photos:  Michael Jackson doing what he did best. (Courtesy Missguided.co.uk) and Farrah Fawcett at the height of her fame in London, circa 1978 (Courtesy TV Guide)