MichiganRadio

Jackson Fans Pay Tribute at Motown DEARBORN, MI (Michigan Radio) - The lawn and sidewalk in front of the Motown Museum were packed, and people were double-parked along West Grand Boulevard.

The hair salon across the street blared vintage Jackson tunes.

And the flower shop a few doors down sold black balloons to the mourners.

The Motown Museum has become the site of a shrine to Michael Jackson in the wake of his death.

The makeshift memorial includes flowers, stuffed animals, and notes to Jackson.

"I just can't believe he gone!" said Mary Smith-Tennant of Dearborn. She said she had to come to pay her respects.

"I had to. I mean, I've been following Michael...I used to have his posters on my ceiling. That's how young I was. I would have him on my ceiling, all over my walls, the Beat It, the Thriller, the moonwalk everything," she said.

Jackson's fans milled around the museum lawn, snapping pictures and swapping stories about the artist whose appeal spans several generations.

Tim Smith brought his daughter - and talked to younger fans about his memories of Jackson.

"I remember years ago, I was talking to this young lady - on the back of Post cereals, Alpha Bits and Honeycombs, there used to be albums - 45 records of the Jackson Five," he said. "I used to cut em out - I used to go to the store with my mother all the time to make sure that she got the same record."

Smith says as a kid he performed Jackson Five songs in talent shows. And he says he'll remember Jackson's cartoon show on Saturday mornings - which was one of the few black cartoons on TV. Smith is about the same age as Jackson, and says the boys he grew up with wanted to be just like him.

"I remember all the good things about him," Smith said. "All this negative stuff, you know, that's everybody's opinion. He was a people person, and I think that was his downfall. He loved everybody. He loved everybody."

And for Smith and the other fans gathered at Motown's iconic studios, the feeling is clearly mutual.

Contact Sarah Hulett at sarahhu@umich.edu
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