I loved his hits, says President
Barack Obama yesterday paid tribute to Michael Jackson in his first public statement on the singer’s death.
“I’m glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great joy he brought to a lot of people through his extraordinary gifts,” the US President said.
Mr Obama said he grew up listening to Jackson’s music and added: “I still have all his stuff on my iPod.
“I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers.
“His brilliance was paired with a tragic and, in many ways, sad personal life.”
Although Mr Obama held a press conference last Friday, no one asked him for his reaction to the news of Jackson’s death the day before.
But yesterday he said he was unaware that this might have caused any dissatisfaction in the black community.
“I know a lot of people in the black community and I haven’t heard that,” Mr Obama said.