CNN iReporter Egberto Willies of Kingwood, Texas, summed up the conflicting feelings Jackson engendered among his admirers: "I grew up on Michael Jackson," Willies said in a video post on iReport.com. "I loved Michael Jackson. I hated Michael Jackson. I admired Michael Jackson. I was ashamed of Michael Jackson. I was sorry for Michael Jackson. I was proud of Michael Jackson.
"Michael Jackson was a complicated human being who was [denied] a childhood in order to provide us with great musical and dancing entertainment," Willies went on. "But with all his wealth and success he never seemed happy with himself. He never viewed himself as we viewed him: simply the best entertainer alive. May he rest in peace, his demons left behind."