Yesterday marked the passing of a musical icon, and while the term "icon" may be overused, in reference to Michael Jackson, the word seems pale. What does Michael Jackson have to do with classical music? Nothing, but love him, hate him, or simply be bewildered by him, there’s no denying his tremendous influences on popular music and culture. Personally, his "Off the Wall" album will forever be among my top 10 favorites of all time.

So, in one day, we lost one of the most symbolic figures of the 70s (Farrah Fawcett) and the 80s. I know I’ll remember the day for a long time, if not forever, just as I remember where I was when I heard about the deaths of Elvis, Arthur Fiedler, John Lennon, Leonard Bernstein, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I remember others too, but your list?

–Shaun