“As far as Michael Jackson’s influence on music today, I believe it reached far and wide, especially with the current popularity of dance, dance rock, DJ, indie, and whatnot.

Recent Glass House bands such as Passion Pit, The Juan MacLean, and even the Honor Society seems to owe something to Michael Jackson’s pop sensibility.

I just bought the remastered Bad CD last month. It’s strange to think of someone like this with such constant controversy to suddenly be gone, along with the answers to quite a few questions. Either way, he will be missed greatly in the music community.”

—
Jonathan Halperin, talent booker for The Glass House in Pomona

“He was a phenomenal talent. He was an icon.”

Richard Barnes, Folk Music Center employee in Claremont.

Barnes said employees in the center were talking about Jackson when our reporter Neil Nisperos went to see if anyone would talk to him.