As incredible as it may seem, a year has passed since the sudden death of King of Pop Michael Jackson, as the singer was preparing for the blockbuster This Is It world tour. Recently, N*E*R*D frontman and producer Pharrell shared his feelings on the loss of one of the most prolific, popular artists of modern music. “[Jackson was] one of the greatest entertainers of all time, there’s no way to measure that,” Pharrell said. “Unreal and unmatchable.” Pharrell argued that Jackson was far ahead of his time, and managed to make it big before many of the advantages today’s artists take for granted – digital music distribution and promotion via Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, etc. – were available.
“He was ahead of technology, he was doing things that sort of set the standard for the way we do things today,” explained Pharrell. “You know, we all measure our star next to his, which is more like a sun.” But Pharrell’s comments weren’t just those derived from worship from afar; the musician met Jackson several times and said the star’s personality was unforgettable as well. “The times that I got to meet him and we got to hang out and talk a little bit, I am thankful for every episode,” Pharrell said. “And he’s a funny guy too. He’s like super, super duper funny.” Pharrell also noted that Jackson was a tireless worker who shone on stage. “That guy went through so much and so his only time to really be free was to go let it out on stage,” he said. “You got to see vigor in it’s purest form, so of course I nod to that dude. He’s the best.”