Cairo (PTI): The sudden death of 'Mikaeel' Jackson, one of the first major Western entertainers to have 'moonwalked' into Arab hearts, has triggered an outpour of emotions in his Egyptian fans who feel he symbolised the "revolution" they aspired for.

Some Egyptians made a connection with the pop icon because of rumors, never substantiated, that he had converted to Islam. Jackson had reportedly converted to Islam last year changing his name to 'Mikaeel'.

While for others in their mid-thirties and above, Jackson symbolised the revolution they aspired for, with his unprecedented fascinating music and dancing moves that the older generation tagged 'obscene' and never approved.

Artist Bassant Nossier remembers those days with nostalgia. "He was a breath of fresh air," she sighs, "great moving music, choreography and covering daring topics in his songs. And above all he was dark like many of us in Egypt."

Just like today, the youth in the eighties were eager to see one of 'them' rising to the peak of fame.

"He was truly colour blind and that made him one of the most successful entertainers of all times," said Perihan Za'za, an teary eyed avid fan.

The shock of Michael's death could be strongly felt on the Internet, within hours of the news almost everybody's status on Facebook was carrying the news that the 'King of Pop' was no more.

But as Jackson grew famous, his discomfort with his looks took a new turn. With plastic surgery to make him look whiter, he also earned detractors in Egypt.

"He started his career as a black promising genius and ended his life looking like a kind of white deformed woman.What does that really make out of him," a cultural center official said, adding, he was sceptical about the popularity of a proposed memorial service for the icon.

"He was a very strange person," 33-year old Samih Sayid recalls, "He turned himself from a human being to a monster."

"People say they feel sorry for him because he converted to Islam a few years ago," Sayid said, adding, "If he did, it sure did not change his attitude."

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