There were many pros to that choice of career, but also a few cons. Edward Moss, one of the more famous American impersonators of Jackson, could vouch for that. He began by balancing a job at McDonald’s with dancing on the side. Eventually, he performed worldwide and scored a few film projects (Scary Movie, for one) as a stand-in for the star. Not everyone was happy though. A number of Jackson’s fans accused Moss of mocking their idol, while some impersonators said he simply exploited the bad publicity Jackson routinely attracted. Clearly, be it stars or their impersonators, they couldn’t please everyone. 

For now, I fail to grasp the idea of a world without Michael Jackson. What will his look-alikes do? Who will the tabloids pick on? I look back at my years as an impersonator with great fondness. I look forward to new generations of fans dropping their jaws when exposed to archival footage of Jackson dancing. Most of all, I look forward to sitting beside these new converts and saying, “I used to do that.”