It's surreal.
I think that, generally, people my age (20 and under) never really got to know Michael Jackson as the "king". I have heard his most well-known work, I conceptually understand how large of a scale his popularity was, but in one large respect he is comparable to Elvis for me. The Jackson that my age group knows is the one that faced trial, money issues, a complete drop-off in professional success, etc. Essentially, we spent time making fun of MJ rather than appreciating his impact on culture.
It is quite a shame.