I'm not a fan of Mr. Schmuley, but...

... he said something very powerful in an article the other day.

I hope we can separate the message from the messenger and realize that sometimes wise words can come from anyone.

Here is part of what he said: "All this, as well as a broken and lost childhood, is part of the price that Michael paid for fame. He wanted to share with the public the utter emptiness of fame and the importance of family and love. Michael loved being around ordinary families and he dreamed of a life of simple pleasures.
So why are we so afraid to hear his voice?

I suspect it has to do with a culture that is mostly fueled by fame. In a world where nearly every teenager wants to be famous, in a country where reality TV dominates the airwaves and where celebrity magazines rule the newsstands, we simply don't want to hear that it's all one big lie. That the unbridled lust for fame is killing people and that the emperor has no clothes. "

Edit: I wanted to add that Schmuley was cut out of Michael's life for a reason and Michael wasn't speaking to him in the last few years. So, a lot changed between when the tapes were recorded in 2001 to now 2009. I just think that he made a good point about fame in our culture.

I also want to add that he made statements in the article about Michael not being a man of faith, which was way off.