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Warren Blake never met Michael Jackson. His wife, Deborah, once went to a Jackson 5 concert as a child and he loved Jackson's music but that's where his connection to the world-famous singer ends.

Yet, that didn't stop Blake from reacting with profound sadness when Jackson, 50, died June 25 in Los Angeles after going into cardiac arrest.

"It was basically like a family member or good friend had passed away," said Blake, 49, of Cheltenham. "Michael Jackson has been a part of my life for 40 years."

During a 40-year career, Jackson sang and danced his way to unprecedented stardom, recording more than a dozen number-one singles and several hit albums including 1982's "Thriller," the best-selling music album of all-time.

Jackson's death was met with mourning and disbelief by millions of fans around the world. The reaction was no different in Prince George's County, where many residents reacted with shock and waxed nostalgic with memories of The King of Pop.

"One of my first albums that I purchased was ‘Off the Wall,'" said Brooke Kidd, director of Joe's Movement Emporium, a Mount Rainier-based dance studio. "He had a tremendous impact on my dance and development."

There have been several events in the county honoring Jackson. Hundreds of residents flocked to Lanham, the home of several local radio stations, on the night of Jackson's death for a vigil.

On Sunday, the Soul Factory, a youth-oriented church in Forestville, held a "One Glove Michael Jackson Line Dance Party," where dozens of church members moonwalked – a dance move Jackson popularized in the early 1980s – to "Billie Jean" and sang along with all of Jackson's hits.

"He was a big deal to us," said Deron Cloud, pastor of the church. "So I decided that we're going to celebrate his life and just have some fun."

Outside the church, Damon Moore of Waldorf sold Jackson memorial T-shirts from the back of his car, while such Jackson 5 hits as "I'll Be There" and "Never Can Say Goodbye" played on his stereo.

"When I heard all the radio stations playing his music [after his death], I just began to cry," Moore said. "I had these shirts ready on Friday and I wore mine ... but it felt too soon to start selling them."

One testament to Jackson's influence is that his death has been mourned by all age groups, ranging from senior citizens who remember his Jackson 5 days to teenagers, many of whom weren't even born when he released "You Are Not Alone," his last U.S. number-one single in 1995.

"My oldest daughter, she's 27 ... when she was a little kid, she had a Michael Jackson doll," Blake said. "I've got a daughter younger than her that's 9, and she knows Michael Jackson. So we're talking about spanning generations here."

Despite his success, Jackson's life did not have a storybook ending. In recent years, his eccentric behavior and legal troubles overshadowed his work in the minds of many. But many of his fans have chosen to remember the good times, reflecting on the music that brought them such joy.

"He was the best that did it," said Hyattsville resident Cynthia Neal. "That's the only way I can say it."

E-mail David Hill at dhill@gazette.net.