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July 03, 2009

Obama Says He Grew Up on Michael Jackson...

“I grew up on his music – still have all his stuff on my iPod,” Obama said in an AP interview Thursday, adding that Jackson “will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers.”

“I think that his brilliance as a performer also was paired with a tragic and, in many ways, sad personal life,” Obama said.

“I’m glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great joy that he brought to a lot of people through his extraordinary gifts as an entertainer.”

The president said he didn’t see any controversy in the fact that he did not issue a formal public statement upon Jackson’s death, and said he was unaware of any dissatisfaction in the black community with his response.

“I know a lot of people in the black community,” Obama said. “I haven’t heard that.”