Gone Too Soon

THE STORY BEHIND ' Keep the Faith '

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This is the emotional heart of the Dangerous album, a tender, orchestral ballad that stands apart from the New Jack Swing and pop anthems surrounding it. The story below details the tragic friendship that inspired it, the "red Mustang" that symbolized their bond, and the historic performance that silenced a President.

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To understand "Gone Too Soon," you must understand Ryan White. In the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic was terrified and misunderstood. Ryan White was a teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who was a hemophiliac. He contracted HIV from a contaminated blood treatment. Because of the stigma surrounding the disease, he was expelled from his middle school and treated like a pariah by his own community.

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Michael Jackson, who was often isolated by his own fame, felt a kinship with Ryan. He reached out to the teenager, and an unlikely friendship formed. Michael didn't treat Ryan like a victim or a patient; he treated him like a normal kid. He flew Ryan to Neverland Ranch, where they would spend hours eating pizza and playing video games.

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In one famous gesture, Michael bought Ryan a bright red Ford Mustang. It was the dream car Ryan had always wanted but couldn't afford. Ryan only got to drive it a few times before his health deteriorated, but the car became a symbol of the joy Michael tried to bring into his final days.

 

Contrary to popular belief, "Gone Too Soon" was not written for Ryan White originally. The song was written by Larry Grossman and Buz Kohan in the early 1980s. It was first performed by Dionne Warwick during a 1983 TV special as a tribute to stars who had died young (including Karen Carpenter and John Belushi).

 

Michael Jackson saw that telecast and never forgot the song. He famously called the songwriters immediately after the show, weeping, and told them he wanted to record it one day. He held onto the song for nearly a decade, waiting for the right moment. When Ryan White passed away on April 8, 1990, just months before his high school graduation, Michael knew the time had come. He entered the studio and recorded it as a promise to his fallen friend.

 

The most famous performance of the song occurred on January 19, 1993, at the Presidential Inaugural Gala for Bill Clinton. Michael took the stage not to moonwalk, but to plead. Before singing, he gave a moving speech about Ryan, urging the incoming President to commit resources to eliminating AIDS.

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He then performed "Gone Too Soon" live. It was a raw, vulnerable performance. Michael stood alone at the microphone, often closing his eyes, seemingly on the verge of tears. The silence in the room was deafening. It was a stark reminder to the political elite that the AIDS crisis was not just a statistic, but a human tragedy.

 

The music video, directed by Bill DiCicco, is a tear-jerking montage of footage from Ryan White’s life. It shows the two friends together, laughing at Neverland, riding in a golf cart, and hugging. It also includes footage from Ryan’s funeral, where Michael is seen sitting next to Ryan’s mother, Jeanne White, comforting her.

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The video was unusual for Michael because it featured almost no "performance" footage. It was essentially a documentary short film. The final shot of the video is a simple, candid photo of Ryan smiling, fading to black. It remains one of the most personal videos in Michael’s videography.

 

Decades later, the song came full circle in a heartbreaking way. On July 7, 2009, at the public memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center, R&B star Usher was chosen to sing "Gone Too Soon."

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Usher walked down from the stage to Michael’s gold-plated casket. He sang the song directly to Michael. Towards the end of the performance, Usher broke down in tears and removed his sunglasses, revealing his grief to the world. He touched the casket gently before finishing the song. It was the moment the song transferred from Michael’s tribute to Ryan, to the world’s tribute to Michael.

 

The song found yet another tragic purpose in 1997 following the death of Princess Diana. Michael, who was friends with the Princess (as noted in the "Dirty Diana" story), was devastated by her passing. He allowed "Gone Too Soon" to be included on the official Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute album. The lyrics "Like a sunset... dying with the rising of the moon" seemed to perfectly capture the sudden, shocking nature of her death as well.

 

Released on World AIDS Day (December 1) in 1993, the song became a global anthem for AIDS awareness. Musically, it is a masterclass in restraint. It features no drums, no bassline, and no synthesizers, just a lush orchestral arrangement and Michael’s pure, vibrato-heavy vocals. It serves as the emotional anchor of Dangerous, proving that amidst the New Jack Swing beats and rock guitars, Michael Jackson’s greatest instrument was still his heart.