Mourning King of Pop from U Street to L.A.

The unexpected death of Michael Jackson Thursday prompted an outpouring of disbelief, nostalgia and sincere mourning among his fans - in real life, in the cyberworld, and on the radio.

In Washington, D.C.’s bustling U Street area, once known as the city’s black entertainment mecca, patrons who filtered into restaurants and bars were stunned and overwhelmed by the shocking news.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe he’s dead!” exclaimed Virginia Ali, 75, co-owner of the iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl. “I’m just shocked and saddened … what was he, 50? I listened to his music when he was a kid. It’s so shocking, you know? He was coming back. We knew him as a kid when he was on Ed Sullivan.”

The mood was equally somber at other U Street mainstays. Kelly and Maze Tesfaye, both 55 and owners of Twins Jazz, wept openly as they pondered Mr. Jackson’s death.

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“A legend is gone,” Kelly Tesfaye sobbed.

“From when he was young until now he was big [but] he was in trouble. Why was there no doctor? Why was there no nurse? Why did they find him in a corner?” Kelly Tesfaye said of Mr. Jackson’s last moments. “Where was everybody to save this person, this king? At this age he shouldn’t die at all.”

Said W. Ellington Felton, 32, a local soul singer, “I cried when I found out,” as he prepared to take the stage at the Bohemian Caverns for a Thursday night performance.

“I can say ‘Man, where were you on June 25 when Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died on the same day.’ It’s like JFK’s death. Everyone’s gonna remember what they were doing,” he said.

In Lansing, Mich., Drew Bossler, 28, general manager of Troppo restaurant near the statehouse, quickly put on a Motown compilation CD with ‘60s and ‘70s Jackson music to remember the fallen entertainer as his death was confirmed by television reporters.

News of Mr. Jackson’s passing trickled through the upscale eatery as guests in the bar area watched the grim broadcast on Fox News.

“We just thought it would be appropriate,” he said, as strains of the songs “Ben” and “Got to Be There” played out on the stereo system.

In New York’s Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends via cell phone.

“No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,” Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. “It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.”

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