The news of Michael Jackson's death was received in the Northland with shock, sadness and in some cases, indifference, even as some immediately began tributes to the music world's King of Pop.
"We started playing his music once we found out," said Devin McKinnon, an Electric Fetus employee -- the sounds of "The Essential Michael Jackson" playing behind him.
McKinnon said the store had first been playing the artist's "Number Ones" album before someone came in and bought it from them.
At Barnes and Noble, Jamin Siljendahl, the merchandising manager, said there already has been talk of putting up a display featuring their Jackson merchandise.
"It's definitely a hot topic around here," he said. "I've had at least 20 people come up and tell me about it" -- not all of those discussions translating into sales yet, however.
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Visitors to Canal Park responded to his passing with expressions of sadness.
Duluth's Judy Prose, 58, said she only heard the news of Jackson's passing when asked for her reaction -- and was stunned.
"He's just a legend, really a legend, so it's quite a shock," she said, adding that she liked his music.
Anand Mahabalesh-warkar, 44, of Kansas City, called himself an unabashed fan.
"Yes, of course, I'm a fan," he said, calling Jackson "the greatest artist and the king of pop."
He too expressed sadness -- not only by Jackson's death but also by the course the entertainer's life had taken with financial and legal problems, child abuse allegations and court cases.
"Sometimes these artists are so successful that they just cannot handle it," he said. "It's a sad story. He was such a famous artist, and the way he ended."
Sarah Ault, 27, shared similar thoughts.
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"It seemed like he was on a downward slope and that's too bad because I really liked his music," she said.
But not all were affected by Jackson's death at age 50 in Los Angeles from cardiac arrest.
"People die all the time," said Lamont Kelly, 38 of Stillwater, Minn. "I work with people, many of whom are elderly. And they die, too, and people don't know who they are, and it's just as significant as Michael Jackson."
