Child Star Curse?

Okay first let me say that I know that there are completely different circumstances involved in Frankie's and Michael's deaths and I know that Michael had a much more successful adult career probably due to the fact that he out lived Frankie by 25 years. But other than that their lives and deaths are remarkably similar, although not 100%

First the obvious similarities they were both black superstars who found worldwide success before they hit puberty. And they both died prematurely of drug overdoses as they were on the verge of making a comeback.

Their childhoods (or lack of one) are similar. Of coarse everyone knows how Michael's father pushed him to perform and rehearse everyday instead of letting him play with other children. For Frankie his father drove he and his brothers to different churches to perform as the Harlemaire Juniors. I also find it interesting that both Frankie's father and Michael's fathers had a band of their own before their children began performing. Joseph Jackson had the Falcons and Howard Lymon Sr. had the Harlemaires. The similarities end there because I don't think Howard pushed Frankie nearly as hard and Howard was basically out of the picture when Frankie was nine, when he divorced. But Frankie still didn't get a chance to play around like the other kids. Soon after Frankie got a job at a grocery store and then suprisingly became a little pimp on the mean streets of Harlem. As I have posted earlier, at this moment I can only imagine what he went through as a little boy on the streets. Although I doubt he complained about the GROWN women who offered him "other favors" as opposed to money, I bet the grown men on the streets with him weren't so friendly. I just feel so bad for him cause I believe the only reason he was doing those things was to help out his mother.

Speaking of Frankie's mother; she passed away in 1961 of cancer when Frankie was only 18. I feel, (again this is only an assumption, I am not sure of anything yet) that he was very close to her and when she died it hurt him deeply, thus he spiraled into depression and started using heroin heavily.

Okay back to the similarities. One thing that I have noticed from being a fan of music and different artist and listening to what they have to say about the business is that the music industry is a very isolating business. Meaning, that it involves so much responsibility; rehearsing, recording, photo shoots, tv appearances, tours, that one has very little time for anything else like family or friends. Your "friends" are co workers, bosses, and bandmates. I have heard it said many times that the entertainment industry is not a child friendly business because of those factors. Both Frankie and Michael were the youngest of their bands so they really didn't have any peers to talk to. That in itself makes child stars even more isolated than their adult counterparts because their are so few people who have shared their same experiences as a child. Thus, they become isolated adults. They both, also were the most successful and were shown the most attention out of their groups which isolated them even more, so who is there to talk to who would understand where they are coming from when they speak of the loneliness they experienced cause from the outside it looks like they were surrounded by love and adoration from their fans, but one must ask the question, who were their friends.

I wonder if Frankie had any friends. In his letter he spoke of loneliness. It is really baffling to me. I have this picture in my head of adult Frankie roaming the streets of Harlem alone, without a friend in the world, no one to talk to, looking for a heroin fix to ease his pain. Maybe I'm being a little too dramatic but that's the picture I have in my head. Very sad.

"...misery, the loneliness, the frustration and personal tragedy." To me, that describes his whole life outside of his success as a child star. Like I previously stated, I wonder if his painful life was on his mind Feb. 27 1968 and the only way he knew to clear his mind was heroin. I have always thought that a visit to a pshycaitrist (sp?) would have helped Michael, maybe Frankie needed to see one too.

So is it the curse of child stars that these two died before experiencing their comebacks?

Also isn't it ironic that their last interviews were with Ebony and a year before their deaths?