MIAMI - MICHAEL Jackson taught us to moonwalk, wanted us to take a hard look at the man in the mirror and hoped to unite the world through music. We love him for it - now. But where was the outpouring when he faced child molestation allegations? Death, it seems, has been the ultimate absolution for Jackson.

Some fans have been unwavering in their support of Jackson through the years, claiming they never believed allegations that he sexually molested two boys on two separate occasions.

But many others didn't stick by Jackson, abandoning the King of Pop after his behaviour - and his appearance - seemed increasingly bizarre.

In 2002, he dangled his infant son over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below. During his 2005 molestation trial, he appeared gaunt and had recurring back problems that he attributed to stress. The trial was interrupted several times by hospital visits. Jackson once appeared late to court dressed in his pyjamas after an emergency room visit.

But all this weirdness seems mostly forgotten now. For some who were turned off by Jackson a few years ago, it's like the things he was accused of never happened, said Paul Levinson, professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University in New York.

Instead, fans all over the world are choosing to focus on his music, with songs played endlessly on the radio and tributes on television reminding them of their love for such hits as 'Thriller' and 'Beat It.'

The outpouring of love for Jackson's legacy has been epic.

According to a telephone survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 31 per cent of 1,000 polled said Jackson's death was the story they followed more closely than any other. And sites like Facebook and Twitter created a stage for large-scale mourning by bringing the world together online.

Matt Blank, spokesman for the fan club Michael Jackson World Network based in Britain, said the public may have taken Jackson for granted.

'I think it's the age old tale of you don't know what you've got until its gone. I think its easier to remember the career of Michael Jackson than the personal life,' he said. 'People realise the astonishing talent that he had.' -- AP