It's strange how a tiny little piece of our youth goes with each celebrity that passes. Anyone who actually remembers the 70's and 80's has got to be pretty feeling pretty ancient right now with three of the most recognizable pop culture icons passing in nearly as many days. First it was Ed McMahon, everyone's favorite sidekick and drinking buddy, who passed on Monday. McMahon was a fixture in our late night lives thanks to his stint on the Johnny Carson show. He epitomized, for many, the buddy that never left our side.

Then word came this morning that Farrah Fawcett passed after her long battle with cancer. Farrah, for those not old enough to understand her impact, was the biggest sex symbol of her generation. The Charlie's Angel star was the definitive blond bombshell, and her famous red-bikini poster was mounted on almost every garage wall in the country. She was also an Emmy winner, which is something rarely accomplished among pin-up girls.

Now this afternoon comes word that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, has died of an apparent cardiac arrest at his home in Holmby Hills, CA. Jackson, who was a star since childhood thanks to the Jackson Five, but his stardom hit overdrive in the 80s, during the Golden Age of MTV, when his Thriller era videos made him one of the most recognizable faces on the globe.

The impact of Jackson's loss will likely overshadow all others, probably for days to come, as his was the most unexpected and certainly the most tragic of the three deaths. Jackson's never fully recovered from his scandal ridden years when he was accused of child molestation. Because of his fame, his scandals, and his very strange behavior, he was a never-ending source of fodder for comedians and tabloids. That's not likely to change anytime soon.

While each of these celebrities has experienced public pitfalls in recent years, sometimes marginalizing their lives into punchlines, for those who enjoyed them in their prime, the memories of their best days will matter the most.