His death was up there with the passing of Elvis Presley and John Lennon. Now Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, has offered up a statement on the sudden loss of superstar Michael Jackson.

“With his enormous talent, Michael kept giving us power, inspiration and joy. Yet he knew that the world was not kind to him for many reasons, some of it going right back to racism,” Ono says.

“That must have been so hard for him. His various attempts to be loved by the world equalled the pain he received from it.

Michael, now you are free from all that. Rest well in Peace. We will always remember you and love you for what you were to us.”