You have to admit that Michael Jackson was just plain weird. But then many of the greatest innovators were also considered weird in their time.

I don't think that anyone would want to emulate every aspect of his strange lifestyle, but he definitely came up with a few ideas that were worthy of a hacker. He found new ways to entertain people, and whatever strange personal identity crises he may have had he still hacked together an identity that most people are at least slightly familiar with.

To my way of thinking, that is relatively successful, even if he did end up dying young.

I think if there is anything worth emulating it would be persistence.