Fans are mourning the sudden passing of the "King of Pop," who spent decades under a media microscope.

Here are some Jacko facts that fans may not know:

• The number-one song "Ben," about a rat friend, was originally meant to be sung by Donny Osmond. (Thanks to The Michael Jackson Fan Club for that.)
• My personal fave bit about the gloved one is that his "Earth Song" includes an obvious bash against the bloody seal slaughter at minute 3:27.

In Michael's honor, take a minute to speak out against the seal slaughter.

Posted by Karin Bennett

gossipcheck / CC

Since Michael Jackson's passing on Thursday, there have been hundreds of news stories ranging from how he influenced just about every musician performing today to how he's responsible for the Academy's recent decision to allow 10 nominations for “Best Picture” (no, really!). It got us thinking: What if Michael's music could be used to help animals?

We've written to Michael Jackson's estate asking for the rights to the singer's first solo hit, "Ben," which was written for the 1972 film of the same name. This beautiful song is about the friendship between a lonely boy and a rat named Ben, and we're hoping to use it to raise awareness about the plight of rats and other animals tormented in laboratory experiments.

Mice and rats make up the vast majority of animals used in experiments, but because they are excluded from the federal Animal Welfare Act, they are denied even minimal legal protection. Part of the message of "Ben" is that rats are frequently misunderstood. (For example—did you know that rats and mice are fastidiously clean, intelligent, and highly sociable animals—they even giggle!) In the song, Jackson sings:

Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to.

We hope we'll be able to use this song to inspire people to understand rats a little better and to join our campaign to stop cruel and archaic animal experiments on them.

Posted by Amanda Schinke

It's sad times around the office today. Two of our local volunteers and their friend were killed in a car wreck recently. Here is the tribute peta2 posted this morning:

Last week we lost our friends Ben and Cayce in a tragic accident. Both of these Virginia Commonwealth University students were vegan, animal rights activists, and even volunteered at PETA's office sometimes. Ben and Cayce loved to listen to music, hang out with friends, and spoke out for social change whenever and wherever they saw injustice.

Many staffers, interns, and local activists have fond memories of Ben and Cayce including their efforts to pre-screen Wake Up Screaming for local students and their help at our 'work parties' where local volunteers come in to help with various projects.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk stated, "Ben and Cayce's boundless compassion was an inspiration to everyone who knew them. The world has lost two of its brightest stars, but their spirits live on in the many people they touched and the animals' lives they saved."

In memory of their short, but inspiring lives we are going to commemorate their dedication to animal rights (and a better world for everyone!) by engraving a brass leaf on our 'Tree of Life' for them. If you want to help honor their commitment to a better tomorrow please click here to learn about the benefits of going vegan from a health, environmental, and animal rights perspective.Also, we are big fans of Ben's great solo music project, Mancub, and urge you all to check it out here. And here's a video too:

Thank you, Ben and Cayce, for all you have done to make the world a kinder place.