MICHAEL is gone. But ardent fans like Mr V. Prakash, Mr Jey Chandran and Mr Roy Edwin David aren't ready to say goodbye so soon. After all, they are among some of the MJ impersonators who thrilled Jackson fans in Singapore with their lookalike outfits and Moonwalks.

Mr Prakash expects requests for their services to disappear as soon as Jackson is out of the headlines. The 39-year-old Singaporean used to perform with his late brother V. Mahendran who was known as Singapore's Michael Jackson.

"While there is a lot of attention on MJ now, we will be getting requests to perform. I get a request at least once or twice a month, more during the festive seasons. But I think after all this is over, it will be over for most of us when people forget about him," he said.

Most of the Jackson impersonators in Singapore are largely young local Indian men who embraced the singer's persona after his fame exploded around the world with his 1982 album Thriller... a time when most of them were still in primary school.

They imitated him right down to the last high pitched note, making a little cash on the side.

Said Mr Prakash: "If you have a Michael Jackson lookalike contest, at least 99 per cent of the impersonators would be Indian. We feel the same way about him as MGR fans feel about the late actor."

Mr Chandran, 27, felt that many local Indians felt a kinship with Jackson because he was the first black superstar.

"Everybody accepted him and we wanted to be like him," he said.

The impersonators also pointed out how much Indian cinema had mined Jackson's songs and dance moves for movies like the 2000 film Kushi, where the song Mottu Ondru was clearly "inspired" by Why You Wanna Trip On Me from the Off The Wall album. Another example given was director-choreographer's Prabhu Deva's penchant for using Jackson's signature dance moves in his films.

Mr David, 37, said: "There was a headline where he said: 'I'm better off dead'. I felt very sad because, no matter what, the world is not going to leave him alone. I also feel very sad for his children."

Other local MJ fans spent last weekend at a Jackson memorial tribute at Hong Lim Park, singing his songs all night. Mr Vinod Sharma was among them and said: "We were so devastated. My cousin had to take medical leave as he couldn't stop crying for two days."

Jackson's funeral, scheduled for July 7, will reportedly be a private ceremony, although it is expected to be televised.

His body will lie in a glass coffin so fans - more than a million are expected - can pay their respects to their idol.

Mr Prakash, Mr Chandran and Mr David may not be among the hundreds of thousands who line up at MJ's coffin, but one thing's for sure: They are in no rush to hang up their homemade sequinned gloves.

sheela@sph.com.sg