That kind of visual recognition is rare.
It also helps explain why alleged Jackson sightings continue to attract attention many years after his death.
For longtime fans, seeing someone who resembles him can trigger memories of music videos, concerts and major moments from their own lives.
A photograph therefore becomes more than a picture of a stranger.
It becomes a reminder of a performer they once watched and listened to.
Nostalgia can make the image emotionally powerful even when viewers know perfectly well that the person pictured is only a look-alike.
Celebrity Deaths Often Generate Conspiracy Theories
Michael Jackson is hardly the first famous person whose death has inspired claims that he somehow survived.
Similar stories have surrounded other major cultural figures.
The pattern is understandable.
When someone becomes enormously famous, the public becomes accustomed to seeing that person everywhere. Their voice, face and work become part of everyday culture.
