I think a lot of people (especially on siccness) were embarrassed to admit they listened to Michael Jackson, but now that he died they figure it's all good to come out with it.
As for me, I never gave a fuck. Billie Jean has always been one of my favorite songs and I've bumped MJ forever, even though I used to get weird looks from people in the neighborhood. Fuck what anybody else thinks.
As for Prince.. I like maybe 2 of his songs. As entertainers, Michael Jackson is above Prince and every other artist to ever take the stage.