New Kids on the Block member Donnie Wahlberg, who was thrust into the limelight and idolized by millions just as Michael Jackson was, tells Spinner that what people should remember about the late pop icon is his ability to perform, not the controversy that surrounded Jackson near the end of his career.

"Michael Jackson was, without a doubt, the single most amazing performer that I've ever seen," Wahlberg tells Spinner. "As a young teenage boy with a dream -- he was beyond inspirational. The fact that his public and private life became a soap opera and a sideshow is more of a reflection of our society's misplaced priorities than it is a reflection of the type of person that he may have been. Yet despite all of that, the fact that his performances, even 25 years ago, still resonate today ... that is a true testament to his greatness."

Michael Jackson died Thursday at the age of 50.