What inspired Kohan to write the song gone too soon?

Answer 1

The song as originally written for a television special called "Here's Television Entertainment". It was done as a tribute to TV Variety performers who had passed away, and was sung on the special by Dionne Warwick. Michael Jackson, who was a friend of mine since the age of 12, called me that night after watching the special and said how much he loved the song and that someday he would record it. I had worked with Michael writing songs and specials for him and the Jacksons and I knew that he would often prepare 40 songs for an album that would only accommodate 13 or 14 cuts, so I didn't hold out too much hope that he would actually record Gone Too Soon" any day soon.

Many years later, in 1991 I believe, I had read where Michael had promised to do something special for his friend Ryan White, who was afflicted with AIDS, once he passed, and I called my friend Paul Seurrat, who had compiled and catalogued all of Michael's TV appearances and personal film library, and asked him to put together all the footage he had of Michael and Ryan whenever they were together and a camera was rolling, and just lay the soundtrack of "Gone Too Soon", from the original Dionne Warwick version from the old TV special underneath the pictures and send it to Michael. A bit later, Michael called me and said that was the perfect song to pay tribute to his friend Ryan upon his passing, but he said he doesn't do cover records, and he asked me if anyone else had recorded the song in the interim since it was first on the air. I told him a number of performers, including Dionne, Patti LaBelle, Donna Summers and others had sung it at charity events, and wanted to record it, but never did. I said my people have a word for that, and that word is "bashert" which means it was meant to be, and I felt it was meant to be for Michael to record it and he agreed. He did record it and I was in the studio with him during the process, and it ended up on the "Dangerous Album (cut 13) and paid tribute to his friend in a most meaningful way. Over the decades since then, it has had great significance to countless people who have lost loved ones who were, "gone too soon".

At Michael's memorial service, at Staples Center, shortly after his passing, it was so very fitting that Usher chose to sing the song for Michael as the lyric fitted him and his life and career perfectly as well. And that is the story of "Gone Too Soon", and a friendship that will never die. Buz Kohan July 25, 2011