I think they are counting on the basis of the age of the people whose formative years were shaped by the two. MJ and FF had a powerful effect on the youth of the 70's and 80's--They all wanted to dance like Michael and the girls wanted to look like Farrah(and the boys wanted to be seen with a girl who looked like Farrah).

You had every high school and junior high school full of kids talking about Michael Jackson. He got played at dances. When I got to BYU, he was considered acceptable for play by school standards--wasn't potty mouthed and vulgar.

So yeah, I think everyone is going to feel this loss. I don't think that he belongs to a single generation, tho.