General Larry ‘Pants On The Ground’ Platt Marched With Martin Luther King Jr.

Sixty-two-year-old “American Idol” sensation, General Larry Platt, who swept the country with his catchy song “Pants on the Ground,” was an active member of the civil rights movement, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I’m a general of the civil rights movement,” Larry told the Web site, while revealing that he marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Hosea Williams in the 1960s. The Journal researched his claims and found photographic evidence of his involvement with the civil rights movement.

“I like to help keep people from being dominated,” Larry said. “This should be a civilized state. Everyone should be treated equal.”

According to Larry, the song “Pants on the Ground,” is also about decency and respect. He wrote the song after he was walking in downtown Atlanta and saw a man with his pants below his waist.

“Be a man. Don’t be walking around showing yourself to the world! I don’t think that’s right!” Larry explained.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday, several celebrities also expressed their thoughts and reflections on the importance of the day.

“Idol’s” former judge Paula Abdul tweeted, “Let’s take time today to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all the progress he made for equality! 🙂 xoxo.”

Ryan Seacrest also took to his Twitter account and wrote, “the speech that defined a movement,” linking to MLK Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech.

John Legend tweeted, “Happy MLK Day everyone. Give, serve, love, fight injustice, be a leader in your community. Make the world better.”

And for some celebrities, including Soliel “Punky Brewster” Moon Frye, the reflections were of a more personal nature, “What a day. I think about my dad suffering from Alzheimer’s+all of the work he did with the civil rights movement. Papa the memories live on.”