How many years did Michael Jackson live? Michael Jackson: a short biography. Michael Jackson. History of life and creativity
| Date of Birth | Michael Joseph Jackson August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, USA |
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| Date of death | June 25, 2009 (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Cause of death | Heart failure, propofol-induced and benzodiazepine toxicity |
| buried | Glendale, California, USA |
| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) | Lisa Marie Presley (f. 1994; b. 1996) Debbie Rowe (f. 1996; b. 1999) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents) |
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| Native | Ribby Jackson Jackie Jackson Tito Jackson Jermaine Jackson La Toya Yvonne Jackson Marlon Jackson Randy Jackson Janet Jackson Joe Jackson Brandon Jackson |
| Web site | MichaelJackson.com |
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
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| Tools | vocals |
| Active years | 1964-2009 |
| Labels |
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| Cooperation | Jackson 5 |
Brief biography of Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and philanthropist. Known as the "King of Pop". His contributions to music, dance, fashion, and a highly publicized personal life have made him a global figure in popular culture for more than four decades.
As the eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon as a member of The Jackson 5. In 1971, he began his solo career, and by the early 1980s, Jackson had become a highly influential figure in pop music. His music videos, including "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from the 1982 album Thriller, have been credited with breaking down racial barriers and transforming musical material into an art form and promotional vehicle. The popularity of these videos helped MTV become a success. Jackson's 1987 album "Bad" gave the famed US Billboard Hot 100 top-notch singles such as "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana", becoming the first album to have as many as five singles topping the Billboard Hot 100. He continued to innovate with his videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" throughout the 1990s, and gained a reputation as a touring solo artist.Through his stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complex dance techniques, such as the "robot" and "moonwalk", which he gave his own name.His distinctive sound and style influenced many artists of various musical genres.
"Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide. Jackson's other albums, including "Off the Wall" (1979), "Bad" (1987), "Dangerous" (1991), and "HIStory" (1995), are also among the world's best-selling albums. He is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as "the most successful artist of all time." Jackson is one of the few artists to be twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame as the only pop and rock dance artist. His other accomplishments include multiple Guinness World Records, 13 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Music Legend Award, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 26 American Music Awards - more than any other artist - including Artist of the Century and Artist of the Year awards. 1980s", 13 US number one singles during his solo career - more than any other artist of the Hot 100 era, and his estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide. Jackson has received hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in popular music history. He became the first artist ever to have top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when "Love Never Felt So Good" hit number nine on May 21, 2014. Jackson traveled the world performing in events showcasing him philanthropy, and in 2000 the Guinness Book of Records noted him for his support of 39 charitable organizations. This is more than any other entertainer supported.
Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, have generated controversy. In 1993, he was charged with child molestation, but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum of money, and no formal charges were brought against the artist. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted in another child molestation case after a jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his This Is It series of farewell concerts, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, following a cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was found guilty of manslaughter. Jackson's death sparked a global outpouring of grief, with a live broadcast of the artist's public farewell being shown around the world. Forbes lists Jackson as one of the highest paid deceased celebrities, with an annual income of $825 million for 2016, the largest amount ever recorded in the publication.
The life and career of Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958. He was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana, an industrial town in Greater Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Skrews, was a devoted Jehovah's Witness. She played clarinet and piano and once wanted to be a country and western singer, but she had to work part-time at Sears to support her family. Michael's father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker for US Steel. Joe played guitar in local R&B band "the Falcons" for extra money. Michael grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, La Toya and Janet) and five brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy). The sixth brother - Marlon's twin - Brandon, died shortly after birth.
Jackson had a difficult relationship with his father. In 2003, Joe admitted that he regularly beat Michael as a child. It was also said that Joe verbally abused his son, often saying that he had a "fat nose". Jackson has stated that he was physically and emotionally abused during incessant rehearsals, although he acknowledges that his father's strict discipline played a big role in his success. In an interview with Martin Bashir in the 2003 documentary Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a strap in his hand while they rehearsed with the brothers, and that "if you did something wrong, he will tear you to pieces, he will really get you." Jackson's parents disputed years of allegations of abuse, Katherine saying that while whipping is considered abuse today, at the time it was a common way to raise children. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon also said that their father was not abusive, and that spanking, which Michael received the most because he was younger, kept them disciplined and kept them out of trouble. Speaking openly about his childhood in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on the February 1993 broadcast, Jackson admitted that he felt lonely and abandoned as a child. His deep dissatisfaction with his appearance, his nightmares and chronic trouble sleeping, his tendency to be too obsequious, especially to his father, and to act childlike in adulthood are understandable and predictable in relation to the abuse he endured as a child.
The beginning of Michael Jackson's career
In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined The Jackson Brothers - a group formed by their father, where the brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine played - as backup musicians, playing congo and tambourine. In 1965, Michael began to share lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the band's name was changed to The Jackson 5. The following year, the group won a major local talent competition when Jackson danced to Robert Parker's 1965 hit "Barefootin". From 1966 to 1968 they toured the Midwest, often playing various black clubs known as the "chitlin" circuit, opening for acts such as Sam and Dave, The O'Jays, Gladys Knight, and Etta James. The Jackson 5 also performed in clubs and cocktail bars, showing striptease and other adult shows, as well as local audiences and school dances. In August 1967, while touring the East Coast, the group won a weekly amateur concert for teenagers at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including their first single "Big Boy" (1968), for Steeltown Records in Gary, before signing with Motown in 1969. They left Gary in 1969 year and moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to record for Motown. Rolling Stone magazine later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with a "superior musical gift" who "quickly became the star of the show and the lead artist." The group set a chart record when their first four singles were "I Want You Back" (1969), "ABC" (1970), "The Love You Save" (1970), and "I'll Be There" (1970). ) peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The Jackson family moved into a large two-acre house in Encino, California in May 1971. During this period, Michael went from child performer to teen idol. Jackson began performing as a solo artist in the early 1970s, he was in contact with the Jackson 5 and Motown. Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums with Motown: "Got to Be There" (1972), " Ben" (1972), "Music & Me" (1973), and "Forever, Michael" (1975). "Got to Be There" and "Ben", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, became successful singles, as did cover of "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day.
"The Jackson 5" was later described as "a cutting-edge example of black music gaining popularity among white audiences." Although the group's sales began to decline in 1973, and members of the group murmured about Motown's ban on their own creative contributions, they scored several Top 40 hits, including the Top 40 single "Dancing Machine" (1974). -5 before leaving Motown in 1975.
Michael Jackson's film debut
In June 1975, The Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records, and changed their name to The Jacksons. At this time, younger brother Randy officially joined the group, while Jermaine chose to stay with Motown and pursue a solo career. The Jacksons continued to tour internationally and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the band's lead songwriter during this time, wrote such hits as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1979), "This Place Hotel" (1980), and "Can You Feel It" (1980) .
Jackson's film career began in 1978 when he moved to New York City and starred as the Scarecrow in the musical The Wiz, directed by Sidney Lumet. The musical also stars Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross. The film was a box office failure. The film score was arranged by Quincy Jones, whom Jackson had met earlier when he was 12 years old at the home of Sammy Davis Jr. Jones wanted to release Jackson's next solo album. During his time in New York, Jackson frequented the Studio 54 nightclub and fell under the influence of early hip hop, which eventually spilled over into beatboxing on future tracks such as "Working Day and Nigh". In 1979, Jackson broke his nose while performing a difficult dance routine. The rhinoplasty that followed was not entirely successful. He complained of difficulty breathing, which could have affected his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's second and subsequent surgeries.
Jackson's fifth solo album, "Off The Wall" (1979), co-produced by Jackson himself and Jones, cemented Jackson's position as a solo artist. The album helped Jackson transition from the teen pop he played in his youth to a more sophisticated adult sound. The songwriters for the album were Jackson, Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. "Off The Wall" was the first solo album to have four top 10 hits in the United States: "Off The Wall", "She's Out of My Life", and the chart-topping singles "Don" t Stop "Til You Get Enoug" and "Rock with You". The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide. In 1980, Jackson won three American Music Awards for his Solo Achievements: Best Soul/R&B Album, Best Soul/R&B Artist, and Best Soul/R&B Single for "Don"t Stop "Til You Get Enough" He also won Billboard Year-End awards for "Best African American Artist" and "Best African American Album", as well as a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1979 for "Don" t Stop "Til You Get Enough". In 1981, Jackson won the American Music Awards for Best Soul/R&B Album and Best Soul/R&B Artist. Despite being a commercial success, Jackson felt that "Off the Wall" should have had a bigger impact and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he received the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album sales.
Jackson recorded with Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, including demos of "State of Shock", "Victory" and "There Must Be More to Life Than This". The recordings were intended for an album of duets, but according to Queen's then-manager Jim Beach, relations between the singers soured when Jackson insisted on letting a llama into the recording studio. Joint recordings were officially released only in 2014. Jackson decided to record the single "State of Shock" with Mick Jagger for his album "Victory" (1984). Mercury included a solo version of "There Must Be More To Life Than This" on his album Mr. Bad Guy (1985). In 1982, Jackson combined his songwriting and film interests when he contributed his song "Someone in the Dark" to the film ET. The song, produced by Jones, received a Grammy nomination for "Best Song for Children" in 1983.
The peak of Michael Jackson's popularity
More success came to Jackson with his sixth album Thriller, released in late 1982. The album earned Jackson seven more Grammys and eight American Music Awards, including a Special Lifetime Achievement Award. He became the youngest performer to win it. The album became the best-selling album worldwide in 1983, and the best-selling album of all time in the United States, as well as the best-selling album of all time worldwide, reaching sales of approximately 65 million copies. It topped the Billboard 200 for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven singles including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin "Somethin"" reach the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. In December 2015, "Thriller" was certified 30 million shipments to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), making it the only album to achieve such a feat in the United States. "Thriller" won both Jackson and Quincy Jones a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in 1983. It also earned Jackson as performer and Jones as his co-producer a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. In addition, Jackson received a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for this album. The song "Beat It" won the Grammy Award for Best Recording of the Year, with Jackson as the featured artist and Jones as co-producer, and a Grammy for Best Male Vocal Rock Performance for Jackson. "Billie Jean" earned Jackson two Grammy awards, Best R&B Song, with Jackson as songwriter, and Best Male R&B Performance, with Jackson as Singer. "Thriller" also won another Grammy for Best Non-Classical Album Design in 1984, awarding Bruce Sweedien for his work on the album. The 1984 AMA Awards brought Jackson an Award of Merit and AMA awards for Best Soul/R&B Artist and Best Pop/Rock Artist. "Beat It" earned Jackson AMA awards for Best Soul/R&B Video, Best Pop/Rock Video, and Best Pop/Rock Single. Thriller earned him AMA awards for Best Soul/R&B Album and Best Pop/Rock Album.
In addition to the album, in 1983 Jackson released a 14-minute music video for "Thriller", directed by John Landis. The zombie-themed video "defined the movement of music videos and broke down racial barriers" on the music channel MTV, the fledgling television entertainment channel of the day. In December 2009, the Library of Congress selected the "Thriller" music video for inclusion in the National Film Registry. It was one of 25 films named this year as one of "works of enduring importance to American culture" that will be "preserved for all time." In 2009, "Thriller" became the only music video to be added to the roster.
Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry during this period, around $2 for each album sold. In addition, he received record profits from the sale of his records. Within a few months, more than 350,000 copies of the VHS documentary "The Making of Thriller" were sold. That era brought novelties such as Michael Jackson dolls, which hit stores in May 1984 for $12. Biographer J. Randy Taraborelli writes that "Thriller was no longer bought as a leisure item - like a magazine, a toy, movie tickets, but began to be bought as a household necessity." In 1985, the film "The Making of Thriller" received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Film. Time described Jackson's influence during this period as "stars of records, radio, rock video. One-man rescue team for the entire music business. Songwriter who sets the pace for decades. Dancer with the most luxurious legs in the whole area. Singer who violates all boundaries of taste and style, as well as color." The New York Times writes that "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everyone else."
Michael Jackson's signature dance "Moonwalk"
On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for an appearance on the NBC television show Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, which was recorded at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The show aired on May 16, 1983, to an audience of approximately 47 million people. In addition to Jackson, other Motown stars also took part in it. The show is best remembered for Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean", which earned Jackson his first Emmy nomination. Dressed in a distinctive black sequined jacket and rhinestone-studded golf glove, he performed his signature dance, the moonwalk, taught to him three years earlier by former Soul Train and Shalamar member Jeffrey Daniel. Jackson initially turned down an invitation to appear on the show, believing he was doing too much television anyway. At the request of Motown founder Berry Gordy, he agreed to perform in exchange for time for his solo performance. According to Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmour, "There are moments when you realize you're hearing or seeing something out of the ordinary... that's what happened that night." Jackson's performance has been compared to Elvis Presley and the Beatles' performances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times wrote in 1988: "The moonwalk he popularized is a neat metaphor for his entire dance style. How does he do it? As a man of great technique, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. one leg is straight while he slides while the other leg is bent, and giving the illusion of movement requires perfect synchronization." Gordy said of the performance: "From the first sounds of 'Billie Jean' I was mesmerized and when he did his iconic moonwalk I was shocked, it was magic. Michael Jackson went into orbit and never got off again."
Michael Jackson in a Pepsi Cola ad
In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with PepsiCo in a $5 million promotion that broke all stellar advertising records. The first Pepsi Cola campaign, which ran in the United States from 1983 to 1984 and launched its iconic "New Generation" theme, included tour sponsorship, public relations events, and in-store advertising. Jackson, who was involved in the creation of the advertisement, suggested that his song "Billie Jean" be used as the music logo with different words. According to a 2009 Billboard report, Brian J. Murphy, executive vice president of brand management at TBA Global, said: "It was impossible to separate promotional tour from music licensing, and then there was the integration of music into the very fabric of Pepsi."
On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of The Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial supervised by Phil Dusenberry, BBDO Advertising Account Manager, and Alan Pottash, Creative Director of Pepsi Worldwide, in a concert hall. Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. During a simulated concert in front of a full house of fans, pyrotechnic devices ignited and accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing him to suffer second-degree scalp burns. Jackson underwent treatment to hide his scars and had a third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $1.5 million the company paid him to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California. The hospital's burn center is named after Michael Jackson. Dusenberry chronicled the episode in his memoir, And Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Lessons and Disasters from the Advertising Business Hall of Fame. Jackson signed a second contract with Pepsi in the late 1980s for a reported $10 million. The second campaign had worldwide coverage in over 20 countries and would financially support Jackson's "Bad" album and 1987-88 world tour. Although Jackson had promotional deals with other companies such as LA Gear, Suzuki, and Sony, no collaboration was as significant as his work with Pepsi, who subsequently signed contracts to promote their products and with other stars of the music show business. like Britney Spears and Beyoncé.
Charity Michael Jackson
Jackson's humanitarian work was recognized on May 14, 1984, when he was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug addiction, and in recognition of his support for the campaign to Drunk Driving Prevention by the Ad Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Jackson donated the rights to use "Beat It" in the campaign's PSA.
Unlike later albums, Thriller was not supported by an official tour, but the 1984 Victory Tour, headlined by The Jacksons, showed much of Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. This was the last tour he would do with his brothers. As a result of the controversy over ticket sales for the concert, Jackson held a press conference and announced that he would donate his share of the proceeds, estimated at US$3 million to US$5 million, to charity. His philanthropic and humanitarian work continued with the release of "We Are The World" (1985), co-written with Lionel Richie. The song was recorded on January 28, 1985 and released worldwide in March 1985 to help the poor in the United States of America and Africa. The song raised $63 million in famine relief and became one of the best-selling singles of all time, selling 20 million copies. She won four Grammy awards in 1985, including Song of the Year for Jackson and Richie as songwriters. Although the American Music Award executives withdrew the charity song from the competition because they felt it would be inappropriate, the 1986 AMAs ended with a tribute song to mark the song's first anniversary. The creators of the project received two special AMA awards: one for the creation of the song, and the other for the idea of US aid to Africa. Jackson, Jones, and promoter Ken Cragen received special awards for their role in creating the song.
Commercial activities of Michael Jackson
Jackson's material interest in the music publishing business grew after his collaboration with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, when he learned that McCartney was making about $40 million a year from other people's songs. By 1983, Jackson began investing in publishing rights to songs written by others, but he was careful with his acquisitions, betting on only a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson's early acquisitions of music catalogs and song copyrights, such as the Sly Stone compilation, included "Everyday People" (1968), "1-2-3" (1965) by Len Barry, and "The Wanderer" (1961) and "Runaround Sue" (1961) Dion Dimucci. However, his most significant acquisition was the purchase in 1985 of the publishing rights of ATV Music Publishing after several months of negotiations. ATV owned the publishing rights to nearly 4,000 songs, including the Northern Songs catalog, which included most of the Beatles' Lennon-McCartney compositions.
In 1984, Robert Holmes a Kurt, a wealthy Australian investor who owned ATV Music Publishing, announced that he was putting the ATV catalog up for sale. In 1981, McCartney was offered to buy out ATV's music catalog for £20 million (US$40 million). According to McCartney, he contacted Yoko Ono regarding a joint purchase, offering to split the cost in half, £10m each, but Ono decided they could buy it for £5m each. When they failed to make a joint purchase, McCartney, who did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs, turned down the offer. According to Holmes' negotiator for the 1984 deal, McCartney was given first choice and refused to buy. Jackson was informed of the sale by his lawyer, John Branca, in September 1984. McCartney's lawyer also assured Branca that McCartney was not interested in bidding. McCartney reportedly felt it was too expensive, but several other companies and investors were interested in bidding. Jackson filed a $46 million bid on November 20, 1984. His agents were sure several times that they had a deal, but new bidders or new points of contention appeared. In May 1985, Jackson's team ended negotiations after spending over $1 million and four months of work on legal due diligence during the negotiations. In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that The Entertainment Company of Charles Koppelman and Marty Bandier had entered into a preliminary agreement with Holmes and Kurt to purchase ATV Music for $50 million. However, in early August Holmes and Kurt's team contacted Jackson and negotiations resumed. Jackson raised the bid to $47.5 million, an offer accepted because he could close the deal faster as his due diligence on ATV Music was already completed. Jackson also accepted an invitation from Holmes and Kurt to visit him in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon. Jackson's purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985.
Michael Jackson plastic surgery
In his youth, Jackson's skin was a medium brown, but since the mid-1980s, it has gradually become paler. The change was widely covered in the media, including rumors that it bleached the skin. According to J. Randy Taraborelli's biography, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo in 1984, which Taraborelli noted could be the result of skin whitening. He also claimed that Jackson had been diagnosed with lupus; vitiligo partially lightened his skin, and lupus was in remission. Both diseases made his skin sensitive to sunlight. Jackson's treatment increasingly lightened his skin, and with the use of makeup powder to even out light spots, he could appear pale. At autopsy, Jackson was indeed confirmed to have vitiligo, and no lupus was found.
Jackson claimed that he had only had two nose jobs, although he mentioned at one point that he had a dimple in his chin. He lost a lot of weight in the early 1980s due to a change in diet and a desire to acquire a "dancer's body". Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy and suggested that he suffered from anorexia nervosa. Periods of weight loss later became his recurring problem. During his treatment, Jackson made two close friends: his dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Clay, and Clay's nurse, Debbie Roe. Rowe eventually became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his two older children. In addition, he relied heavily on Clay for medical and business matters.
Interesting facts from the life of Michael Jackson
Jackson became the subject of increasingly sensational reports. In 1986, a tabloid article appeared claiming that he slept in an oxygen pressure chamber to slow down the aging process; he was pictured lying in a glass box. Although the claim was untrue, according to the tabloids, which were quite often cited, Jackson himself spread the fictitious story. When Jackson bought a chimpanzee named Bubbles from the lab, he was reported to be getting more and more out of touch with reality. It was reported that Jackson offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick ("The Elephant Man") and, although this fact was not true, Jackson did not deny it. Although he initially saw these stories as an opportunity for self-promotion, he stopped letting the untruthful stories into the press as they became more sensational. As a result, the media began to fabricate stories themselves. These rumors became so deeply rooted in the public consciousness that they gave rise to the nickname "Wacko Jacko" - "crazy Jackie", which Jackson simply could not stand. In response to gossip, Jackson remarked to Taraborrelli:
"Why don't you just tell people I'm from Mars? Tell them I eat live chickens and do voodoo dances at midnight. They'll believe everything you say, you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, had to say, "I'm an alien from Mars, and I eat live chickens and do voodoo dances at midnight," people would say, "Oh my God, this Michael Jackson is crazy. He squirmed. You can't believe a single word he says."
Michael Jackson as Captain Io
Jackson collaborated with directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on the 17-minute 3D film Captain Io, which was released in September 1986 and shown at Disneyland and Epcot Park in Florida, and in March 1987 years it was shown at Tokyo Disneyland. The $30 million film has become a popular attraction in all three parks. Later, "Captain Yo" was shown at European Disneyland after the opening of this park in 1992. The Captain Io installations remained open in all four parks until the late 1990s: the Paris installation was the last to close in 1998. The ride would later return to Disneyland in 2010 after Jackson's death. In 1987, Jackson disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses in response to their disapproval of the "Thriller" video.
Michael Jackson's legendary album "Bad"
As show business waited for the next big hit, Jackson's first album in five years, "Bad" (1987), was highly anticipated. The album produced nine singles, seven of which charted in the US. Five of these singles ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana") reached number one on the Billboard Hot Chart. 100 - the record for the most songs from a single album to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100, even more than "Thriller" by 2012. The album had sold between 30 million and 45 million copies worldwide by 2012. Bruce Sweedien and Humberto Gatica won in 1988 one Grammy Award for Best Non-Classical Album Design, and Michael Jackson received one Grammy Award for Best Music Video for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989. That same year, Jackson received an Achievement Award at the American Music Awards after "Bad" was the first album to have five No. 1 singles in the US, the first album to hit the top of the charts in 25 countries, and the best-selling album worldwide in 1987 and 1988. "Bad" won an American Music Award for Best Soul/R&B Single in 1988.
The "Bad World Tour" began on September 12 of the same year and ended on January 14, 1989. In Japan alone, the tour was sold out to 14, with 570,000 people attending, almost three times the previous record of 200,000 in a single tour. Jackson broke the Guinness World Record when 504,000 people came to seven sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium. He played a total of 123 shows in front of an audience of 4.4 million people.
Autobiography of Michael Jackson
In 1988, Jackson released his only autobiography, Moonwalk, which took him four years to complete. 200,000 copies were sold. He wrote about his childhood, The Jackson 5, and the abuse he endured. In addition, he wrote about changes in his appearance, attributing them to puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, hair changes, and stage lighting. "Moonwalk" reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Jackson released the film "Moonwalk" (or "Moon Wanderer"), which included live footage and video clips. Starring Jackson himself and Joe Pesci. Due to financial problems, the film was only released to theaters in Germany. It was released direct-to-video in other countries. It debuted at the top of the Billboard Top Music Video Cassette chart, staying there for 22 weeks. Ultimately, the film "Michael Jackson: The Legend Never Ends" displaced him from the first place.
Michael Jackson's house "Neverland"
In March 1988, Jackson bought land near Santa Ynez, California and built the $17 million Neverland Ranch. He installed several attractions on his 2,700-acre (11 km2) property, including a Ferris wheel, a carousel, a menagerie, a cinema, and a zoo. 40 security personnel patrolled the area. In 2003, it was valued at about $100 million. In 1989, Jackson's annual income from album sales, advertising, and concerts was estimated at $125 million for that year alone. Shortly thereafter, he became the first Westerner to appear in a television advertisement in the Soviet Union.
Jackson's success earned him the name "King of Pop". It was popularized by Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, calling him "the true king of pop, rock, and soul music." President George W. Bush named him the White House Artist of the Decade. Between 1985 and 1990, he donated $455,000 to the United Negro College Fund (a scholarship fund for black students), and all profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity. Jackson's live performance of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis' 60th birthday celebration earned Jackson his second Emmy nomination.
Dangerous album by Michael Jackson
In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $65 million, a record-breaking deal at the time, supplanting Neil Diamond's contract extension with Columbia Records. In 1991 he released his eighth album Dangerous, co-produced with Teddy Riley. "Dangerous" was certified platinum seven times in the US, and by 2008 the album had sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide. In the United States, the album's first single, "Black or White", became its biggest hit, reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for seven weeks, a statistic that has continued throughout the world. The second single, "Remember the Time", spent eight weeks in the top five in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. or White" was voted the best-selling single of the year worldwide at the Billboard Music Awards. Jackson also received an award for being the best-selling artist of the 1980s. In 1993, he performed the song at the Soul Train Music Awards while sitting in a chair, explaining that he had been injured in rehearsal. In the UK and other European countries, "Heal the World" became the album's most successful song; it sold 450,000 copies in the UK and spent five weeks at number two in 1992.
How much did Michael Jackson give to charity?
Jackson founded the Heal the World Foundation in 1992. The Foundation arranged for disadvantaged children to visit the Jackson Ranch to ride the rides, and donated millions of dollars around the world to help children threatened by war, poverty and disease. That same year, Jackson published his second book, Dancing the Dream, a collection of poetry that opened up to him in a more personal way. Although the compilation was a commercial success, it received mostly negative reviews. In 2009, the book was republished by American publishing company Doubleday and received more positively by some critics after Jackson's death. The Dangerous World Tour began on June 27, 1992 and ended on November 11, 1993, grossing $100 million. Jackson performed for 3.5 million people at 70 concerts. He sold the broadcast rights to his world tour to HBO for $20 million, a record deal that has yet to be beaten.
After the illness and death of teenage national AIDS icon Ryan White, Jackson helped raise public awareness of the controversial topic of HIV/AIDS at the time. He publicly approached the Clinton administration at Bill Clinton's inauguration, asking for more money for HIV/AIDS-related charities and research. In a status visit to Africa, Jackson visited various countries, including Gabon and Egypt. His first visit to Gabon was met with enthusiasm, he was greeted by more than 100,000 people, some of them carrying signs that read "Welcome home, Michael." During his trip to Côte d'Ivoire, the tribal leader proclaimed Jackson "King of the Sledge." He thanked the officials in French and English, signed the official documents legalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne to preside over the ceremonial dances.
Michael Jackson performance at Super Bowl XXVII
In January 1993, Jackson performed at Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, California at halftime. Due to dwindling interest during previous years' hiatus - the live television special "In Living Color" dropped the previous half's audience ratings by 10 points - the National Football League decided to pick a big name talent to keep the ratings high , and to everyone's approval, they chose Jackson for the role. It was the first Super Bowl where the halftime draw attracted more spectators than the game itself. The show began with Jackson catapulting onto the stage with fireworks behind him and then performing four songs: "Jam", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", and "Heal the World". After the performance, Jackson's album "Dangerous" climbed 90 positions on the album chart.
Interview with Michael Jackson
On February 10, 1993, Jackson gave a 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey. It was his second television interview since 1979. He grimaced when it came to his father's abuse as a child; he believed he had missed out on an important part of his childhood, admitting that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought bones from the Elephant Man, slept in an oxygen pressure chamber, or bleached his skin, and for the first time claimed that he had vitiligo. "Dangerous" hit the top ten again, more than a year after its release.
In February 1993, Jackson received the Living Legend Award at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. "Black or White" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Vocal Performance. "Jam" received two nominations: "Best R&B Vocal Performance" and "Best R&B Song". The album "Dangerous" won a Grammy for Best Non-Classical Album Design, honoring the work of Bruce Sweedien and Teddy Riley. That same year, Michael Jackson won three American Music Awards: Best Pop/Rock Album ("Dangerous"), Best Soul/R&B Single ("Remember the Time"), and was the first to win the "International Award for Outstanding Merit" for their large-scale performances and humanitarian activities.
Jackson agreed to compose the soundtrack for Sega's 1994 video game Sonic The Hedgehog 3 in collaboration with Brad Buxer, Bobby Brooks, Darryl Ross, Jeff Grace, Doug Grigsby, and Cirocco Jones. Jackson left the project before it was completed and was not officially credited as a writer. Some sources claim Jackson was unhappy with the Sega Genesis audio card, while others believe that Sega distanced itself from Jackson after the first allegations of child molestation against him.
Michael Jackson child molestation allegations
In 1993, 13-year-old Jordan Chandler and his father, Evan Chandler, a dentist, accused Jackson of child molestation. The Chandler family demanded monetary compensation from Jackson, which he refused them. Jordan Chandler eventually told police that Jackson had sexually molested him. Jordan's mother, however, was adamant that Jackson did nothing wrong. There is an audio recording of Evan's conversation, in which he talks about his intention to continue the accusations: “If I see this through to the end, I will hit the big jackpot. It can't be that I lost. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever.....Michael's career will be over." Jackson used the tape to prove that he was the victim of a greedy father whose sole purpose was to extort money. In January In 1994, following an investigation, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Michael J. Montagna stated that Chandler would not be charged with extortion, due to lack of cooperation from Jackson, and his willingness to negotiate with Chandler within weeks, among other reasons.
In August 1993, police raided Jackson's home and, according to court documents, found magazines and photographs of young boys in his bedroom, either naked or with minimal clothing, in his bedroom. Because the magazines could be legally purchased and owned, the jury decided not to indict Jackson. Jordan Chandler described Jackson's reproductive organs to the police; a full strip search revealed that Jordan had correctly stated that Jackson had spotty buttocks, short pubic hair, pink and brown testicles. Jordan reportedly also accurately described the dark spot on Jackson's penis, visible only when erect. Despite discrepancies with initial internal reports from prosecutors and investigators, with reports from jurors that they believed the photographs did not match the description, the district attorney gave an affidavit in which he expressed his belief that the description was correct, as did the sheriff's photographer claimed the description was true. A 2004 motion filed by Jackson's defense argued that Jackson was never prosecuted by a jury and that there was no wrongdoing or evidence of criminal conduct in his agreement with the other party.
The investigation produced no results and no charges were brought. Jackson described the search in an emotional public statement, and pleaded not guilty. On January 1, 1994, Jackson settled out of court with the Chandlers for $22 million. The Santa Barbara and Los Angeles County jury courts were dissolved on May 2, 1994, with no charges against Jackson. The Chandlers ceased cooperation in the criminal investigation on July 6, 1994. According to the documentation of the out-of-court settlement, Jackson did not commit any illegal acts and should not have been held liable. The Chandlers and their family lawyer, Larry Feldman, signed the papers without contest. Feldman said: "No one bought anyone's silence."
Ten years after the incident, during the second case of suspected child abuse, Jackson's attorneys filed a memo stating that the 1994 settlement had been made without his consent. The later declassification of nearly 20 years of FBI investigative documents gave Jackson's attorney the right to suggest that there was no evidence of molestation or sexual misconduct against minors. The Office of Family and Children's Affairs (Los Angeles County) has been investigating Jackson since 1993, when Chandler made his allegation, and again in 2003, according to reports. Reports show that the Los Angeles Police Department and the Office of Families and Children have found no conclusive evidence of sexual harassment.
Michael Jackson's first marriage
In May 1994, Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. They met in 1975 when seven-year-old Presley was attending one of the Jacksons' family receptions at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino and reconnected through a mutual friend. According to a friend of Presley's, "their adult friendship began in November 1992 in Los Angeles." They talked on the phone every day. After the child molestation allegations became public, Jackson became dependent on Presley's emotional support. She was concerned about his failing health and drug addiction. Presley said: "I believe that he did nothing wrong and that he was wrongly accused, and yes, I began to fall in love with him, I wanted to save him, I felt that I could do it." She eventually persuaded him to settle out of court and enter rehab to recover.
Jackson proposed to Presley by telephone in the fall of 1993, saying, "If I asked you to marry me, would you agree?" They secretly married in the Dominican Republic, denying it for nearly two more months. Marriage was, in her words, "the life of a married couple... who were sexually active." The tabloids speculated that the wedding was a ploy to bolster Jackson's image. The marriage ended less than two years later in an amicable divorce. In a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Presley admitted that they spent four more years after their divorce "reuniting and breaking up" until she decided to stop everything.
Jackson double album "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I"
In 1995, Jackson merged the ATV Music catalog with Sony's music publishing arm, creating the Sony/ATV Music Publishing record company. He retained ownership of half of the company, receiving $95 million up front, as well as the rights to even more songs. In June, he released the double album "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I". The first disc - "HIStory Begins" - is a collection of 15 greatest hits (later re-released under the name "Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I" in 2001); the second disc - "HIStory Continues", contains 13 author's songs and two cover versions. The album started at number one on the charts and was certified for seven million shipments in the US. It is the best-selling multi-disc album of all time with 20 million copies (40 million units) sold worldwide. "HIStory" received a Grammy nomination for Best Album of the Year.
Michael Jackson duet with younger sister Janet
The first single released from HIStory was "Scream/Childhood". "Scream", a duet with Jackson's younger sister Janet, is a protest against the media, and specifically their relationship with Jackson during 1993, when he was The single peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration. "You Are Not Alone" was the second single from the album "HIStory". Behind this song is still a Guinness world record. This is the only song that started from the first line of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The composition was a huge professional and commercial success, receiving a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Performance".
In late 1995, Jackson was rushed to the hospital after suffering a stress-induced panic attack while rehearsing for a television show. "Earth Song" was the third single from HIStory and topped the UK Singles Chart for six weeks over Christmas 1995. It sold one million copies, making it Jackson's most successful single in the UK. The track "They Don't Care About Us" became controversial when the Anti-Defamation League as well as other organizations criticized its supposedly anti-Semitic lyrics. Jackson quickly released a revised version of the song without the offensive lyrics. In 1996, Jackson received a Grammy for "Best Music Video" for song "Scream" and an American Music Award for Best Pop/Rock Artist.
Second marriage of Michael Jackson and the birth of a son
The HIStory album was supported by the successful HIStory World Tour, which began on September 7, 1996 and ended on October 15, 1997. Jackson performed 82 shows across five continents, 35 countries, and 58 cities, performing to over 4.5 million fans and grossing a total of $165 million. The tour was Jackson's most successful tour in terms of audience numbers. During the tour, Jackson married his longtime girlfriend, Deborah Jean Rowe, a dermatologist nurse, in an impromptu marriage ceremony in Sydney, Australia. At that time, Rowe was approximately six months pregnant with their first child. Initially, Rowe and Jackson did not intend to marry, but Jackson's mother, Katherine, convinced them to do so. Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997. His sister, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson, was born a year later on April 3, 1998. The couple divorced in 1999 and Jackson was given full custody of the children. The divorce was relatively amicable, but the ensuing child custody lawsuit was not resolved until 2006.
In 1997, Jackson released "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix", an album containing remixes of hit singles from "HIStory" as well as five new songs. With worldwide sales of 6 million copies, the album became the best-selling remix album of all time. It went to number one in the UK, as did the title track. In the US, the album was certified platinum but only reached number 24. Forbes included Jackson, with an annual income of $35 million in 1996 and $20 million in 1997, on their list.
Throughout June 1999, Jackson was involved in a number of charity events. He joined Luciano Pavarotti in a benefit concert in Modena, Italy. The show was supported by the charitable organization "War Child", and raised a million dollars for refugees from Kosovo, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as additional funds for the children of Guatemala. Later that month, Jackson organized the Michael Jackson & Friends charity concert series in Germany and Korea. Other performers included the likes of Slash, The Scorpions, Boyz II Men, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, A. R. Rahman, Prabhu Deva Sundaram, Shobana, Andrea Bocelli, and Luciano Pavarotti. The funds raised went to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, the Red Cross and UNESCO. From August 1999 to 2000 he lived in New York at 4 East 74th Street.
Michael Jackson controversy over licensing rights
At the turn of the century, Jackson won the American Music Award for Best Performer of the 1980s. From 1997 to 2001, he collaborated with producers such as Teddy Riley and Rodney Jerkins for the release of his tenth solo album "Invincible", released October 30, 2001. The album cost $30 million before advertising costs. "Invincible" was Jackson's first full-length album in six years, and the last album of his life to contain his original material.
The release was preceded by a dispute between Jackson and his record company, Sony Music Entertainment. Jackson expected that the licensing rights to the source material of his albums would return to him sometime in the early 2000s, after which he would be able to promote the material in any way that suited him and make his profit. However, the treaty postponed that date to an indefinite future. Jackson discovered that the lawyer who represented him in the deal also represented Sony. He was also concerned that for years he had been pressured by Sony to sell his share of the rights to his music catalog. He feared that Sony might have a conflict of interest, as if Jackson's business were to decline, he would have to sell his stake in the catalog at a low price. Jackson attempted to terminate the contract early.
Michael Jackson Anniversary Concerts
In September 2001, two anniversary concerts were held at Madison Square Garden to mark the 30th anniversary of Jackson's solo career. Jackson appeared on stage with his brothers for the first time since 1984. The show also featured performers such as Maya, Usher, Whitney Houston, NSYNC, Destiny's Child, Monica, Luther Vandross and Slash. The second show took place on the eve of September 11, 2001, when the terrorist attacks occurred. After September 9, Jackson helped organize the "United We Stand: What More Can I Give" charity concert at R.F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C. The concert took place on October 21, 2001, and included performances by dozens of famous performers, including Jackson, who performed his song "What More Can I Give" at the show's finale. Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration" in November 2001, solo performances were cut from benefit concerts, although he could still be seen singing backing vocals.
"Invincible" was released in October 2001 and was a highly anticipated album. It debuted at number one in 13 countries and sold approximately 13 million copies worldwide. It went double platinum in the US. However, sales of "Invincible" were lower than Jackson's previous albums, due in part to disputes with the record company and lack of promotion or tour, and its release at an inopportune moment for the music industry as a whole. "Invincible" spawned three singles, "You Rock My World", "Cry" and "Butterflies", the last without a music video. Jackson alleged in July 2002 that then Sony Music president Tommy Mottola was a "devil" and a "racist" who did not support his African-American performers, using them only for his own benefit. He claimed that Mottola called him a colleague of Irva Gottie "Fat Niger." Sony refused to renew Jackson's contract, claiming that the $25 million advertising campaign failed because Jackson refused to tour the United States.
In 2002, Michael Jackson received his 22nd American Music Award for Best Performer of the Century. In the same year, his third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket" - Blanket) was born. The identity of the mother was not released, but Jackson said Prince was born by artificial insemination to a surrogate mother using his own sperm. On November 20 of that year, Jackson carried the baby Prince onto the balcony of his Adlon hotel room in Berlin, with fans standing below. He held the child in his right hand, a cloth was loosely thrown over the Prince's face. For a brief moment, Jackson carried the baby over the railing. Everything took place on the fourth floor, which caused widespread criticism in the media. Jackson later apologized for the incident, calling it "a terrible mistake". In November 2003, Sony released "Number Ones", a compilation of Jackson's hits on CD and DVD. The album was certified triple platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was certified six times platinum in the UK for shipments of at least 1.2 million units.
Lawsuits against Michael Jackson
Beginning in May 2002, Jackson allowed the documentary's crew, led by British broadcaster Martin Basher, to follow him almost everywhere he went. Basher's team was with Jackson at the time of the "baby talk" incident in Berlin. The program was shown in March 2003 and was called "Life with Michael Jackson". In a particularly controversial scene, Jackson was filmed holding the young boy's hand and discussing sleeping arrangements with him.
As soon as the documentary was released, the Santa Barbara County Attorney's Office launched a criminal investigation. After a preliminary investigation by the LAPD and the Office of Families and Children in February 2003, they initially concluded that the allegations of sexual assault were "unfounded" at the time. After the boy featured in the documentary and his mother told investigators that Jackson had behaved inappropriately, Jackson was arrested in November 2003 and charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxication against 13- summer boy featured in the film. Jackson denied these accusations, saying that the sleepovers were not sexual in nature. The People v. Jackson trial began on January 31, 2005 in Santa Maria, California and continued until the end of May. On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts. After his trial, in a highly publicized relocation, he moved to the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah. This fact was unknown to Jackson, but Bahrain was where the family intended to send him if convicted, according to a statement by Jermaine Jackson published in The Times in London in September 2011.
Michael Jackson financial problems
In March 2006, amid reports of Jackson's financial troubles, the main building at Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure. Jackson defaulted on a $270 million loan to his record companies, despite the fact that they reportedly brought him at least $75 million a year. Bank of America sold the debt to Fortress Investments. According to reports, Sony was offered a restructuring deal that would give them the option in the future to buy Jackson's jointly owned half share of their record company, leaving Jackson with a 25% stake. Jackson agreed to a Sony-backed refinancing deal in April 2006, although no details were made public. Jackson didn't have a record deal at the time. In early 2006, it was announced that Jackson had signed with Bahrain-based startup Two Seas Records. Nothing came of the deal, and Two Seas Records CEO Guy Holmes later stated that it was never signed.
During 2006, Sony repackaged and released 20 singles from the 1980s and 1990s as a compilation "Michael Jackson: Visionary series", which later became a multi-disc edition in one package. As a result, most of the singles returned to the charts. In September 2006, Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe confirmed reports that they had settled their long-running child custody case. The terms were not disclosed. Jackson remained the custodial parent of the couple's two children.
In October 2006, Fox News entertainment journalist Roger Friedman reported that Jackson was recording in a studio in rural Westmeath, Ireland. At the time, it was unknown what Jackson was working on or who was paying for the sessions, as his publicist had recently stated that he had left Two Seas. In November 2006, Jackson invited the crew of the television program Access Hollywood to a studio in Westmeath, and MSNBC reported that he was working on a new album produced by William Adams, or Will. I.Am). Jackson performed at the World Music Awards in London on November 15, 2006, and won the World Music Awards Diamond Award for selling over 100 million records. He returned to the United States after Christmas 2006 to attend James Brown's funeral in Augusta, Georgia, where he delivered one of the eulogy saying, "James Brown is my biggest inspiration."
In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought another record label, Famous Music, formerly owned by media conglomerate Viacom. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem and Beck, among others. In March 2007, Jackson gave a brief interview to the Associated Press in Tokyo, during which he stated, "I've been in the entertainment industry since I was 6 years old, and as Charles Dickens would say, 'It was the best of all time, it was the worst. of all time." But I wouldn't trade my career for anything... While some have deliberately tried to hurt me, I take it easy because I have a loving family, a strong faith, and wonderful friends and fans who have always supported and continue to support me.” That same month, Jackson visited the US Army's military garrison in Japan, Camp Zama, to greet over 3,000 US service members and their families. The authorities awarded Jackson an honorary diploma.
In September 2007, Jackson is still working on his next album, which has yet to be completed. In 2008, Jackson and Sony released Thriller 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the original Thriller album. The album included the previously unreleased song "For All Time", which was not included in the original album, as well as remixes by young artists inspired by Jackson's work. Two remixes were released as singles to modest success: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" (with Will.I.Am), based on an early demo of the original song without Paul McCartney, and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" 2008" (with Akon). The album became commercially successful. Ahead of Jackson's 50th birthday, Sony BMG released the greatest hits compilation album "King of Pop". In different countries, the album was released with some differences based on surveys of local fans. "King of Pop" reached the top 10 in most of the countries where it was released, and also sold well abroad (eg in the US).
Auction of personal belongings of Michael Jackson
In late 2008, Fortress Investments threatened to forfeit Jackson's ownership of Neverland Ranch, which he had used as collateral for loans that ran into many tens of millions of dollars. However, Fortress Investments decided to sell Jackson's debts to Colony Capital. In November, Jackson transferred ownership of Neverland Ranch to the Sycamore Valley Ranch Company, a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital. The deal paid off Jackson's debt and reportedly netted him an additional $35 million. At the time of his death, Jackson still owned an unknown size stake in Neverland/Sycamore Valley. In September 2008, Jackson entered into negotiations with Julien's Auction House to put up for auction a large collection of memorabilia, which numbered about 1390 items. The auction was scheduled to take place from April 22 to April 25. The exhibition of exhibits opened scheduled on April 14, but Jackson ultimately canceled the auction.
In March 2009, Jackson held a press conference at London's O2 Arena and announced his return to the stage during a series of concerts called "This Is It". The shows were to be Jackson's first major concert series since the 1997 HIStory World Tour. Jackson intended to retire after the show, stating that it would be his "final bow to the public". The original plan was to do 10 gigs in London followed by shows in Paris, New York and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, President and CEO of AEG Live, said the first 10 dates would net the singer around £50m. After the London concerts sold in record numbers, the number of concerts had to be increased to 50. In less than two hours, more than one million tickets were sold. The concerts were supposed to start on July 13, 2009 and end on March 6, 2010. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles weeks before the tour under choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most rehearsals took place at the Staples Center owned by AEG. Less than three weeks before the opening of the first show in London, with all the concerts sold out, Jackson died as a result of cardiac arrest. Some time before his death, it was reported that he had launched his clothing line with Christian Audigier.
Documentary "That's it" about Michael Jackson
Jackson's first posthumous song released entirely from his estate was "This Is It", which he co-wrote with Paul Anka in the 1980s. It was not included in the concert program, and the recording was on an old demo cassette. The Jackson brothers reunited in the studio for the first time since 1989 to record backing vocals. On October 28, 2009, Sony released a rehearsal documentary for Michael Jackson: That's it. Despite being limited to two weeks of exposure to the public, it became the highest-grossing documentary or concert film of all time, grossing over $260 million worldwide. 90% of the profits were transferred to Jackson's estate. Along with the film, a musical compilation of the same name was released. Two versions of "This Is It" appear on the album. It also includes the original versions of Jackson's hits in the order they appear in the film, along with a bonus disc of previously unreleased versions of Jackson's other hits, as well as the poem "Planet Earth" recited by the author. At the 2009 American Music Awards, Jackson received four posthumous awards, two for himself and two for his album Number Ones. In total, there are 26 awards in his treasury of American Music Awards.
How did Michael Jackson die?
On June 25, 2009, while lying in his bed in a rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills, a fashionable area of Los Angeles, Jackson collapsed. Attempts by Conrad Murray, his personal physician, to resuscitate the singer were unsuccessful. Los Angeles Fire Department emergency personnel received an emergency 911 call at 12:21 (Pacific Daylight Time, or 19:22 GMT) and arrived three minutes later. Jackson was reportedly not breathing and was given CPR. Attempts to resuscitate the singer continued on the way to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and for more than an hour after arriving there at 13:13 (20:13 GMT). Death was pronounced at 14:26 local time (21:26 GMT).
Jackson's death triggered a flood of grief on a worldwide scale. The news quickly spread across the Internet, causing slow download speeds as well as websites shutting down as a result of congestion from a large number of concurrent users. Services such as Google, AOL Instant Messenger, Twitter, Wikipedia have experienced an unprecedented load. In total, Internet traffic indicators were 11-20% higher than usual. Music channels MTV and BET launched music marathons with Jackson's videos. Special editions of TV programs about Jackson were shown on all TV channels of the world. MTV returned to its original video format for a while, airing hours of Jackon's video clips interspersed with live news episodes in which the network's top personalities as well as other celebrities shared their impressions of the event.
A wake for Jackson was held on July 7, 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, after a private family service at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hall of Fame. Tickets for the memorial service were raffled off. In two days, more than 1.6 million fans ordered lottery tickets. 8,570 names were randomly selected and two tickets were given to each hand. Jackson's coffin was present during the service, but there was no information regarding the final placement of the singer's body. The memorial service has become one of the most watched events in the history of live broadcasts. It was estimated to have watched 31.1 million viewers in the US, a figure comparable to the 35.1 million viewers of former US President Ronald Reagan's funeral in 2004 and the 33.1 million Americans who watched Princess Diana's funeral broadcast in 1997.
Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionell Richie, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shahin Jafargulu performed at the event. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave eulogy, and Queen Latifah read We Had Him, a poem written for the occasion by Maya Angelou. Reverend Al Sharpton received a standing ovation from the audience, who stood up with cheers when he told the Jackson children, "There was nothing strange about your father. What was strange was what he had to deal with. But he managed anyway." Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris Katherine, speaking publicly for the first time, burst into tears as she stood in front of the crowd and said, "Since I was born, Daddy has been the best father imaginable... I just wanted to say that I love him ... so much." The Rev. Luciaus Smith said the closing prayer.
Michael Jackson murder investigation
Before his death, Jackson took propofol, lorazepam, and midazolam, so the Los Angeles pathologist decided to regard the singer's death as a murder. Law enforcement officials conducted a murder investigation into Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, and on February 8, 2010, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles. Jackson's body was interred on September 3, 2009 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
On June 25, 2010, the first anniversary of Jackson's death, fans traveled to Los Angeles to pay tribute to the singer. They toured landmarks such as Jackson's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his family home, and Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Many brought with them sunflowers and other offerings that they left at the places they visited. Pay tribute to the profits also members of the Jackson family and close friends. Katherine returned to Gary, Indiana, to unveil a granite monument erected in the front yard of the family home. The memorial service continued with a funeral service with candles, as well as a special performance of the song "We Are the World".
On June 26, fans marched in front of the Los Angeles Police Department's Criminal Investigation and Robbery Unit, located in the old Parker Center building, and drew up a petition with thousands of signatures demanding justice in the murder investigation. The Jackson Family Foundation partnered with Voiceplate to host the "Forever Michael" event, which brought together members of the Jackson family, celebrities, fans, supporters, and the community. Everyone gathered at the event to honor his memory. A portion of the funds raised was donated to Jackson's favorite charities.
Popularity of Michael Jackson after his death
In the 12 months after his death, Jackson sold over 8.2 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide, making him the highest-selling artist in 2009. He became the first artist to have one million downloads in a week in the history of music downloads, with a record 2.6 million downloads. Three of his albums sold better than any other new album, the first time an existing album had higher sales than any new album. In addition, Jackson became the first artist in history to have four albums in the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the United States. As a result of this surge in sales, Sony extended their distribution rights to Jackson's creative material, which were expiring in 2015. On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment, led by its Columbia/Epic Label Group division, signed a new agreement with Jackson's estate to expand their distribution rights to his discography through at least 2017, and to release ten new albums of previously unreleased material, as well as also new compilations of published works.
On November 4, 2010, Sony announced the release of their first posthumous album "Michael" on December 14. The promotional single "Breaking News" from this album was released to radio on 8 November. Sony Music paid Jackson's estate $250 million for the deal, plus royalties, making it the most expensive single artist deal ever. The company developer of computer video games Ubisoft has announced for the period of Christmas holidays 2010 the release of music and dance game "Michael Jackson: The Experience", based on the work of Michael Jackson. The game was one of the first to use Kinect and PlayStation Move, motion-sensitive game controller systems for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, respectively.
On November 3, 2010, the Cirque du Soleil theater company announced the launch of the Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour program in October 2011 in Montreal, while a permanent program will be given in Las Vegas. The 90-minute, $57 million production combined Jackson's music and choreography with the artistry, dance, and aerial shows of the Circus by 65 artists. On October 3, 2011, a compilation album of soundtracks for the tour, titled "Immortal", was announced. A second, larger Circus show called "Michael Jackson: One" (Michael Jackson: One) to be staged at the Mandalay Bay hotel and entertainment complex in Las Vegas was announced on February 21, 2013. The show opened on May 23, 2013 at the newly refurbished theater and was a critical and public success.
In April 2011, billionaire and businessman Mohammed Al-Fayed, owner of the Fulham Football Club, unveiled a monument to Michael Jackson near the club's stadium, Craven Cottage. Fans of Fulham FC were puzzled by the monument and did not understand what Jackson had to do with the club. Al Fayed stood up for his monument and told fans to "go to hell" if they don't like something. The monument was removed in September 2013 and moved to the National Football Museum in Manchester in May 2014.
In 2012, in an attempt to stop public family feuds, Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson withdrew his signature from a public letter that criticized Michael Jackson's estate agents and his mother's advisers regarding the legitimacy of his brother's will. TJ Jackson, son of Tito Jackson, was given joint custody of the Jackson children after a false report that Katherine Jackson was missing.
On May 16, 2013, choreographer Wade Robson stated on The Today Show that Jackson "had sex with me and also forced me to have sex with him" for the 7 years since Robson was 7 years old. Robson previously testified in Jackson's defense in 2005 at his trial for attempted child molestation. Estate Jackson's attorney called Robson's statement "outrageous and pathetic." The date for a hearing to decide whether Robson had the right to sue Jackson's estate was set for June 2, 2014. In February 2014, the IRS reported that Jackson's estate owed $702 million, including $505 million in debt, plus $197 million in fines, because the estate understated Jackson's net worth.
On March 31, 2014, Epic Records announced the release of "Xscape", an album of eight previously unreleased songs. It was released on May 13, 2014. On May 12, 2014, another man, Jimmy Safechuck, sued Jackson's estate, accusing him of sexual harassment "from about 10 to about 14 or 15" in the 1980s. During the Billboard Music Awards on May 18, 2014, a Pepper ghost figure of Jackson appeared on stage and danced to "Slave to the Rhythm", one of the tracks from the Xscape album. Later that year, Queen released three duets that Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson recorded in the 1980s.
Jackson's income increased substantially after his death. According to Forbes, he has become the highest paid dead celebrity every year since his death, with millions in annual earnings ($825 million in 2016). In December 2015, "Thriller" became the first album in the United States to surpass 30 million copies in sales. and went 30 times platinum. Two months later, the album was certified 32x platinum, surpassing 32 million copies in sales after streams and downloads were included in Soundscan's album certification system.
The work of Michael Jackson
Which musicians influenced Michael Jackson's style?
Jackson's influences include Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Diana Ross, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr., Gene Kelly, David Ruffin, the Isley Brothers, and the Bee Gees. While Little Richard was a major influence on Jackson, James Brown was his most significant inspiration. He said: “From childhood, from about six years old, my mother always woke me up at any time, whether I was sleeping, or whether I was busy with anything, if the masters were shown on TV at work. When I saw how he moves, I I've never seen any performer perform like James Brown did, and I immediately decided that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, I decided this thanks to James Brown. "
Jackson owes much of his vocal technique to Diana Ross, especially his use of the "woo(x)" exclamation, which he adopted from a young age. Diana Ross used this technique on many of the songs she recorded with the Supremes. Not only did she have maternal authority in his eyes, she also made frequent rehearsals as a more experienced performer. He said: "I got to know her well. She taught me so much. Sometimes I just sat in the corner and watched her move. She was an art in motion. I studied how she moved, how she sang - in general, what she was ." He told her, "I want to be like you, Diane." She replied "Just be yourself."
Musical themes and genres of Michael Jackson songs
Jackson explored a wide variety of musical genres, including pop, soul, rhythm and blues, funk, rock, disco, post-disco, dance-pop, and new jack swing. Unlike many artists, Jackson did not write down his songs on paper, but dictated them to a recorder. When composing music, he preferred to imitate the instruments himself, using the beatbox technique, rather than using musical instruments.
According to Stevie Huey, spokesman for major online music database AllMusic, "Thriller" takes the strength of "Off the Wall" to a more subtle level. The dance and rock tracks were more aggressive, while the pop and ballad melodies were softer and more soulful. The album's tracks included the ballads "The Lady in My Life", "Human Nature", "The Girl Is Mine", the funk compositions "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" and the disco set "Baby Be Mine" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)". Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone commented on the album "Thriller" that Jackson found in it his long association with a subconscious motif of paranoia and mysterious imagery. AllMusic spokesman Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin." In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessed fan who claims he is the father of her child. In the song "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin"" he takes exception to gossip and the media. "Beat It" openly denounced banditry in a tribute to the musical West Side Story, and was the first successful rock cross-over track according to Huey. He also noted that the title track "Thriller" launched Jackson's interest in the supernatural, which he returned to in later years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World". Humanitarian themes later became a recurring motif in his songs and public image.
On "Bad" Jackson's concept of a predatory lover is clearly seen in the rock track "Dirty Diana". The lead single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, while "Man in the Mirror" is an anthem ballad of confession and determination. "Smooth Criminal" is a resurrection of a gory attack, rape and probable murder. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic argues that "Dangerous" presents Jackson as a paradoxical figure, he argues that the album is more varied than the previous "Bad" as it appeals to urban audiences while also appealing to the middle class with anthems like "Heal the World" - The first half of the record is devoted to New Jack Swing, including songs such as "Jam" and "Remember the Time". This album was Jackson's first album in which social flaws become a topic of paramount importance. For example "Why You Wanna Trip on Me" protests against world hunger, AIDS, homelessness, and drugs while "Dangerous" includes sexually explicit songs, such as the multi-layered love song "In the Closet". The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and irresistible desire. The second half of the album features introspective pop gospel anthems such as "Will You Be There", "Heal the World", and "Keep the Faith". These songs show how Jackson opens up about a variety of personal issues and concerns. In the ballad "Gone Too Soon", Jackson pays tribute to his friend Ryan White and the lives of people diagnosed with AIDS.
The album "HIStory" creates a certain paranoid atmosphere. Its content focuses on the hardships and social struggles that Jackson had to go through before he was able to release the album. In the new jack swing funk rock tracks "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie" and the R&B ballad "You Are Not Alone", Jackson speaks out against the injustice and insularity he feels and directs most of his anger towards the media. . In the thoughtful ballad "Stranger in Moscow," Jackson laments his "disgrace," while songs like "Earth Song," "Childhood," "Little Susie," and "Smile" are classic crossover. The track "D.S." Jackson launched a verbal attack on lawyer Tom Sneddon, who was Jackson's prosecutor in both child sexual abuse trials. He describes Sneddon as a closeted white racist who wanted to "get me dead or alive". Sneddon said of the song: "I didn't do him the honor of listening to the song, but I was told it ended with the sound of a gunshot." Jackson worked heavily with producer Rodney Jerkins on Invincible. The album features urban soul tracks such as "Cry" and "The Lost Children", the ballads "Speechless", "Break of Dawn", and "Butterflies", and mixes hip-hop, pop, and R&B on the songs "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible".
According to choreographer David Winters, who met and befriended Jackson while choreographing Diana Ross's dances on Diana! in 1971. Jackson watched the musical "West Side Story" almost every week, it was his favorite film." He paid tribute to this film in his music videos "Beat It" and "Bad".
Michael Jackson vocal style
Jackson has been singing since childhood, and over time his voice and performance style have changed markedly. Between 1971 and 1975 his voice deepened and changed from a boyish soprano to a high tenor. His vocal range as an adult was F2-E♭6. Jackson was the first to use the "vocal hiccup" technique, similar to convulsive swallowing of air or gasping, in the song "It's Too Late to Change the Time" from the Jackson 5 album "G.I.T.: Get It Together" in 1973. Jackson did not use the technique to the fullest until the recording of the Off the Wall album, which can be enjoyed in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video. While Rolling Stone magazine compared his vocals to Stevie Wonder's "dreamy, breathless stutter" and wrote that "Jackson has an incredibly beautiful tenor with a velvety timbre. It fades into a terrific falsetto that Jackson uses very bravely." In 1982, "Thriller" was released, and Rolling Stone reported that Jackson sang in it in a "totally grown-up voice" that was "slightly tinged with sadness."
The distinctly deliberate mispronunciation of the expression "come on" often used by Jackson, occasionally pronounced as "c"mon", "cha"mone", or "shamone", is also the subject of parodies and caricatures of him. At the turn of the 1990s, his thoughtful album "Dangerous" was released. The New York Times noted that on some tracks he "gasps for air, his voice either quivering as if with anxiety or falling to a desperate whisper, hissing through his teeth", and his "tones are desperate". Singing about brotherhood or self-respect, the musician returned to a "soft" performance. Regarding "Invincible", Rolling Stone magazine opined that, at age 43, Jackson was still playing "delicately crafted rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies". Nelson George wrote: "Grace, aggression, growl, natural childishness, falsetto, softness - this combination of elements makes him the greatest vocalist." Cultural critic Joseph Vogel notes that Jackson had "a certain style in his ability to convey emotion without the use of words: these are his signature swallows, grunts, heavy sighs, screams, exclamations; he also often turns words into meaningless sounds, distorts them, distorts them to until they become barely visible." Neil McCormick notes that Jackson's unconventional singing style "was distinctive and utterly inimitable, from his almost ethereal falsetto to soft, gentle undertones; his fluid, smooth transitions between often very fast-changing notes; his explosive yet melodic exclamations, howls and exclamations (from those eerie "tee-hee-hee" exclamations to grunts and howls.) Though unusual for a member of the black American soul tradition, he rarely performed simple ballads without any embellishment, but when he did ( from "Ben" to "She's Out of My Life"), then achieved the effect of powerful simplicity and truthfulness."
Michael Jackson music videos
Jackson has been called the King of Music Videos. Stevie Huey of AllMusic noted how Jackson transformed the music video into an art form and advertising medium through the use of complex storylines, dancing, special effects and celebrity cameos while breaking down racial barriers. Before the Thriller album, Jackson tried in vain to break into MTV, presumably because he was African American. Pressure from BS Records convinced MTV to launch "Billie Jean" and then "Beat It", which led to a long-term collaboration with Jackson, and also helped other black artists gain recognition. The MTV staff denied any racism in the selection of their material, or any pressure put on them to change their minds. MTV claims to play rock music regardless of the artist's race. The popularity of his videos on MTV helped the relatively young channel to become famous. MTV's focus shifted towards pop and R&B music. Jackson's performance on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever changed the scale of live productions. "This backinged 'Billie Jean' by Jackson is unremarkable in itself, but what's remarkable is that the performance didn't change the impact of the performance in any way. The audience didn't care if he sang live or backed up." Thus began an era in which performers recreated the spectacle of music videos on stage. Shorts like "Thriller" ("Thriller") remained largely unique to Jackson, while scenes with group dances like in "Beat It" ("Fail off") were often imitated. The dance performance in the "Thriller" video has become part of the world's pop culture, copied everywhere from Indian films to prisons in the Philippines. The music video for "Thriller" marked the rise of music videos, and was named the most successful video of all time by Guinness World Records.
Choreography by Michael Jackson
The 19-minute music video for "Bad", directed by Martin Scorsese, features Jackson's first use of sexual imagery and choreography never before seen in his work. From time to time he would grab or touch his chest, torso, or crotch. When asked in a 1993 interview by Oprah Winfrey why he grabbed his crotch, he replied: "I think it happens subconsciously." He also said that it was not planned, but rather something inspired by the music. "Bad" received mixed reviews from fans and critics. Time magazine described the clip as "shameful". The video also features Wesley Snipes. In the future, Jackson often featured celebrities in his videos. For the "Smooth Criminal" video, Jackson experimented with anti-gravity tilt, where the performer had to lean forward at a 45-degree angle, defying the laws of gravity. To perform this trick live, Jackson and his co-authors developed a special boot that fixes the performer's foot on stage, allowing him to lean forward. They received US Patent #5,255,452 for their invention. Although the music video for "Leave Me Alone" was not officially released in the US, it was nominated for three Billboard Music Video Awards in 1989. That same year, he received the Golden Lion Award for the special effects used in his production. In 1990, "Leave Me Alone" won a Grammy for Best Music Video.
He received the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 1988 and the MTV Video Vanguard Artist of the Decade Award in 1990 for his services to the arts in the 1980s. In 1991, the first award was renamed in his honor and is now the MTV Michael Jackson Special Generation Award. The song "Black or White" was accompanied by a controversial music video, which premiered simultaneously in 27 countries on November 14, 1991. An estimated 500 million viewers watched the video on the day of its premiere, a record for the most viewed video at the time. The clip showed scenes interpreted as being sexual in nature and depicting violence. The offensive scenes at the end of the 14-minute version of the clip were edited to prevent the video from being banned, and Jackson apologized. In addition to Jackson, Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton, and George Wendt starred in the video. The clip helped usher in morphism, the smooth transformation of images, as an important technology in music videos.
"Remember the Time" was a meticulous piece of work, and became one of Jackson's longest clips, over nine minutes. Set in ancient Egypt, it features epic special effects, starring Eddie Murphy and Iman, and Magic Johnson, all complemented by an elaborate dance during the cut-scenes. The video for the song "In the Closet" ("In the Secret") became the most sexually provocative among Jackson's works. Supermodel Naomi Campbell starred alongside Jackson in an erotic courtship dance video. The video was banned from showing in South Africa due to its candor.
The music video for "Scream", directed by Mark Romanek and produced by Tom Foden, was Jackson's most critically acclaimed video. In 1995, the video received eleven MTV Video Music Award nominations - more than any other video - and won awards for Best Dance Video, Best Choreography, and Best Production Design. The song and video are a response to the media backlash Jackson had to endure after he was accused of child molestation in 1993. A year later, the clip received a Grammy for best music video. Shortly thereafter, the clip entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive music video of all time, worth US$7 million.
"Earth Song" was accompanied by an expensive and well-received video that won a Grammy for Best Music Video in 1997. The video explored the theme of the environment, showing scenes of animal cruelty, deforestation, pollution, and war. With the use of special effects, time is turned back, and animals come to life, wars end, forests grow anew. The short film Ghosts, written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, was released in 1997 and premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. The "Ghosts" video is over 38 minutes long and is the longest music video recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
The music video for "You Rock My World" is thirteen and a half minutes long. It was directed by Paul Hunter. The video was released in 2001. The music video stars Chris Tucker and Marlon Brando. The video won the NAACP Image Award for "Best Video Clip" in 2002.
Michael Jackson's legacy
Michael Jackson's contribution to world culture
Jackson was commonly referred to by the media as the "King of Pop" as throughout his career he reshaped the art of music videos and also paved the way for contemporary pop music. Throughout almost his entire career, he has had an unparalleled influence on the younger generation through his contributions to music and philanthropy. His music and videos, such as "Thriller", contributed to the racial diversity of artists on the MTV channel, and also shifted the channel's focus from rock music to pop and R&B music, reformatting the channel's style into one that proved to be more durable. Jackson's work continues to influence many performers from various musical genres.
Daniel Smith, director of content at Vibe Media Group and editor-in-chief of Vibe magazine, calls Jackson "The Greatest Star". Stevie Huey of AllMusic described Jackson as "an unstoppable colossus, endowed with all the skills to dominate the charts, seemingly of his own accord: an instantly recognizable voice, dizzying dance moves, astounding musical variety, and a ton of genuine star power" . BET said of Jackson, "It's clear that he's the greatest entertainer of all time" and one who "revolutionized the music video industry and introduced the moonwalk dance to the world. Jackson's sound, style, movements, and legacy continues to inspire artists of all genres."
In 1984, Jay Cox, Time magazine's pop critic, wrote: "Jackson is the greatest thing since the Beatles. He's the brightest thing since Elvis Presley. He may be the most popular black singer of all time." In 1990, Vanity Fair cited Jackson as the most popular entertainer in the history of show business. In 2003, Tom Utley of the Daily Telegraph described Jackson as "extremely important" and "genius". In 2007, Jackson said: "Music has become my means of expression, it is my gift to all lovers in this world. I know that thanks to her, my music, I will live forever."
At a memorial service for Michael Jackson on July 7, 2009, Motown founder Berry Gordy proclaimed Jackson "the greatest entertainer that ever lived". In a June 28, 2009 article in the Baltimore Sun titled "7 Ways Michael Jackson Changed the World", Jill Rosen wrote that Jackson's legacy was "as immortal as it is multi-faceted", influencing areas such as music, dance, fashion, video clips, and celebrities. On December 19, 2014, the British Council for Cultural Affairs named Jackson's life as one of the most important cultural moments of the 20th century.
In July 2009, the Lunar Republic Society, which is involved in the exploration, settlement, and development of the Moon, named a lunar crater after Jackson. That same year, in honor of Michael Jackson's 51st birthday, Google dedicated their special logo to him on that day. In 2010, two university librarians discovered that Jackson's influence had extended into the world of science, as they found references to Jackson in reports on music, popular culture, chemistry, and a number of other topics.
Michael Jackson honors and awards
Michael Jackson was on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 as a member of the Jacksons and in 1984 as a solo artist. Throughout his career, he has received numerous honors and awards, including the World Music Awards for Best Selling Pop Artist of the Century, the American Music Award for Artist of the Century, and the Bambi Award for " Pop Artist of the Century. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997, and later as a solo artist in 2001. Jackson has also been inducted into several other halls of fame, including the Vocal Group Hall of Fame (as a member of the Jackson 5) in 1999, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock and roll cultures. In 2014, Jackson was inducted into the second class of the R&B Hall of Fame. His father, Joe Jackson, accepted the honor on his behalf.
Michael Jackson records
Among his honors are many Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone), including the title of "Most Successful Variety Artist of All Time", 13 Grammy Awards (as well as a Grammy Award for Legendary Musician and Lifetime Achievement), 26 American Music Awards Awards (including "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s") - more than any other variety artist, 13 US number one singles in his solo career - more than any other artist in the entire era of the hit parade Hot 100, and with an estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide, making him the best-selling artist in modern music history. On December 29, 2009, the American Film Institute recognized Jackson's death as a "Moment of Significance", saying, "Michael Jackson's sudden death in June at the age of 50 was marked by a worldwide surge of grief, and an unprecedented worldwide acclaim in his posthumous concert rehearsal film" That's all" (This Is It)." Michael Jackson also received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the United University Fund for Negro Student Relief, as well as an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk University.
Michael Jackson's fortune
Michael Jackson is estimated to have earned about $750 million in his lifetime. Sales of his records through Sony's music department have earned him an estimated $300 million in royalties. He could also earn an additional $400 million from concerts, music publishing (including his share of the Beatles catalogue), advertising, merchandising, and video clips. It is very difficult to calculate how much of these earnings Jackson could personally receive, since taxes, the cost of sound recording, as well as production costs must be taken into account.
How much was Michael Jackson's fortune during his lifetime?
Several estimates of Jackson's lifetime net worth have been made, ranging from a negative balance of $285 million to a positive balance of $350 million for 2002, 2003, and 2007.
Michael Jackson's condition at the time of his death
On July 26, 2013, the estate agents of Michael Jackson filed a petition in the United States Internal Revenue Court as a result of a dispute with the IRS regarding the federal property tax imposed on Jackson's Estate at the time of his death. The estate's stewards state that the estate's value was about US$7 million. The IRS claims that the Estate was worth more than $1.1 billion, and that more than $700 million is due in federal property taxes (including fines). The trial was scheduled for February 6, 2017.
In 2016, Forbes magazine estimated the Michael Jackson Estate's annual gross at $825 million, the highest recorded amount for a celebrity. The bulk of the funds came from the sale of the Sony/ATV music catalogue. The year marked the eighth consecutive year since the singer's death that Jackson's earnings for the year exceeded $100 million.
How much did Michael Jackson earn after his death?
| Year | Income | |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | (USD 90,000,000) | |
| 2010 | (USD 275,000,000) | |
| 2011 | (USD 170,000,000) | |
| 2012 | (USD 145,000.00) | |
| 2013 | (USD 160,000,000) | |
| 2014 | (USD 140,000,000) | |
| 2015 | (USD 115,000,000) | |
| 2016 | (USD 825,000,000) | |
| 2017 | (USD 75,000,000) |
List of Michael Jackson albums
- Got to Be There (1972)
- Ben (1972)
- Music & Me (1973)
- Forever, Michael (1975)
- Off The Wall (1979)
- Thriller (1982)
- Bad (1987)
- Dangerous (1991)
- HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
- Invincible (2001)
Films featuring Michael Jackson
- Wiz (1978)
- Captain Yo (1986)
- Moonwalk (1988)
- Michael Jackson: Ghosts (1997)
- Men in Black 2 (2002)
- Miss Outcast (2004)
- Michael Jackson: That's It (2009)
- Cool 25 (2012)
- Michael Jackson: The Last Photoshoot (2014)
- Michael Jackson's journey from Motown to Off The Wall (2016)
List of Michael Jackson concert tours
- Bad (1987-1989)
- Dangerous World Tour (1992-1993)
- HIStory World Tour (1996-1997)
- MJ & Friends (1999)
- This Is It (2009-2010; canceled)
Date of Birth: August 29, 1958
Place of Birth: Gary, Indiana, USA
Date of death: June 25, 2009
A place of death: Los Angeles, California, USA
Genres: Pop
Biography Michael Joseph Jackson (born Michael Joseph Jackson; August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009) was an American pop singer, dancer, songwriter, philanthropist, King of Pop, and entrepreneur. One of the most successful performers in history, winner of 19 Grammy awards and dozens of other awards. 2 times listed in the Guinness Book of Records; Around 750 million copies of Jackson's albums have been sold worldwide. Michael Jackson has made a significant contribution to the development of popular music, video clips, dance and fashion.
Not only creativity, but also Jackson's personal life attracted the attention of the press: vitiligo disease, as a result of which Michael's skin became light; his plastic surgery; trials during which he was accused of child molestation but acquitted. Jackson died in 2009 as a result of a drug overdose, propofol in particular.
Childhood and The Jackson 5
Michael Jackson was born to Joseph and Katherine in Gary, Indiana. He was the seventh of nine children. Jackson claimed that his father repeatedly humiliated him mentally and physically. However, he respected his father's strict discipline, which played a large part in Jackson's success. In one of the confrontations with his father, described by Michael's older brother Marlon, his father, holding him upside down, struck on his back and buttocks. One night, while Michael was sleeping, his father snuck into his room through the window. He was in a frightening mask, piercingly screamed and roared. Joseph explained his action by saying that he wanted to teach his children to close the window before going to bed. Four years later, Michael admitted that he suffered from nightmares in which he was kidnapped from his bedroom. In 2003, Joseph admitted to the BBC that he had beaten Michael when he was a child.
Jackson first spoke openly about the humiliation he had to endure as a child in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993. He said that in childhood he often cried from the feeling of loneliness and vomited after talking with his father. In another high-profile interview, Living with Michael Jackson (2003), while talking about childhood abuse, the singer covered his face with his hand and began to cry. Jackson recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand when he rehearsed with his brothers, and that "if you did something wrong, he will bring you to tears, really get you."
Jackson performed in front of classmates at Christmas concerts from the age of five. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined The Jacksons, a band formed by their brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine, as understudies, playing conga and tambourine, respectively. Jackson later began performing as a backing vocalist and dancer; at the age of eight, he and Jermaine became the main vocalists and the group was renamed The Jackson 5. The group toured extensively in the Midwest from 1966 to 1968. Often they performed in a number of "black" clubs and places known as the "Chitlin" circuit, often warming up the audience for a striptease. In 1966, they won a local talent competition, performing hits from Motown and "I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown with Michael as the main vocalist.
The Jacksons soon rose to the national level, and in 1970 their first four singles were on the first line of the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. Gradually, Michael stood out as the frontman of the children's quintet, in fact, it was he who got the main solo parts. He drew attention to himself with his unusual manner of dancing and behavior on stage, which he copied from his idols - James Brown, Jackie Wilson and others.
The beginning of a solo career
In 1973, the success of the family project began to decline, the record company limited their financial possibilities, and in 1976 they signed a contract with another company, as a result of which they had to change their name again to The Jacksons. From 1976 to 1984 they released 6 more albums, traveling around the country on tour. Meanwhile, Jackson released four solo albums and a string of successful solo singles, including "Got to Be There", "Rockin' Robin" and the 1972 chart-topper "Ben" (a ballad dedicated to his pet rat).
In 1978, Michael starred with Diana Ross in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Wiz (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). On the set, he met music director Quincy Jones, who would go on to produce his most famous albums. The first of these, "Off the Wall", was released in 1979. The disco hit "Don't Stop "Til You Get Enough" and the slower track "Rock With You" topped the charts, and the album sold over 20 million copies. disco music.
Thriller
The album "Thriller" went down in history as the best-selling album in the world. Regarding this album, producer Quincy Jones stated in an interview with Time magazine:
"Black music has been forced to play second fiddle for a long time, but its spirit is the whole driving force in pop music that Michael connected with every soul in the world."
Released in November 1982, Thriller gave America seven singles:
"The Girl Is Mine" (No. 2, duet with Paul McCartney),
"Billie Jean" (No. 1, Grammy Award, the biggest hit of Jackson's entire career and one of the most sampled tracks in funk music),
"Beat It" (No. 1, another Grammy)
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (No. 5),
"Human Nature" (No. 7),
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (No. 10),
"Thriller" (No. 4).
Thriller topped the Billboard 200 for nine months (37 weeks) and stayed on the chart for over two years (122 weeks). For this album, Jackson received eight Grammy Awards (including Best Album of the Year) and seven American Music Awards (American Music Awards). In 1985, the album was declared by the Guinness Book of Records to be "the best-selling album of all time". As of July 2001, the album has sold 26 million copies in the United States, making it the second highest-selling album in American history behind The Eagles' The Greatest Hits (27 million). Thriller has sold a record 109 million copies worldwide.
Jackson and his producers capitalized on the burgeoning music television: his groundbreaking videos were among the first in constant rotation on MTV, which was only a year old at the time of the album's release. The disc's popularity was boosted, among many other reasons, by Jackson's performance at the 25th anniversary of Motown in March 1983, where he presented the world with a 14-minute video clip shot for the song "Thriller" in the spirit of a horror film. At the same concert, during the performance of "Billie Jean", Jackson first demonstrated his famous "moonwalk" - a dance move in which the dancer moves his feet forward, but at the same time moves back
eighties
Jackson and his entourage used the media attention to Michael for financial gain. In 1983, Michael signed a contract with Pepsi-Cola, under which he was supposed to star in their commercial. During filming, an accident occurred, due to which Jackson received a burn to the back of his head.
In 1984, Jackson again led the American charts, this time with the song "Say Say Say" recorded in a duet with Paul McCartney. The following year, Michael bought up most of the shares in ATV Music Publishing, which owned the rights to most of The Beatles' songs, which caused a quarrel with McCartney, who himself dreamed of buying these shares. Michael Jackson also worked with, having made several test recordings with him, but the collaboration did not take place due to the employment of both musicians.
During the preparation of the new album, Jackson first took up a charity project. Together with Lionel Richie, he wrote the song "We Are the World" (We are the World), which was recorded with the participation of numerous pop stars, and also covered in German by the mother of punk rock Nina Hagen in 1987. The money from the sale of the single was transferred to help disadvantaged children in Africa.
The Jackson-Quincy tandem's third and final album, Bad, topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks and gave the world seven more hits, five of which climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100: Bad, I Just Can 't Stop Loving You", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana". On Bad, Jackson and Quincy tried to follow the previous album's recipe for success (using stylish beats, smooth funk jazz and electric guitar), but on a much bigger scale. The album was sold with a circulation of 29 million copies.
Michael then embarked on his first tour as a solo artist, supporting the 15-country album Bad, which took up most of 1988. In 1987, Jackson starred in the 3D film Captain EO. The latter, with a budget of between $17 million and $30 million, was only 17 minutes long and at the time was the highest-grossing film in terms of length. This was Jackson's first appearance on the big screen.
In the 18-minute video for the album's title track, "Bad," it was easy to see the change in the singer's appearance. Despite the fact that his skin color was black throughout childhood, from 1982 he began to lighten, and became light brown. It became so noticeable that the whole press began to write about it, and not only the yellow ones. Jackson attributed this to the rare disease vitiligo and dispelled rumors that it was the result of intentional actions. In addition to lightening the skin, another reason for the change in the appearance of the singer was plastic surgery.
The nineties
Due to the increased attention to his person, Jackson spent most of his time in seclusion at his strictly guarded Neverland Ranch. Few friends visited him there, including Elizabeth Taylor. Children also lived on the ranch, to whom the singer was always partial. In 1991, he wrote two singles for The Simpsons, of which he was a fan. However, due to contract restrictions, his name was not mentioned in the credits. In 1993, he was charged with corrupting an underage boy, but at that time the case was settled out of court and the parents withdrew the civil lawsuit.
In 1991, "Dangerous" was released, which was preceded by the premiere of a large-scale video clip for the single "Black or White" ("Black or White"). The video was allowed to air on MTV only after the exclusion of scenes in which Jackson breaks windows and imitates masturbation. For five weeks, "Black or White" was at the top of the charts and became Jackson's biggest hit since "Billie Jean". As with previous albums, seven singles were released from this album. In addition to "Black or White" they included "Remember the Time", "In the Closet" and "Will You Be There". "Remember the Time" was filmed with a multimillion-dollar CGI video featuring Eddie Murphy and top model Iman as the pharaoh of Egypt and his wife.
Throughout the 1990s, Jackson's face changed dramatically, and his skin became completely white.
In 1995, the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future - Book I was released, which combined a disc of 15 new songs with a disc of the biggest hits. It was supposed to be the first part of a trilogy. In order to return the faltering popularity, the first single was released "Scream" - a duet of the singer with his sister, Janet Jackson, who also became a popular solo singer by that time. The song was accompanied by a futuristic music video that cost over seven million dollars to film.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 7 million copies in the US (15 million worldwide). Many new songs from it were released as singles, among them a ballad about Moscow ("Stranger in Moscow"; Jackson promised to record a song about the Russian capital when he first visited here in 1993), an environmental-themed composition "Earth Song" and a composition in the style of a modern R&B "You Are Not Alone", written and produced for him by R. Kelly. In the video for "You Are Not Alone," Michael appeared semi-nude with his then-wife, Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley.
In 1997, an album of dance remixes for tracks from "HIStory" - "Blood on the Dance floor" was released. Reviews for this disc were mostly positive, with the title track topping the sales charts in many countries, including the UK. In the US, the album went largely unnoticed and did not reach number one on the charts.
Performances in Russia
Michael Jackson first came to Moscow in September 1993. His concert was organized by the firm "Dessa" and cost her $ 1,000,000. The organizer of the tour is Samvel Gasparov. The concert took place on September 15 in an open area - the Big Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Stadium in heavy rain. Shortly after the concert, the company ceased to exist due to financial problems, and the stadium was closed for repairs. During the concert, it was pouring rain, the puddles of which were removed by the attendants right during the performance of Michael Jackson. In his Moscow hotel room, Jackson wrote a ballad about loneliness - Stranger in Moscow, which was included in the 1995 album History and was released as a single. During a 1993 visit, Jackson stayed at the Metropol Hotel.
Jackson's second performance in Russia took place on September 17, 1996 at the Dynamo Stadium in Moscow. During the visit, Michael Jackson met with the former mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, the head of the security service of the President of the Russian Federation, Korzhakov, and composer Igor Krutoy. During a 1996 visit, Jackson stayed at the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel.
Album Invincible
Jackson's next studio album was recorded only six years later, its release was repeatedly postponed. The Sony label was reluctant to invest millions of dollars in the protracted process of recording and subsequent promotion of the album, which ultimately led to a falling out between the singer and the recording giant. "Invincible" (Invincible), released in October 2001, contained 16 tracks, including the single "You Rock My World", which starred famous actors Marlon Brando and Chris Tucker in the video. The album was met with a mixed critical reception, and its sales figures were half that of "HIStory".
The song Invincible is dedicated to a 15-year-old Afro-Norwegian boy named Benjamin Hermansen, who was killed by a group of neo-Nazis in Oslo (Norway, January 26, 2001). Omer Bhatti, a close friend of Jackson, was a good friend of Benjamin Hermansen. Michael Jackson writes in a message:
“This album is dedicated to Benny Germansen. We must remember that a person can be judged not by the color of his skin, but by his personal qualities. Benjamin, we love you. Rest in peace".
To promote the album, a special celebration of the 30th anniversary of Michael Jackson's solo career was organized at Madison Square Garden in September 2001. Jackson appeared on stage alongside his brothers for the first time since 1984. The show also included performances by Britney Spears, Mya, Usher, Whitney Houston, Tamia, Slash, Aaron Carter. The album spawned three singles, "You Rock My World", "Cry" and "Butterflys", the latter of which had no music video. "Unbreakable" was supposed to be released as a single, but due to several funding issues, Sony refused to release it.
In November 2003, Jackson released the hits collection Number Ones. The 18 tracks included in the collection included 16 previously released hits, a live performance of the song "Ben" and the new single "One More Chance". By the end of 2004, Number Ones had sold over 6 million copies worldwide.
Late 2000s
In 2003, Jackson had to stand trial on charges of child molestation. After a lengthy trial, the musician was acquitted. After the trial, Michael Jackson retired from journalists in Bahrain and began preparing a recording of a charity single in memory of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It soon became clear that not all the invited musicians wanted to participate in the project led by Jackson. Although the song "I Have This Dream" was recorded, it was never released as a single due to unclear circumstances.
On November 16, 2004, Michael Jackson released "Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection" Box Set" - a 5-disc set - containing 57 tracks and 13 previously unreleased recordings, covering the period from 1969 to 2004, plus a previously unreleased 1992 live concert on DVD.
In the summer of 2008, Sony BMG launched a global campaign in which people in more than 20 countries voted for their favorite Michael Jackson songs, and thus took part in compiling the hits collection of the "King of Pop" in their country. 122 tracks were presented to the fans. The album, which became unique in each country, included about 17-18 tracks on each disc (there were 1 or 2 in total, depending on the country).
In addition, Michael Jackson recorded his new solo album, which was scheduled for release in 2009. The album featured rappers Will.I.Am, Kanye West and R'n'B singer Akon.
In November 2008, the son of the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa, at whose invitation the singer was in this country, filed a lawsuit against Michael Jackson for failure to fulfill contractual obligations. The sheikh demanded payment of seven million dollars to him.
In March 2009, Michael announced that he was going to play the last series of concerts in London called "This Is It Tour". The concerts were scheduled to begin on July 13, 2009 and end on March 6, 2010. When Jackson announced his return to the stage at a special press conference on March 5, 2009, it was about 10 concerts at The O2 arena, which seats 20,000 people. However, the demand for tickets was so high that 40 more performances had to be scheduled. The concert tour never took place due to the death of the singer.
Sony signed a contract with Michael's family for the release of ten new Jackson albums. These will include re-releases of some of the older albums and compilations of never-before-released songs. The release of the first album called Michael is scheduled for December 14, 2010. It will consist of ten unreleased songs, including those recorded by Michael shortly before his death.
There will also be a game called "Michael Jackson the experience" and the entire videography of "Michael Jackson vision". Release date November 22-23, 2010
Personal life
Family
Michael Jackson has been married twice. From 1994 to 1996 he was married to Lisa-Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley. They first met in 1975 during one of the celebrations at the MGM Grand Hotel, in the casino. Through a mutual friend, they met again in early 1993, and their relationship became serious. Every day they called up.
When Jackson was accused of child molestation and it became public, Jackson became dependent on Presley: he needed emotional support, and she was concerned about his health and addiction to relaxing drugs. Presley explained: “I believed that he did nothing wrong and that he was innocent, I became closer to him. I wanted to save him. I felt I could do it". She soon persuaded him to settle the charges out of court, as well as the need for rehabilitation to restore health. In October 1993, Jackson proposed to Presley over the phone: “If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?” They got married in the Dominican Republic in secret, denying it for almost two months. Jackson and Presley divorced less than two years later, but remained friends. In 1997, Presley accompanied Michael, who was married to Debbie Rowe, on the HIStory tour.
In November 1996, after divorcing her, Jackson married Debbie Rowe (a former nurse), with whom he has two children: a son, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Sr. (born February 13, 1997) and a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson ( born April 3, 1998). Debbie Rowe and Michael Jackson divorced in 1999. The second son - Prince Michael Jackson II (born February 21, 2002) was born from a surrogate mother, whose identity is unknown. A scandalous story is connected with this child, when Michael, showing photographers on Prince Street, almost dropped him from a height of 50 feet. After that, Jackson tried to hide his family from the press and fans: when they appeared in public, the children wore masks. Custody of the children after Jackson's death was taken by his mother, Katherine Jackson.
In life, good friends of Michael Jackson were: Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Eddie Murphy, Chris Tucker, Macaulay Culkin, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Omer Bhatti.
Health and appearance
Michael's childhood was difficult. He and some of his siblings said they were abused and abused by their father. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Jackson's appearance began to change dramatically. He lost weight, his skin brightened, his nose and facial contours changed. The initial causes of skin lightening are vitiligo and systemic lupus erythematosus (which were diagnosed in Jackson in 1986), as well as the singer's use of cosmetics to mask skin blemishes. Surgeons believe he has had a rhinoplasty, forehead lift, cheekbone surgery, and thinned lips.
Mental health experts claimed he had the mind of a ten-year-old, while other doctors thought he suffered from body dysmorphic disorder. Deepak Chopra, a doctor and friend of Jackson's for 20 years, said: “The reason that he subjected himself to plastic surgery was the craving for self-mutilation and complete disrespect for himself”.
During the 1990s, it seemed that Jackson became addicted to prescription drugs, mainly painkillers and powerful sedatives, and his health began to deteriorate rapidly. He went into rehab in 1993 with the help of Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John, but the addiction remained.
Childhood and mental health
Jackson and some of his siblings have stated that they were physically and mentally abused from a young age by their father Joseph, which included continuous rehearsals, insults, and the use of derogatory names such as "big nose" for Michael; this treatment influenced the rest of Jackson's life. During one of the trials, Marlon Jackson recalled how Joseph held Michael by one leg upside down and inflicted many blows with his hand on the back and buttocks. Joseph often tripped the boys and pushed them. One night, when Michael was sleeping, Joseph went up to his room through the window. He put on a scary mask, entered the room and screamed. Joseph explained that this was how he taught the children not to leave the windows open at night. For years to come, Jackson had nightmares about being kidnapped from his bedroom. By the early 1980s, he was deeply unhappy; Jackson said: “Even at home I am lonely. I sometimes sit in my room and cry. It's so hard to find friends... I sometimes leave the house at night, only to find someone to talk to. But it all ends with me returning home.”
Jackson recalled how Joseph sat in a chair during rehearsal, holding his belt in his hand. And if the children did something wrong, then he beat them with this belt. In 2003, the father admitted that he beat his children. In November 2010, he confirmed this, but stated the following: “I don't think Michael was afraid of me. If he was afraid, it was that he might do something wrong, and I would reprimand him, but not that I would beat him. I never beat him, as many media wrote.
Michael Jackson was convicted of child molestation in 2003 and acquitted two years later. During the investigation, Jackson's biography was studied by Stan Katz, a professional psychologist, who also spent several hours with the accuser. According to John Randy Taraborrelli, Katz concluded that Jackson was stuck at the mental level of a ten-year-old. Some doctors have publicly expressed the opinion that the singer had body dysmorphophobia, a psychological disorder in which a person is overly concerned and preoccupied with a minor defect or feature of his body.
Vitiligo and lupus, treatment and consequences
Jackson's skin was swarthy in his youth, but from the mid-1980s, it became increasingly pale; this was, as many believed, due to the fact that Michael deliberately bleached his skin and changed facial features to look like a European. All this was widely covered in the media. According to John Randy Taraborrelli's biographical book, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus in 1986. Vitiligo partially lightened his skin and made him sensitive to sunlight. The lupus was in remission, but sunlight may have aggravated it. To combat these diseases, Jackson used solaquine, tretinoin, and benoquine. He also used hydroxychloroquine, which was regularly injected directly into the scalp. Medicines with which he fought these diseases; cosmetics to hide blemishes on the skin - because of all this, he seemed very pale.
In February 1993, Jackson gave an unusually candid hour and a half interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was his first televised interview since 1979. During this interview, he stated that he never bleached his skin on purpose, publicly announcing for the first time that he suffers from vitiligo disease and is forced to use powerful cosmetics to even out skin color. The interview was viewed by 68 million Americans. After that, active public discussions began on the topic of an unknown disease at that time. An autopsy performed after Jackson's death confirmed that he suffered from vitiligo.
During the Australian leg of the HIStory World Tour, Jackson married his dermatologist's nurse, Debbie Rowe. They first met in the mid-1980s when Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo. Over the years, she treated his illness and provided emotional support, and the two formed a strong friendship before their relationship became romantic. The couple divorced in 1999, but they remained friends.
plastic surgery
The outlines of his face also changed; some surgeons believe that he underwent numerous surgeries to change his nose, forehead, lips, and cheekbones. According to Taraborrelli, in 1979 Jackson had his first rhinoplasty after breaking his nose while performing a difficult dance element. However, the operation was not entirely successful, and Michael complained of difficulty breathing. He was sent to Stephen Hofflin who gave him a second rhinoplasty in 1980. However, in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson's mother revealed that Michael deliberately and purposefully got his first nose job done. “One day he just got up and decided that he wanted to redo his nose, considering it too big. He left as soon as he decided to do so. When I asked where Michael was, it turned out that he was fixing his nose. Katherine Jackson said In his 1988 autobiography, Moonwalk, Jackson wrote that in addition to nose surgery, he also had a dimple in his chin and never had any more surgeries. However, his mother said that Michael had more than two plastic surgeries, but he was very shy about it: “I heard that people are addicted to plastic. I think that's exactly what happened to him. I told him that there were enough operations already and asked why he couldn't stop. I even talked to his plastic surgeon and asked that when Michael comes, he only pretends to change something in his face.. Also, since 1986, Jackson has been a regular client of Arnold Klein, a dermatologist who specializes in skin injections and non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
In his book, Jackson attributed the changes to his face to puberty, a strict vegetarian diet, weight loss, hair changes, and stage lighting. He refuted the opinions of many that he had an operation on his eyelids. By 1990, the changes that were happening to Michael were already widely discussed by the public; relatives of the singer reported that by that time he had undergone about ten operations on his face. In June 1992, The Daily Mirror ran a front-page image of what was believed to be Michael Jackson's face, which was described as "terribly disfigured" by plastic surgery. Jackson sued the tabloid and they reached a settlement in 1998. In the highest court, the former editor of the publication said that there were no traces of plastic surgery on Jackson's face and publicly apologized to him.
Weight and drug dependence
Part of the reason for the changes in his face were periods of significant weight loss. Jackson lost weight in the early 1980s due to a change in diet and a desire to have a "dancer's body". By 1984, Jackson had lost 9 kilograms, bringing his weight to 48 kilograms with a height of 175 cm - at that time he had the smallest weight in his entire adult life. Witnesses reported that Jackson often experienced dizziness, and it is believed that he suffered from anorexia nervosa. In subsequent years, the musician recovered a little, but after being accused of child molestation in 1993, Jackson stopped eating, again losing a lot of weight. In late 1995, he was rushed to the hospital after collapsing while rehearsing for a television performance (which was later cancelled); an independent writer claims that the incident was caused by a stress-related panic attack, while doctors cited abnormal heart rhythms, gastrointestinal inflammation, dehydration, and malfunctioning of the kidneys and liver; In none of the hospitalizations, including this one, drugs were found in Jackson's system. The BBC reported that during his trial in 2005, the singer also suffered from stress-related illnesses and serious weight loss.
The biographer claims that in 1993, the artist agreed to the use of analgesics, diazepam, alprazolam and lorazepam, to deal with the stress caused by the allegation of child molestation brought against him. A few months later, according to the news, Jackson lost approximately 4.5 kg of weight and stopped eating. During the deposition in court, Jackson was very drowsy, unable to concentrate, and spoke indistinctly. He couldn't remember the release dates of his previous albums or the names of the people he worked with. It took him a few minutes to name some of his recent albums.
Jackson's health deteriorated to the point that he canceled the last leg of his world tour and flew with his girlfriend Elizabeth Taylor and her husband to London. At the airport, two friends supported him to keep him from falling; he was rushed to Elton John's manager's home and then to a clinic. At the entrance, he was searched for drugs; medicine bottles were found in the suitcase. He was placed on the fourth floor of the hospital in an intravenous ward to reduce his dependence on painkillers. A rep for the singer then told reporters that Jackson could barely move or talk. At the clinic, Jackson underwent group and individual therapy sessions. According to Taraborrelli, in January 2004, when the trial ended, Jackson became addicted to morphine and demerol.
After Jackson's death, a police investigation directed primarily against Jackson's personal physician Conrad Murray found that Dr. Jackson had used 19 different aliases, including "Omar Arnold", "Josephine Baker", "Fernand Diaz", "Paul Farance", "Peter Madonie, Faheem Muhammad, Roselyn Muhammad, Blanca Nicholas, Jimmy Nicholas, Bryan Singleton, and Frank Tyson while prescribing medication for Jackson. He, in turn, received doctor's prescriptions under the pseudonyms "Prince", "Michael Amir" and "Kai Chase" - these are the names of one of his sons, a representative and a former personal chef, respectively. Police during a search in Las Vegas of the home and office of Conrad Murray found a CD that mentioned the pseudonym "Omar Arnold". The use of pseudonyms by celebrity doctors is a common practice: it is done to keep the patient's medical history confidential and does not necessarily indicate drug addiction.
Child molestation allegations
Michael's fans held demonstrations in support of him during the allegations
Michael Jackson has been tried twice on charges of child molestation, both times boys.
In 1993, he was accused of molesting 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. Jordan was a fan of Jackson and often visited him at Neverland Ranch. According to the boy's father, the son confessed to him that the singer forced him to touch his genitals. The police investigated these allegations, during which Michael had to show his genitals to compare with what the boy described. As a result, the parties entered into a settlement: Jackson paid the Chandler family $ 22 million, and they withdrew the application.
Ten years later, in 2003, Michael was again charged with a similar charge. This time, the singer was accused of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo, also a regular guest at the Neverland Ranch. During their stay at the ranch, the children often slept in the same room as Jackson, and even on his bed. According to the prosecution, Jackson allegedly got Gavin drunk, which is already a crime under US law, and then masturbated with him. In addition, he allegedly often groped Gavin and other children.
On December 18, the police raided the Neverland Jackson estate, and on the 20th, the singer was arrested and released on bail a few hours later. Like the previous time, Jackson vehemently denied the accusation, stating that the Arvizo family was simply trying to engage in extortion. Michael's trial lasted from February to May 2005. More than 2,200 media outlets from around the world have accredited their journalists to cover the scandalous trial. The jury ruled that there was not enough evidence and Jackson was innocent.
Constant litigation led to the deterioration of Jackson's health, he even began to use painkillers to cope with stress. In addition, the court served to completely empty bank accounts: the services of the best lawyers in the United States cost more than $ 100,000,000.
After the singer's death in 2009, Jordan Chandler admitted that he slandered Michael Jackson, his father Evan Chandler (who later committed suicide) forced him to do this for the sake of money.
Religious views
Michael Jackson was not an open follower of any church, but showed interest in the religion of various denominations.
The Jackson family belonged to the Jehovah's Witnesses, and Michael was brought up in this organization. However, his relationship with the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses did not work out because of the strict rules that it imposes on its members. Jehovah's Witnesses condemned his defiant behavior on stage and his Thriller video, which were unacceptable to the organization's followers. Soon, Michael's sister La Toya Jackson was expelled from the organization for not attending their meetings. Michael, like all members of the organization, was forbidden to communicate with her, which was a blow to him. Michael violated the prohibition of the congregation elders and himself stopped attending the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1987, it was announced that the Jehovah's Witnesses no longer considered Michael a member.
In recent years, Jackson began to take an interest in Islam. Michael's brother, Jermaine Jackson, is an open Muslim and often gave his brother books about the religion. Germain hoped that the passion for religion would protect Michael from nervous breakdowns and bad habits. In addition, Michael had connections with the African-American Nation of Islam. According to the former nanny of his children, Jackson often met with the leader of this organization, Louis Farrakhan.
On November 21, 2008, The Sun tabloid reported that Jackson allegedly changed his name to Mikael as a sign of his conversion to Islam at a shahada ceremony, "a promise to be faithful to the Quran", while visiting composer Steve Porcaro in Los Angeles. This information has never been confirmed by Jackson himself. Jackson's lawyer Londell McMillan denied the report, saying of him that "this is bullshit. This is a complete lie".
Jackson was also close to Andre Crouch, a Christian musician and gospel singer. Shortly before his death, the singer visited a Christian church with Crouch and sang several Christian songs. According to Crouch and his sister, Jackson asked them about Christian customs and commandments, but said nothing about wanting to be baptized himself.
Death, farewell ceremony and funeral
Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009 at 21:26 UTC (14:26 local summer Pacific time, 1:26 Moscow time) occurred after he collapsed in a rented house in Los Angeles.
As the death of an icon of an entire era, it caused a huge reaction from Michael's fans around the world, influenced the work of many major sites and caused an explosion in sales of Jackson's albums.
On the morning of June 25, 2009, Michael collapsed while in a house he was renting in Holmby Hills, West Los Angeles. Jackson's personal physician, cardiologist Conrad Murray, later reported through his lawyer that he went up to the second floor and found Jackson in bed, no longer breathing, but with a weak pulse in the femoral artery. Murray began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After 5-10 minutes, Murray decided to make a phone call, but there was no landline in the bedroom, and Murray did not want to call on a cell phone, because he did not know the address of Jackson's house. While Murray was looking for a security guard to use his phone to call emergency services, 30 minutes passed. At 12:21 p.m. local time, a 911 call was recorded. It was not Murray who called, but a home security worker.
Arriving 3 minutes and 17 seconds after the call, the doctors found Jackson no longer breathing with a cardiac arrest and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 42 minutes. According to Murray's lawyer, a UCLA doctor ordered the medical team to give a direct injection of adrenaline into Jackson's heart. The lawyer noted that all the time while Jackson was at home, he still had a pulse. Efforts to bring Jackson back to life continued along the way and for an hour after arriving at the UCLA Medical Center at 1:14 p.m. The effect was not achieved. Death was pronounced at 14:26 local time
Stacy Brown, Jackson's biographer, said that Jackson became "very weak, very, very underweight" and that the family was very worried about it. Another biographer, Randy Taraborrelli, who knew Jackson for 40 years, said that Jackson had been addicted to painkillers for decades. Arnold Klein, Jackson's dermatologist, confirmed the fact that Jackson abused prescription drugs. At the same time, Klein examined Jackson three days before his death and, according to Klein, the singer “He was in very good physical condition. He danced for my patients. He was in a good psychological tone when we examined him, and in a very good mood..
Investigation
The coroners were investigating the cause of death. Michael's body was transported by helicopter to Boyle Heights, home of the Los Angeles coroner's office. An autopsy was performed on June 26 in the evening, after which the body was given to the family. However, the cause of death was not established. To clarify it, additional toxicological tests were required, which could take from 6 to 8 weeks. At the same time, the coroner noted that there were no signs of violence or signs of murder during the autopsy. The Jackson family later performed a second autopsy.
Despite the fact that initially there was no suspicion of murder, the day after Jackson's death, the Los Angeles Police Department began investigating an unusual and high-profile case. Because the LAPD did not restrict access to Jackson's home and it was freely visited by his relatives, some observers, such as lawyer Brown Harland, have criticized the actions of the police, believing that, due to the free access of unauthorized persons, the chain of custody could be broken.
On July 1, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) joined the investigation. The DEA, with the power to investigate issues normally protected by doctor-patient privilege, could examine all of Jackson's prescription medications. California Attorney General Jerry Brown said the DEA used CURES, a prescription database containing information about all prescribed drugs, doctors, doses and patients, to investigate. On July 9, William Bratton, LAPD chief, said the investigation was focused on murder or accidental overdose, but that full toxicology reports from the coroners should be awaited.
On August 24, the conclusions of a forensic medical examination were made public - death was due to an overdose of the potent anesthetic propofol. A number of other potent substances (lorazepam, diazepam, midazolam) were also found in the blood.
On August 28, the Los Angeles coroner announced that Michael Jackson's death would be qualified as a homicide.
Jackson's personal physician, cardiologist Conrad Murray, was born in 1953 in Grenada, lived for a long time in Trinidad and Tobago, emigrated to the United States in the 1960s. A 1989 graduate of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Not certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. In 1992, his firm went bankrupt, and later several lawsuits were filed against him for a total of $790,000. According to the Telegraph, Murray met Jackson in 2008 in Las Vegas, where Murray was treating his cold. According to People, the acquaintance happened in 2006, when Murray treated Jackson's children. Jackson insisted that AEG Live - the organizer of Jackson's planned concerts - hire Murray, and Murray lived with Jackson for two weeks preparing him for the concert program. Murray was supposed to accompany Jackson on his trip to the UK and was supposed to be paid US$150,000 a month, but the contract required Jackson's signature and was never signed by him.
Doubts were raised about the quality of Murray's CPR - Murray performed it not on the floor or other hard surface, but on a bed. As soon as the 9-1-1 operator heard that CPR was being performed on the bed, he immediately requested that the patient be moved to the floor. In response, Murray, through a lawyer, stated that the bed was very hard, in addition, he put his hand under Jackson's back. In addition, the lawyer stated that when the ambulance arrived, Jackson's blood was still circulating, there was a pulse, which means CPR was successful. A professor of cardiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine stated that “it is very difficult, if not impossible, to perform CPR on a bed. There is no leverage, no firm support, no neck extension.”. The professor also noted that it is impossible to support the back of the patient with one hand while performing CPR with the other hand, since "Even for an emaciated 50 kg person, you need two hands" to achieve the desired compression.
On July 29, 2009, the confession of a personal doctor became known that shortly before his death he injected Michael Jackson with the powerful painkiller propofol.
Michael Jackson left a son and a daughter from his marriage to Debbie Rowe - Prince Michael Joseph Jackson (b. 1997) and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson (b. 1998), as well as a son, Prince Michael Jackson II, born in 2002 year from an unknown surrogate mother.
He was also survived by brothers - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy; sisters - Rebbie, Janet and Latoya; parents - Joseph and Katherine Jackson. On June 27, the Jackson family released a joint statement:
In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we find it hard to find words worthy of this sudden tragedy that we all face. Our beloved son, brother and father of three children passed away so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and so quickly. This leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to the point where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times.
We lost Michael forever, our pain cannot be expressed in words. But Michael wouldn't want us to give up now. So we want to say thank you to all of his loyal supporters and fans around the world, you are the ones that Michael loved so much. Please do not fall into despair, because Michael will live in each of you. Keep carrying his word, because that's exactly what he would like you to do. Keep going and his legacy will live forever.
Press and public gathered around UC Medical Center on June 25
The news of Jackson's death was first reported by TMZ.com, a Los Angeles-based celebrity tabloid. Jackson's death was pronounced at 2:26 pm, and 18 minutes later, at 2:44 pm, the website reported that "Michael Jackson died today at the age of 50." For more than an hour, TMZ.com alone reported on Jackson's death, and magazines and television were wary of reprinting this information for fear of spreading false information. Jackson's death was first confirmed by The Los Angeles Times at 3:15 pm PDT. Due to the large influx of visitors, the sites TMZ.com and The Los Angeles Times worked intermittently.
Immediately after the news of Jackson's death, MTV and BET began to broadcast only Michael Jackson clips and programs dedicated to Jackson. On MTV, the uninterrupted marathon of Jackson's clips continued for two days. Each clip was followed by a live broadcast from a makeshift studio in Times Square, where famous people in the pop industry called and expressed condolences. The American channels ABC, CBS, NBC on June 25 released prime-time specials dedicated to the death of Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. On June 29, TIME magazine published a special memorial issue about Jackson, which was the first such memorial issue since the issue of the September 11 attacks in 2001.
On June 25 and 26, Michael Jackson's death was devoted to 60% of all news releases in the United States. This detailed media coverage of Jackson's death has been criticized. The head of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, said that CNN paid more attention to Jackson's death than to the political crisis in Honduras, and called such a news policy "deplorable". 70% of whites and 36% of blacks polled by the Pew Research Center felt that press coverage of Jackson's death was too detailed, and only three percent felt that coverage of Jackson's death was insufficient. The BBC received more than 700 calls from viewers complaining about too much news about Jackson.
Within hours of Jackson's death, sales of his records skyrocketed. His album Thriller climbed to number one on the US iTunes chart, while his other eight albums climbed to the top 40. In the UK, 14 of the top twenty spots on the Amazon.com chart were Jackson albums, with Off The Wall at number one. Sales of all Michael Jackson CDs and MP3s on Amazon.com increased 721 times on June 26. According to the vice president of Amazon.com, the online store sold out all the available discs of Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 in a matter of minutes after the news of Jackson's death.
In total, 415,000 Michael Jackson albums were sold in the United States in a week, which is 40% more than in the entire year before his death.
On the day of his death, condolences from the heads of Sony Corporation are posted on the official website. This appeal was on the site on June 25 and 26, then it was replaced with a bulletin board where everyone could post their message.
Jackson's death caused bitterness among his fans, who began to gather around the UC Medical Center and Michael's home in Holmby Hills. Fans also approached the Apollo Theater in New York. A small group of fans, including the mayor, crowded into Gary around the house where Jackson spent his childhood. Fans also gathered on the Hollywood Walk of Fame around Michael Jackson's radio commentator's star, as Michael Jackson's own star was unavailable due to the premiere of Bruno. In Russia, Jackson fans gathered outside the US Embassy in Moscow, attaching flowers and photographs to the embassy's fence.
Gary Taylor, head of Jackson's MJJcommunity fan club, said 12 fans committed suicide following the news of Michael's death.
US President Barack Obama, in a conversation with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, called Michael Jackson a "musical icon", expressed condolences to the singer's family and fans, and also sent a letter to Jackson's family. In the US House of Representatives, Jackson was honored with a minute of silence.
Many celebrities reacted to Jackson's death. , who wanted to participate in one of Jackson's concerts in London, said she "couldn't stop crying" over Jackson's death. Elizabeth Taylor, a longtime friend of Jackson's, said her "heart and mind are broken" and that she "can't imagine life without him." Paul McCartney posted a message on his website saying that “It was an honor to spend time and work with Michael. He was a very talented guy with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever, and my memories of the time spent with him will be happy.". Brian May expressed his condolences on the death of Michael Jackson on the official website of the Queen group. Lisa Marie Presley, ex-wife of Michael Jackson, said that she was extremely amazed that exactly the same thing happened to Jackson that happened to her father Elvis Presley in 1977, as Michael himself predicted.
The news of Jackson's death quickly spread across the Internet, causing problems for many websites. Thus, the Google search engine perceived a large number of search queries for "Michael Jackson" as a hacker attack and from 14:40 to 15:15 PDT issued a warning to users that their "request looks like requests automatically sent by viruses and spyware." The number of messages about Jackson in the Twitter microblogging service rose to 100,000 per hour on June 25, as a result of which the service was temporarily unavailable. AIM, America Online's instant messaging service, has been unavailable for 40 minutes. America Online issued a special press release naming the day of Jackson and Farrah Fawcett's death "nodal day in the history of the Internet" and noted that they "never seen anything like it in scale or depth". The online encyclopedia Wikipedia was temporarily unavailable at approximately 3:15 pm PDT due to an influx of readers and active editing of articles. According to Keynote's calculations, the average download time for a 3-hour news post has doubled from four seconds to nine.
For many sites, the day of Jackson's death was a record in attendance. News michael jackson rushed to hospital on Yahoo! visited a record 800 thousand times in the first 10 minutes, and in general Yahoo! News was viewed by 16.4 million unique visitors in a single day, surpassing the previous US Election Day record of 15.1 million visitors. On June 26, Michael Jackson's article on the English-language Wikipedia was shown 5.9 million times, which was the most hit in the history of the encyclopedia.
Funeral
The farewell ceremony was held on July 7 at the Los Angeles Staples Center with a capacity of 20,000 people. 17,500 free tickets were randomly drawn among those who wished. The page on which they were accepted was shown 4 million times and an additional server was installed to process the requests. A total of 1.6 million fan submissions were accepted. On July 5, the computer selected 8750 people from the registrants, each of whom received two tickets. 11,000 ticket holders were allowed inside the Staples Center, while the remaining 6,500 people watched the ceremony from large outdoor screens. 3,200 police officers were assigned to keep order, the ceremony cost the budget of the city of Los Angeles from 1.5 to 4 million dollars.
A private farewell ceremony for Michael Jackson was held on July 7 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. The coffin was later moved to the Staples Center, where a public ceremony was to take place.
Smokey Robinson began the service at 17:10 UTC after reading messages from Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela. While the gospel choir sang "Soon and Very Soon" by Andre Crouch, Jackson's coffin was brought into the hall. This was followed by a speech by Pastor Lucius Smith. Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz sang I "ll Be There, the Jackson 5 single, after which Queen Latifah said her word. Lionel Richie, Jackson's friend and co-author of "We Are the World", performed the song "Jesus is Love" by The Commodores. Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, the record company where Jackson and his brothers began their career, gave a speech in which he called Jackson "the greatest worker in the entertainment industry that ever lived". These words were met with a standing ovation.
Then Stevie Wonder spoke and performed the song "Never Dreamed You "d Leave in Summer" and "They Won't Go When I Go". Kobe Bryant spoke about Jackson's humanitarian work, and Magic Johnson, who appeared in the episode in the video "Remember the Time ", talked about his relationship with Jackson. John Mayer played the song "Human Nature" on the guitar from the Thriller album. Brooke Shields spoke about the time spent with Jackson, read excerpts from The Little Prince and noticed that Jackson's favorite song was Charlie's "Smile" Chaplin, which was immediately performed by Jermaine, Jackson's older brother.
Martin Luther King's children, Martin Luther King III and Bernays King, said that Michael Jackson was the best at what he did. Sheila Jackson-Lee, member of the US House of Representatives from Texas, spoke of Jackson's "American history" and announced her intention to have him declared an international humanitarian through the House of Representatives. Asher approached the coffin and sang the song "Gone Too Soon", which Jackson himself sang in memory of Ryan White, a schoolboy who died of AIDS in 1990. After Usher, a clip from The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969 was shown, in which the Jackson 5 performed Smokey Robinson's Who's Loving You. After the video was shown, Smokey Robinson himself spoke about this performance of his song. After Robinson's story, this song was performed 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargoli of Britain's Got Talent Kenny Ortega was the next to mention Jackson, then several guests, along with the singers, including Michael Jackson's family and children, performed "We Are the World" and "Heal the World" .
After the concert, the Jackson brothers, Marlon and Jermaine, made small speeches and hugged. The concert ended with Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson, who tearfully said she loved her father, adding that he was "the best father you can imagine". The family removed the coffin from the stadium as "Man in the Mirror" began to play. During the performance, the spotlight illuminated the microphone stand, which was empty. Pastor Lucius Smith closed the service with a prayer at 19:48 UTC.
The farewell ceremony was broadcast in many countries of the world. In the United States, the farewell ceremony was broadcast by 19 television channels, and was also shown in 37 cinemas. In Russia, the live broadcast was made on the channels of Muz-TV, Euronews and MTV-Russia. The total global audience of the ceremony prior to the broadcast was estimated at 300 million to 1 billion people. These predictions turned out to be grossly overestimated. In total, 31 million people watched television broadcasts in the United States. By comparison, 33 million Americans watched Princess Diana's funeral, 23 million watched Ronald Reagan's, and 68 million watched Bill Clinton's August 1998 apology to the nation. In the UK, the total audience of the broadcast was 6.5 million people - 4.5 million viewers watched the broadcast on BBC Two (20% of the total audience of this timeslot), 1.2 million on Five and 900 thousand on Sky News. For Sky News, the broadcast audience was the largest since the early days of the Iraq War.
In addition to television, the ceremony was also broadcast on the Internet. The CNN website transmitted 9.7 million video streams on July 7, down from the record 27 million video streams on Barack Obama's inauguration day. UStream transmitted 4.6 million and MSNBC 3 million video streams. On the BBC website, the broadcast was watched by 8.2 million global unique visitors, which was the second most watched event for the BBC Online service after the inauguration of Obama.
There were reports that Michael Jackson was secretly buried on August 8 or 9, 2009 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, but later it was reported that he would not be buried until September.
The King of Pop's final funeral took place on Thursday, September 3 at Glendale Forest Lawn Cemetery in suburban Los Angeles. The death certificate lists "murder" in the "cause" column.
On July 1, 2009, Michael Jackson's will, drawn up on July 7, 2002, was made public. According to the document, the entire fortune, estimated at that time at $500 million and almost entirely consisting of "non-cash, illiquid assets primarily from interest on the publishing rights catalog currently managed by Sony ATV and other interest"
2010 -
Filmography
1978 - Wizard / The Wiz - "Scarecrow" (first film role)
1986 - "Captain IO / Captain EO" - in the title role of Captain IO
1988 - "Moon Wanderer / Moonwalker" - plays himself
1996 - "Ghosts / Ghosts" - played five different roles (thanks to makeup); In 2006, this film was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest video.
2002 - "Men in Black 2" - "Agent Em"
2004 - "Miss Robinson / Miss Cast Away" - Michael Jackson again plays a cameo role in this film, which lasts no more than 10 minutes
2009 - "That's it / This is it" - a musical documentary film directed by Kenny Ortega, created with the full support of the Jackson family.
Michael Jackson is the king of pop.
He was an ambiguous personality, with his oddities and fears, but it is simply impossible to deny his influence on the entire show business.
It was he who brought pop music to the standards that are still used today, it was he who first began to gather thousands of audiences and arrange shows, and not just concerts, it was his albums that sold the largest circulations.
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zillaphoto/
In the format of interesting facts, you will learn about Michael Jackson.
The first few facts are quite standard, well-known and even boring, but then…
Biography of Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in a large family of Joseph and Katherine Jackson in the city of Gary (Indiana, USA).
In addition to Michael, 9 more children were brought up in the family and they all suffered from bullying by their father. Joseph was a cruel person, had rather unusual views on raising children, so Michael got a lot from his father, like his brothers and sisters.
Having already become popular, Michael repeatedly spoke about his father's abuse, about his childhood fears due to bullying and nightmares at night. The father himself later admitted to reporters that he was cruel to his children.
2. King
The title of "King of Pop" Jackson received with the light hand of his girlfriend, actress Elizabeth Taylor. She first named him "the king of pop" in 1989 at the Soul Train Music Award, and the title has stuck with him ever since.
In 1992, during his visit to Africa, Michael was also crowned "Sled King".
3. Ritual before performance
4. Achievements
Jackson's career was full of ups and downs, and he himself was a controversial personality. But few will argue that he not only influenced the world of show business, he made it completely different.
He became the most successful performer of pop music, received 15 Grammys, more than 100 other awards, 25 times got into the Guinness Book of Records.
In total, more than 1 billion artist albums have been sold worldwide.
He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a solo artist and as a member of The Jackson 5.
5. "Oscar"
In 1999, he bought David Selznick's Oscar for $1.5 million, which he received in the Best Picture nomination for Gone with the Wind.
6. Egyptian sculpture
Michael Jackson career
7. The Jackson 5
The Jackson family was famous for its talent even before Michael started performing. The Jacksons, which included three older brothers - Jackie, Tito and Jermaine, were already known in certain circles, and in 1964 Michael and another of his brothers, Marlon, joined them. The group was renamed "The Jackson 5", and Michael, originally taken to play the Congo, first switched to backing vocals, and then became the main vocalist.
Already an established performer, Michael said that his Jackson 5-era voice sounded too much like Mini Mouse's.
The Jackson 5 experienced both ups and downs, and Michael began to pursue a solo career in parallel.
8. The role of the Scarecrow in the film "The Wiz"
The young boy was invited to play the role of a scarecrow in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Wiz. Diana Ross and Richard Pryor also took part in the filming. It was on the set that Michael met music director Quincy Jones, his future producer.
9. The beginning of a solo career
While still performing in a family band, he recorded songs such as "Got to Be There", "Rockin' Robin" and "Ben". The last song took first place on the charts in 1972, from that moment the singer was noticed.
Having recorded several solo songs, the artist met producer Quincy Jones, this event became a landmark in Michael's career. It was with the help of Johnson that the first known albums "Off the Wall" (released August 10, 1979) with such hits as "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You" were recorded.
10. Record "Thriller"
The Thriller album (released November 30, 1982) can rightfully be considered the best music album not only of that time, but in the entire history of music. This is the sixth studio album by Michael Jackson with more hits:
11. "The Girl Is Mine"
The composition was recorded with Paul McCartney. Critics called it too sugary and not deep enough, which did not prevent the composition from taking the second line of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topping the Hot Black Singles chart.
The song is about a dispute between two men over one girl.
It is noteworthy that Jackson was twice tried to sue for plagiarism because of this song. First, Fred Standford in 1984 accused the artist of copying his song "Please Love Me Now", and then in 1993 Robert Smith, Reynold Jones and Clifford Rubin accused Michael of copying their songs "Don't Let The Sunshine Catch You Crying" and Happy Go Lucky Girl. Both lawsuits were won by Jackson.
12. "Billie Jean"
One of the most famous and recognizable compositions in the world. It is enough to hear the first couple of drum beats and you already know what the song will be now.
The composition is dedicated to groupies - girls who constantly accompany famous groups and performers during their tours. Jackson had known groupies since The Jackson 5, the girls repeatedly accused his older brothers of fathering their children, constantly harassed the musicians and threatened them.
The performer admitted that Billie Jean is a collective image of a groupie, and he did not want to offend anyone with the composition. By the way, the song could have been called “Not My Lover” so as not to be associated with the then-famous tennis player Billie Jean King.
The video for this song revolutionized the US music world. Firstly, it was one of the first clips with a clear story, and not just a performance of a song with a lot of special effects. Secondly, this video was the first in MTV rotation with a black performer.
A little more about this...
In the early 80s, the MTV channel was just beginning to gain popularity, but the channel's leaders had a small "fad" - they did not accept black music videos into rotation. Then the president of CBS Records, Walter Yetnikoff, threatened MTV to no longer bring them a single video, and also to tell the whole world about discrimination against the black population. On March 2, 1983, the video got into rotation on MTV.
It was from the video for the song "Billie Jean" that the tradition arose that each release of the single should be accompanied by a big-budget video. By the way, Jackson's video was recorded for $75,000.
13. "Beat It"
Another composition that has become known around the world. The song was taken into rotation on MTV without any wrangling, and it also became the first African-American song that appeared regularly on American radio stations.
The song was received positively by critics and received numerous awards, including two Grammy statuettes and two American Music Awards.
The combination of elements of rhythm and blues and rock was unusual for that time, and the words were directed against violence and gangsterism. It is noteworthy that Eddie Van Halen, the leader of the rock band Van Halen, was invited to perform the guitar solo. He recorded the musical part for free.
Another notable fact about the guitar solo...
When Eddie Van Halen was recording his part in 30 seconds, a technician knocked on the door, who didn't know it was being recorded. Jackson insisted that this particular random thud recording be used in the final cut.
The music video for the song "Beat It" has already been allocated $ 150,000, the plot is quite simple - Michael, in his style, stops the dismantling of two warring gangs.
It is noteworthy that real gangster groups - Crips and Bloods - were involved in the filming. 80 bandits and 30 professional dancers took part in the filming.
In 1984, a parody of the clip from "Weird Al" Yankovic called "Eat It" was released. The director of the original video, Bob Giraldi, said that he hated this parody, as it made fun of everything that was important and dear to him in the video. But Jackson, who had a good sense of humor, allowed the use of music to create a parody. It was this parody that made Yankovic famous.
The red jacket with 27 zippers has become a real cult for many years. Paired with loafers, white socks and cropped trousers, this jacket created Jackson's most iconic look.
14. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
The lyrics of the song are directed against the media and gossip. There was no official video for this song, but in 2012 a live recording from the Bad World Tour appeared on the singer's YouTube channel.
The singer was dissatisfied with the final version of the song, which was included in the album.
15. "Thriller"
The composition has a 14-minute clip based on horror films from the 1950s. The clip won several MTV Video Music Awards and was entered into the National Film Registry in 2009, becoming the first clip to enter the Library of Congress.
The video was funded with $500,000, followed by a short 45-minute documentary on the making of the video, which of course landed on MTV immediately. The rights to show the film were purchased from MTV for $250,000, Showtime paid $300,000 for the show, and Vestron Video paid another $500,000 for the rights to release the documentary on VHS.
The "Thriller" video has its own Lego version.
16. Lucky year
1984 can be called the peak of Jackson's career - he received 8 Grammys at once, no one has ever received so many awards in one year.
But there are some downsides too...
17. Facial injuries
In 1984, Michael suffered a second-degree facial burn while filming a Pepsi commercial. The accident occurred due to the explosion of pyrotechnics next to the artist, as compensation, Pepsi paid Jackson $ 1.5 million.
How the artist disposed of the money and whether there were courts with Pepsi, you will find out below ...
It was after this incident that the guy became more attentive and more meticulous about his own appearance.
At one of the rehearsals, he broke his nose while performing another trick. After that, he began to complain of shortness of breath and the doctors advised him to undergo plastic surgery to correct the defect.
In numerous interviews, he only admitted that he had nose surgery to restore breathing, although his appearance changed very seriously throughout his career.
18. Diseases and appearance
It is believed that Michael was ashamed of his origin and tried all his life to change his image. He did have plastic surgery on his face, but most of the skin color changes are due to a rare disease.
Until the mid-80s, the artist's skin was dark, but later many began to notice that Michael was getting lighter every year. Naturally, he was immediately accused of using skin whitening procedures.
In 1986, Jackson was diagnosed with lupus and vitiligo almost simultaneously. Strong remedies were used to combat the first disease, but vitiligo manifests itself in the form of light spots on the skin that loses pigment. At first, there were few light spots and they were easy to mask, but when the spots covered most of his body, the artist began to mask the dark areas of his face and body.
There is an opinion that the artist's desire to change his appearance became addicted, which was superimposed on childhood psychological trauma.
19. Moonwalk
Jackson cannot be called the creator of the "moonwalk". Something similar has already been performed in live performances and films, but it was Michael who popularized it, making it the most famous dance move.
The artist first demonstrated an unusual movement during the performance of the song "Billie Jean" on March 25, 1983 at the anniversary show "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever". The audience liked it very much, and the performance itself was subsequently called one of the most significant on American television.
In 1988, the musical film Moonwalk was released.
20. Autobiography
In 1988, the autobiography "Moonwalk" (Moonwalk) was also published, in which the artist himself talks about his father's bullying, plastic surgery on his nose and other personal facts.
21. Collaboration with Pepsi
On January 27, 1984, the artist suffered head burns while filming a Pepsi commercial. This significantly influenced his attitude to his own appearance, but even more revealed him as a person. The compensation received from Pepsi, he, together with the company itself, invested in a children's burn center named after him.
Until the end of his life, Michael was involved in charity work, including with the help of this burn center.
22. Did he sleep in the pressure chamber?
The attitude of the artist to his own appearance gave rise to a lot of rumors. To advertise his own burn center, Michael starred in a commercial in which he sleeps in a pressure chamber. Naturally, there were rumors that he constantly sleeps in it to preserve his youth.
In fact, Michael was in the pressure chamber once in his life - at the time of the recording of the video.
23. Buying the rights to the Beatles
In 1985, he bought Northern Songs for $47.5 million, which owned the rights to most of the Beatles' songs. Shares also wanted to buy Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney. The singer even quarreled with Paul after buying shares.
In 1995, he sold the rights to the Beatles' songs to Sony for $95 million.
24. Album "Bad"
The album was released on August 31, 1987. In total, 65 million copies were sold around the world, and he himself became the first album in history, five songs from which hit the first place on Billboard.
The tour in support of the new album lasted from September 12, 1987 to January 14, 1989 and during this time the concerts were visited by 4.4 million spectators. A total of 123 concerts took place in 15 countries, which brought in 125 million dollars.
During the "Bad Tour" at a concert in London, a record was set - 504 thousand spectators at one performance.
To the album.
25. "Speed Demon"
The song was written after Jackson himself was fined for speeding. The lyrics of the song are about a car chase, while the drums and synthesizer, as conceived by the singer, imitate the sound of a motorcycle gear shift.
26. "Liberian Girl"
One of the first compositions that simultaneously celebrates the beauty of an African woman and became popular in pop culture.
An unprecedented number of stars of that time were attracted to the shooting of the video: Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen, Olivia Newton-John, Quincy Jones, Virginia Madsen, David Copperfield, Danny Glover and Dan Ackroyd.
27. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"
Barbara Streisand could have participated in the recording of the song, but she simply did not appear at the scheduled recording time. Michael also invited Whitney Houston, but she refused without explanation. As a result, the song was recorded with the participation of Saida Garrett.
It is noteworthy that the song was recorded not only in English, but also in Spanish and French.
28. Dirty Diana
Another song about a groupie girl. This time around, the love story unfolds in a classic love triangle pattern between a star, his girlfriend, and a groupie girl.
29. "Smooth Criminal"
A whole series of Michael Jackson gangster songs can be associated with this song. Back in 1985, he recorded "Chicago 1945", she pushed the singer to record "Al Capone". But the song about the famous gangster eventually transformed into "Smooth Criminal".
The track begins with the heartbeat of Jackson himself. It was recorded by Dr. Eric Chevlen and processed on the Synclavier.
The video for the song was part of the musical film "Moonwalk". Initially, the idea was to make a clip in the style of the Wild West, but in the end, Jackson chose the gangster style of the 1930s, especially since the history of the song contributed to this.
It was because of the filming of the video that the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses actually kicked Jackson out of their ranks.
30. The story of Michael and Jehovah's Witnesses
His mother raised Michael as a Jehovah's Witness and strongly encouraged him to study the Bible. But the artist did not work out with religion.
Until 1984, he continued to preach as a Jehovah's Witness, attended various religious meetings, refused to celebrate Easter, Christmas and his own birthday. But representatives of this movement have always been against Jackson's lifestyle.
In 1987, Michael's sister La Toya Jackson was expelled from the organization and the family was forbidden to communicate with her on spiritual topics. Naturally, this did not please Michael himself.
In the same year, shooting took place for the clip "Smooth Criminal", where, according to the plot, the artist is holding a weapon in his hands. Representatives of the organization said that either he chooses faith or a career as an artist. Michael did not abandon the planned plot and left the organization.
31. The film "Captain EO"
In 1986, Francis Coppola made a short film called "Captain EO" to be shown at Disney theme parks. The film spent $23.7 million on 17 minutes, making it the most expensive film in terms of cost per minute. George Lucas was the producer and co-writer of the story.
The film began showing at Disneyland in September 1986 and was shown until August 17, 1998.
After the death of Michael Jackson, interest in the film increased again, and it began to be shown in Tokyo and Disneyland Paris.
32. Anti-gravity shoes
In the video for the song "Smooth Criminal", the artist, along with other dancers, demonstrates an unusual movement - they lean forward at an angle of 45 degrees. It seems that Jackson breaks all the laws of physics.
For other artists, such a movement would have remained exclusively in the video, and its performance would have been written off as a cunning editing, but not with Michael. He set himself the goal of repeating the movement at the performance, as a result of which a special shoe appeared, later patented by Jackson themselves under the number US5255452 A.
For a long time, the artist managed to hide the secret of performing a dance movement, until one day, at a performance in Moscow, his heel fell off and he almost collapsed onto the stage.
There is no special secret, the boots have a special slot into which pins are inserted, which at a certain time move out of the stage. The moment of fastening the boots was always masked by extinguishing the light, and after the tilt, the performers deftly removed the boots from the bindings.
By the way, a broken shoe from the Moscow performance was given to the Moscow branch of Hard Rock Cafe, and after the death of the artist, a pair of shoes was sold for $600,000.
33. "Diamond" glove and attention to hands
During the dances, the artist considered it very important to draw attention to his hands, since he performed rather complex movements with them. On March 25, 1983, at the anniversary show "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever", he not only demonstrated the "moonwalk" for the first time, but also put on a "diamond" glove to emphasize hand movements. The effect was amazing, despite the fact that the glove was decorated with ordinary rhinestones.
The very first glove was made by Michael himself from an ordinary golf glove. After the performance, the glove was donated to a member of the Commodores music group, who put it up for auction in 2009 and raised $350,000.
Another technique to draw attention to the hands is a band-aid on the fingertips. During the performance of “Smooth Criminal”, it was impossible to use gloves embroidered with rhinestones, as they did not fit the image, but the bright white adhesive plaster attracted the attention of the audience.
There are many other versions about the adhesive plaster on the fingertips, from trying to stop biting your nails, to hiding sudden vitiligo.
34. Neverland Ranch
In 1988, the artist purchased the Sycamore Valley Ranch in California and renamed it Neverland, in honor of Peter Pan's country. The land area of 10.83 square kilometers cost Michael between 16 and 30 million dollars, and subsequently became one of the causes of financial problems.
The fact is that a small amusement park was built on the ranch and a private zoo was opened. All this required additional costs, so the monthly maintenance of the estate cost $120,000. At the peak of his popularity, Michael had no problems with money, but when the money stopped flowing to him like a river, the ranch became too expensive for the artist.
In 2006, part of the ranch was closed, and several employees were laid off. In 2008, the singer was forced to re-register the estate to Colony Capital LLC, a company owned by the Jacksons' close friend Thomas Barack.
After the death of the artist, his relatives admitted that after all the litigation, Jackson hated the Neverland estate and did not want to appear there anymore.
35. Album "Dangerous"
In 1991, a new album called "Dangerous" was released with such hits as "Black or White", "Jam", "Who Is It", "Remember the Time".
The music video for "Black or White" features Jackson's friend Macaulay Culkin.
Dangerous became Jackson's best-selling album since Thriller and also won a Grammy.
Scandals
36. Jordan Chandler Child Abuse Scandal
The children were frequent guests at Neverland Ranch, so it's no surprise that Michael ended up getting charged with child molestation.
In 1993, the singer was sued by the parents of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. The singer was accused of forcing the boy to touch his genitals. The case ended with a settlement agreement in which Jackson paid $22 million to his parents.
It is not known for certain why the artist went to the world, but many years later Jordan Chandler himself admitted that he slandered Jackson under the onslaught of his father.
37. The Oprah Winfrey Show
In 1993, there was a big show with Oprah Winfrey about Michael Jackson. The artist shows his house, discusses various topics and talks about his life and problems.
With this show, the artist is trying to justify himself to the tabloids, who began to speculate too much on the topic of eccentricity in his life.
38. Gavin Arvizo child molestation scandal
It all started with the film "Living with Michael Jackson" by journalist Martin Bashir, he gained confidence in the artist and took a very frank interview in which Jackson admitted that he slept with little boys. But, emphasizing that there was nothing sexual about it, they just slept together. The journalist was surprised by this, but in the end the film came out without any clippings and the whole world learned that Jackson considered it normal to sleep in the same bed with children.
After the release of the film, in 2003, 13-year-old boy Gavin Arvizo, along with his parents, accused Michael of pedophilia. The boy really was a frequent guest at the ranch, the artist helped him defeat cancer, but the artist was not going to make concessions again.
The trial lasted two years, Jackson spent almost $100 million on lawyers, but in the end proved his innocence.
It was Gavin's litigation and betrayal that undermined Jackson's psychological and financial condition.
39. Strange things in the house
During the second scandal with allegations of pedophilia, a search was carried out at the Neverland Ranch and he shocked the police a little.
Inside the house were many lifelike baby mannequins, some of them in revealing clothes and in unusual poses.
A large collection of superhero figurines and a cardboard figure of little Shirley Temple were also found.
The evidence became the basis for the detention of a celebrity in 2003.
40. Friendship with Macaulay Culkin
One of Michael's frequent guests was little Macaulay Culkin, who became famous after the release of the movie Home Alone. Celebrities met before, but after the release of the film, Jackson called Culkin and invited him to visit him.
They became friends, spent a lot of time together, and later Macaulay became the godfather of Michael's children.
Neither during Michael's life, nor after his death, Macaulay never accused the singer of molestation. He said that Jackson at heart remained a child who liked to help children, play with them, ride rides and take care of them.
41. "Super Bowl"
In 1993 he was invited to Super Bowl XXVII with the singles "Jam" (with the beginning of "Why You Wanna Trip On Me"), "Billie Jean" and "Black or White".
For the performance, the artist received $ 1 million, but spent part of the money on charity.
42. Performances in Moscow
With the Dangerous tour, the artist visited Russia for the first time and gave a concert in Moscow. On September 15, 1993, he performed at Luzhniki in the pouring rain.
The weather prompted him to write his ballad about loneliness - "Stranger in Moscow".
It is worth noting that in Moscow, the artist not only earned a fee, but also visited an orphanage, talked with children and donated money.
43. Persecution Mania
In 1995, he was hospitalized with a mental disorder. Against the backdrop of legal proceedings, he had an attack of persecution mania.
44. Album "HIStory"
On June 16, 1995, a double album called "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I" was released: on the first disc - a greatest hits collection, on the second - 15 new songs.
There were plans to release two more such double albums.
45. "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix"
Another non-standard remix album for Michael was released in 1997 - he wrote several new songs, but other artists prepared remixes.
The album sold over 6 million copies and became the best-selling remix album in the world.
In 1996, the 39-minute musical film "Michael Jackson: Ghosts" written by Stephen King was released. The film features songs from the HIStory album, as well as the then-unreleased Blood on the Dance Floor album.
The film entered the Guinness Book of Records as the longest music video.
47. "Invincible"
The next full-length album "Invincible" was released only on October 30, 2001. It was Jackson's tenth and final lifetime album.
Listeners liked the album, but critics smashed it to smithereens. 10 million copies have been sold worldwide.
The album was dedicated to 15-year-old Afro-Norwegian boy Benjamin Hermansen, who was killed by neo-Nazis in Oslo on January 26, 2001.
48. 30th anniversary
In 2001, the 30th anniversary of his solo career was celebrated with a grand concert at Madison Square Garden (Madison Square Garden). The concert was marked by the fact that Michael took the stage for the first time since 1984 with his brothers.
49. Concert 9/11
In the same 2001, he took part in the presentation United We Stand: What More Can I Give, dedicated to the victims of the September 11 attacks. The main song of the concert is "What More Can I Give" performed by Michael.
50. "Men in Black 2"
In 2002, as a cameo, he starred in the film "Men in Black 2". A celebrity is asked to join a secret organization.
51. Parody of Michael
One of the most capacious parodies of Jackson is in the movie Scary Movie 3.
The parody plays on not only his "passion" for boys, but also his ability to dance well and plastic surgery on his nose.
52. The last years of a career
In 2003, a compilation of Jackson's hits "Number Ones" was released, in 2004 "Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection".
In 2008, Sony launched a global campaign and, after voting by listeners, formed its own collection of Michael's hits for each country.
A new album was planned for release in 2009, featuring Will.I.Am, Kanye West and R&B singer Akon.
A series of concerts in England were also scheduled for 2009, but the tour did not take place due to the death of the performer.
Michael Jackson's personal life
53. First wife
He first married in 1994 to the daughter of the "King of Rock and Roll" Lisa Marie Presley. Since this happened immediately after the scandal with the molestation of a minor, the media immediately dubbed this marriage a cover and a demonstration of Michael's "normality".
Jackson claimed that he had true love with Lisa, but two years later the marriage broke up.
It is worth noting that the marriage was registered in the Dominican Republic, but it was "semi-fictitious", since according to the laws of this country, a woman cannot marry if she was divorced less than three months before. Lisa had just divorced her ex-husband.
Two facts speak for true love: the newlyweds not only got married, but also held a wedding ceremony, and the very fact of the wedding was hidden for two months.
54. Second wife
In 1996, the singer married Deborah Rowe, who by that time had already given birth to two children from Michael. The children were named Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson.
After their parents divorced in 1999, both children stayed with their father.
55. Third child
In 2002, Michael had a third child, who was named Prince Michael Jackson II. He was born from a surrogate mother, and after the death of the singer, his mother Katherine Jackson took custody of the children.
A scandalous situation happened to the third child when he was still very young. The media has always followed Jackson, and one day he either wanted to show them the child that the media was hunting for, or the singer lost his nerve. Michael carried the child to the balcony of the hotel, showed the child to reporters, but it looked as if he had almost dropped the baby.
Naturally, photos from this incident were on the covers of many media outlets.
56. How did he protect his children?
The artist carefully hid his children from the public, so when they were with him, they wore masks.
57. Who were you friends with?
Michael Jackson was friends with many celebrities, even after numerous scandals, most of these people remained faithful to the singer and defended him in the media.
Culkin has already been mentioned, but other friends should also be mentioned: Whitney Houston, Eddie Murphy, Diana Ross, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Mark Lester, Chris Tucker, Omer Bhatti.
Other facts
58. Animals around the singer
Having his own zoo, the artist always made sure that the animals in captivity feel good. After death, many animals dispersed around the world, as there was no one to maintain the zoo on the ranch.
One of Michael's favorite animals was Bubble the chimpanzee. He was with Jackson from 1980 to 2002, accompanied him on tour, lived on a ranch. During this time, the primate learned to eat with a spoon and fork, went to a special toilet, and, according to Michael himself, helped clean up the house.
In 2002, the primate had to be given to a special center, as he became too aggressive.
Facts about the death of Michael Jackson
59. Place and time
Previously, this mansion belonged to many celebrities, including Sean Connery.
60. Cause of death
Died of an overdose of propofol. He was given an injection by Conrad Murray, his attending physician, and after 2 hours he found the artist dead.
He tried to resuscitate the patient himself, called an ambulance. Doctors tried to save Michael on the way to the University of California Medical Center and for another hour after arrival, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
Murray was subsequently found guilty of manslaughter, sentenced to 4 years in prison and had his medical license revoked.
61. Flurry of messages
Jackson's death became known almost immediately. Several social networks and large Internet resources at once reported an unprecedented increase in traffic: Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, Twitter and Wikipedia.
62. Funeral
On July 7, 2009, a farewell ceremony for the singer took place in Los Angeles, which consisted of two parts. The family farewell was held at Liberty Hall at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, followed by a public farewell at the Staples Center.
The public farewell was broadcast on television and the Internet and was watched by more than 1 billion people. At the same time, there was no exact information about the whereabouts of the body.
But Michael Jackson's career is not over...
Posthumous albums
Sony has signed a contract with Michael's family for 10 albums, which will include both re-releases of old hits and previously unreleased songs.
63. Album "Michael"
In 2010, the first posthumous and eleventh studio album was released. Most of the critics, fans and musicians criticized the album, calling it too "raw".
64. Immortal Album
In 2011, a more successful remix album "Immortal" was released. It received positive reviews from critics, and a soundtrack compilation of the tracks was used in Cirque du Soleil's show tour called "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour".
65. Album "Xscape"
The second posthumous album of previously unreleased tracks was released in 2014. Critics noted the quality of the work, but unanimously agreed that they cannot be compared with the best works of Jackson's lifetime.
66. Michael Jackson Hologram
At the television ceremony Billboard Music Awards in 2014, Pulse Evolution gave the world another performance of the famous singer. Michael Jackson's catchy number for the song "Slave to the Rhythm" shocked the whole world, and many guest stars cried when they saw Michael again on stage.
Actually, it was not a hologram, but a 19th century illusion technology. It consists in projecting an image onto glass or transparent plastic, located at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor.
But does that make the performance any less impressive?
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 19, 1958 to a large family. The guy's father, Joe Jackson, worked as a crane operator at a steel mill. The Jacksons were quite poor and lived in a small two-bedroom house for eleven people. His mother, Katherine, took care of the family, taught folk and religious songs to the children, and occasionally worked part-time. His father played guitar in a rhythm and blues band, but did not achieve significant success, and his mother sang and played the piano. From childhood, the boy studied music, as the parents decided to do everything possible so that the children would succeed in the musical field. Joe was a very strict father. He did not welcome contacts with other children, beat them if they did not obey. And the struggle for control over the musical preferences of the offspring was a constant source of conflict in the family.
The Jacksons soon formed the Jackson Brothers family group, which successfully performed at amateur shows and talent competitions. From the age of five, Michael's amazing talent showed itself. He joined the group in 1964. His dancing and ability to stay on stage invariably attracted attention. By the age of eight, Michael began to sing along with his older brother. By then, the band had changed their name to The Jackson 5 and began touring the Midwest, where they played bars and clubs. During a performance at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in 1968, not without the participation of singer Diana Ross, the group was noticed by representatives of the record company Motown Records. By 1970, the group was topping the charts and touring the country with their hits. Michael was becoming very famous as the lead vocalist. Due to being busy and being persecuted by fans, he couldn't go to school. The training was carried out by private teachers in between rehearsals and concerts. Michael was just a child deprived of the opportunity to play with his peers, it was years before he realized that he had missed his childhood. The group managed to survive Michael's voice change and a sharp break with the record company in 1976. The confrontation in the family continued.
The beginning of a solo career
In 1978, Michael Jackson appeared in the African-American version of The Wizard of Oz. He performed a hit from the film's soundtrack as a duet with star Ross. In the same year, Michael began to collaborate with music producer Quincy Jones. He broke away from the family band and began working in 1979 on his first "adult" album, The Wall, which sold tens of millions of copies and earned critical praise.
In 1982, Jackson and Jones again joined forces to prepare the Thriller album. The album finally confirmed Michael's viability as a solo artist, and his hits from the album made him a major pop star in the early eighties. Most music videos of the time showed the band or the singer performing the song. Michael really wanted to compose a whole video story for his songs. These new types of music videos have become very popular and have changed the way music videos are made. His most famous video was the 13-minute video for the title track "Thriller". The success of the album, which became the best-selling album of all time, sold forty million copies. The video clips helped overcome the racial barrier imposed by radio stations and the MTV music video channel.
In 1985, Jackson launched the We Are the World project, which raised funds for the poor in Africa. In 1993, he was presented with the Living Legend award. Despite his popularity, he became the subject of a serious scandal that damaged his reputation. In 1993, a thirteen-year-old boy accused Jackson of sexual assault. The singer maintained his innocence.
Personal life
Michael Jackson led an interesting, if not somewhat strange, personal life. He lived in a large complex called Neverland Ranch, named after Peter Pan. The ranch had a zoo, a railroad, attractions: a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, and a carousel. Michael has been married twice. His first marriage took place in 1994 with Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the famous rock singer Elvis Presley. Many believed that the marriage served as a way to improve his public image. They divorced in August 1996.
In November 1996, Jackson announced that he would become a father. The child's mother was Debbie Rowe, an old friend of Jackson's. They married in Sydney on February 13, 1997. Their son, Michael Jackson Jr., was born in Los Angeles, and their daughter was born in 1998. Rowe decided to divorce Jackson in October 1999.
Michael Jackson, a legendary performer who has remained at the top of the musical Olympus for decades, was born on August 29, 1958 in the small town of Gary (Indiana, USA).
Childhood
The parents of the future star also devoted their entire lives to music, but did not achieve such recognition as their son. However, Michael's father, a black blues performer, was popular among the locals. But his mother, in whose veins Indian blood flowed, preferred country style. And she not only sang beautifully, but also danced well.
In childhood
Young Katherine fell in love with Joseph Jackson without looking back and married him at a very young age - she was barely 19 years old. But the popular bluesman at home turned out to be completely different from what she used to see him on stage. In addition, he was a fierce opponent of abortion, so Katherine was almost always pregnant.
Michael was born the eighth in a row. By this time, the rigid “education system” in the Jackson family had already clearly manifested itself, where Joseph was an indisputable authority and could single-handedly execute and pardon. Often, physical punishments were also used, but more often the father publicly humiliated the children morally, believing that in this way tempers their spirit.
Unable to resist the barbaric educational methods of her husband, who often entertained himself by frightening children at night, Catherine found an outlet in the church. She began regularly attending meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses and forced the children to study the Bible as well, according to their traditions.
When Michael was six, Joseph had the good idea to create a musical ensemble from his own children. Moreover, most of them had pronounced artistic abilities and enjoyed playing musical instruments, of which there were several in the house.
But now the game is over, and the tough drill has begun. Waving a belt, the father forced them to rehearse to the point of complete exhaustion. At first, only the elders were unlucky. But a couple of years later, Michael and his brother Marlon were also included in the main team, which was now called the Jaksons 5.
His duties were dancing, backing vocals and playing the tambourine. And since 1966, Michael has been the soloist in the group.
Carier start
The pop star considers the beginning of her career to be the first tour that their family ensemble went on after winning the regional talent competition. About two years have passed on the road, and for Michael it was an excellent school of survival and work on stages of various levels.
Participation in a concert tour brought them some fame, but the money received for it was not enough for such a crowd, and even more so for their father. Then the boys adapted to earn extra money in strip clubs as an opening act. Their task was to provoke and turn on the audience before the start of the main show, and the boys did a great job with it.
Already in 1970, the Jackson group was known to everyone in the Southwest in the United States, and some of their songs began to sound in prestigious charts. By this time, Michael was very interested in dancing and came up with the very style that millions of his fans around the world later began to copy.
In the meantime, he remained an eccentric talented black boy, completely different from those who were already on the stage.
Solo career
The brothers were lucky - they managed to conclude a contract with one of the leading American recording studios. But the unbearable nature of the father and his greed cost them their careers. Already in 1973, a scandal erupted, which resulted in a break in relations between the Jackson team and the producers.
Not hurt, but rather benefited from this conflict, only 14-year-old Michael. Realizing that the boy has all the makings of a star and his own style of performance, the owners of the Motown studio signed an individual contract with him and released as many as four solo albums by the young singer in a few years.
In 1978, already a well-known performer, 20-year-old Michael first appears on the screens. The young artist got the role of the Scarecrow, which he performed with endless charm. While working, he met music producer Quincy Jones, who offered him cooperation and patronage.
In this creative tandem, Jackson's fifth solo album with the strange name “Off the Wall” is born. The title track from it and three more compositions, with the recording of which young Jackson was helped by Paul McCartney, broke into the top positions of music billboards and brought the singer a resounding success. The album has sold 20 million copies.
Music king
Everyone knew Jackson in the early 80s. His songs were heard in every home, and the release of the new album was eagerly awaited by millions of fans. And in 1984 he pleased the audience with the presentation of his new creation, for which he wrote several songs on his own.
The circulation of this album with the intriguing title "Thriller" around the world exceeded 100 million and became one of the best-selling in the history of pop music.
For the first time in US history, a black singer not only stayed on the top lines of the charts for several years and got on national television, but was also received by the President himself in the White House. And in the video for this super-successful album, Jackson for the first time walked his famous "Moonwalk", from which the whole world is still a fan.
In 1984, having earned millions on his songs, Jackson becomes a co-owner of the recording studio with which he works, and even later, he buys out a controlling stake. This led to a serious spat with Paul McCartney, who was actively involved in the promotion of the singer and also counted on high profits.
Since 1985, the singer has been involved in charity work. His first major act of goodwill was the $61 million he earned from "We are the World", a duet with friend Lionel Richie, to help poor African children. In the future, the singer regularly transferred large sums to help black kids.
In 1987, Jackson released his seventh album and went on a world tour. Countless crowds of fans gathered at each concert. It would seem that there is nowhere, but the popularity of the musician still continued to grow.
And in 1993 he first appeared in Russia, where he gave a solo concert in Luzhniki. The second and last time Jackson visited Moscow was in 1996, where the then mayor Luzhkov attended a concert at the Dynamo stadium and met the singer personally.
Until the early 2000s, the singer remained the recognized king of pop music. Until a scandal erupted over him. The singer was accused of child molestation. Although subsequently no evidence of this could be found, this affected the artist's career quite badly.
He was just preparing to release a song dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrin, in the recording of which other world stars were supposed to participate, but they refused to cooperate with him.
In 2008, a year before his death, the singer released his tenth anniversary album "King of Pop". And the one that he planned to present to the public in 2009 did not reach the viewer. On June 25, 2009, due to an overdose of drugs, the talented singer passed away prematurely.
He was buried on 09/03/2009 in the suburbs of Los Angeles, at the famous Forest Lawn Cemetery, where fans now constantly come to honor the memory of their favorite singer.
Personal life
Jackson was married twice. His first wife was the daughter of the famous musician Elvis Presley Lisa Maria. He met her for the first time in 1975, when he was 17, and little Lisa was only 8. But in 1993, they met again in London, during which they somehow immediately became close.
With Lisa Marie Presley
Less than a year later, the couple got married in a small church in the Dominican Republic. Moreover, Jackson made an offer to his beloved by phone. But they both found themselves quickly disillusioned with the marriage. Due to Michael's frequent travels, Lisa hardly saw him.
He was a real star, and she wanted peace and a cozy home. They divorced two years later, maintaining lifelong friendships.
With Debbie Rowe