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Michael
Joseph Jackson[1] (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)
was an American recording artist, entertainer, and
businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop,
or by his initials MJ,[2] Jackson is recognized as
the most successful entertainer of all time by
Guinness World Records. His contribution to music,
dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized
personal life, made him a global figure in popular
culture for over four decades. The seventh child of
the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional
music scene along with his brothers as a member of
The Jackson 5, then the Jacksons in 1964, and began
his solo career in 1971.
In the early 1980s, Jackson became
a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including
those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with
transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the
popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel
MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on
MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson
popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the
moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal
style have influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop and
rock artists.
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is
the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall
(1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the
world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance
Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and
rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World
Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other
artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the
United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100
era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won
hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the
history of popular music.[3]
Aspects of Jackson's personal life,
including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, have
generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the
case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he
was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several
other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing
for his concert series titled This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and
benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac
arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his
personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death
triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around
the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In
March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's
estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to
release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.[4]
****
Background information
Birth name Michael Joseph
Jackson[1]
Also known as Michael Joe Jackson,
MJ, King of Pop
Born August 29, 1958(1958-08-29)
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Died June 25, 2009(2009-06-25)
(aged 50)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres R&B, pop, rock, soul, dance,
funk, disco, new jack swing
Occupations Singer-songwriter,
musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman,
philanthropist
Instruments vocals
Years active 1964–2009
Labels Motown, Epic, Legacy
Associated acts The Jackson 5
Website www.michaeljackson.com
****
Life and career
Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)
Michael Jackson was born on August
29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family
who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana,[16] an industrial city near
Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness,
and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who
performed with an R&B band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters:
Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon,
and Randy.[17] A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.[18]
Jackson had a troubled relationship
with his father, Joe.[19][20][21] Joseph acknowledged in 2003 that he regularly
whipped Jackson as a boy.[21] Jackson stated that he was physically and
emotionally abused during incessant rehearsals, though he also credited his
father's strict discipline with playing a large role in his success.[19] Jackson
first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in an interview with Oprah Winfrey,
broadcast in February 1993. He admitted that he had often cried from loneliness
and he would vomit on the sight of his father. Jackson's father was also said to
have verbally abused Jackson, saying that he had a fat nose on numerous
occasions.[22] In fact, Michael Jackson's deep dissatisfaction with his
appearance, his nightmares and chronic sleep problems, his tendency to remain
hyper-compliant especially with his father, and to remain child-like throughout
his adult life are in many ways consistent with the effects of this chronic
maltreatment he endured as a young child.[23]
In an interview with Martin Bashir,
later included in the 2003 broadcast of Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson
acknowledged that his father hurt him when he was a child, but was nonetheless a
"genius", as he admitted his father's strict discipline played a huge role in
his success. When Bashir dismissed the positive remark and continued asking
about beatings, Jackson put his hand over his face and objected to the
questions. He recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he
and his siblings rehearsed, and that "if you didn't do it the right way, he
would tear you up, really get you".[24][25]
In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined
the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as
backup musicians playing congas and tambourine. Jackson later began performing
backup vocals and dancing. When he was eight, Jackson began sharing the lead
vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to The
Jackson 5.[17] The band toured the Midwest extensively from 1966 to 1968,
frequently performing at a string of black clubs known as the "chitlin'
circuit", where they often opened stripteases and other adult acts. In 1966,
they won a major local talent show with renditions of Motown hits and James
Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)", led by Michael.[26]
The Jackson 5 recorded several
songs, including "Big Boy", for the local record label Steeltown in 1967, before
signing with Motown Records in 1968.[17] Rolling Stone magazine later described
the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts," writing that
he "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer."[27] The group set a chart
record when its first four singles ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You
Save", and "I'll Be There") peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[17]
Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums with Motown,
among them Got to Be There and Ben, released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise,
and producing successful singles such as "Got to Be There", "Ben", and a remake
of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".
The Jackson 5 "became a
cutting-edge example of black crossover artists... five working-class black boys
with afros and bell bottoms, and they really didn't have to trade any of that
stuff in order to become mainstream stars."[28]
The group's sales began declining
in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them
creative control or input. Although they scored several top 40 hits, including
the top 5 disco single "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the
Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975.[29]
Move to Epic and Off the Wall (1975–81)
In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed
with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records[29] and renamed themselves the
Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while
Jermaine left to pursue a solo career.[30] They continued to tour
internationally, releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, during which
Michael was the lead songwriter, writing hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to
the Ground)", "This Place Hotel," and "Can You Feel It".[26] In 1978, he starred
as the scarecrow in the musical, The Wiz, a box-office disaster. It was here
that he teamed up with Quincy Jones, who was arranging the film's musical score.
Jones agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album, Off the Wall.[31] In 1979,
Jackson broke his nose during a complex dance routine. His subsequent
rhinoplasty was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties
that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who
performed Jackson's second rhinoplasty and subsequent operations.[32]
Jones and Jackson produced the Off
the Wall album together. Songwriters for the album included Jackson, Rod
Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. Released in 1979, it was the first
solo album to generate four U.S. top 10 hits, including the chart-topping
singles "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".[33][34] It reached
number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over 20 million copies
worldwide.[35] In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards
for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist,
and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".[36][37] That
year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album
and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop
'Til You Get Enough".[33] Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981
for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.[38] Despite its
commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a much bigger
impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.[39] In
1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of
wholesale album profit.[40]
Thriller and Motown 25 (1982–83)
In 1982, Jackson contributed the
song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film E.T. the
Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in
1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music
Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him
the most awarded in one night for both award shows.[41][42] These awards were
thanks to the Thriller album, released in late 1982, which was 1983's
best-selling album worldwide[43][44] and became the best-selling album of all
time in the United States,[45] as well as the best-selling album of all time
worldwide, selling an estimated 110 million copies so far.[46] The album topped
the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80
consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10
singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin'
Somethin'."[47] Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA,
giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another
Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce
Swedien for his work.[48] Jackson's attorney John Branca noted that Jackson had
the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point: approximately $2
for every album sold. He was also making record-breaking profits from sales of
his recordings. The videocassette of the documentary The Making of Michael
Jackson's Thriller sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. The era saw the
arrival of novelties like dolls modeled after Michael Jackson, which appeared in
stores in May 1984 at a price of $12.[49] Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli
writes that, "Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a
toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple."[50] In
1985, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller won a Grammy for Best Music
Video, Longform.[41] In December 2009, the music video for "Thriller" was
selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, "Thriller"
is the first music video ever to be inducted.[51][52][53]
Time described Jackson's influence
at that point as "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for
the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with
the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of
taste and style and color too".[49] The New York Times wrote that, "in the world
of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".[54]
In March 1983, Jackson reunited
with his brothers for a legendary live performance which was taped for a Motown
25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. The show aired on May 16,
1983, to an audience of 47 million viewers, and featured the Jacksons and a
number of other Motown stars. It is best remembered for Jackson's solo
performance of "Billie Jean". Wearing a distinctive black sequin jacket and golf
glove decorated with rhinestones, he debuted his signature dance move, the
moonwalk, which former Soul Train dancer and Shalamar member Jeffrey Daniel had
taught him three years before. The Jacksons' performance drew comparisons to
Elvis Presley's and The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.[55] Anna
Kisselgoff of The New York Times later wrote, "The moonwalk that he made famous
is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he
is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as
he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing."[56]
Pepsi, "We Are the World" and business career
(1984–85)
On January 27, 1984, Michael and
other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi Cola commercial, overseen by
executive Phil Dusenberry,[57] from ad agency BBDO and Pepsi's Worldwide
Creative Director, Alan Pottasch at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In
front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert, pyrotechnics
accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire. He suffered second-degree burns to his
scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars on his scalp, and he also
had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter.[32] Jackson never recovered from
this injury. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated his $1.5 million
settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California, which now
has a "Michael Jackson Burn Center" in honor of his donation.[58] Dusenberry
later recounted the episode in his memoir, Then We Set His Hair on Fire:
Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising.
On May 14, 1984, Jackson 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 abuse.[59]
Jackson won eight awards during the Grammys that year. Unlike later albums,
Thriller did not have an official tour to promote it, but the 1984 Victory Tour,
headlined by The Jacksons, showcased much of Jackson's new solo material to more
than two million Americans. He donated all the funds (around $8 million) raised
from the Victory Tour to charity.[60] He also co-wrote the charity single "We
Are the World" in 1985 with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid
the poor in the U.S. and Africa. It became one of the best-selling singles of
all time, with nearly 30 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to
famine relief. In 1986, "We Are the World" won four Grammys (one for Jackson for
Song of the Year). American Music Award directors removed the charity song from
the competition because they felt it would be inappropriate, but recognized it
with two special honors (one for the creation of the song and one for the USA
for Africa idea). They are the only AMAs that Jackson won as non-solo
artist.[61][62][63][64]
In 1984, ATV Music Publishing,
which had the copyrights to nearly 4000 songs, including the Northern Songs
catalog that contained the majority of the Lennon–McCartney compositions
recorded by The Beatles, was put up for sale by Robert Holmes à Court.[65]
Jackson had become interested in owning music catalogs after working with Paul
McCartney in the early 1980s: Jackson had learned McCartney made approximately
$40 million a year from other people's songs.[66] In 1981,[67] McCartney was
offered the ATV music catalog for £20 million ($40 million).[66][68] According
to McCartney, he contacted Yoko Ono about making a joint purchase by splitting
the cost equally at £10 million each, but Ono thought they could buy it for £5
million each.[66][68] When they were unable to make the joint purchase,
McCartney let the offer fall through, not wanting to be the sole owner of the
Beatles' songs.[67][68]
According to a negotiator for
Holmes à Court in the 1984 sale, "We had given Paul McCartney first right of
refusal but Paul didn't want it at that time."[69] Also, an attorney for
McCartney assured Jackson's attorney, John Branca, that McCartney was not
interested in bidding: McCartney reportedly said "It's too pricey"[66][67] But
there were several other companies and investors bidding. In September 1984,
Jackson was first informed about the sale by Branca and sent a bid of $46
million on November 20, 1984.[65] Jackson's agents thought they had a deal
several times, but encountered new bidders or new areas of debate.[65] In May
1985, Jackson's team walked away from talks after having spent over $1 million
on four months of due diligence and on the negotiations.[65]
In June 1985, Jackson and Branca
learned that Charles Koppelman's and Marty Bandier's The Entertainment Co. had
made a tentative agreement with Holmes à Court to buy ATV Music for $50
million.[65] But in early August, Holmes à Court's team contacted Jackson and
talks resumed. Jackson raised his bid to $47.5 million and it was accepted
because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due
diligence of ATV Music.[65] He also agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia,
where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon.[65][69] Jackson's
purchase of ATV Music was finalized August 10, 1985.[65]
Appearance, tabloids, Bad, films, autobiography and
Neverland (1986–90)
Jackson's skin had been a
medium-brown color for the entire duration of his youth, but starting in the mid
1980s, it gradually grew paler. The change gained widespread media coverage,
including rumors that he might be bleaching his skin.[70] According to J. Randy
Taraborrelli's biography, in 1986, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and
lupus; the vitiligo partially lightened his skin, and the lupus was in
remission; both illnesses made him sensitive to sunlight. The treatments he used
for his condition further lightened his skin tone, and, with the application of
pancake makeup to even out blotches, he could appear very pale.[71] Jackson was
also diagnosed with vitiligo in his autopsy.[72] By the mid 1990s several
surgeons speculated that he had undergone various nasal surgeries, a forehead
lift, thinned lips, and cheekbone surgery—although Jackson denied this and
insisted that he only had surgery on his nose.[73] Jackson claimed that he had
only two rhinoplasties and no other surgery on his face, although at one point
he mentioned having a dimple created in his chin.[74] Jackson lost weight in the
early 1980s because of a change in diet and a desire for "a dancer's body".[74]
Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy and speculated that he was suffering
from anorexia nervosa; periods of weight loss would become a recurring problem
later in life.[75]
During the course of his treatment,
Jackson made two close friends: his dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, and Klein's
nurse Debbie Rowe. Rowe eventually became Jackson's second wife and the mother
of his two eldest children. Long before becoming romantically involved with her,
Jackson relied heavily on Rowe for emotional support. He also relied heavily on
Klein, for medical and business advice.[76]
Jackson became the subject of
increasingly sensational reports. In 1986, the tabloids ran a story claiming
that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow the aging process; he
was pictured lying down in a glass box. Although the claim was untrue, according
to tabloid reports that are widely cited, Jackson had disseminated the
fabricated story himself.[77][78] When Jackson bought a chimpanzee called
Bubbles from a laboratory, he was reported to be increasingly detached from
reality.[79] It was reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph
Merrick (the "elephant man") and although untrue, Jackson did not deny the
story.[77][78] Although initially he saw these stories as opportunities for
publicity, he stopped leaking untruths to the press as they became more
sensational. Consequently the media began making up their own
stories.[78][80][81] These reports became embedded in the public consciousness,
inspiring the nickname "Wacko Jacko," which Jackson came to despise.[82]
Responding to the gossip, Jackson remarked to Taraborrelli:
Why not just tell people I'm an
alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at
midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I,
Michael Jackson, were to say, "I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens
and do a voodoo dance at midnight," people would say, "Oh, man, that Michael
Jackson is nuts. He's cracked up. You can't believe a single word that comes out
of his mouth."[83]
Jackson collaborated with Francis
Ford Coppola on the 17-minute 3-D film Captain EO, which debuted in September
1986 at both the original Disneyland and at EPCOT in Florida, and in March 1987
at Tokyo Disneyland. The $30 million movie was a popular attraction at all three
parks. A Captain EO attraction was later featured at Euro Disneyland after that
park opened in 1992. All four parks' Captain EO installations stayed open well
into the 1990s: Paris' installation was the last one to close, in 1998.[84] The
attraction would later return to Disneyland in 2010 after Jackson's death.[85]
In 1987, Jackson disassociated
himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses, in response to their disapproval of the
Thriller video.[86] With the industry expecting another major hit, Jackson's
first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated.[87] It did not
top Thriller as a commercial or artistic triumph, but Bad was still a
substantial success in its own right.
The Bad album spawned seven hit
singles in the U.S., five of which ("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 100 charts. This was a record for most number one Hot 100
singles from any one album, including Thriller.[88] Although the title track's
video was arguably derivative of the video for the earlier single "Beat It", the
"Bad" video still proved to be one of Jackson's iconic moments. It was a gritty
but colorful epic set against the backdrop of the New York City Subway system,
with costuming and choreography inspired by West Side Story. As of 2008, the
album had sold 30 million copies worldwide.[89] Thanks to the Bad album, Bruce
Swedien and Humberto Gatica won one Grammy in 1988 for Best Engineered Recording
– Non Classical and Michael Jackson won one Grammy for Best Music Video, Short
Form for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989.[41][48] In the same year, Jackson won an
Award of Achievement at the American Music Awards because Bad is the first album
ever to generate five number one singles in the US, the first album to top in 25
countries and the best-selling album worldwide in 1987 and in
1988.[90][91][92][93] In 1988, "Bad" won an American Music Award for Favorite
Soul/R&B Single.[94]
The Bad World Tour began on
September 12 that year, finishing on January 14, 1989.[95] In Japan alone, the
tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous
record of 200,000 in a single tour.[96] Jackson broke a Guinness World Record
when 504,000 people attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium. He
performed a total of 123 concerts to an audience of 4.4 million people. The Bad
Tour turned out to be the last of Jackson's concert tours to include shows in
the continental United States, although later tours did make it to Hawaii.
In 1988, Jackson released his first
and only autobiography, Moonwalk, which took four years to complete and sold
200,000 copies.[97] Jackson wrote about his childhood, The Jackson 5, and the
abuse he had suffered.[98] He also wrote about his facial appearance, saying he
had had two rhinoplastic surgeries and a dimple created in his chin.[74] He
attributed much of the change in the structure of his face to puberty, weight
loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hair style, and stage lighting.[74]
Moonwalk reached the top position on The New York Times best sellers' list.[99]
The musician then released a film called Moonwalker, which featured live footage
and short films that starred Jackson and Joe Pesci. The film was originally
intended to be released to theaters but due to financial issues, the film was
released direct-to-video. It saw a theatrical release in Germany, though. It
debuted atop the Billboard Top Music Video Cassette chart, staying there for 22
weeks. It was eventually knocked off the top spot by Michael Jackson: The Legend
Continues.[100]
In March 1988, Jackson purchased
land near Santa Ynez, California, to build Neverland Ranch at a cost of $17
million. He installed Ferris wheels, a menagerie, and a movie theater on the
2,700-acre (11 km2) property. A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds. In
2003, it was valued at approximately $100 million.[27][101] In 1989, his annual
earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts was estimated at $125
million for that year alone.[102] Shortly afterwards, he became the first
Westerner to appear in a television ad in the Soviet Union.[100]
His success resulted in his being
dubbed the "King of Pop".[103][104][105][106] The nickname was popularized by
Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in
1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul."[107] President
George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade".[108]
From 1985 to 1990, he donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund, and all
of the profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.[109][110]
Jackson's live rendition of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday
celebration received an Emmy nomination.[100]
Dangerous, Heal the World Foundation and Super Bowl
XXVII (1991–93)
In March 1991, Jackson renewed his
contract with Sony for $65 million, a record-breaking deal at the time,[111]
displacing Neil Diamond's renewal contract with Columbia Records.[112] He
released his eighth album Dangerous in 1991. As of 2008, Dangerous had shipped
seven million copies in the U.S. and had sold 32 million copies worldwide. The
Dangerous album was co-produced by Teddy Riley, one of the pioneers of "new jack
swing" which convinced Michael to feature a rapper on his album for the first
time, the act worked and it turned out to be the best-selling album associated
with that movement.[113][114][115] In the United States, the album's first
single "Black or White" was its biggest hit, reaching number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 and remaining there for seven weeks, with similar chart
performances worldwide.[116] The album's 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.[117] At the end of 1992, Dangerous was awarded
1992's best-selling album worldwide and "Black or White" was awarded 1992's
best-selling single worldwide at the Billboard Music Awards. Additionally, he
won an award as best-selling artist of the '80s.[118] In 1993, Jackson performed
the song at the Soul Train Music Awards in a chair, saying he had suffered an
injury in rehearsals.[119] In the UK and other parts of Europe, "Heal the World"
was the biggest hit from the album; it sold 450,000 copies in the UK and spent
five weeks at number two in 1992.[117]
Jackson founded the Heal the World
Foundation in 1992. The charity organization brought underprivileged children to
Jackson's ranch to enjoy theme park rides that Jackson had built on the
property. The foundation also sent millions of dollars around the globe to help
children threatened by war, poverty, and disease. In the same year Jackson
published his second book, the bestselling collection of poetry, Dancing the
Dream. While it was a commercial success and revealed a more intimate side to
Jackson's nature, the collection was mostly critically unacclaimed at the time
of release. In 2009, the book was republished by Doubleday and was more
positively received by some critics in the wake of Jackson's untimely death. The
Dangerous World Tour grossed $100 million. The tour began on June 27, 1992, and
finished on November 11, 1993. Jackson performed to 3.5 million people in 67
concerts.[117][120] He sold the broadcast rights to his Dangerous world tour to
HBO for $20 million, a record-breaking deal that still stands.[121]
Following the illness and death of
Ryan White, Jackson helped draw public attention to HIV/AIDS, something that was
still controversial at the time. He publicly pleaded with the Clinton
Administration at Bill Clinton's Inaugural Gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS
charities and research.[122][123] In a high-profile visit to Africa, Jackson
visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt.[124] His first stop to
Gabon was greeted with a sizable and enthusiastic reception of more than 100,000
people, some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael."[124] In
his trip to Côte d'Ivoire, Jackson was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal
chief.[124] He then thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed
official documents formalizing his kingship and sat on a golden throne while
presiding over ceremonial dances.[124]
In January 1993, Jackson made a
memorable appearance at the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. The performance
began with Jackson catapulting onto the stage as fireworks went off behind him.
As he landed on the canvas, he maintained a motionless "clenched fist, standing
statue stance", dressed in a gold and black military outfit and sunglasses; he
remained completely motionless for a minute and a half while the crowd cheered.
He then slowly removed his sunglasses, threw them away and sang four songs:
"Jam", "Billie Jean", "Black or White" and "Heal the World". It was the first
Super Bowl where the audience figures increased during the half-time show, and
was viewed by 135 million Americans alone; Jackson's Dangerous album rose 90
places up the album chart.[70] Jackson was given the "Living Legend Award" at
the 35th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. "Black or White" was Grammy-nominated for
best vocal performance. "Jam" gained two nominations: Best R&B Vocal Performance
and Best R&B Song.[117] The Dangerous album won a Grammy for Best Engineered –
Non Classical, awarding the work of Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley. In the same
year, Michael Jackson won three American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock
Album (Dangerous), Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Remember the Time") and was the
first to win the International Artist Award, for his global performances and
humanitarian concerns. This award will bear his name in the future.[41][48][125]
First child sexual abuse allegations and first
marriage (1993–94)
Jackson gave a 90-minute interview
to Oprah Winfrey in February 1993, his second television interview since 1979.
He grimaced when speaking of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he
believed he had missed out on much of his childhood years, admitting that he
often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought the
bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his
skin, stating for the first time that he had vitiligo. The interview was watched
by an American audience of 90 million. Dangerous re-entered the album chart in
the top 10, more than a year after its original release.[25][70][117]
In the summer of 1993, Jackson was
accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler and his
father, Dr. Evan Chandler, a dentist.[126][127][128] The Chandler family
demanded payment from Jackson, and the singer initially refused. Jordan Chandler
eventually told the police that Jackson had sexually abused him.[129] Dr.
Chandler was tape-recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, saying,
"If I go through with this, I win big-time. There's no way I lose. I will get
everything I want and they will be destroyed forever ... Michael's career will
be over". Jordan's mother was, however, adamant that there had been no
wrongdoing on Jackson's part.[128] Jackson later used the recording to argue
that he was the victim of a jealous father whose only goal was to extort money
from the singer.[128]
Later that year, on December 20,
Jackson's home was raided by the police, and Jackson submitted to a 25-minute
strip search.[130] Jordan Chandler had reportedly given police a description of
Jackson's intimate parts, notably claiming that his bleach-damaged penis was
circumcised; the strip search revealed, to the contrary, that Jackson was
actually uncircumcised,[131] a fact confirmed in his autopsy.[132] His friends
said he never recovered from the humiliation of the strip search. The
investigation was inconclusive and no charges were ever filed.[133][134] Jackson
described the search in an emotional public statement, and proclaimed his
innocence.[126][130][135] On January 1, 1994, Jackson's insurance carrier
settled with the Chandlers out of court for $22 million. A Santa Barbara County
grand jury and a Los Angeles County grand jury disbanded on May 2, 1994 without
indicting Jackson.[136] After which time the Chandlers stopped co-operating with
the criminal investigation around July 6, 1994.[137][138][139] The out-of-court
settlement's documentation specifically stated Jackson admitted no wrongdoing
and no liability; the Chandlers and their family lawyer Larry Feldman signed it
without contest.[140] The Chandlers' lawyer Mr. Feldman also explicitly stated
"nobody bought anybody's silence".[141] A decade after the fact, during the
second round of child abuse allegations, Jackson's lawyers would file a memo
stating that the 1994 settlement was done without his consent.[138]
In May 1994, Jackson married the
daughter of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley. They had first met in 1975, when
a seven-year-old Presley attended one of Jackson's family engagements at the MGM
Grand Hotel and Casino, and were reconnected through a mutual friend.[142]
According to a friend of Presley's, "their adult friendship began in November
1992 in L.A."[143] They stayed in contact every day over the telephone. As the
child molestation accusations became public, Jackson became dependent on Presley
for emotional support; she was concerned about his faltering health and
addiction to drugs.[144] Presley explained, "I believed he didn't do anything
wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him. I
wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it."[145] She eventually persuaded
him to settle the allegations out of court and go into rehabilitation to
recover.[144]
Jackson proposed to Presley over
the telephone towards the fall of 1993, saying, "If I asked you to marry me,
would you do it?"[144] They married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy,
denying it for nearly two months afterwards.[146] The marriage was, in her
words, "a married couple's life ... that was sexually active".[147] At the time,
the tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a ploy to prop up Jackson's
public image.[146] The marriage lasted less than two years and ended with an
amicable divorce settlement.[148] In a 2010 interview with Oprah, Presley
admitted that they spent four more years after the divorce "getting back
together and breaking up", until she decided to stop.[149]
HIStory, second marriage and fatherhood (1995–99)
In 1995, Jackson merged his ATV
Music catalog with Sony's music publishing division creating Sony/ATV Music
Publishing. Jackson retained half-ownership of the company, earned $95 million
upfront as well as the rights to even more songs.[150][151] He then released the
double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The first disc, HIStory
Begins, was a 15-track greatest hits album, and was later reissued as Greatest
Hits: HIStory, Volume I in 2001, while the second disc, HIStory Continues,
contained 15 new songs. The album debuted at number one on the charts and has
been certified for seven million shipments in the US.[152] It is the
best-selling multiple-disc album of all-time, with 20 million copies (40 million
units) sold worldwide.[116][153] HIStory received a Grammy nomination for Album
of the Year.[154]
The first single released from the
album was the double A-side "Scream/Childhood". "Scream" was a duet, performed
with Jackson's youngest sister Janet. The song fights against the media, mainly
for what the media made him out to be during his 1993 child abuse allegations.
The single had the highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number five, and
received a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals".[154] "You
Are Not Alone" was the second single released from HIStory; it holds the
Guinness World Record for the first song ever to debut at number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart.[102] It was seen as a major artistic and commercial
success, receiving a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Performance".[154] In
late 1995, Jackson was rushed to a hospital after collapsing during rehearsals
for a televised performance; the incident was caused by a stress-related panic
attack.[155] "Earth Song" was the third single released from HIStory, and topped
the UK Singles Chart for six weeks over Christmas 1995; it sold a million
copies, making it Jackson's most successful single in the UK.[154] The track
"They Don't Care About Us" became controversial when the Anti-Defamation League
and other groups criticized its allegedly antisemitic lyrics. Jackson quickly
put out a revised version of the song without the offending lyrics.[156] In
1996, Jackson won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Scream" and an
American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist.[41][157]
The album was promoted with the
successful HIStory World Tour. The tour began on September 7, 1996, and finished
on October 15, 1997. Jackson performed 82 concerts in 58 cities to over 4.5
million fans, and grossed up a total of $165 million. The show, which visited
five continents and 35 countries, became Jackson's most successful in terms of
audience figures.[95] During the tour, Jackson married his longtime friend
Deborah Jeanne Rowe, a dermatology nurse, in an impromptu ceremony in Sydney,
Australia. Rowe was approximately six months pregnant with the couple's first
child at the time. Originally, Rowe and Jackson had no plans to marry, but
Jackson's mother Katherine persuaded them to do so.[158] 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.[148][159] The couple divorced in 1999, and Jackson got full custody of the
children. The divorce was relatively amicable, but a subsequent custody suit was
not settled until 2006.
In 1997, Jackson released Blood on
the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, which contained remixes of hit singles from
HIStory and five new songs. Worldwide sales stand at 6 million copies as of
2007, it is the best selling remix album ever released.[162] It reached number
one in the UK, as did the title track.[162][163] In the US, the album was
certified platinum, but only reached number 24.[113][154] Forbes placed his
annual income at $35 million in 1996 and $20 million in 1997.[101] Throughout
June 1999, Jackson was involved in a number of charitable events. He joined
Luciano Pavarotti for a benefit concert in Modena, Italy. The show was in
support of the nonprofit organization War Child, and raised a million dollars
for the refugees of Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia, as well as additional funds for the
children of Guatemala.[164] Later that month, Jackson organized a set of
"Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit concerts in Germany and Korea. Other artists
involved included Slash, The Scorpions, Boyz II Men, Luther Vandross, Mariah
Carey, A. R. Rahman, Prabhu Deva Sundaram, Shobana, Andrea Bocelli and Luciano
Pavarotti. The proceeds went to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, the Red
Cross and UNESCO.[165]
Label dispute, Invincible and third child (2000–03)
At the turn of the century, the
American Music Awards honored Jackson as Artist of the '80s.[166] Throughout
2000 and 2001, Jackson worked in the studio with Teddy Riley and Rodney Jerkins,
as well as other collaborators. These sessions would result in the album
Invincible, released in October 2001. Invincible was Jackson's first full-length
album in six years, and it would be the last album of new material he released
while still alive. The release of the album was preceded by a dispute between
Jackson and his record label, Sony Music Entertainment. Jackson had expected the
licenses to the masters of his albums to revert to him sometime in the early
2000s. Once he had the licenses, he would be able to promote the material
however he pleased and he would also be able to keep all the profits. However,
due to various clauses in the contract, the revert date turned out to be many
years away. Jackson discovered that the attorney who represented him in the deal
was also representing Sony.[163] Jackson was also concerned about the fact that
for a number of years, Sony had been pressuring him to sell his share in their
music catalog venture. Jackson feared that Sony might have a conflict of
interest, since if Jackson's career failed he would have to sell his share of
the catalog at a low price.[167] Jackson sought an early exit from his
contract.[163] Just before the release of Invincible, Jackson informed the head
of Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Mottola, that he was leaving Sony.[163] As a
result, all singles releases, video shootings and promotions concerning the
Invincible album were suspended.
In September 2001, two 30th
Anniversary concerts were held at Madison Square Garden to mark the singer's
30th year as a solo artist. Jackson appeared onstage alongside his brothers for
the first time since 1984. The show also featured performances by Mýa, Usher,
Whitney Houston, 'N Sync, Destiny's Child, Monica, Luther Vandross, and Slash,
among other artists.[168] The second of the two shows took place the night
before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.[169] After 9/11, Jackson
helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK
Stadium in Washington, D.C. The concert took place on October 21, 2001, and
included performances from dozens of major artists, including Jackson, who
performed his song "What More Can I Give" as the finale.[167] Jackson's solo
performances were omitted from the televised version of the benefit concert,
although he could still be seen singing background vocals. This omission
happened because of contractual issues related to the earlier 30th Anniversary
concerts: those concerts were boiled down into a two-hour TV special titled
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration: The Solo Years which debuted in
November 2001.
In spite of the events preceding
its release, Invincible came out in October 2001 to much anticipation.
Invincible proved to be a hit, debuting atop the charts in 13 countries and
going on to sell approximately 13 million copies worldwide. It received
double-platinum certification in the US.[113][116][170] However, the sales for
Invincible were lower than those of his previous releases, due in part to a lack
of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute. The album also
came out at a bad time for the music industry in general.[167] The album cost
$30 million to record, not including promotional expenditures.[171] Invincible
spawned three singles, "You Rock My World", "Cry" and "Butterflies", the latter
without a music video. Jackson alleged in July 2002 that Mottola was a "devil"
and a "racist" who did not support his African-American artists, using them
merely for his own personal gain.[167] He charged that Mottola had called his
colleague Irv Gotti a "fat nigger".[172] Sony refused to renew Jackson's
contract, and claimed that a $25 million promotional campaign had failed because
Jackson refused to tour in the United States.[171]
In 2002, Michael Jackson won his
22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century.[173] In the same year,
Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket") was
born.[174] The mother's identity is unknown, but Jackson has said the child was
the result of artificial insemination from a surrogate mother and his own
sperm.[160] On November 20 of that year, Jackson brought his newborn son onto
the balcony of his room at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin, as fans stood below,
holding him in his right arm, with a cloth loosely draped over the baby's face.
The baby was briefly extended over a railing, four stories above ground level,
causing widespread criticism in the media. Jackson later apologized for the
incident, calling it "a terrible mistake".[175] Sony released Number Ones, a
compilation of Jackson's hits on CD and DVD. In the US, the album was certified
triple platinum by the RIAA; in the UK it was certified six times platinum for
shipments of at least 1.2 million units.[113][176]
Second child sexual abuse allegations and acquittal
(2003–05)
Beginning in May 2002, Jackson
allowed a documentary film crew, led by British TV personality Martin Bashir, to
follow him around just about everywhere he went. Bashir's film crew was with
Jackson during the "baby-dangling incident" in Berlin. The program was broadcast
in March 2003 as Living with Michael Jackson, and painted an extraordinarily
unflattering portrait of the singer.
In a particularly controversial
scene, Jackson was seen holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with
a young boy.[177] As soon as the documentary aired, the Santa Barbara county
attorney's office began a criminal investigation. Jackson was arrested in
November 2003, and was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two
counts of administering an intoxicating agent in relation to the 13 year old boy
shown in the film.[177] Jackson denied the allegations, saying the sleepovers
were not sexual in nature. The People v. Jackson trial began on January 31,
2005, in Santa Maria, California, and lasted five months, until the end of May.
On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.[178][179][180] After the
trial, in a highly publicized relocation he moved to the Persian Gulf island of
Bahrain, as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah.[181] Bahrain was also where the family
intended to send Jackson if he was convicted (though Jackson did not know about
the plan), according to a statement by Jermaine Jackson printed in The Times of
London in September 2011.[182]
Closure of Neverland, Final years and This Is It
(2006–09)
In March 2006, the main house at
the Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure.[183] There were
numerous reports around that time that Jackson was having financial problems.
Jackson had been delinquent on his repayments of a $270 million loan secured
against his music publishing holdings, even though those holdings were
reportedly making him as much as $75 million a year.[184] Bank of America sold
the debt to Fortress Investments. Sony reportedly proposed a restructuring deal
which would give them a future option to buy half of Jackson's stake in their
jointly owned publishing company (leaving Jackson with a 25% stake).[151]
Jackson agreed to a Sony-backed refinancing deal in April 2006, although the
exact details were not made public.[185] Jackson did not have a recording
contract in place with Sony or any other major record label at the time.
In early 2006, there was an
announcement that Jackson had signed a contract with a Bahrain-based startup
called Two Seas Records. However, nothing ever came of that deal, and the CEO of
Two Seas, Guy Holmes, later stated that the deal had never been
finalized.[186][187] Throughout 2006, Sony repackaged 20 singles from the 1980s
and 1990s as the Michael Jackson: Visionary series, which subsequently became a
box set. Most of those singles returned to the charts as a result. In September
2006, Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe confirmed reports that they had
settled their long-running child custody suit. The terms were never made public.
Jackson continued to be the custodial parent of the couple's two children.[161]
In October 2006, Fox News entertainment reporter Roger Friedman said that
Jackson had been recording at a studio in rural Westmeath, Ireland. It was not
known at the time what Jackson might be working on, or who might be paying for
the sessions, since his publicist had recently issued a statement claiming that
he had left Two Seas.[187][188]
In November 2006, Jackson invited
an Access Hollywood camera crew into the studio in Westmeath, and MSNBC broke
the story that he was working on a new album, produced by will.i.am of The Black
Eyed Peas.[116] Jackson performed at the World Music Awards, in London on
November 15, 2006, and accepted a Diamond Award for selling over 100 million
records.[116][189] Jackson returned to the United States after Christmas 2006 to
attend James Brown's funeral in Augusta, Georgia. He gave one of the eulogies,
saying that "James Brown is my greatest inspiration."[190] In the spring of
2007, Jackson and Sony teamed up to buy yet another music publishing company:
Famous Music LLC, formerly owned by Viacom. This deal gave him the rights to
songs by Eminem, Shakira and Beck, among others.[191] Jackson recorded
extensively during this period in New York with songwriter and producer
will.i.am and also in Las Vegas with producers Akon and RedOne.[192][193] In
March 2007, Jackson gave a brief interview to the Associated Press in Tokyo,
where he said, "I've been in the entertainment industry since I was 6 years old,
and as Charles Dickens would say, 'It's been the best of times, the worst of
times.' But I would not change my career ... While some have made deliberate
attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a
strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support
me."[194]
In September 2007 Jackson was
reportedly still working with will.i.am, but the album was apparently never
completed.[195] However, in 2008, Jackson and Sony released Thriller 25 to mark
the 25th anniversary of the original Thriller. This album featured the
previously unreleased song "For All Time" (an outtake from the original
sessions) as well as remixes, where Jackson collaborated with younger artists
who had been inspired by his work.[196] Two of the remixes were released as
singles with only modest success: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" (with will.i.am) and
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" (with Akon). The first single was based on an
early demo version, without Paul McCartney. The album itself was a hit,
however.[196][197][198][199] In anticipation of Jackson's 50th birthday, Sony
BMG released a series of greatest-hits albums called King of Pop. Slightly
different versions were released in various countries, based on polls of local
fans.[200] King of Pop reached the top 10 in most countries where it was issued,
and also sold well as an import in other countries (such as the United
States.)[201][202]
In the fall of 2008, Fortress
Investments threatened to foreclose on Neverland Ranch, which Jackson used as
collateral for loans running into many tens of millions of dollars. However,
Fortress opted to sell Jackson's debts to Colony Capital LLC. In November,
Jackson transferred Neverland Ranch's title to Sycamore Valley Ranch Company
LLC, which was a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital LLC. This deal
cleared Jackson's debt, and he reportedly even gained an extra $35 million from
the venture. At the time of his death, Jackson still owned a stake in
Neverland/Sycamore Valley, but it is unknown how large that stake
was.[203][204][205] In September 2008, Jackson entered negotiations with
Julien's Auction House to display and auction a large collection of memorabilia
amounting to approximately 1,390 lots. The auction was scheduled to take place
between April 22 and April 25.[206] An exhibition of the lots opened as
scheduled on April 14, but the actual auction was eventually cancelled at
Jackson's request.[207]
In March 2009, Jackson held a press
conference at London's O2 Arena and announced a series of comeback concerts
titled This Is It. The shows would be Jackson's first major series of concerts
since the HIStory World Tour finished in 1997. Jackson suggested possible
retirement after the shows; he said it would be his "final curtain call". The
initial plan was for 10 concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York
City and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live,
stated that the first 10 dates alone would earn the singer approximately £50
million.[208] The London residency was increased to 50 dates after record
breaking ticket sales: over one million were sold in less than two hours.[209]
Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the
direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most of these rehearsals took place at
the Staples Center, which was owned by AEG.[210] The concerts would have
commenced on July 13, 2009, and finished on March 6, 2010. Less than three weeks
before the first show was due to begin in London and with all concerts being
sold out, Jackson died after suffering cardiac arrest.[211] Some time before his
death, it was widely stated that he was starting a clothing line with Christian
Audigier; due to his death, the current status of the label remains
unknown.[212][213]
Jackson's first posthumous single
was a song titled "This Is It" which Jackson cowrote in the 1980s with Paul
Anka. It was not on the set lists for the concerts, and the recording was based
on an old demo tape. The surviving brothers reunited in the studio for the first
time since 1989 to record backing vocals. On October 28, 2009, a documentary
film about the rehearsals titled Michael Jackson's This Is It was released.[214]
Even though it ran for a limited two-week engagement, it became the highest
grossing documentary or concert movie of all time, with earnings of more than
$260 million worldwide.[215] Jackson's estate received 90% of the profits.[216]
The film was accompanied by a compilation album of the same name. Two versions
of the new song appear on the album, which also featured original masters of
Jackson's hits in the order in which they appear in the movie, along with a
bonus disc with previously unreleased versions of more Jackson hits as well as a
spoken-word poem titled "Planet Earth".[217] At the 2009 American Music Awards
Jackson won four posthumous awards, two for him and two for his album Number
Ones, bringing his total American Music Awards to 26.[218][219]
Death and memorial
On June 25, 2009, Jackson died
while in his bed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the
Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by Conrad
Murray, his personal physician, were unsuccessful.[220] Los Angeles Fire
Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 (PDT, 19:22 UTC), arriving
three minutes later at Jackson's location.[221][222] He was reportedly not
breathing and CPR was performed.[223] Resuscitation efforts continued en route
to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for more than an hour after
arriving there at 1:13 (20:13 UTC). He was pronounced dead at 2:26 local time
(21:26 UTC).[224][225] Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of
grief.[220]
The news spread quickly online,
causing websites to slow down and crash from user overload. Both TMZ and the Los
Angeles Times suffered outages.[226] Google initially believed that the input
from millions of people searching for "Michael Jackson" meant that the search
engine was under DDoS attack, and blocked searches related to Michael Jackson
for 30 minutes. Twitter reported a crash, as did Wikipedia at 3:15 p.m. PDT
(22:15 UTC).[227] The Wikimedia Foundation reported nearly a million visitors to
Jackson's biography within one hour, probably the most visitors in a one-hour
period to any article in Wikipedia's history.[228] AOL Instant Messenger
collapsed for 40 minutes. AOL called it a "seminal moment in Internet history",
adding, "We've never seen anything like it in terms of scope or depth."[229]
Around 15% of Twitter posts—or
5,000 tweets per minute—reportedly mentioned Jackson after the news
broke,[230][231] compared to the 5% recalled as having mentioned the Iranian
elections or the flu pandemic that had made headlines earlier in the year.[231]
Overall, web traffic ranged from 11% to at least 20% higher than
normal.[230][232] MTV and Black Entertainment Television (BET) aired marathons
of Jackson's music videos.[233] Jackson specials aired on multiple television
stations around the world. The British soap opera EastEnders added a last-minute
scene, in which one character tells another about the news, to the June 26
episode.[234] Jackson was the topic of every front-page headline in the daily
British tabloid The Sun for about two weeks following his death.[235] During the
same period, the three major U.S. networks' evening newscasts—ABC World News,
CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News—devoted 34% of their broadcast time to
him.[236] Magazines including Time published commemorative editions.[237] A
scene that had featured Jackson's sister La Toya was cut from the film Brüno out
of respect toward Jackson's family.[238]
Jackson's memorial was held on July
7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a private family
service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty. Jackson's casket was
present during the memorial but no information was released about the final
disposition of the body. While some unofficial reports claimed a worldwide
audience as high as one billion people,[239][240] the U.S. audience was
estimated by Nielsen to be 31.1 million, an amount comparable to the estimated
35.1 million that watched the 2004 burial of former president Ronald Reagan, and
the estimated 33.1 million Americans who watched the 1997 funeral for Princess
Diana.[241]
Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel
Richie, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shaheen
Jafargholi performed at the event. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave
eulogies, while Queen Latifah read "We had him", a poem written for the occasion
by Maya Angelou.[242] The Reverend Al Sharpton received a standing ovation with
cheers when he told Jackson's children, "Wasn't nothing strange about your
daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it
anyway."[243] Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris Katherine, cried as she told
the crowd, "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever
imagine ... I just wanted to say I love him ... so much."[169] Reverend Lucious
Smith provided a closing prayer.[244] On August 24, several news outlets quoted
anonymous sources as stating that the Los Angeles coroner had decided to treat
Jackson's death as a homicide; this was later confirmed by the coroner on August
28.[245][246] At the time of death, Jackson had been administered propofol,
lorazepam and midazolam.[247] Law enforcement officials conducted a manslaughter
investigation of his personal physician, Conrad Murray.[248] On February 8,
2010, Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Los
Angeles.[249] Jackson was entombed on September 3, 2009, at Forest Lawn Memorial
Park in Glendale, California.[250]
On June 25, 2010, the first
anniversary of Jackson's death, fans traveled to Los Angeles to pay their
tribute to him. They visited Jackson’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and
his family’s home, as well as Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Many of the fans were
carrying sunflowers and other tribute items to drop off at the sites. Members of
the Jackson family and close friends arrived to pay their respects.[251][252]
Katherine returned to Gary, Indiana to unveil a granite monument constructed in
the front yard of the family home. The memorial continued with a candlelight
vigil and a special performance of "We Are the World".[253][254] On June 26,
there was a protest march in front of the Los Angeles Police Department's
Robbery-Homicide Division at the old Parker Center building and a petition with
thousands of signatures demanding justice was delivered.[255][256] The Jackson
Family Foundation in conjunction with Voiceplate presented "Forever Michael", an
event bringing together Jackson family members, celebrities, fans, supporters
and the community to celebrate and honor his legacy. A portion of the proceeds
were presented to some of Jackson's favorite charities. Katherine also
introduced her new book "Never Can Say Goodbye".[257][258][259]
Death aftermath
After his death, Jackson became the
best-selling albums artist of 2009; in the United States selling over 8.2
million albums and a total of 35 million albums worldwide in the 12 months that
followed his death.[260][261] Following this surge in sales, Sony announced that
they had extended their relationship with his material. The distribution rights
held by Sony Music were due to expire in 2015.[262] On March 16, 2010, Sony
Music Entertainment, in a move spearheaded by its Columbia/Epic Label Group
division, signed a new deal with the Jackson estate to extend their distribution
rights to his back catalogue until at least 2017, as well as to obtain
permission to release ten new albums with previously unreleased material and new
collections of released work. On November 4, 2010 Sony announced the release of
Michael, the first posthumous album set to be released on December 14, with the
promotional single released to the radios on November 8, titled "Breaking
News".[263] The deal was unprecedented in the music industry as it is the most
expensive music contract pertaining to a single artist in history; it reportedly
involved Sony Music paying $250 million for the deal, with the Jackson estate
getting the full sum as well as its share of royalties for all works
released.[262][264] Video game developer Ubisoft announced it would release a
new dancing-and-singing game featuring Michael Jackson for the 2010 holiday
season. The game titled Michael Jackson: The Experience will be among the first
to use Kinect and PlayStation Move, the respective motion-detecting camera
systems for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 due out later that
year.[265]
On November 3, 2010, the theatrical
performing company Cirque du Soleil announced that it would launch "Michael
Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" in October 2011 in Montreal, while a permanent
show will reside in Las Vegas.[266] The 90-minute US$57M production will combine
Jackson's iconic musical oeuvre and choreography with the Cirque's signature
artistry, dance and aerial displays involving 65 artists.[267] The tour was
written and directed by Jamie King[268] and centers on Jackson's "inspirational
Giving Tree – the wellspring of creativity where his love of music and dance,
fairy tale and magic, and the fragile beauty of nature are unlocked."[269] On
October 3, 2011, the accompanying compilation soundtrack album Immortal was
announced to have over 40 Jackson’s original recordings re-produced by Kevin
Antunes.[270]
In April 2011, Jackson's longtime
friend and billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, chairman of Fulham F.C.,
unveiled a statue of Jackson outside the club's stadium, Craven Cottage.[271]
Fulham fans were however bemused by the statue and failed to understand the
relevance of Jackson to the club.[272] Al Fayed however defended the statue and
told the fans to 'go to hell' if they didn't appreciate the statue.[273]
Artistry
Influences
Jackson's music took root in R&B,
pop and soul. He had been influenced by the work of contemporary musicians such
as Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Diana Ross, David Ruffin, Gene
Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis, Jr., The Isley Brothers, the Bee Gees and the
West Side Story dancers, to whom he made a tribute in "Beat It" and in the "Bad"
video.[274] According to David Winters, who met and befriended Jackson while
choreographing the 1971 Diana Ross TV Special "Diana!", (which was also
Jackson's first solo debut outside of The Jackson 5), Jackson watched West Side
Story almost every week and it was his favorite film.[275][276][277] While
Little Richard had a substantial influence on Jackson,[278][279] James Brown was
Jackson's greatest inspiration. In reference to Brown, Jackson declared: "Ever
since I was a small child, no more than like six years old, my mother would wake
me no matter what time it was, if I was sleeping, no matter what I was doing, to
watch the television to see the master at work. And when I saw him move, I was
mesmerized. I had never seen a performer perform like James Brown, and right
then and there I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my
life because of James Brown."[280]
The young Michael Jackson owed his
vocal technique in large part to Diana Ross. Not only a mother figure to him,
she was often observed in rehearsal as an accomplished performer. He later
expressed: "I got to know her well. She taught me so much. I used to just sit in
the corner and watch the way she moved. She was art in motion. I studied the way
she moved, the way she sang – just the way she was." He told her: "I want to be
just like you, Diana." She said: "You just be yourself."[281] But Jackson owed
part of his enduring style—especially his use of the oooh interjection—to Ross.
From a young age, Jackson often punctuated his verses with a sudden exclamation
of oooh. Diana Ross had used this effect on many of the songs recorded with The
Supremes.[282]
Musical themes and genres
Unlike many artists, Jackson did
not write his songs on paper. Instead he would dictate into a sound recorder,
and when recording he would sing the lyrics from memory.[283] In most of his
songs, such as "Billie Jean", "Who Is It", and "Tabloid Junkie", he would
beatbox and imitate the instruments using his voice instead of playing the
actual instruments, along with other sounds. Jackson noted that it is easier to
sing a drum line, or sing a bass, instead of playing a drum line or a bass with
an instrument. Several critics have said that Jackson's distinct voice was able
to replace any instrument convincingly. Steve Huey of Allmusic said that,
throughout his solo career, Jackson's versatility allowed him to experiment with
various themes and genres.[284] As a musician, he ranged from Motown's dance
fare and ballads to techno and house-edged new jack swing to work that
incorporates both funk rhythms and hard rock guitar.[27][285][286]
According to Huey, Thriller refined
the strengths of Off the Wall; the dance and rock tracks were more aggressive,
while the pop tunes and ballads were softer and more soulful.[284] Notable
tracks included the ballads "The Lady in My Life", "Human Nature" and "The Girl
Is Mine"; the funk pieces "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"; and
the post-disco set "Baby Be Mine" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young
Thing)".[284][285][286][287][288] With Thriller, Christopher Connelly of Rolling
Stone commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal
theme of paranoia and darker imagery.[288] Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
noted this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin'
Somethin'".[286] In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who
alleges he has fathered a child of hers.[284] In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
he argues against gossip and the media.[288] "Beat It" decried gang violence in
an homage to West Side Story, and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over
piece, according to Huey.[27][284] He also observed that the title track
"Thriller" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic
he revisited in subsequent years.[284] In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity
anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in
his lyrics and public persona.[284]
In Bad, Jackson's concept of the
predatory lover can be seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana".[290] The lead single
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, while "Man in the
Mirror" is an anthemic ballad of confession and resolution.[87] "Smooth
Criminal" was an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely murder.[87]
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Dangerous presents Jackson as a
very paradoxical individual.[291] He comments the album is more diverse than his
previous Bad, as it appeals to an urban audience while also attracting the
middle class with anthems like "Heal the World".[291] The first half of the
record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like "Jam" and "Remember
the Time".[292] The album is Jackson's first where social ills become a primary
theme; "Why You Wanna Trip on Me", for example, protests against world hunger,
AIDS, homelessness and drugs.[292] Dangerous contains sexually charged efforts
such as the multifaceted love song, "In the Closet".[292] The title track
continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire.[292] The
second half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as "Will You Be
There", "Heal the World" and "Keep the Faith"; these songs show Jackson opening
up about various personal struggles and worries.[292] In the ballad "Gone Too
Soon", Jackson gives tribute to his friend Ryan White and the plight of those
with AIDS.[293]
HIStory creates an atmosphere of
paranoia.[294] Its content focuses on the hardships and public struggles Jackson
went through just prior to its production. In the new jack swing-funk-rock
efforts "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", along with the R&B ballad "You Are Not
Alone", Jackson retaliates against the injustice and isolation he feels, and
directs much of his anger at the media.[295] In the introspective ballad
"Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments over his "fall from grace", while songs
like "Earth Song", "Childhood", "Little Susie" and "Smile" are all operatic pop
pieces.[294][295] In the track "D.S.", Jackson launched a verbal attack against
Tom Sneddon. He describes Sneddon as an antisocial, white supremacist who wanted
to "get my ass, dead or alive". Of the song, Sneddon said, "I have not—shall we
say—done him the honor of listening to it, but I've been told that it ends with
the sound of a gunshot".[296] Invincible found Jackson working heavily with
producer Rodney Jerkins.[284] It is a record made up of urban soul like "Cry"
and "The Lost Children", ballads such as "Speechless", "Break of Dawn" and
"Butterflies" and mixes hip-hop, pop and R&B in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and
"Invincible".[297][298]
Vocal style
Jackson sang from childhood, and
over time his voice and vocal style changed noticeably. Between 1971 and 1975,
Jackson's voice descended from boy soprano to high tenor.[299] Jackson first
used a technique called the "vocal hiccup" in 1973, starting with the song "It's
Too Late to Change the Time" from The Jackson 5's G.I.T.: Get It Together
album.[300] Jackson did not use the hiccup technique— somewhat like a gulping
for air or gasping— fully until the recording of Off the Wall: it can be seen in
full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video.[29]
With the arrival of Off the Wall in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a
vocalist were well regarded. At the time, Rolling Stone compared his vocals to
the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder. Their analysis was also that
"Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides
smoothly into a startling falsetto that's used very daringly".[301][302] 1982
saw the release of Thriller, and Rolling Stone was of the opinion that Jackson
was then singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".[288]
A distinctive deliberate
mispronunciation of "come on", used frequently by Jackson, occasionally spelled
"cha'mone" or "shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of
him.[306] The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album
Dangerous. The New York Times noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath,
his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through
clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone".[292] When singing of brotherhood
or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals.[292] When
commenting on Invincible, Rolling Stone were of the opinion that—at the age of
43—Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal
harmonies".[307] Nelson George summed up Jackson's vocals by stating "The grace,
the aggression, the growling, the natural boyishness, the falsetto, the
smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major vocalist".[289]
Music videos and choreography
Referred to as the King of Music
Videos,[308] Steve Huey of Allmusic observed how Jackson transformed the music
video into an art form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance
routines, special effects and famous cameo appearances; simultaneously breaking
down racial barriers.[284] Before Thriller, Jackson struggled to receive
coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American.[309] Pressure from
CBS Records persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It",
leading to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, also helping other black music
artists gain recognition.[310] MTV employees deny any racism in their coverage,
or pressure to change their stance. MTV maintains that they played rock music,
regardless of race.[311] The popularity of his videos on MTV helped to put the
relatively young channel "on the map"; MTV's focus shifted in favor of pop and
R&B.[312][310] His performance on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever changed
the scope of live stage show; "That Jackson lip-synced 'Billie Jean' is, in
itself, not extraordinary, but the fact that it did not change the impact of the
performance is extraordinary; whether the performance was live or lip-synced
made no difference to the audience" thus creating an era in which artists
re-create the spectacle of music video imagery on stage.[313] Short films like
Thriller largely remained unique to Jackson, while the group dance sequence in
"Beat It" has frequently been imitated.[314] The choreography in Thriller has
become a part of global pop culture, replicated everywhere from Indian films to
prisons in the Philippines.[315] The Thriller short film marked an increase in
scale for music videos, and has been named the most successful music video ever
by the Guinness World Records.[102]
In the 19-minute music video for
"Bad"—directed by Martin Scorsese—Jackson began using sexual imagery and
choreography not previously seen in his work. He occasionally grabbed or touched
his chest, torso and crotch. When asked by Oprah in the 1993 interview about why
he grabbed his crotch, he replied, "I think it happens subliminally" and he
described it as something that was not planned, but rather, as something that
was compelled by the music. "Bad" garnered a mixed reception from both fans and
critics; Time magazine described it as "infamous". The video also featured
Wesley Snipes; in the future Jackson's videos would often feature famous cameo
roles.[80][316] For "Smooth Criminal", Jackson experimented with an innovative
"anti-gravity lean" in his performances. The maneuver required special shoes for
which he was granted U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452.[317] Although the music video
for "Leave Me Alone" was not officially released in the US, in 1989, it was
nominated for four Billboard Music Video Awards, winning three; the same year it
won a Golden Lion Award for the quality of the special effects used in its
production. In 1990, "Leave Me Alone" won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short
Form.[100]
The MTV Video Vanguard Artist of
the Decade Award was given to Jackson to celebrate his accomplishments in the
art form in the 1980s; the following year the award was renamed in his
honor.[117] "Black or White" was accompanied by a controversial music video,
which, on November 14, 1991, simultaneously premiered in 27 countries with an
estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest viewing ever for a music
video.[116] It featured scenes construed as having a sexual nature as well as
depictions of violence. The offending scenes in the final half of the 14-minute
version were edited out to prevent the video from being banned, and Jackson
apologized.[318] Along with Jackson, it featured Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton
and George Wendt. It helped usher in morphing as an important technology in
music videos.[319]
"Remember the Time" was an
elaborate production, and became one of his longest videos at over nine minutes.
Set in ancient Egypt, it featured groundbreaking visual effects and appearances
by Eddie Murphy, Iman and Magic Johnson, along with a distinct complex dance
routine.[320] The video for "In the Closet" was Jackson's most sexually
provocative piece. It featured supermodel Naomi Campbell in a courtship dance
with Jackson. The video was banned in South Africa because of its imagery.[117]
The music video for "Scream",
directed by Mark Romanek and production designer Tom Foden, is one of Jackson's
most critically acclaimed. In 1995, it gained 11 MTV Video Music Award
Nominations—more than any other music video—and won "Best Dance Video", "Best
Choreography", and "Best Art Direction".[321] The song and its accompanying
video are a response to the backlash Jackson received from the media after being
accused of child molestation in 1993.[322] A year later, it won a Grammy for
Best Music Video, Short Form; shortly afterwards Guinness World Records listed
it as the most expensive music video ever made at a cost of $7
million.[154][323]
"Earth Song" was accompanied by an
expensive and well-received music video that gained a Grammy nomination for Best
Music Video, Short Form in 1997. The video had an environmental theme, showing
images of animal cruelty, deforestation, pollution and war. Using special
effects, time is reversed so that life returns, wars end, and the forests
re-grow.[154][324] Released in 1997 and premiering at the 1996 Cannes Film
Festival, Michael Jackson's Ghosts was a short film written by Jackson and
Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston. The video for Ghosts is over 38
minutes long and holds the Guinness World Record as the world's longest music
video.[154][163][325][326]
Legacy and influence
Jackson throughout his career
transformed the art of the music video and paved the way for modern pop music.
Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley described Jackson in 2003 as "extremely
important" and a "genius".[242] For much of his career, he had an "unparalleled"
level of worldwide influence over the younger generation through his musical and
humanitarian contributions.[156] Jackson's music and videos, such as Thriller,
fostered racial diversity in MTV's roster, helped to put the relatively new
channel into public awareness, and steered the channel's focus from rock to pop
music and R&B, shaping the channel into a form that proved enduring. Jackson's
work continues to influence numerous hip hop, rock, pop and R&B artists,
including Patrick Stump,[327] Beyoncé,[328] Mariah Carey,[329] Usher,[330] Green
Day,[331] Britney Spears,[329] Madonna,[332] Justin Timberlake, Alien Ant
Farm[167] and Ludacris, among others.[333]
Allmusic's Steve Huey describes
Jackson as "an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the skills to dominate
the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance
moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star power".[284] In the
mid-1980s, Time magazine's pop music critic, Jay Cocks, noted "Jackson is the
biggest thing since The Beatles. He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis
Presley. He just may be the most popular black singer ever".[49] In 1990, Vanity
Fair cited Jackson as the most popular artist in the history of show
business.[100] In 2007, Jackson said, "Music has been my outlet, my gift to all
of the lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live
forever."[334]
Shortly after Jackson's death, on
June 25, 2009, MTV briefly returned to its original music video format to
celebrate and pay tribute to his work.[335] The channel aired many hours of
Jackson's music videos, accompanied by live news specials featuring reactions
from MTV personalities and other celebrities. The temporary shift in MTV's
programming culminated the following week in the channel's live coverage of
Jackson's memorial service.[336] At the memorial service on July 7, 2009,
founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy proclaimed Jackson as "the greatest
entertainer that ever lived".[337][338][339]
In 2010, two university librarians
found that Jackson's influence extended into academia, and was detectable in
scholarly literature pertaining to a range of subject matter.[340][341] The two
researchers combed through various scholars' writings, and compiled an annotated
bibliography of those writings that appeared to meet at least one of several
criteria. Among these criteria were appearance in a peer-reviewed journal, and
the provision of insight into the nature of "popular icons including
Jackson".[342] The bibliography located references to Jackson in research
reports concerning music, popular culture, and an array of other topics. The
bibliographers identified as their most peculiar finding an argument that
certain aspects of chemistry can be effectively taught by altering and imitating
elements of Jackson's singing.[343] One of the research librarians later
reflected that "the fact that someone would take a Michael Jackson song and
co-opt it as a means to convey chemistry concepts just shows the pervasiveness
of Jackson's influence".[340] [Added by PSP 2/1/12: The TV show Glee had a
tribute show to Michael Jackson, singing nine of his songs in January 2012.]
Honors and awards
Michael Jackson was inducted onto
the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 as member of The Jacksons and in 1984 as solo
artist. Throughout his career he received numerous honors and awards, including
the World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the
American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award and the Bambi Pop Artist of
the Millennium Award.[168][344] He was a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo
artist in 2001. Jackson was also inducted in several other hall of fames,
including Vocal Group Hall of Fame (as The Jackson 5 member) in 1999,
Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and Hit Parade Hall of Fame (with his brothers)
in 2009.[168][345] 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 'n'
roll.[346] His awards include many Guinness World Records (eight in 2006
alone),[347] 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award), 26 American Music Awards (24 only as a solo artist,
including the "Artist of the Century", but not the poll of "Artist of the
'80s")—more than any artist—, 13 number one singles in the US in his solo
career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era[348]—and estimated
sales of up to 750 million records worldwide, making him the world's best
selling male solo pop
artist.[41][102][116][166][218][219][349][350][351][352][353] 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 age 50 was
notable for the worldwide outpouring of grief and the unprecedented global
eulogy of his posthumous concert rehearsal movie This Is It."[354] Michael
Jackson also received a Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the United Negro
College Fund [355] and also an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk
University.[356]
Lifetime earnings
His total lifetime earnings from
royalties on his solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and
endorsements have been estimated at US$500 million; some analysts have
speculated that his music catalog holdings could be worth billions of
dollars.[101][357] This speculation however is contradicted by financial
documents obtained by the Associated Press, which showed that as of March 31,
2007, Jackson's 50 percent stake in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog (his
most prized asset) was worth $390.6 million and Michael Jackson's net worth was
$236 million.[358] Billboard has estimated that Jackson has generated at least
$1 billion in revenue in the year following his death.[359]
Discography
Main articles: Michael Jackson
albums discography, Michael Jackson singles discography, and Michael Jackson
videography
See also: Jackson 5 discography
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)
Filmography
Year Film Role
1978 The Wiz[360] Scarecrow
1986 Captain EO[361] Captain
EO
1988 Moonwalker[362] Himself
1997 Michael Jackson's
Ghosts[363] Maestro/Mayor/Ghoul/Skeleton
2002 Men in Black II[364]
Agent M (cameo)
2004 Miss Cast Away and the
Island Girls[365] Agent MJ (cameo)
2009 Michael Jackson's This
Is It[366] Himself
Tours
Bad World Tour (1987–89)
Dangerous World Tour (1992–93)
HIStory World Tour (1996–97)
This Is It (2009–10) (cancelled)
See
also
Honorific nicknames in popular
music
List of best-selling music artists
List of best-selling music artists
in the United States
List of unreleased Michael Jackson
material
List of cover versions of Michael
Jackson songs
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Bibliography
Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard
(2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Fireside. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
Campbell, Lisa (1993). Michael
Jackson: The King of Pop. Branden. ISBN 0-8283-1957-X.
Campbell, Lisa (1995). Michael
Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour. Branden. ISBN 0-8283-2003-9.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=BVC9zltjf-EC&lpg=PP1&dq=michael%20jackson&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true.
George, Nelson (2004). Michael
Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet. Sony BMG.
Guinness World Records (2003).
Guinness World Records 2004. Guinness. ISBN 1-892051-20-6.
Guinness World Records (2005).
Guinness World Records 2006. Guinness. ISBN 1-904994-02-4.
Jackson, Michael (2009) [First
published 1988]. Moonwalk. Random House. ISBN 9780307716989. http://books.google.ca/books?id=E9sGl5P8vQMC&lpg=PP1&dq=Moonwalk&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true.
Ramage, John D.; Bean, John C.;
Johnson, June (2001). Writing arguments: a rhetoric with readings. Allyn and
Bacon. ISBN 0-205-31745-6.
Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2009).
Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009. Terra Alta,
WV: Grand Central Publishing, 2009. ISBN 0-446-56474-5, 9780446564748.
Further
reading
Dineen, Catherine (1993). Michael
Jackson: In His Own Words. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3216-6. http://books.google.ca/books?id=DEspWj_IN_UC&lpg=PP1&dq=Michael%20Jackson%3A%20In%20His%20Own%20Words&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true.
Grant, Adrian (1994, 1997, 2002 and
2005). Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN
1-84449-432-2.
Jackson, Michael (2006). My World,
The Official Photobook, Vol. 1. Triumph International. ISBN 0-9768891-1-0.
Jones, Bob (2005). Michael Jackson:
The Man Behind the Mask. Select Books Inc. ISBN 1-59079-072-3. http://books.google.ca/books?id=8j4ILUllObsC&lpg=PP1&dq=Michael%20Jackson%3A%20The%20Man%20Behind%20the%20Mask&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true.
Jefferson, Margo; Brown (2007). On
Michael Jackson. Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-307-27765-7. http://books.google.com/?id=WJiPk-3oPGkC&lpg=PP1&dq=Michael%20Jackson&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true.
Noonan, Damien (1994) (Audio book).
Michael Jackson. Carlton Books. ISBN 1-85797-587-1.
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