Michael Jackson is the king of pop.
He was ambiguous personality, with its oddities and fears, but it is simply impossible to deny its 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 movie 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 his other brother, 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 in 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) were recorded with such hits as "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You".
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 notable bands and performers during 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 clip 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 on the set of commercial Pepsi. 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 lawsuits 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 deficiency.
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 appears as 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 change.
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, Steven, 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 presented to the participant musical group Commodores, which 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 a close friend of the Jacksons, 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.
There were many realistic child mannequins inside the house, some of them in revealing clothes and in unusual poses.
Also found large collections superhero figurines and cardboard figure of little Shirley Temple.
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. Main song concert - "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?
15 Grammy Awards, 13 Guinness World Records, 1 billion albums sold, 2 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 13 US #1 hits and over 500 prestigious music and philanthropic awards. It's not hard to guess what in question. In 2009, the icon of pop music, the master of incendiary rhythms, the genius of dance, the composer and the main musical provocateur of the 20th century, left us. The one and only Michael Jackson. Music magazine site invites you to remember the highlights of his career.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 to Joseph Jackson and Katherine Skruse. In addition to Michael, the Jacksons had 5 sons: Jackie, Tito, Jermain, Marlon and Randy, as well as 3 daughters: Rebbie, La Toya and Janet. The entire large family huddled in a tiny house with 3 bedrooms. Michael's father, Joseph Jackson, or simply "Joe", was a crane operator. He had a boundless love for music and was even a member of the R&B group The Falcons, however, he never managed to achieve success in this field. But the whole district had heard about his tough temper and harsh principles in raising children. In one of his future interviews, Michael frankly admits that his father brutally beat him for the slightest offense, believing that by doing so he helps him grow up "disciplined." In addition, the failed musician has always tried to morally suppress his children, especially Michael. “My father kept saying that I had a huge, ugly nose, which made me feel like a freak,” Michael recalled in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993. “And one night he climbed into our bedroom with my brothers with a terrible mask on his face. So he wanted to teach us to close the windows before going to bed. For the next three years, I woke up from nightmares in which I was kidnapped from my own bed ... "
In 1964, Michael joins the Jackson Brothers, the founder of which was the head of the family. Soon the group was renamed The Jackson 5, and the main vocals began to get more and more often 8-year-old Michael. It was then that the first success came to the group. The team became more and more popular thanks to the unique vocals of Jackson Jr.
In a few years, from a provincial band that performed at city holidays, The Jackson turned into superstars with more than 100 million albums sold and fame in all countries from the USA to Japan. most famous song the collective still remains the already canonical “I’ll Be There”.
Michael's first solo effort was Off the Wall, produced by 27-time Grammy Award winner Quincy Jones. One of the most beautiful compositions of this multi-platinum record was "She's Out Of My Life". In support of this single, a simple but very touching music video was filmed that won the hearts of a million American girls.
Many music critics called "Off the Wall" a beautiful end to the disco era. More aggressive music began to come into fashion. This trend has not bypassed Michael. He spent more than 2 and a half years in the studio with the producer of his first record. The result of their collaboration was the album "Thriller", the lead single of which was the song "The Girl Is Mine". The composition was the first collaboration between two legends - Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney.
A few months later, Jackson released his second single, "Billie Jean", to the public. Interesting fact: The future world hit was initially dismissed by Quincy Jones as "not good enough". However, Michael's musical instinct did not let him down, and he persuaded the short-sighted producer to give the song a chance.
As a result, the song became one of the most successful singles not only in the career of the King of Pop, but throughout the history of the music industry. The composition took first place in several major music charts at once, including the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK-singles Chart. The next single, the track "Beat It" was officially released on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1983. The subsequent music video was the first in a string of "Michael Jackson mini-movie clips". And of course, the song easily topped the aforementioned Billboard Hot 100.
The single of the same name became a magnificent end to the “Thriller” era. The extended version of the album's video is approaching the mark of 115 million views on the popular YouTube video hosting.
Without exaggeration, this clip can be called "historical". The legendary choreography of this video spawned a phenomenon called “zombie-dance” (zombie dance), and the images invented by Michael remain relevant, finding their way into the work of many contemporary artists.
In 1985, Michael became one of the authors of the charity single "We Are the World", the purpose of which is to draw public attention to the problem of poverty in Africa. Such world stars as Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and, of course, Michael himself took part in the recording of the composition.
The success of the single exceeded all expectations. Four Grammy Awards, including Best Song of the Year. "We Are The World" became "number one" in more than ten countries, its sales exceeded the mark of 20 million copies, which made this single one of the best-selling singles in music history. All the money from the sale of the song was directed to help the starving children of African countries.
Michael's next big success was "Bad". As many as five singles of this LP managed to take the first line in the “Billboard Hot 100”, which is still an absolute record among male performers. But first things first. The album's first big hit was "Bad".
Many then expressed the opinion that this song was a kind of response to gossip and numerous detractors of Michael. And this version sounds quite convincing, given the interest in the press that year that the topic of "Jackson's changing skin color" was exaggerated.
The album "Bad" struck with its diversity. Incendiary dance hits here quite successfully coexisted with lyrical compositions. One of the most expressive songs of the whole album turned out to be “Man In the Mirror”.
Song after song, Michael became more and more brash and independent. He experimented with genres and, as it turned out, very successfully. His rock experiment "Dirty Diana" instantly won the top lines of the world music charts.
Jackson never stopped improving his dancing skills. And after the release of the music video for the track “Smooth Criminal”, millions of people were convinced that Michael has no equal in dancing.
The success of the album was phenomenal. Brilliant status in the US and platinum in all European countries has secured "Bad" as one of the most successful records in the world.
In 1988, Michael's autobiography, the book "Moonwalk", is published, which reveals previously unknown and sometimes shocking details of the star's childhood and youth. The memoir became a worldwide bestseller in less than a year, selling over 250,000 copies.
Spiteful critics argued that after such a successful album, Michael is unlikely to record something as talented. But Jackson, breaking all stereotypes, again released a brilliant album. The record "Dangerous" still has a cult status, supported by 50 million copies sold. The album was foreshadowed by a track called "Black Or White". The star guest of the music video for this song was the charming boy from the movie "Home Alone" Macaulay Culkin. "Black Or White" is considered an unspoken anthem for tolerance and equality.
In the music video for another hit by Jackson, the song “Remember the Time” played the role of the emperor famous comedian, Eddie Murphy. To date, this video has over 33 million views on YouTube.
One of the main hits of the album is the composition "In the Closet". It was after the video for this song that the aspiring model Naomi Campbell received worldwide recognition.
The album did not do without dance fighters. The track "Jam" became a major hit in the summer of 1992, conquering the dance floors of America and Europe.
The composition "Heal the World", the sixth single of the disc, became a kind of solo remake of the song "We Are the World". The lyrics of the song once again reminded people of the world's problems: wars, famine and AIDS.
In 1993, Michael was at the center of a disgusting scandal - he was accused of child molestation. The parents of a certain Jordan Chandler went to the police with a statement alleging that Jackson sexually harassed a 13-year-old boy. Such monstrous accusations seriously crippled the health of the artist. The result of the case was a settlement agreement, according to which Michael paid the Chandler family $ 22 million. In 2009, 16 years after the proceedings, the same Jordan Chandler admitted in an interview that he slandered the singer under pressure from his father, who later committed suicide. The lawsuit, troubled personal life and censure of the public could not but affect the work of Jackson. In June 1995 he released his most emotional and intense album, HIStory.
The album's lead single was a duet between Michael and his sister Janet, a song called "Scream", the music video for which was the most expensive in history. Its creation cost the singer about $ 7 million.
The album's second single, "You Are Not Alone", set a world record debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the years, music critics will call it "one of the most inspiring songs of all time."
In November 1995, one of the biggest and most important songs of Jackson's career, "Earth Song", was released. The song once again raised burning topics: deforestation, air pollution, extermination of rare species of animals.
Another acutely social single was the song “They Don’t Care About Us”. It can really be called scandalous, because the lyrics of the song clearly indicated the imperfection of the political system in the United States and the rest of the world. As a result, more than 80 million views on YouTube.
The final, sixth single was the composition "Stranger In Moscow".
In 1997, the remix album “Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix” was released, the title single of which was the song of the same name. In the music video for the track "Blood On the Dance Floor", Jackson showcased his consistently great dancing skills.
Michael's latest work was the album "Invincible". “You Rock the World” was chosen as the first single of the novelty.
Unfortunately, despite the success of the album, Jackson rather quickly curtailed the promotional campaign, limiting himself to three singles. The most favorite song for the fans was "Whatever Happens". The guitar parts in this song were performed by Carlos Santana himself.
Since 2002, Michael has disappeared from TV screens for the first time. Some close associates claimed that during this time period he recorded over a hundred songs for his grand comeback. In the spring of 2009, the first rehearsals of the "This Is It" tour began, which promised to be the most grandiose event in the history of music.
But the dreams of millions of fans were not destined to come true. On June 25, 2009, Michael's heart stopped forever. The official cause of the legend's death was a lethal dose of a drug called propofol. Online media (particularly Twitter) were the first to inform fans of the death of their idol. The news has become a nightmare for many millions of connoisseurs of Jackson's work. His death was the biggest shock to the public since the September 11 attacks. It was decided to honor the memory of the artist by many famous artists, but, perhaps, the troupe of the world-famous Cirque du Soleil did it best of all. In memory of Michael, a whole tour called “Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour” appeared.
Michael Jackson is the most great artist in the history of mankind. His incredible achievements will forever remain an unattainable bar for all his followers. Of course, his contribution to the development of modern pop music is simply invaluable! He became an idol for most of the mainstream artists of our time, such as Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. It is impossible to express in words the emotions that cover you while listening to timeless hits. His dance moves became the basis of modern choreography. And is it possible to tell the story of modern dance without mentioning Michael's trademark "moonwalk"?! All this makes Michael a unique artist, who never had, never has, and never will. But this is only a part of his merits - albeit a significant one, but still a part.
First of all, he was a man with a huge heart. His charitable foundations have kept millions of young children from starving in the underdeveloped countries of Africa. In total, for his creative work, he donated more than $ 300 million to charity, which no other person on the planet can boast of. But any amount, no matter how large they are, becomes insignificant against the backdrop of how selflessly Jackson lived his life, devoting himself to maintaining world peace.
They say that great people do not live long, because they put all their strength and emotions into creativity. Well, it really is. Michael lived a short but incredibly productive life. Of course, his good name will be remembered for a very, very long time, because such people are not born every day. Contemporaries of Michael Jackson should be infinitely happy that they lived at the same time as the legend.
Rest in peace, King. Everlasting memory.
Michael Joseph Jackson - american singer and a dancer who began his career performing in the family band The Jacksons. Since 1972, he devoted himself to a solo career, quickly achieving unrivaled success. His sixth studio album, Thriller, has been the best-selling album of all time for more than 30 years, and Michael Jackson has become a pop legend.
Childhood: humiliation and first glory
The boy, later recognized as the King of Pop, was born in the town of Gary, Indiana. The boy's parents, Joseph Jackson and Katherine Vinta, married in November 1949. They were brought together by a love of music: the future father of the family was a bluesman, played the guitar, and his mother, half Indian, half mulatto, a native of the rural outback, was obsessed with country music. 
19-year-old Catherine quickly realized that family life was by no means as rosy as in her fantasies. Joseph proved himself to be a real person, turning out to be an unsociable and even cruel person.
When Michael was born in 1958, there were already seven children in the Jackson family. Joseph's strict disciplinarian approach to raising children was harsh: he humiliated his children both morally and physically. The singer's brother Marlon said that his father dissolved his hands for the slightest offense. In an effort to accustom children to order, at night he put on a terrible mask, sneaked up under the windows of the nursery and roared in different ways (later Michael admitted that he was constantly tormented by nightmares as a child). The mother, on the other hand, forced her sons to study the Bible and took them to meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Only in 1993, Michael Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in the studio that in those years he constantly cried and felt lonely, he was literally sick of communicating with his father.
In 1964, the brothers formed The Jacksons. The original line-up consisted of the elders Tito, Jeremy and Jackie, while Michael and Marlon were backup musicians, playing tambourine and congo. Later, Michael took the place of the backing vocalist, and also accompanied each performance with dancing. The strict father watched the band's rehearsals with a belt in his hands and used leather weapons if he didn't like something.
In 1966, it was decided to rename the group to "Jackson 5" ("Jackson's Five"), and Michael became the lead singer. The young musicians won the city talent competition with the song "I Got You (I Feel Good)", after which they went on tour in the Midwest, which lasted until 1968. Michael and his brothers performed in strip clubs for "blacks", warming up the audience before the start of the show.
In 1970, the Jackson Brothers went national with their first singles to the top of the US Billboard chart. Even then, Michael riveted the attention of the public with eccentric dances, which he copied from Jackie Wilson and James Brown.
"Jackson 5" at the show "American Bandstand", 1970
The beginning of a solo career
In 1973, the Jackson 5 became involved in a conflict with their recording studio Motown Records. This did not prevent Michael from releasing 4 solo albums in collaboration with the label: the debut "Got to Be There" (1972), which sold over five million copies, "Ben" (1972), "Music & Me" (1973), and, finally, "Forever , Michael" (1975). 
In 1976, the Jacksons signed a contract with CBS Records, after which they had to return the name "The Jacksons" - Motown retained the rights to "Jackson's Five" for themselves.
Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz
In 1978, Michael Jackson took part in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with Diana Ross. The set brought him together with music director Quincy Jones, who took the talented singer who played the Scarecrow under his wing.
The first fruits of cooperation made themselves felt in 1979, when Michael Jackson presented the public with his fifth solo album "Off the Wall" (translated into Russian - "Alien to Conventions"). With the recording of the album, the musician was helped by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Four singles from the record hit the first lines of the Billboard Hot charts: "Don't Stop "Til You Get Enough", "Rock with You", "She's Out of My Life" and "Off the Wall". sold 20 million copies of the album.
King of pop music
By the early 80s, Michael Jackson had already achieved phenomenal success, and ahead of the fans was waiting for a new album, Thriller. Work on it was carried out for 8 months; The album included 9 tracks, 4 of which Michael wrote on his own. 
The record was released in November 1982, and in just a year received the status of the best-selling album in history, keeping it for several decades. In the US alone, fans of the black singer have bought 26 million copies, and in the world this figure has exceeded 109 million. The album topped the Billboard 200 for 37 weeks and stayed on the list for two years.
The album was a breakthrough in music and, in addition, broke the latest racial stereotypes in the pop industry: three videos of Michael Jackson ("Thriller", "Billie Jean", "Beat It") got into MTV rotation, and the musician was invited to the White House meeting with Ronald Reagan.
Michael Jackson demonstrates "moonwalk" for the first time
In 1983, on the 25th anniversary of Motown Records, Michael Jackson debuted his famous "moonwalk" performance of "Billie Jean" for the first time, as well as a 14-minute video for the song "Thriller", which set new music video standards.
Michael Jackson - "Thriller" Full Clip
In 1984, Michael's work was again at the top of the charts. This time the single "Say Say Say", recorded together with Paul McCartney, got there. The following year, Jackson bought out a controlling stake in ATV Music Publishing, which owns the rights to most of The Beatles' songs, which caused a quarrel with McCartney, who also claims securities.
In March 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie recorded the song "We Are the World". All commercial proceeds, which exceeded $61 million, were given to help the starving children of Africa.
Michael Jackson's seventh studio album ("Bad", 1987) did not repeat the phenomenal success of the previous record, but still stayed on the first line of the Billboard 200 for 6 weeks, sold 29 million copies and gave the world several hits, including the composition " I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Dirty Diana", "Smooth Criminal" and "Man in the Mirror".
Immediately after the release of the album, Michael Jackson went on his first international solo tour "Bad Tour", visiting 15 countries with 123 concerts over the next three years. Jackson turned each performance into a brilliant show: he demonstrated crazy dance steps, communicated with the audience. During one of the London concerts, he got into the Guinness Book of Records - a record half a million spectators came to the performance.
In 1989, Elizabeth Taylor called Michael Jackson "the real king of pop, rock and soul music" during the Soul Train Music Awards. Fans shortened her phrase - "King of Pop", and this nickname stuck with Michael forever.
In 1991, Michael delighted fans with new material by releasing his eighth solo album Dangerous. The release was preceded by the premiere of the video for the song "Black or White", which topped the charts for 5 weeks.
Michael Jackson - "Black or White", 1991
Michael Jackson in Russia
In September 1993, Jackson visited Russia for the first time. The concert took place at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow in the pouring rain. After that, the Dessa company, which spent a million dollars on organizing the event, went bankrupt, and the stadium was closed for repairs.Michael Jackson in Moscow 1996 ORT
In 1995, the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future - Book I, a collection of the musician's greatest hits, which included 15 new songs, went on sale. Among them was the sad ballad Stranger in Moscow. When the fans asked why the song turned out so sad, did he really not like it in Moscow, Michael replied that the audience at the Moscow concert was almost the most welcoming in his memory, but at that moment he was shackled by a feeling of "all-consuming loneliness and cold."
The second time the king of pop visited Moscow in September 1996 - he gave a concert at the Dynamo stadium, met with Yuri Luzhkov and Igor Krutoy.
Later career
The next studio album ("Invincible") Michael Jackson released only in 2001. It consists of 16 tracks, which were collaborated with Michael by Notorious B.I.G. (composition "Unbreakable"), Chris Tucker ("You Rock My World") and Carlos Santana ("Whatever Happens"). 
The musician dedicated the album tragic events in Oslo - on January 26, 2001, 16-year-old Afro-Norwegian Benjamin Hermansen was killed by neo-Nazis. A close friend of the deceased, Omer Bhatti, was also a good friend of Michael Jackson, so the musician took the death of a teenager especially hard.
After the release of the album, Michael Jackson organized a performance dedicated to the 30th anniversary of his solo career at Madison Square Garden. For the first time since 1984, he took to the stage with the former "Jackson Five", and also sang along with Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, N'Sync and Usher.
In 2003, Michael released the hits compilation Number Ones, which included several previously unreleased tracks, including the brand new track "One More Chance".
At this time, Michael was accused of child molestation, and although the musician was acquitted, due to the hype that arose in the press, many celebrities refused to collaborate with Jackson to record a charity song in memory of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The composition "I Have This Dream" was eventually recorded, but never appeared on sale.
In 2004, a five-disc set "Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection" Box Set" was released with 13 previously unreleased songs, and in August 2008, a collection of hits "King of Pop", dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson planned to release his eleventh studio album in 2009.
Michael Jackson's personal life
Michael Jackson has been married twice. The first wife of the musician was the daughter of the King of Rock and Roll - Elvis Presley. Jackson first met Lisa Marie Presley in 1975 at an MGM Grand Hotel event in Las Vegas, but at that time she was only 8 years old. 
The next meeting took place in 1993. After that, they began to chat and quickly became best friends; Lisa supported him during a period when it seemed that everyone turned their backs on Jackson. One day he asked a girl on the phone: "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?" Six months later, they secretly got married in the Dominican Republic. In 1996, their marriage broke up, but the former spouses remained friends.
Michael was going through a divorce very hard, which made his disease [vitiligo] worse. During a visit to personal dermatologist Arnold Klein, he met his assistant, Debbie Rowe. They started talking, and Debbie asked Michael what made him sad the most about the situation. The musician replied that he deeply regretted that he had not acquired common children with Lisa. Then the woman invited Jackson to bear his child so that he could experience the happiness of fatherhood.
Michael happily agreed. The woman gave birth to two children - the son of Prince Michael Joseph Jackson and the daughter of Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. In 1999, Debbie considered mission accomplished and filed for divorce, relinquishing all parental rights.
In 2002, Michael Jackson had a second son, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson II. The musician kept the name of the surrogate mother who carried the child a secret.
Michael Jackson with his son on the balcony of a hotel in Berlin
During the artist's tour in Berlin, one journalist managed to shoot a video of Michael Jackson standing on the hotel balcony and holding his youngest son in his hand. The press made a real scandal out of the video, accusing the singer of careless handling of the child. After this incident, the artist began to be wary of the press and hide all the details from his personal life, and if the Jacksons appeared in public together, the faces of the children were hidden by masks.
Allegations of pedophilia
In 1988, Michael purchased 112 hectares of land in California, near the town of Santa Barbara. In this place, the musician who retired from general attention could finally be himself. He rebuilt the ranch, turning it into the dream of every child: a mansion resembling a fairytale palace, a miniature railway, carousels, a zoo, a huge variety of colorful sculptures ... He called the created amusement park "Neverland", in honor of the book about Peter Pan, the boy who never will not become an adult. 
In 1993, the singer was accused of molesting thirteen-year-old Jordan Chandler, who was a fan of the artist and a frequent visitor to Neverland Ranch. The son admitted to his father, Evan Chandler, that during the visits, Jackson forced the boy to touch his genitals. During the investigation, Michael even had to demonstrate his "dignity" so that the jury could compare the boy's descriptions with reality.
As a result, a settlement was concluded: the Chandlers withdrew the lawsuit, and Michael paid the family $ 22 million in compensation. In 2003, Michael Jackson was again brought to trial on charges of a similar crime. The new "victim" was thirteen-year-old Gavin Arvizo, who told the press that Michael got him drunk and masturbated with him together.
Authorities raided the Jackson estate and arrested the singer, but released him on bail a day later. During the investigation, the artist claimed that the Arvizo family decided to repeat the example of the Chandlers and was engaged in heinous extortion. Litigation lasted two years, in the end Michael Jackson was fully acquitted. Unfortunately, the very fact of being accused of pedophilia had a very negative impact on the reputation and career of the singer.
In 2005, Michael Jackson left Neverland Ranch for good, moving to a mansion in Holmby Hills.
After the singer's death in 2009, Jordan Chandler admitted that all the words about molestation were lies from beginning to end, and said that his father forced him to tell the truth. In November of that year, the elder Chandler shot himself.
Plastic surgery and Michael Jackson's illness
In 1987, after the release of the video for the title track of the album "Bad", fans noticed changes in the face of the idol, and with each subsequent performance, the singer became even paler and thinner. 
The media paid too much attention to the artist's haggard appearance: journalists built the most unexpected hypotheses why Michael Jackson whitened his skin and changed the contours of his face, going as far as accusing him of dysmorphophobia - hatred of his own body.
In the early 90s, Michael put an end to gossip by admitting that in 1986 he was diagnosed with two rare diseases - vitiligo and lupus. And if vitiligo affected only the pigmentation of the skin, covered with light spots due to the disease (hence the deathly white complexion of Michael - this is a thick layer of cosmetics that hid the difference between healthy and affected skin), then lupus, a dangerous autoimmune disease that damages the connective tissue. tissue, led to the failure of the cheekbones and a general deformity of the face. In addition, powerful drugs prescribed to Michael by a doctor during a relapse of lupus led to the musician's addiction to painkillers.
As for the number of Michael Jackson's plastic surgeries, experts who closely followed the gradual transformation of the artist concluded that there were multiple surgical interventions. According to them, he operated on his nose several times, changed the shape of his lips, reshaped his cheeks and eyelids, and also made a dimple in his chin. Michael's mom confirmed that her son, in her opinion, was addicted to plastic surgery. The artist himself stated that he had only done rhinoplasty twice. Doctors failed to resuscitate Michael Jackson
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the way to the medical center of the University of California and in the center itself did not help - Michael Jackson's death was ascertained at 14:26. The news of Michael Jackson's death spread around the world within minutes.
The police immediately launched an investigation into the incident. The first to be interviewed was the singer's personal doctor, Conrad Murray. He said that he found the lifeless Jackson in bed, but managed to distinguish the pulse and tried to give him cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and when he realized that all attempts to resurrect the singer were unsuccessful, he called an ambulance. The following fact played an important role here - Michael rented a mansion, so Conrad did not know the exact address. While he was figuring out the coordinates, a whole half hour passed, which turned out to be fatal for Jackson.
This was the version of Conrad Murray, but the coroners continued the investigation. It turned out that one of the producers of the Emmy Award, Ken Erlich, saw the singer the day before his death - and he seemed to him very energetic and provocative.
An autopsy showed that the singer was in the extreme stage of exhaustion - with an increase of 178 centimeters, his weight was only 51 kilograms. Not a single hint of food was found in the stomach, but a decent amount of painkillers was found. On August 24, a forensic medical examination established the true cause of Michael's death - an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, administered intravenously. Michael Jackson's death certificate lists the cause as "murder".
In November 2011, Murray was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 4 years in prison.
Funeral
On July 7, 2009, a closed farewell ceremony was held for the idol of millions. Jackson's closest friends came to the Forest Lawn Cemetery Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Messages from Diana Ross, Nelson Mandela, Queen Latifah, Stevie Wonder, children of Martin Luther King Jr. were read. The farewell ended with a speech by Paris Jackson. Without holding back her tears, the girl said: “He was the best father which could only be…”. 
In December 2010, the world heard the first posthumous album of Michael Jackson. The record, called "Michael", consisted of 10 tracks, recorded with the participation of Lenny Kravitz, 50 Cent and Tarill Jackson. The release of the album divided the singer's fans into two camps: some believed that publishing songs deliberately hidden by the author "on the table" was blasphemy, which had strictly commercial purpose. Others, on the contrary, were glad that even after his death, the idol continues to delight fans with new creations. Numerous celebrities, including Michael's brother Randy Jackson, referred to the album as "raw" and "unfinished".
short biography Name: Michael Joseph Jackson Michael Joseph JacksonDate 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). Worldwide "Thriller" was implemented record circulation in 109 million copies.
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 funky 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 $17 million to $30 million, was only 17 minutes long and was the highest-grossing film in terms of running time at the time. 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 one. 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 ecological 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 mutual friend in early 1993, they met again, and their relationship reached a serious point. 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, professional psychologist, who also spent several hours with the accuser. According to John Randy Taraborrelli, Katz concluded that Jackson was stuck at the level of mental development of a ten-year-old child. 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. 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 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 there were no traces 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 scheduled concerts - hire Murray, and Murray lived with Jackson for two weeks preparing him for 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 while she arrived ambulance, 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 is survived by a son and 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. small group fans, including the city's mayor, flocked to 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 big screens on the street. 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 Joseph Jackson
On August 29, 1958, a boy was born into a poor and unremarkable African-American family of Joseph and Katherine Jackson, in the town of Gary, lost in the state of Indiana. He was the seventh child in a family that lived in little house- so small that it looked like a garage. The boy was named Michael. Thus, the greatest and most unsolved artist of the late twentieth century, Michael Jackson, was born.
Hundreds of biographies, books, studies have been written about the phenomenon of Michael Jackson, and none of them has been able to cover his entire image so far. In this short biography, we will be even less able to do this. But still, let's try, for those who are just entering the magical world of the artist, to write a short biographical article. Based on it, it will be easier to understand Michael Jackson's autobiography "Moonwalk", and other books, interviews, stories of people who were friends and worked with him over the years.
Childhood in Gary, Indiana
The town of Gary, in which Michael was born, is a small settlement in Indiana, in the East Chicago area. 80% of the town's inhabitants are African Americans - simple workers living in poor houses and working at a local steel plant. And Michael's father, Joseph Jackson, worked at that time in the foundry at this plant. After Michael, two more children were born in the family, and six boys had to sleep in a tiny bedroom on three-story beds. The family barely made ends meet, but thanks to Michael's mother Catherine, a zealous Jehovah's Witness, the children grew up in an environment of strict rules, and the house was kept as tidy as possible. Children from infancy were taught to clean up on their own and take care of themselves.
Michael's house in GaryIn addition, music was constantly played in the house. “We sang a lot at home, mostly popular blues songs like ‘Mustang Sally’. Katherine and I loved to sing with the kids and she also played the piano and sometimes the clarinet. I could play some songs on my guitar too, and every spare minute we had we played R&B records, singers such as Little Richard, Chi-lites, Chuck Berry, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Fats Domino, Joe Tex, Big Maybell, The Impressions and Major Lance,” the father of the family, Joseph, later wrote in his book. It was he, according to Michael himself, who played a decisive role in his development as an artist - despite the fact that the relationship between father and son could hardly be called harmonious.
Joseph was not a timid man, with a strong temper and great ambitions. In his youth, he had to change many occupations - he visited, including the boxing ring, worked as a sleeper stacker, and picked cotton on the plantations of the South. "Someday I'll be at the top too, I promised myself," Joe later wrote in his autobiography. But it is unlikely that in his youth he could have imagined who would lead him to this peak, although show business clearly occupied his thoughts very much: the Falcons (Falcons) group he created with his friends played all over the city, and also performed in clubs and colleges of northern Indiana and Chicago.
The first memories of Michael's childhood do not describe his disposition in infancy in too much detail. Everyone agrees only that the baby has always been full of inextinguishable energy. Mother recalls how, at the age of two, he famously danced to the sound of a washing machine; older brother Jermaine - about how agile he was before he even learned to walk - so that it was impossible to change his diapers; father said that it was impossible to take his eyes off him for a second, otherwise he would disappear, and then he would be found under the table or under the bed.
Katherine Esther Scruse-JacksonThe film "The Jacksons - American Dream", based on the history of the creation of the Jackson 5, describes the legend of its origin. According to her, it all started with the fact that one of the eldest sons, Tito, quietly took his father's guitar to learn how to play. One day, the father found that his son was taking his instrument without asking. Tito was punished, and severely punished: Joseph did not differ in humanity in raising children. However, at the same time, he was surprised to see that Tito learned to play very well. According to his own version, Tito broke a string on the guitar. “What did you do?” I asked him calmly. Tito looked at me incredulously. He thought I would be angry now. “Well, show me what you can do,” I said. I could hardly hide my joy. And he really knew how to play. He taught himself the blues songs that I always played on the guitar. Like me, he played by ear. I didn’t show Tito right away how proud I was of him, but after a couple of days I came home and brought him a gift: a new red guitar!” Joe recalls.
From that moment on, the fate of the children was decided. The Falcons group gradually disappeared from the sight of its creator. Joseph created a musical group from older boys, with whom he rehearsed every day - for three hours or more. Michael was one of the younger brothers, at the time of the formation of the group he was about 5 years old. This little tomboy was not noticed for some time: at first he just played the bongos, which, according to his father and brothers, he really liked. It is curious that even as an adult, Michael remained an excellent percussionist, and also performed excellent beatboxing. But one day during the rehearsal, according to legend, Catherine's mother heard Michael sing. “Listen to how he sings,” she told her husband. And Joe heard.
Frontman of The Jackson Five
Little MichaelEveryone who remembers little Michael unanimously says that his talent was immediately visible. In his book Moonwalk, he talked about his first performance at a school concert: he sang the song "Climb every mountain" ("I will climb any mountain") from the musical "The Sound of Music". “The reaction of the audience when I finished singing shocked me. The hall burst into applause, people smiled, some stood up. The teachers were crying. I just couldn't believe my eyes. I gave them all happiness. It was such a wonderful feeling. But at the same time, I was a little embarrassed: I didn’t do anything special. I just sang like I used to sing at home every night,” Michael recalled. Life has confirmed: “I will climb any mountain” - this is really his motto.
Joseph was astute: once convinced of how great the gift of his young son was, he made Michael the frontman of the group. Thus was the beginning of the artistic career of Michael Jackson. At the age of five, he became one of the most gifted child artists of the twentieth century. But the same talent that made Michael the most famous artist on Earth began to limit his freedom from childhood.
From the age of five, the boy's life was subject to the most severe schedule of rehearsals and concerts. Over time, he, like his brothers, had to leave school: a teacher, Rose Fine, was specially hired to teach the boys, who traveled with the Jackson 5 group around the world. And there was simply no time left for things like socializing and playing with peers. So the theme of "lost childhood" has become one of the main "red lines" in the work, and in the whole life of the artist.
Motown ArtistIn Moonwalk, he wrote: “I used to come home from school and, as soon as I left my books, I rushed to the studio. There I sang until late at night, in fact, when it was already time for me to sleep. Across the street from the studio<...>there was a park, and, I remember, I looked at the guys playing there. I looked at them and wondered - I just could not imagine such freedom, such a carefree life - and more than anything in the world I wanted to be so free that I could go out into the street and behave like them. So I had sad moments as a child. But this happens with all children who have become "stars". Elizabeth Taylor told me she felt the same way. When you work at a very young age, the world can seem terribly unfair. No one forced me to be little Michael the soloist - I chose it myself, and I loved it - but the work was hard. When we were recording for an album, for example, we would go into the studio right after school, and sometimes I would get a bite to eat and sometimes I wouldn't. There just wasn't time. I returned home exhausted, at eleven, or even at twelve at night, when it was long overdue to sleep.
All this was complicated by the tough and cruel disposition of the main mentor, and then the producer of the Jackson brothers - Joseph. The rudeness and rigidity of his father, his tendency to solve problems with a belt and shouting, affected the boys in different ways, but for Michael, a gifted child with a fine mental organization, it was especially difficult to endure. The father drilled his children “excellently”, he instilled in Michael for life the concept of the importance of discipline and hard work, without which no talent can be realized; however, a vulnerable child with a wild imagination needed not only a strict coach, but also loving person. “He trained me as a showman, and under his guidance, I could not take a single wrong step. But what I really wanted was for him to be a dad. I wanted a father who would show me his love, ”Michael later said.
In adulthood, he managed to overcome childhood and youthful grievances, and Joe himself became softer over time, but nevertheless, the traumas experienced in childhood were never completely forgotten, and relations with his father remained tense until Michael's death. In many ways, this childhood tragedy of the artist-wunderkind repeated the fate of such geniuses as Paganini or Mozart, who were the same "star children" led by strict fathers. As an adult, Michael quickly found mutual language with people with a similar fate - this is how his friendship with Elizabeth Taylor and tender attachment to the "girl star" of old Hollywood Shirley Temple began.
Jackson 5In the meantime, the "Jackson Five" gained recognition in their city and surrounding areas in three or four years. Children performed wherever the opportunity arose - in schools, at various talent competitions that invariably won, in nightclubs and strip bars, where little Michael, at the age of seven or eight, got acquainted with the whole "wrong side" of show business. It was not uncommon for a band to open up for strippers and then stay in the gym or come home in the dead of night, rehearsing and playing again the next day.
The next step was the conquest of Chicago. Success awaited the boys everywhere - primarily thanks to the amazing baby soloist, who masterfully performed covers of songs by Motown artists - the first "black" music label in the United States, which brought out a whole galaxy of brilliant soloists and R&B bands. After some time, the group was invited to the oldest "black" musical theater in the United States - to the famous New York Apollo Theater in the heart of Harlem, the cradle of such world-famous famous talents like Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Jackie Wilson, Nina Simone, James Brown. The exacting and capricious New York audience was literally subdued: the triumph of the Jackson five was deafening. After that, the brothers were invited to television, to the David Frost show - but suddenly at the very last moment Joseph refused the invitation. The boys couldn't believe their ears when they heard about it, but the father explained, "They called from Motown."
Growing up. Motown and Epic
Jackson 5 on the cover of Life magazineThe Jackson Five were invited to audition for a famous label, and for many years this audition determined their fate. They joined the studio's star team at the very zenith of its history, when artists such as The Supremes (with Diana Ross), The Temptations, The Four Tops, singers Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson shone on stage and young child prodigy Stevie Wonder.
The main idols of young Michael were the famous black stars James Brown and Jackie Wilson. Sitting backstage for hours, Michael looked and looked at them while his brothers rested nonchalantly, and learned from these masters the art of keeping the audience's attention, absorbing their expression, assimilating dance techniques. Michael was a master at imitating his idols, and this touched the audience, but Michael's vocal talent was not just an object of affection. The boy, who had never studied music or vocals, sang his parts in the purest voice, easily memorizing any melody, one had only to sing it to him. Throughout his career, Michael Jackson remained "musically illiterate", that is, self-taught in everything. However, ignorance of the notes did not prevent him from composing music, and ignorance of vocal techniques did not prevent him from recording songs from the first take.
In the US, there are fans of Michael Jackson who are older than himself. These are the ones who saw the resounding success of the Jackson Five. All of America fell in love with these boys. In terms of attendance at the concerts, the Jackson Five beat the records of The Beatles. They were the idols of a young audience, and the paparazzi began to hunt for them.
Michael, age 12 Michael's life has changed dramatically and forever. He became a superstar at the age of 11 and at the same time grew into the only artist in the history of music who, having matured, not only did not lose the love of the audience, but also multiplied the success of his childhood years.
In the early 1970s, thanks to the talent of the Jackson brothers and the tenacity of Joe, the whole family moved to live in California, where the Motown label also moved. The Jacksons collaborated with Motown for several more years, but then they parted ways, mainly because the brothers wanted to write their own songs, which Motown did not allow them to do. Michael, at the age of 16, discussed the termination of the contract with the management of the label. It should be noted that even at such a young age, when it came to business, Michael behaved decisively and uncompromisingly. As a result, the group moved to another label - Epic - and changed their name to The Jacksons. And little Michael, imperceptibly for everyone, has grown a lot.
17 years Describing his growing up in his autobiography, Michael recalls that it became a great stress for him. When you grow up in front of a whole country and don't leave the covers of magazines, people want to see you the way they initially liked you, he said. A cute little boy with an Afro hairstyle, bright perky eyes and dimples on his cheeks was the favorite of millions. And as it turned out, no one recognized the thin teenager with youthful acne on his face. Sometimes in search of "little Michael" people passed him, and when they realized that Michael was standing next to them, they did not hide their annoyance.
Joseph also added fuel to the fire, pointing out to his son his huge wide nose, insisting that this feature was inherited from his mother. Both brothers and cousins teased Michael - no one missed the opportunity to humiliate the favorite of the public. Perhaps the stress experienced in adolescence and youth was not the last factor that influenced the subsequent artificial changes in Michael's appearance. However, these changes are explained by many other things - both the state of his health, and his understanding of art as, among other things, the art of sculpting oneself and one's life to one's own taste.
Off The Wall. Thriller. Conquest of the summit
Michael, 21 Michael started his official solo career when he was 21 years old. He refused his father's services as a manager, terminated the contract with him and took control of his creative destiny V own hands. His first solo album off the wall, which consisted of songs in the then popular disco style, was released in 1979 and was a phenomenal success - much more than the work of Michael and his brothers, released shortly before. This disc was recognized at that time as the most successful album by a black artist. in history. Many music critics, especially in America, still consider him the pinnacle of Michael Jackson's work.
However, Michael himself was not satisfied. The album received a string of awards but failed to win the music industry's most influential award, the Grammy Album of the Year Award. “I felt that my colleagues ignored me, and it was painful,” Michael later recalled. “This experience lit a fire in my soul,” he wrote in his autobiography. - I was only thinking about the next album and how I would create it. I wanted him to be truly great."
And he fully realized his idea. It is customary to talk about Michael's next album as the greatest achievement in history. modern sound recording. Album Thriller received such a success that it is virtually impossible to repeat. The best-selling album, the Guinness book record holder, the peak, which was climbed by only one person and only once. The album won seven Grammy awards at the 1984 ceremony, including the Album of the Year award - Michael's revenge was resounding.
In his cult film "Thriller" It was from this album that the triumphant march through the world of Michael Jackson's video clips began. To work on your musical films Michael decided to invite filmmakers. He himself did not call his videos "video clips" - he called them "short films". And in general, he was right, because the video clip genre neither before Michael nor after him reached such perfection and sophistication.
In addition, Michael completely reinvented his own image. Moonwalk. Shiny glove. The famous black fedora hat... All these most recognizable features of Michael Jackson's appearance entered the world of popular music precisely in the era Thriller.
Michael invested his profits from record sales of the album in a strategically important acquisition. On the advice of his colleague Paul McCartney, he bought the ATV music catalog, which contained the rights to songs by many famous artists (including, ironically, the songs of The Beatles themselves). Buying the catalog turned out to be a wise investment: Michael had control over where and how songs from the catalog were used, and throughout his later life received royalties whenever those songs generated commercial revenue.
Michael is taken to the hospital with a burnA succession of successes, however, was overshadowed by an accident. In 1984, on the set of a commercial for PepsiCo, sparks hit Michael's head as a result of an explosion of pyrotechnics, and his hair caught fire. Michael's guard, Miko Brando, extinguished the flames with his hands, Michael was immediately taken to the hospital. He had severe burns on his skin. It took several operations to restore the scalp. The procedures were long and painful. Recovery dragged on for several years and was complicated by the appearance of keloid scars that grew and prevented normal hair growth. As the nurse later said, future wife Michael, Debbie Rowe, he had to deal with this problem for decades. It was from that time that Michael began to wear a black hat so often - at first it performed a cosmetic function, and then became an integral part of the image.
bad. "Crazy Jacko" neverland
25 years after resounding success Thriller Michael again plunged into work: he rarely gave interviews, spoke little about his hobbies outside of music, and even more so about his private life. He carefully guarded his personal space. In addition, this was his PR strategy: he believed that in order to succeed, you need to intrigue the public and give it time to miss the "star", and not bother, an eyesore on television screens and secular parties. He carefully created a persona that made people guess and discuss him.
Thus, he soon became known as a strange "hermit", leading a reclusive life in the company of his animals (Michael had a small zoo at home). Rumors spread. Michael sometimes appeared in public either in the company of singer and actress Diana Ross, or accompanied by film actress Brooke Shields, or with Elizabeth Taylor. But in these appearances, romance could not be discerned, and Michael began to be accused of hiding his true sexual orientation. Some said he was gay. And when people noticed that Michael changed the shape of his nose and began to use makeup off the stage, the conviction that there was “something wrong” with him only grew.
Michael with Diana Ross, American Music Awards, 1980However, many rumors were fueled by Michael and his manager Frank Dileo intentionally. They seemed to be playing with the press and public opinion - believing that they had the situation under control. So, rumors that Michael "sleeps in a pressure chamber" and that he bathes only in Evian water were deliberately spread. “It all depends on the rhythm and the right choice of moment,” Michael once explained his tactics of working with the public, as if talking about a real stage performance. - You need to clearly know what you are doing ... It's like a fever: people are waiting, waiting. It is very important to wait. Preserve, cherish this feeling... If you remain mysterious, people's interest will grow.
However, the game has gone too far. “Suddenly, in an instant, all of Jackson’s eccentricity, which only a few months ago was considered intriguing or completely insignificant, began to be called strange, wonderful and amazing,” writes Joseph Vogel in his book The Man in Music. - It became difficult for the artist to withstand ruthless attacks, interference in his life, annoying questions and attention.<…>He was isolated from the world more than ever. As soon as he left the house, a crowd of fans and paparazzi immediately attacked him.<…>Every aspect of an artist's life was viewed under a microscope. People wanted to know everything about him. Why does he have such a high voice? Did he take hormones? Did he have sex reassignment surgery? Is he homosexual? Is he asexual? Why does he live in seclusion and fairy tale surroundings? Why obsessed with animals and children? Why does he wear masks and costumes? Is he out of touch with reality? Is he even human?"
The already shy and isolated Michael almost completely stopped appearing in public. In the vacuum created by the artist's absence, gossip spread and multiplied. Soon, the label "Crazy Jacko" firmly stuck to him, and streams of fabrications poured out of the floodgates of human slander. Some of the stories seemed harmless if strange: rumors of a supposed "sanctuary" he had built in honor of Elizabeth Taylor, of Bubbles the chimpanzee, and even that he had bought the bones of the Elephant Man.
Bad-period “By 1987, for the public, the Jackson-man seemed to have ceased to exist,” writes Vogel. “He transformed into the creature they were trying to mold from him. Even those to whom he seemed perfectly normal noticed the effects. “One day in the studio I saw Michael sitting on the bathroom vanity, behind the control room,” says assistant engineer Russ Ragsdale. “He was sitting with his feet on the tabletop, his shoulder against the mirror, and he was almost in a trance, like an animal in a cage.”
The public opinion about the artist has changed so much that his new album Bad, despite very strong material, a number of hits and strong worldwide sales, was voted by the readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the "worst album". Later that year, during the Bad world tour, Jackson wrote a desperate letter to the press from his hotel room. It said, “As the old Native American saying goes, don't judge a man until he's walked two moons in his moccasins. Many people don't know me, so they write things like this, most of which are not true. I often cry because it hurts… Animals attack not out of anger, but because they want to live. And the same goes for those who criticize: they need our blood, not our pain ... But show mercy, because I have been bleeding for a very long time.
Michael in "Chaplin" imageIn fact, Michael devoted most of his time to hard work. Unprecedented album success Thriller set an unattainable bar for him, which the artist, nevertheless, tried to surpass with each subsequent album. He carefully studied the weekly charts, tracked the latest and trends in modern music to know what resonates with the audience the most. He attracted the most talented producers and musicians. When preparing the albums, Michael worked on dozens of songs, the best of which were then selected for the final tracklist. And he was constantly learning.
Michael Jackson was an avid reader and collected his own library, which eventually grew to 20,000 volumes. His collection included books on world art, history, biology and psychology. He was deeply interested in the biographies of the great people of the past and drew life lessons from their destinies. He was fond of auto-training techniques and developed programs for mentally targeting the result. In addition, he not only, like any American, loved movies and cartoons, but seriously studied cinema, admired Walt Disney and Charlie Chaplin.
Rich Gateway to Neverland During this period, Michael also purchased a new home, a picturesque 2,800-acre ranch two and a half hours from Los Angeles. He named the ranch "Neverland" - in honor of the fairy-tale land from his favorite story about Peter Pan. After moving from his parents' home to Neverland, Michael refurbished the ranch to his liking and turned it into a truly magical, fairy-tale place for guests - especially for children. “I wanted to create a place where there would be everything that I lacked in my childhood,” Michael said about Neverland. There appeared a zoo with exotic animals, an amusement park, a cinema, an arcade with video games and a railway with a real steam locomotive. Having equipped the ranch, Michael opened it to visitors. He invited friends, admirers and children from the surrounding schools to visit. Every few weeks, sick and needy children were brought in by bus to the ranch so they could spend the day in "fairytale land." The rural idyll of Neverland also gave Michael solitude and a sense of harmony with nature - the necessary components of creative inspiration.
Dangerous. Accusations and international scandal
Although the commercial success of the album Thriller Michael (like no one else to this day) failed to surpass, all his subsequent albums invariably ended up at the top of the charts. With the release of the album Dangerous and the world tour of the same name in 1992-93, Jackson expanded the geography of his performances, including the countries of Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. This elevated him to an already great global popularity to an unprecedented level. In the countries of the "third world" hysteria according to Michael Jackson was not inferior to the American and British. He won the title of the most famous person in the world - even in perestroika Russia. His arrival in Moscow with a Dangerous concert in September 1993 became one of the significant events eras of change.
But such fame, like a snowball, "wound" more and more rumors on the artist's reputation. It seemed that people could not find a place for themselves with curiosity, burning with the desire to find out what he eats, what he sleeps in, with whom he dine, what color are his socks, why is he wearing a hat, why is he white, why is there makeup on his face, why is there a bandage on his sleeve Who is his girlfriend, why are there children around him.
Michael and Oprah, 1993 In February 1993, for the first time in ten years, Michael decided to give big. The interview was intended to dispel the rumors around the star and lift the veil of mystery that hid his true life. The world saw a light-skinned man with a high voice, long black hair and makeup on his face, who sat in the living room of his luxurious mansion on the territory of a huge ranch with the magical name "Neverland" and answered questions that excited the public for almost an hour. Much of this interview was a revelation to the public. In particular, it was then that Michael first spoke about the fact that he suffers from a skin disease (vitiligo), as a result of which his skin loses its natural pigment and becomes light. The interview received a record high rating, with 85 million Americans watching it live, according to the network. It caused a new wave of interest in the artist's work and had a positive effect on Michael's image in the eyes of the townsfolk.
Unfortunately, the effect of the interview was short-lived. In the same 1993, the madness around the name of Michael Jackson reached a "boiling point". All the misunderstanding that accumulated around his image, everything that attracted attention to Michael, all his resounding success and mega-popularity turned out to be a breeding ground for the most terrible accusation that he himself could only think of. In August, Evan Chandler, the father of the family with whom Michael became friends, filed a civil lawsuit accusing the artist of "inappropriate behavior" towards his minor son. The news that the King of Pop is a pedophile spread around the world in a matter of days.
It is difficult to imagine what Michael himself experienced during that period. According to his relatives and friends, the accusation was a terrible blow for him. After all, exactly what Michael considered his mission, the meaning of his life - helping children - was distorted and turned against him. His best aspirations and most important life principles were misinterpreted. When the global scandal broke out, Michael was on tour. Every evening he had to go on stage in different countries and cities, not knowing how the new audience would meet him and what the thousands of people who had gathered for the concert really thought about him. During a short visit to Russia, he wrote a poignant song about loneliness "Stranger In Moscow": "I wandered in the rain, hiding behind the mask of life, feeling like I was going crazy ..." Strong stress, coupled with an exhausting performance schedule, jet lag and pain from the operation transferred before the start of the tour, they made themselves felt - Michael's insomnia worsened, and he was forced to turn to painkillers and sleeping pills in order to maintain efficiency.
By November, his condition had become critical: the remaining dates of the Dangerous tour had to be canceled and Michael's girlfriend, Elizabeth Taylor, took him to a rehab clinic in London. Michael spent about a month there, restoring his health and strength.
Was there anything rational about the charges leveled against Michael? This was discussed a lot by both the singer's fans and his ill-wishers, but it is worth looking first of all at the facts. Evan Chandler, a dentist divorced from his wife and very modestly involved in his son's life, was a man of great ambition and dreamed of a career in Hollywood. When his son Jordan met superstar Michael Jackson, Evan was initially sympathetic to the friendship and even tried to form a friendship with Michael. However, Jordan began to spend more and more time with Michael, clearly seeing him as a father figure, and Evan, by his own admission, got jealous and felt that he was losing his son. Yes, and the boy's mother, June, sympathized with Michael more than her ex-husband. In the summer of 1993, Evan, allegedly having received a confession from Geordie, first turned to Michael demanding money and threatening to start a public scandal. In a published private telephone conversation, Evan admits that he has conceived a plan and his goal is to get his own or ruin Michael's career. He also says his son's interests in the case "do not matter." This probably explains why Evan did not file a police report, as a truly angry parent would, but instead tried to extort material compensation from Jackson. When Jackson refused to meet his terms, Chandler put his threats into action and filed a civil suit.
Michael proclaims his innocence on TV Michael Jackson has always vehemently defended his innocence. At first, he intended to fight for his honor to the end and did not agree to make concessions. However, the scandal undermined his health and jeopardized his career. The legal proceedings threatened to drag on for several years, which would have had a detrimental effect on music sales and the artist's public image. Also—despite the fact that the Chandlers never went to the police—the Santa Barbara County Attorney for own initiative opened an investigation with the intent to bring criminal charges against Michael. If he succeeded, Jackson would have to defend himself "on two fronts" at once. The situation was extremely stressful for Michael.
The last straw was the humiliating personal search to which Michael was subjected: he, a shy man who was extremely scrupulous about his public image, was forced to strip naked in the presence of investigators and doctors and photographed his genitals to compare with the description given by the boy. Soon after this traumatic event, Michael, succumbing to the persuasion of his advisers and the insurance company, agreed to a peace agreement with the Chandlers. "We wanted to leave this horror behind," he later explained in a TV interview. The amount his insurer paid out to Evan Chandler was $15 million.
Prime Time interview, 1995 Peace agreement with the Chandlers civil action did not affect the investigation led by the prosecutor's office - and the investigation continued for several more months. However, there is no evidence or credible evidence that would point to criminal behavior Michael, the police did not find. The description given earlier by Jordan was not confirmed by the photographs, and Jordan himself did not want to testify against Michael. The two grand juries assembled on the matter ultimately declined to indict Jackson for lack of evidence.
Michael was left alone, but this scandal and the cash payment extremely negatively affected his reputation. PepsiCo, which sponsored his world tour, decided not to renew his contract. Many former friends suddenly disappeared from his life. And the question forever remained in the minds of the public: “If he was innocent, then why did he pay?”
HIStory. King of Pop and Princess of Rock. Second marriage and children
Michael himself publicly commented on these events only twice - in a statement of his innocence on TV and later in. However, personal experiences poured abundantly into his work: most of the new, released in 1995, became his response to the accusations. So, for example, in the song "This Time Around" Michael throws to unnamed offenders: "This time I will not let myself be stung, although you really want to get to me!" In the song “Money”, he accuses the enemy of self-interest: “You will do anything for money ...”, and in the song “D.S.” openly convicts the district attorney who started hunting him: "Tom Sneddon is a heartless person."
Michael and Lisa Marie Just a few months after the scandal subsided, the world was shocked by another unexpected news: Michael Jackson got married. Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' daughter and heiress, has announced to the world that she is the legal wife of the King of Pop. "I am truly in love with Michael and want to dedicate my life to him," she said in a statement to the press.
At that moment, the general public did not know anything about the history of the relationship between Michael and Lisa Marie, so this news was received with skepticism by many. The young people were quick to accuse that the marriage was fictitious, that its purpose was to help Michael restore his reputation after the accusations and demonstrate his heterosexuality. Over time, however, it became increasingly clear that this was not the case.
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley The first joint photo shoot Michael and Lisa met in 1992 through a mutual friend: Lisa wanted to offer Michael to produce her debut album. Later, she admitted that at the first meeting she was fascinated by Michael: he denied the rumors about himself and turned out to be completely different from what the press portrayed him. “I forgot that he was a superstar after 20 minutes - he was so open and simple with me,” she said. Michael and Lisa began to communicate often, and an affair began between them. At that time, Lisa was still married to her previous husband, Danny Keu, but this did not stop Michael from continuing courtship, and Lisa from accepting them.
Michael and Lisa Marie, February 1998 At first, the couple seemed really happy, but the marriage lasted only a year and a half - in early 1996, Lisa Marie filed for divorce. According to her, she could not live "in the ivory tower" built around Michael. She, like any woman, wanted attention and marital understanding - Michael was used to existing in the mode of public performance, played out by himself. The dissolution of the marriage was an impulsive decision (“a stupid move,” as Lisa Marie later called it). The couple's relationship continued for several more years after the divorce. Lisa did not hide the fact that she loved Michael for many years, and although the breakup left her bitterness and doubts about the reciprocity of these feelings, after Michael's death she admitted: "And he loved me as much as he could."
For Michael, a serious disappointment in marriage was the fact that Lisa Marie did not give birth to a child for him. Having grown up in a large family and seeing a source of inspiration in children, Michael really wanted to become a father, but Lisa, who already had two small children from her first marriage, was in no hurry to conceive, and the marriage ended up being childless.
Michael and Debbie A year and a half after the divorce of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, it was reported that Debbie Rowe, a nurse and an old acquaintance of Michael, was expecting a child from him. Soon - in Australia during the HIStory world tour - Michael and Debbie got married. The news was met with even more criticism than Jackson's first marriage. Most people heard the name Debbie Rowe for the first time and knew nothing about her friendship with Jackson. “An unknown nurse of ordinary appearance is not a couple for a world-famous superstar,” the public reasoned. The marriage was again called fictitious, and this time it seemed that even Michael himself did not try to deny it.
Perhaps this relationship really was not built on romance, but Debbie Rowe was far from a random person in Michael's life. Michael met Debbie back in the early 80s at a dermatologist's appointment, where he underwent medical and cosmetic procedures to improve his skin condition. For more than a decade, Debbie has helped Michael cope with vitiligo, a disease that caused his skin to lose its natural pigment, as well as the effects of a burn received on the set of commercials. In the early 90s, when Michael underwent painful scalp surgery, Debbie lived with him for several weeks, helping him through the post-surgery period.
Michael with his first child, Prince MichaelMichael saw in Debbie a devoted friend, but she truly loved him and did not hide it. After noticing how Michael was worried about his failed marriage to Lisa Marie, Debbie offered to help him fulfill his most cherished dream - to become a father. And Michael gratefully accepted her offer. On February 13, 1997, Debbie gave Michael, probably the most precious gift in his life - she gave birth to his son Prince, and a year later - daughter Paris.
Shortly thereafter, the couple filed for divorce. The children stayed with Michael and Debbie only saw them occasionally. Many condemned the couple for this decision and blamed Debbie for abandoning her children. But according to her, this was the plan from the very beginning: she did not want to become a mother, but only wanted to give children to Michael, to make him happy. She gave birth to children for him.
Michael with his three children According to Michael himself, the appearance of children radically changed his life. The children gave it a new meaning, became inspiration and support for him. From now on, they were more important to him than anything in the world, and even music faded into the background. According to all acquaintances, friends and colleagues of Michael without exception, he was an exemplary parent. He himself took care of his children from infancy: he changed their diapers, washed them, cleaned up after them, cooked for them, taught them good manners and engaged in their diversification. He studied parenting books and aspired to be the best father in the world. “My biggest dream is that one day Prince and Paris would say about me:“ He was the best dad! ”Michael admitted to his friend in a private conversation published later. Wherever he traveled, on whatever projects he worked, he always took care of the needs of his little ones and always found time for them.
In February 2002, Michael had a third child - a son, Prince Michael Jackson II. The kid received from his father the affectionate nickname "Blanket", which stuck to him as the main name. Nothing was publicly reported about the boy's mother (as Michael's personal assistant later said in his memoirs, Blanket was born from a surrogate mother).
Invincible. Bashir film. New charges and trial
Action against Sony In the fall of 2001, the long-awaited new album of Michael Jackson was released Invincible. The release was accompanied by two shows in New York; there were rumors that Michael would go on tour again. However, the promotional campaign for the album was abruptly cut short when Sony Music stopped releasing music videos and media promotion of the album. Sony executives explained this by the fact that huge funds had already been invested in the album (only $ 30 million was spent on recording and mixing the songs), and sales did not pay off further costs. Michael, who had devoted several years of hard work to this project, was hurt and angry. He believed that Sony had sabotaged the promotion of the album and began to suspect that the label's management was plotting to leave him in debt and force him to sell his stake in the Sony/ATV catalog, a joint venture that Michael by this time owned half-and-half with Sony. Michael broke off relations with the head of the label, Tommy Mottola, and began to openly oppose Sony. Many fans of the singer supported him with protests. The album ultimately failed to live up to commercial expectations, and although Michael has since worked with Sony on several more releases, he has never forgiven the label for this betrayal.
Unfortunately, this betrayal was not the last and not the most difficult in the life of Michael Jackson. In 2003, Michael made another attempt to overcome the image imposed on him by the yellow press and find understanding among the general public. He invited British journalist Martin Bashir to make a documentary about his private life off stage. Relying on recommendations from friends, Michael trusted Bashir and agreed to give him unlimited access to his home and his life for eight months.
Michael in Bashir's film Bashir spent almost a year next to Michael. He communicated with his children, lived in Neverland, accompanied him on his travels. However, the film that ended up on the screens turned out to be not at all what Michael expected. Out of eight months of filming, Bashir carefully selected moments to illustrate the most controversial topics. Michael's lines were skillfully edited to add sensationalism to the film, the most innocent scenes being provided with ambiguous voiceovers. Michael was portrayed as an asocial, deranged individual with megalomania and paranoia, and a threat to his own and others' children. Relatives and friends did not recognize him in this film.
Many viewers and even celebrities criticized Bashir's film. Michael released a rebuttal program exposing the duplicity of the journalist. However, the damage has already been done. The most terrible consequence of the film was a new attempt to accuse the artist of inappropriate communication with a child. The film showed a teenager from a poor Hispanic family, whom Michael helped to cope with a difficult cancer. The negative presentation of this story and Bashir's insinuations led to the fact that Michael's relationship with the boy's family deteriorated, and the boy's mother contributed to the initiation of a criminal case against Michael.
In the days of judgment. 2005 Santa Maria This time District Attorney Tom Sneddon (who failed to indict Jackson in 1993) got a formal charge filed. Michael was arrested and in front of the camera lenses was escorted in handcuffs to the police station. His Neverland Ranch was raided without ceremony by 70 police officers. All his plans for the implementation of new projects (including the creation of a designer clothing brand and producing films) were crossed out.
The investigation into the case lasted two years, after which the trial took place, which turned into a global media spectacle. Reporters were not allowed into the courtroom, and they, like a flock of vultures, surrounded the courthouse, filming Michael's daily arrival to and exit from the hearings. There were fans at the courthouse who supported the artist, and haters who shouted threats to him. Michael Jackson went through this three-month public ordeal with quiet dignity. According to the stories of his close associates, for him these were the hardest months of his life, a period of despair, during which he drew strength only from his children, the support of his fans and faith in God. On June 13, 2005, Michael was unanimously acquitted by a jury of fourteen counts.
Last years. This Is It
Although the jury found the artist innocent, this trial itself had a strong impact on his state of mind. According to relatives, Michael became more withdrawn, stopped trusting people, and preferred to avoid public appearances. Immediately after the end of the process, he left Neverland, saying that he could never live there again, and left the country. For the next year and a half, he and his children wandered around the world: for some time he visited the Prince of Bahrain, then he moved to a quiet estate in Ireland. And only in December 2006, he finally found the strength to return to his homeland.
By this time, his financial situation had become critical. Jackson hadn't released any new music or performed for seven years, and his career seemed to have fallen into oblivion. With no new sources of income, he increasingly lived in debt. By 2008, the size of his loans reached the value of the mortgaged property: Michael almost lost the Neverland Ranch and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The only way out of the situation was to return to the stage.
Announcement of concerts This Is It And in January 2009 a contract was signed with one of the largest concert promoters AEG Live for 10 concerts at the O2 arena in London. The concerts were called This Is It - "That's it." Michael announced them as his "last bow". According to eyewitnesses, he was forced to accept this contract. It was psychologically difficult for him to return to the stage - Bashir's film, the accusations and the trial had an extremely negative impact on his image: many people by that time considered Michael Jackson crazy, if not a criminal. He didn't know how the public would take him. However, contrary to fears, the demand for tickets was unheard of: within a day after the announcement, applications were received from almost a million people. The number of concerts hastened to increase to fifty.
The upcoming "marathon" of fifty performances and intensive preparation for it turned out to be a great stress for Michael. He was afraid that at the age of 50 he would not be able to withstand such a load, he was worried that he would disappoint the fans, that the show would fail. Too much was at stake. The insomnia that usually accompanied him on tour worsened. Michael was forced to resort to potent drugs to get enough sleep before rehearsals. His health deteriorated sharply, he lost weight - the team members who worked on the preparation of the show, and even the fans sounded the alarm. But the tragedy could not be prevented.
On the morning of June 25, 2009, a week before flying to London and three weeks before the start of the concerts, Michael Jackson died from an overdose of an anesthetic administered to him by his attending physician. Dr. Conrad Murray was subsequently found guilty of manslaughter artist and sentenced to four years in prison.
Fans see Michael off at the Apollo Theatre, New York Michael Jackson's death was an event that caused even more public outcry than his failed grandiose return to the stage. On June 25, 2009, the news of his death brought down the servers of Twitter and a number of news sites, unable to cope with the explosion of traffic as a result of this news. Google reacted to millions of search queries about Michael Jackson as a cyberattack. Wikipedia has registered a record number of visitors to a single article for the entire existence of the service. The artist's Facebook page gained 10 million subscribers in a matter of hours. The leaders of the Internet corporation America Online called the death of Michael Jackson "a significant milestone in the history of the Internet."
Many people, who were not even ardent fans of the artist, cried when they heard about his death. Others admitted that it was difficult for them to grasp the news: Michael Jackson became such a bright and integral part of modernity for his generation that it was difficult for people to imagine a world without him. A wave of tributes swept the globe: from Stockholm to Taipei, from Mexico City to Hong Kong, young people took to the streets and danced to Michael's songs. Hundreds of obituaries, memoirs and articles appeared in the press and blogs, rethinking the personality and work of the "King of Pop". His songs, which were rarely heard on the radio during his later years, returned to heavy rotation. Documentary"This Is It", edited from rehearsal footage from canceled shows, broke box office records and received unanimous critical acclaim. Album Invincible voted by readers of the site Billboard was named the best album of the decade. A re-evaluation of Jackson's work began: people began to discover his lesser-known and commercially successful works.
Paris Jackson at the memorial service But perhaps the key event that marked the beginning of a new, eternal life for Michael Jackson was the words of his daughter Paris, uttered by her at the farewell ceremony, which was watched live by about a billion people. When Michael's family took the stage, his 11-year-old daughter suddenly, in a fit of emotion, asked for a microphone and, barely holding back tears, uttered into the hall and into the TV cameras the very words that Michael once dreamed of hearing: “From my very birth, dad was the best a father you could imagine. I love him so much…” This simple short panegyric did what Michael had been unable to achieve for many years – as if in an instant he allowed millions of people to throw off their blinders and finally see a person in the hero of the scandalous gossip column. Death, alas, took this man away, but it also freed his personality and genius from the burden of social prejudices.
