Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer and dancer, who began his career performing in the family group "The Jacksons". Since 1972, he dedicated himself to a solo career, rapidly achieving unparalleled success. His sixth studio album, "Thriller", remains the best-selling album in history for over 30 years, and Michael Jackson's name has become a legend in pop music.
Michael Jackson – The King of Pop
Childhood: Humiliation and First Fame
The boy, later recognized as the king of pop music, was born in the small town of Gary, Indiana. The boy's parents, Joseph Jackson and Katherine Scruse, were married in November 1949. Their shared love for music brought them together: the future head of the family was a bluesman who played the guitar, while his mother, half Native American, half African American, from rural origins, was obsessed with country music.
Michael Jackson with his parents
At 19, Katherine quickly realized that married life was far from as rosy as she had imagined. Joseph turned out to be aloof and even cruel.
Michael Jackson's family in full
By the time Michael was born in 1958, the Jackson family already had seven children. Joseph's approach to raising children was stern: he humiliated his children both emotionally and physically. The singer's brother Marlon said that their father would lose his temper at the slightest mistake. To instill discipline, he would put on a frightening mask at night, sneak up to the children's windows, and roar in various ways (Michael later admitted that he was constantly tormented by nightmares as a child). Meanwhile, their mother forced the sons to study the Bible and took them to Jehovah's Witnesses meetings.
Michael Jackson in his childhood
It was only in 1993 that Michael Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in her studio about how he constantly cried and felt lonely during those years, and he was literally sick of interacting with his father.
Young Michael Jackson already loved eccentric dances
In 1964, the brothers formed the band "The Jacksons". Initially, the older ones, Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie, were part of the band, while Michael and Marlon were backup musicians, playing the tambourine and conga. Later, Michael became a backup singer and accompanied every performance with dances. Their strict father observed the band's rehearsals with a belt in his hand and used his leather weapon if he didn't like something.
The Jackson brothers rehearsed tirelessly, fearing their strict father
In 1966, it was decided to rename the band "Jackson 5", and Michael became the lead singer. The young musicians won a city talent contest with the song "I Got You (I Feel Good)", after which they went on a tour of the Midwest that lasted until 1968. Michael and his brothers performed in strip clubs for African Americans, warming up the audience before the start of the show.
The Jacksons: The Beginning
In 1970, the Jackson brothers' band went national - their first singles reached the top of the American Billboard chart. Even then, Michael captured the audience's attention with eccentric dances that he copied from Jackie Wilson and James Brown.
Jackson 5 on the American Bandstand show, 1970
Beginning of Solo Career
In 1973, "Jackson 5" found themselves in conflict with their recording studio, Motown Records. Despite this, Michael managed to release four solo albums in collaboration with the label: his debut album "Got to Be There" (1972), which sold over five million copies, "Ben" (1972), "Music&Me" (1973), and finally, "Forever, Michael" (1975).
Michael Jackson began his solo career in 1972
In 1976, the Jacksons signed a contract with CBS Records, after which they had to revert to the name "The Jacksons" - Motown retained the rights to "Jackson 5".
Michael Jackson as Scarecrow, musical 'The Wiz'
In 1978, Michael Jackson participated in the filming of the Broadway musical "The Wiz" alongside Diana Ross. The shooting location introduced him to the music director Quincy Jones, who took the talented singer, who played the role of Scarecrow, under his wing.
Producer Quincy Jones nurtured Michael Jackson's talent
The first fruits of their collaboration were realized in 1979, when Michael Jackson presented his fifth solo album "Off the Wall" to the public. Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder assisted the musician in recording the album. Four singles from the record topped the Billboard Hot charts: "Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Rock with You", "She’s Out of My Life" and "Off the Wall". A total of 20 million copies of the album were sold worldwide.
The Unconventional Michael Jackson, 1979
The King of Pop
By the early 1980s, Michael Jackson had already achieved phenomenal success, and his fans were eagerly awaiting his new album, "Thriller". The album took 8 months to produce and included 9 tracks, 4 of which were penned by Michael himself.
Released in 1982, Thriller became a phenomenon
The album was released in November 1982, and within a year, it received the status of the best-selling album in history, a record it held for several decades. In the US alone, the African-American singer's fans bought 26 million copies, and globally, this figure exceeded 109 million. The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and remained on the list for two years.
Michael Jackson's Thriller remains the best-selling album in history
The album was a breakthrough in music and, moreover, shattered the last racial stereotypes in the pop industry: three of Michael Jackson's videos ("Thriller", "Billie Jean", "Beat It") went into rotation on MTV, and the musician was invited to the White House to meet with Ronald Reagan.
Michael Jackson first demonstrates the moonwalk
In 1983, at the 25th anniversary of Motown Records, Michael Jackson first presented his famous "moonwalk" during the performance of "Billie Jean". He also showcased a 14-minute video for the song "Thriller", setting new standards for music videos.
Michael Jackson – Thriller, full clip
In 1984, Jackson's creativity was again at the top of the charts. This time, the single "Say Say Say", recorded in collaboration with Paul McCartney, made the cut. The following year, Jackson bought a controlling stake in ATV Music Publishing, which owned the rights to most of The Beatles' songs, causing a fallout with McCartney who was also eyeing the valuable papers.
Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney working on Say Say Say
In March 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie recorded the composition "We Are the World". All commercial revenues exceeding $61 million were donated to help starving children in Africa.
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie
Michael Jackson's seventh studio album ("Bad", 1987) did not replicate the phenomenal success of the previous record, but it still topped the Billboard 200 chart for 6 weeks, sold 29 million copies, and gave the world several hits, including the compositions "I Just Can’t Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Dirty Diana", "Smooth Criminal" and "Man in the Mirror".
A scene from the movie Moonwalker
Immediately after the album's release, Michael Jackson embarked on his first international solo tour, the "Bad Tour", visiting 15 countries with 123 concerts over the next three years. Jackson turned every performance into a dazzling show: showcasing incredible dance moves, interacting with the audience. During one of his London concerts, he made it into the Guinness Book of Records – the performance attracted a record half a million spectators.
Every performance of Michael Jackson was a spectacle
In 1989, Elizabeth Taylor during the Soul Train Music Awards ceremony named Michael Jackson the "real king of pop, rock, and soul music". Fans shortened her phrase to "King of Pop", and this nickname stuck with Michael forever.
Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor
In 1991, Michael delighted fans with new material, 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
Further Career
Michael Jackson released his next studio album ("Invincible") only in 2001. It featured 16 tracks, co-created with Michael by Notorious B.I.G ("Unbreakable"), Chris Tucker ("You Rock My World") and Carlos Santana ("Whatever Happens").
Recording of the album 'Invincible'
The musician dedicated the album to a tragic event 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, thus, the musician took the teenager's death particularly hard.
Omer Bhatti, Michael Jackson's old friend and fan
After the album's release, Michael Jackson organized a performance at Madison Square Garden tied to the 30th anniversary of his solo career. For the first time since 1984, he appeared on stage with the former "Jackson Five", and also performed alongside Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, N’Sync, and Usher.
Michael Jackson and 'The Jacksons', 2001
In 2003, Michael released a collection of hits "Number Ones", which included several previously unreleased tracks, including the brand new track "One More Chance".
Michael Jackson's anniversary concert
At this time, Michael faced accusations of child molestation, and although the musician was acquitted, 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 released for sale.
Michael Jackson and Diana Ross
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", tied to Michael Jackson's 50th birthday.
All Michael Jackson's stage images in one picture
Michael Jackson planned to release his eleventh studio album in 2009.
Personal Life of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was married twice. His first wife was the daughter of the King of Rock and Roll - Elvis Presley. Jackson first met Lisa Marie Presley in 1975 at an event at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, but at that time, she was only 8 years old.
Michael Jackson with his first wife, daughter of Elvis Presley
Their next meeting took place in 1993. After that, they started bonding and quickly became best friends; Lisa supported him during a time when it seemed everyone had turned their backs on Jackson. One day, he asked her over the phone, "Would you marry me if I asked?". Six months later, they secretly wed in the Dominican Republic. By 1996, their marriage ended, but the former spouses remained friends.
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley remained friends
Michael was deeply affected by the divorce, which worsened his vitiligo. During a visit to his personal dermatologist, Arnold Klein, he met his assistant, Debbie Rowe. They struck up a conversation, and Debbie asked Michael what upset him the most in his current situation. The musician replied that he deeply regretted not having children with Lisa. Then the woman offered to bear Jackson's child so he could experience the joy of fatherhood.
Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe got married out of convenience
Michael readily agreed. She gave birth to two children – son Prince Michael Joseph Jackson and daughter Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. In 1999, Debbie considered her mission completed and filed for divorce, relinquishing all parental rights.
Children of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe
In 2002, Michael Jackson's second son was born - Prince Michael Joseph Jackson II. The name of the surrogate mother who carried the child was kept secret by the musician.
Michael Jackson with his son on a hotel balcony in Berlin
During the artist's tour in Berlin, a journalist managed to film a video of Michael Jackson standing on a hotel balcony holding his youngest son. The press blew up the clip into a full-blown scandal, accusing the singer of handling the child carelessly. After this incident, the artist became wary of the press and hid all details of his personal life, and when the Jacksons appeared in public together, the children's faces were masked.
Michael Jackson with his son
Pedophilia Accusations
In 1988, Michael acquired 112 hectares of land in California, near the town of Santa Barbara. In this secluded place, the musician could finally be himself, away from the public eye. He transformed the ranch into every child's dream: a mansion resembling a fairytale palace, a miniature railway, carousels, a zoo, and a plethora of colorful sculptures. He named this amusement park "Neverland," in honor of the book about Peter Pan, the boy who would never grow up.
Neverland, Michael Jackson's ranch
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 the Neverland ranch. The boy confessed to his father, Evan Chandler, that during visits, Jackson made the boy touch his genitals. As part of the investigation, Michael even had to show his "dignity" so that the jury could compare the boy's descriptions with reality.
Michael Jackson and Jordan Chandler
Eventually, a settlement was reached: the Chandlers withdrew the lawsuit, and Michael paid the family a compensation of $22 million.
In 2003, Michael Jackson was again brought to court on charges of a similar crime. The new "victim" was thirteen-year-old Gavin Arvizo, who told the press that Michael had given him alcohol and engaged in mutual masturbation with him.
In the photo: Gavin Arvizo
Authorities searched Jackson's estate and arrested the singer, but released him on bail within a day. During the investigation, the artist claimed that the Arvizo family decided to follow the example of the Chandlers and was engaged in disgusting extortion. The lawsuits lasted two years, and in the end, Michael Jackson was fully acquitted. Unfortunately, the very fact of the pedophilia accusations had a very negative impact on the singer's reputation and career.
Michael Jackson's fans decorate the idol's ranch as a sign of support
In 2005, Michael Jackson left the Neverland ranch forever, moving into a mansion in Holmby Hills.
Mansion in Holmby Hills rented by Michael Jackson
After the singer's death in 2009, Jordan Chandler admitted that all the words about molestation were lies from beginning to end, and stated that his father had forced him to tell the truth. In November of the same year, elder Chandler committed suicide.
After the death of Michael Jackson, Evan Chandler committed suicide
Plastic Surgery and Michael Jackson's Disease
In 1987, after the release of the music video for the title song of the album "Bad", fans noticed changes in their idol's face, and with each subsequent performance, the singer became even paler and thinner.
How Michael Jackson's Appearance Changed
The media paid too much attention to the artist's exhausted appearance: journalists constructed the most unexpected hypotheses about why Michael Jackson whitened his skin and altered his facial contours, even going as far as accusing him of body dysmorphia - hatred towards his own body.
Michael Jackson Was Accused of Hatred Towards His Body
In the early 90s, Michael put an end to the rumors by admitting that he was diagnosed with two rare diseases in 1986 - vitiligo and lupus. While vitiligo only affected his skin pigmentation, causing it to develop light spots (hence Michael's deathly pale face color - a thick layer of makeup hiding the difference between healthy and affected skin areas), lupus, a dangerous autoimmune disease damaging the connective tissue, led to the sinking of the cheekbones and overall facial deformation. In addition, powerful medications prescribed to Michael during a lupus flare-up led to the musician's harmful addiction to painkillers.
Vitiligo Manifested in Michael Jackson in His Youth
As for the number of Michael Jackson's plastic surgeries, experts closely followed the artist's gradual transformation and concluded that there were multiple surgical interventions. They claimed he had multiple nose jobs, altered the shape of his lips, reshaped his cheeks and eyelids, and also made a dimple on his chin. Michael's mother confirmed that her son, in her opinion, had become addicted to plastic surgery. The artist himself claimed that he had only undergone rhinoplasty twice.
Michael Jackson said, he only had rhinoplasty twice
Death
On June 25, 2009, at 12:21 local time, a call was made to the California rescue service. A frantic voice called an ambulance to the Holmby Hills estate - the residence of Michael Jackson. The medics, who arrived at the scene in 3 minutes and 17 seconds, found the lifeless body of the King of Pop with a barely detectable pulse.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the way to and at the California University Medical Center did not help - Michael Jackson's death was declared at 2:26 PM. News of Michael Jackson's demise spread across the world within minutes.
Michael Jackson's death shocked the world
The police immediately began investigating the incident. The singer's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was the first to be questioned. He said that he found Jackson breathless in his bed, but he was able to detect a pulse and tried to give him cardiopulmonary resuscitation. When he realized that all attempts to revive the singer were unsuccessful, he called an ambulance. The following fact played an important role - Michael had rented a mansion, so Conrad did not know the exact address. It took a whole half hour to figure out the coordinates, which turned out to be fatal for Jackson.
Breaking news: Michael Jackson is dead
This was Conrad Murray's version, but the coroners continued their investigation. It turned out that one of the Emmy Award producers, Ken Ehrlich, saw the singer the day before his death - and he seemed very energetic and spirited to him.
A minute of silence at Michael Jackson's star on the Walk of Fame
The autopsy showed that the singer was in the final stages of exhaustion - at a height of 178 centimeters, he weighed just 51 kilograms. There was not a single hint of food in his stomach, but a considerable amount of painkillers was found. On August 24, the autopsy established the true cause of Michael's death - an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, administered intravenously. The cause of Michael Jackson's death was listed as "homicide".
On July 29, 2009, Conrad Murray admitted that he had given Michael Jackson a propofol injection shortly before his death, followed by several sedative pills - recently, the singer had been suffering from insomnia and pain due to the effects of plastic surgery and spinal problems, so he needed anesthesia and a sleeping pill.
Propofol found in Michael Jackson's bedroom
In November 2011, Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 4 years in prison.
Conrad Murray agreed with the court's decision
Funeral
On July 7, 2009, a private farewell ceremony for the idol of millions took place. Jackson's closest friends came to the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Tributes were read from Diana Ross, Nelson Mandela, Queen Latifah, Stevie Wonder, and the children of Martin Luther King. The farewell ended with a speech by Paris Jackson. Unable to hold back her tears, the girl said, "He was the best father you could ever possibly imagine..."
Michael Jackson's daughter Paris couldn't hold back her tears
On September 3, 2009, 70 days after his passing, Michael Jackson was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Michael Jackson's Funeral
Posthumous Albums of Michael Jackson
After the unveiling of Michael Jackson's will, it was revealed that his children inherited the rights to two hundred of his archival compositions. The real estate and financial assets were transferred to the Jackson Family Trust under the management of Katherine Jackson. It is noteworthy that Joseph Jackson was not mentioned in the artist's last will, nor was the mother of Michael's older children.
Michael Jackson's children have grown up and chosen their own path
In December 2010, the world heard Michael Jackson's first posthumous album. The record, titled "Michael," consisted of 10 tracks, recorded with the participation of Lenny Kravitz, 50 Cent, and Taryll Jackson. The release of the album divided the fans into two camps: some believed it was profanity to publish songs that the author consciously hid away, with a purely commercial purpose. Others, on the contrary, were glad that the idol continues to please fans with new creations even after his death. Many celebrities, including Michael's brother, Randy Jackson, referred to the album as "raw" and "unfinished."
The album "Xscape," released in 2014, received warmer reviews. It included only 8 songs. The song "Love Never Felt So Good" was particularly loved by listeners who noted that the track is comparable to the best hits from "Thriller" or "Off the Wall."
Michael Jackson continues to live in the hearts of millions
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Brandy Moore
Jackson always will be popular, even now in many places you can hear his music.
2021-04-04 14:20:53
Jason Powell
At home, I have even his tree discs with his music but, to be honest, I don`t like remixes, I like more classic.
2021-03-28 15:53:39
Annie Robinson
I respected Michael Jackson very much until I saw Leaving Neverland. I was really sad to look at the victims of his perversions, at their indifferent parents ..
2021-03-07 16:18:06
Richard Buchanan
Great talent and creative work of Michael many people will remember for a million years, I`m sure.
2021-02-22 18:40:51
Clayton Pierce
I still consider him as a king of pop music. Nobody didn`t repeat his success.
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Brandy Moore
2021-04-04 14:20:53
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Jason Powell
2021-03-28 15:53:39
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Annie Robinson
2021-03-07 16:18:06
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Richard Buchanan
2021-02-22 18:40:51
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Clayton Pierce
2021-02-19 10:44:47
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