| “ | I’ve been in the entertainment industry since I was 6 years old. As Charles Dickens says, ‘It’s been the best of times, the worst of times.’ But I would not change my career. While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me. | ” |
―Michael Jackson | ||
Michael Joseph Jackson † (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009 [aged 50]), also commonly known by his initials MJ, was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, musician, businessman, composer, arranger, record producer, entertainer, and philanthropist.[1] Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century as well as one of the most significant musicians of all time.[2] Over a four-decade career, his contributions to music, dance, and fashion made him a global figure in popular culture.[3] Michael influenced artists across many music genres; through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated dance moves such as the Moonwalk, to which he gave the name, as well as the robot.[4] His music videos, including those for "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an artform and promotional tool.[5] Outside of music, Michael was respected for his humanitarian work. Michael is the most successful musician from the Jackson family, alongside his sister Janet.[6]
Biography[]
The eighth child of the Jackson family, he made his public debut in 1964 with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons). Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released a total of four solo studio albums with Motown while still a member of the Jackson 5: ''Got to Be There'' (1972), ''Ben'' (1972), ''Music & Me'' (1973) and ''Forever, Michael'' (1975). He joined Epic Records in 1975 and became a solo star with his 1979 album ''Off the Wall,'' which was a significant departure from Michael's previous work for Motown and was hailed as a major breakthrough for him. The album made Michael the first solo artist to have four singles from the same album reach the top 10 of the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Retrospective reviews for ''Off the Wall'' have hailed it as a landmark release of the disco era.
Michael achieved the peak of his critical success after the release of his 1982 album ''Thriller,'' which became the best-selling album of all time with sales of 70 million copies worldwide, and gave Michael an unprecedented level of cultural significance for a black American, becoming the most popular entertainer in the world in the early and mid-1980s. ''Thriller'' also set a record for the most top 10 singles from an album, after all seven of its singles reached the top 10, with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" reaching number one. The "Thriller" music video was premiered to great anticipation in December 1983 and played regularly on MTV. Michael's 1987 album ''Bad,'' one of the most anticipated albums of its time, was also hugely successful and became the first album to produce five number-one singles.
Michael continued his success with the albums ''Dangerous'' (1991) and ''HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' (1995). His final studio album, ''Invincible'' (2001), was his most critically derided album, although retrospective reviews have been more positive. Outside of music, Michael was respected for his frequent humanitarian work, he was estimated to have donated over $500 million to charity over the course of his life. He received various awards and accolades for his philanthropic work, including two bestowed by US Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. In 2009, while preparing for a series of comeback concerts scheduled to begin in July 2009, Michael died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication after suffering cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Michael's death triggered reactions around the world, creating unprecedented surges of Internet traffic and a spike in sales of his music. A televised memorial service for Michael was viewed by an estimated 2.5 billion people globally.
Michael was estimated sales to have sold over 400 million records worldwide. making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He had 13 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era) and was the first artist to have a top-ten single in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in five different decades. He is regarded by the RIAA as the highest-selling individual music artist of all time worldwide. Michael is the most awarded musician in history, his honors include 15 Grammy Awards, 6 Brit Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and 39 Guinness World Records, including the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time". Michael's inductions include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice), the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Dance Hall of Fame (the only recording artist to be inducted), and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.
Early life[]
Jackson during the Jackson 5 World Tour (1973)
At a young age, he became the lead singer of his family's popular Motown group, The Jackson 5 (later known as The Jacksons) in 1964. He later had a popular solo career, creating his first album in 1972, Got To Be There. In the late 70s to early 80s, he would release several chart-topping albums, including 1982's Thriller, which remains the best-selling album of all time. He had also been noted for his popular music videos, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", etc.
His 1982 album Thriller became the best-selling album of all time, having sold more than 110,000,000 copies worldwide. Four of Michael's other albums Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I rank the best-sellering albums. His 1997 remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix is the best selling remix album of all time.
Michael is credited with influencing music videos from a mere promotional tool into an art form. His song Thriller has been regarded as one of the greatest music videos of all time, and is the only music video inducted into the national film registry in the Library of Congress where inductions are preserved forever. Michael was the first African-American music artist to have a video aired heavily on MTV.
Michael has been inducted 12 times into various music halls of fame, more than any other act. He is one of 16 artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. Other achievements include 26 American Music Awards, 17 number-one singles locally in the United States, 13 Guinness World Records, 13 Grammy Awards, which indlue the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Controversies[]
1993 Sexual abuse allegations[]
In August 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, and his father, Evan Chandler.[7] Jordan said he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex.[8] While Jordan's mother initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested him, her position wavered a few days later.[9][8] Evan was recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, which Jackson used to argue that he was the victim of a jealous father trying to extort money.[8]
Police raided Jackson's home in August and found two legal large-format art books featuring young boys playing, running and swimming in various states of undress.[10] Jackson denied knowing of the books' content and claimed if they were there, someone had to have sent them to him and he did not open them. Jordan Chandler gave police a description of Jackson's genitals. A strip search was made, and the jurors felt the description was not a match.[11][12][13] In January 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for a reported total sum of $23 million.[14] The police never pressed criminal charges.[15] Citing a lack of evidence without Jordan's testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994.[16] Jordan's Father Evan committed suicide in November 5, 2009.[17][18][19][20]
Also in 1993, Jackson's older sister La Toya accused him of being a pedophile;[8] she later retracted this, saying she had allegedly been forced into saying it by her abusive husband.[21]
Beginning in May 2002, a documentary film crew led by Martin Bashir followed Jackson for several months.[22] The documentary, broadcast in February 2003 as Living with Michael Jackson, showed Jackson holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a twelve-year-old boy.[23][24] He said that he saw nothing wrong with having sleepovers with minors and sharing his bed and bedroom with various people, which aroused controversy. He insisted that the sleepovers were not sexual and that his words had been misunderstood.[25]
Child molestation arrest[]
On December 18, 2003, Santa Barbara authorities charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor with alcoholic drinks.[26] Jackson denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.[27] The People v. Jackson trial began on January 31, 2005, in Santa Maria, California, and lasted until the end of May. Jackson found the experience stressful and it affected his health.[28] On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.[29] FBI files on Jackson, released in 2009, revealed the FBI's role in the 2005 trial and the 1993 allegations, and showed that the FBI found no evidence of criminal conduct on Jackson's behalf.[30][31]
Leaving Neverland allegations[]
In 2013, choreographer Wade Robson filed a lawsuit alleging that Jackson had sexually abused him for seven years, beginning when he was seven years old (1989–1996).[32] In 2014, a case was filed by James Safechuck, alleging similar sexual abuse over a four-year period starting when Safechuck was ten (1988–1992).[33][34][35] Both had previously testified in Jackson's defense during the 1993 allegations; Robson did so again in 2005.[36][37] In 2015, Robson's case against Jackson's estate was dismissed as it had been filed too late. Safechuck's claim was also time-barred.[38]
In 2017, it was ruled that Jackson's corporations could not be held accountable for his alleged past actions.[39][40] The rulings were appealed. On October 20, 2020, Safechuck's lawsuit against Jackson's corporations was again dismissed. The judge ruled that there was no evidence that Safechuck had had a relationship with Jackson's corporation, nor was it proven that there was a special relationship between the two.[41][42][43][44] On April 26, 2021, Robson's case was dismissed because of a lack of supporting evidence that the defendants exercised control over Jackson.
Robson and Safechuck's allegations were the subject of the documentary film Leaving Neverland, released in March 2019.[45] Radio stations in New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands removed Jackson's music from their playlists.[46][47][48] Jackson's family condemned the film as a "public lynching",[49] and the Jackson estate released a statement calling the film a "tabloid character assassination [Jackson] endured in life, and now in death".[50] Close associates of Jackson, such as Corey Feldman, Aaron Carter, Brett Barnes, and Macaulay Culkin, defended Jackson in the wake of the documentary's release, saying that Jackson had never molested them.[51][52][53]
Trivia[]
- Michael has 3 children, in which 2 of them are his sons, Michael Jr. (Prince) and Bigi (Blanket), which are his first and last children respectively, and 1 daughter named Paris, who is the middle child.
- Jackson's hair was accidentally caught on fire whilst filming a Pepsi commercial.[54] This accident caused him to become bald and wore wigs as a result.[55]
- Jackson used to be married to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley and nurse Debbie Rowe, in which he divorced with in 1996 and 2000 respectively.
- Some of Jackson's songs have appeared in several pieces of media (outside of Moonwalker, its video game adaptations and Michael Jackson: The Experience):
- Some of them appeared in movies:
- His song "Bad" from the album with the same name, appeared in Megamind, in trailers for the film adaptation of Angry Birds, and Despicable Me 3.
- "Beat It" from Thriller appeared in Zoolander, in which the scene also featured a cameo of fellow music artist David Bowie, and Back to the Future.
- A remix of "Thriller" from the afromentioned album with the same name for a trailer of the second season of Stranger Things.
- In video games:
- 2 of his songs from his most famous album Thriller, "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", appeared in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The songs however were removed in the mobile and definitive editions of the game.
- "Beat It" appears in Guitar Hero: World Tour and the DOS version of Hurkle Hunt.
- Jackson and his crew also helped composed the soundtrack for SEGA's Sonic The Hedgehog 3, but was however left uncredited. His soundtrack was however removed from reissues of the game on Sonic Origins.[56]
- In commercials:
- "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Off The Wall" from the album with the same name as the latter appeared in 2 commercials for the Suzuki Love.
- A version of "Billie Jean" with new lyrics appeared in Pepsi's New Generation commercials.
- "Beat It" appeared in an anti-drunk driving PSA, which later led to him being awarded by then-president Ronald Reagan.
- "Black or White" from Dangerous appeared in a commercial for Pokémon: Black and White.
- Some of them appeared in movies:
- He had saved two people from committing suicide, with the first being his sister Janet's ex-husband, James DeBarge[57], and the second one being a fan.[58]
Discography[]
- Got to Be There (1972)
- Ben (1972)
- Music & Me (1973)
- Forever, Michael (1975)
- Off the Wall (1979)
- Thriller (1982)
- Bad (1987)
- Dangerous (1991)
- HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
- Invincible (2001)
Filmography[]
- The Wiz (1978)
- Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
- Captain EO (1986)
- Moonwalker (1988)
- The Simpsons (1991)
- Michael Jackson's Ghosts (1997)
- Space Channel 5 (1999)
- Space Channel 5: Part 2 (2002)
- Men in Black II (2002)
- Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls (2004)
- Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)
- Bad 25 (2012)
- Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016)
- Thriller 40 (2023)
Tours[]
- Bad World Tour (1987–1989)
- Dangerous World Tour (1992–1993)
- HIStory World Tour (1996–1997)
- MJ & Friends (1999)
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-29-et-jackson-tribute29-story.html
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-best-michael-jackson-songs-22188/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20170606193639/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/10840106/Billboard-Music-Awards-2014-Michael-Jackson-hologram-steals-the-show.html
- ↑
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2009-07-08/family-fans-mourn-jackson-at-site-of-final-rehearsal
- ↑ https://okmagazine.com/p/michael-jackson-influential-entertainer-20th-century/
- ↑ https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/24/newsid_2512000/2512077.stm
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 https://archive.org/details/michaeljacksonma0000tara
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchable:_The_Strange_Life_and_Tragic_Death_of_Michael_Jackson
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/30/national/30jackson.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150428133350/https://site2.mjeol.com/important-article/jackson-grand-jury-disbanded-1994.html
- ↑ https://books.google.fr/books?id=wyaFQdNxU7sC&pg=PT84&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=g6TitThCzkkC&pg=PA201
- ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/16/michael.jackson/
- ↑ https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4387247.stm
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/22/us/no-charges-for-now-against-michael-jackson.html
- ↑ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1229622/Killed-curse-Michael-Jackson-What-drove-father-Jordy-Chandler-gun-head.html
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/michael-jackson-5-1197806
- ↑ https://people.com/celebrity/father-of-alleged-michael-jackson-molestation-victim-kills-himself/
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/18/jackson.accuser.suicide/index.html
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=BVC9zltjf-EC&pg=PP1
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20101120224336/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458799/20021120/jackson_michael.jhtml
- ↑ https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2719763.stm
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/michaeljacksonma0000tara
- ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1421082/Jackson-has-children-in-his-room-for-sleep-overs.html
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/19/us/jackson-is-formally-charged-with-child-molesting.html
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/16/national/michael-jackson-pleads-not-guilty-to-molestation-charges.html
- ↑ https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4612897.stm
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/jackson/story/0,15819,1505806,00.html
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266333/michael-jacksons-fbi-files-released
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/joevogel/2019/01/29/what-you-should-know-about-the-new-michael-jackson-documentary/
- ↑ https://www.today.com/video/choreographer-michael-jackson-sexually-abused-me-30450243877
- ↑ https://www.ibtimes.com/james-safechuck-alleges-sexual-abuse-michael-jackson-sues-singers-estate-1650260
- ↑ https://mynewsla.com/crime/2017/07/07/sex-abuse-by-long-dead-michael-jackson-judge-rejects-lawsuit/
- ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/michael-jackson-hit-with-new-sex-abuse-claims-five-years-after-his-death-9650832.html
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/06/us/2-witnesses-say-they-shared-jacksons-bed-and-were-never-molested.html
- ↑ https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/02/michael-jackson-accusers-explain-speaking-out-hbo-leaving-neverland
- ↑ https://www.scribd.com/document/353219745/Safechuck-Ruling-Demurrer-Dismissal
- ↑ https://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2017-12-19/apnewsbreak-michael-jackson-sex-abuse-lawsuit-dismissed
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/michael-jackson-molestation-lawsuit-dismissed-1.4457632
- ↑ https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/10/21/michael-jackson-judge-dismisses-leaving-neverland-accusers-lawsuit/3722576001/
- ↑ https://www.apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lawsuits-james-safechuck-michael-jackson-california-4cd85607e8dc1366f09ae51a8af6d1d2
- ↑ https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-finding-neverland-michael-jackson-20201021-7dvxdgtqibbpvgkq2lcbg5srca-story.html
- ↑ https://deadline.com/2020/10/leaving-neverland-director-dan-reed-shooting-follow-up-film-1234599714/
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47403951
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/mar/07/michael-jackson-estate-adverts-lawsuits-interviews-leaving-neverland-airs
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/05/michael-jackson-abuse-allegations-canada-radio-stations-ban-music
- ↑ https://nltimes.nl/2019/03/06/first-dutch-radio-station-boycotts-michael-jackson-music
- ↑ https://variety.com/2019/music/news/michael-jackson-family-leaving-neverland-public-lynching-1203120387/
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/michael-jackson-estate-leaving-neverland-tabloid-character-assassination-784968/
- ↑ https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/corey-feldman-michael-jackson-leaving-neverland-637993/
- ↑ https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2019/05/22/aaron-carter-defends-michael-jackson-after-comment-makes-waves/3765213002/
- ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/leaving-neverland-brett-barnes-jacksons-boy/
- ↑ https://www.taproot.com/michael-jacksons-hair-catches-on-fire/
- ↑ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/michael-jackson-was-bald-and-scarred-when-he-died/JZYWIHA4CUUFROMNEMYYURBTQU/
- ↑ Post on Twitter/X by Yuji, @nakayuji, accessed on 10/05/2025 (DMY), in English.
- ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/michael-jackson-saved-brotherinlaw-2358488.html
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/MichaelJackson/comments/15en3sf/july_31st_1992_michael_saves_a_fan_from_jumping/