Michael Jackson is a legendary American musician, the most successful pop music performer in world history, dancer, actor, songwriter. Jackson's recordings, including albums, singles and compilations, have sold 1 billion copies worldwide. The musician was included in the Guinness Book of Records 25 times and he received 15 Grammy awards alone, and other music awards number in the hundreds.
Michael Jackson became a pop music icon during his lifetime. The singer was nicknamed by fans the king of this genre, and in 2009 received the official title of American Legend and Music Icon.
Childhood and youth
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 to the family of Joseph and Katherine Jackson, in the American town of Gary (Indiana). Zodiac sign - Virgo. The boy became the seventh child out of nine. The childhood of the future star cannot be called happy. Later, Jackson repeatedly mentioned that his father was a real tyrant, oppressing children mentally and physically. The singer spoke about some of the atrocities of the head of the family on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1993.
One day in the middle of the night, the father, wearing a scary mask and emitting piercing screams, climbed through the window to the sleeping Michael. So he wanted to teach children to close the windows before going to bed. After this incident, the child was tormented by nightmares about being kidnapped from his own bedroom. In 2003, Joseph Jackson himself admitted that he actually assaulted children.
Cruel upbringing played a cruel joke on Michael, on the one hand, teaching him iron discipline, which had a positive effect on his achievements, and on the other, crippling his psyche for life.
However, it was his father who brought Michael to the stage: Joseph united his five offspring into the musical group The Jackson 5. Michael was the youngest member of the group, but this did not stop him from attracting attention even then. He had a unique style of performance and unusual choreography.
From 1966 to 1968, the band toured extensively in the Midwest, and in 1969 they signed a contract with Motown Records. It was with this company that the artists released their hits, which became popular in subsequent years.
In 1970, the musical family managed to reach the national level - their first few singles reached the top line of the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. Since 1973, the group's success began to wane, and the ensemble had to sign a contract with another company, calling itself The Jacksons. Until 1984, the group released 6 more albums and toured the country with them.
Music
Simultaneously with his work in the family band The Jacksons, Michael Jackson released four solo albums and several singles that gained popularity. These include Got to BeThere, Rockin' Robin, and a song called Ben, which topped the charts in 1972.
In 1987, the singer starred in the film adaptation of the Broadway play “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” During filming, he met Quincy Jones. It was this music director who later became the producer of the star’s most famous albums. The first of these was Off the Wall (1979).
The album introduced Michael Jackson to the world as a bright, original young performer and dancer. Then the hits Don’t Stop “Til You Get Enough and Rock With You” soared to the top of the charts. The album sold 20 million copies.
Michael Jackson - Don't Stop "Til You Get EnoughThen in November 1982, Thriller was released, which went down in history as the best-selling album in the world and gave America and everyone else such immortal singles as The Girl Is Mine, Beat It, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin, Human Nature, P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) and Thriller. This album stayed at the top of the charts for a record 37 weeks and brought Michael Jackson eight Grammy Awards.
In 1983, the musician released the track Billie Jean. Almost immediately, Michael Jackson shoots a music video for this composition, which combines dancing, special effects, a complex plot and star cameos.
Michael Jackson - Billie JeanThe singer is trying to get on MTV, but to no avail. Music critics of this period acknowledge that such rejection of Michael Jackson's work was most likely due to racial stereotypes, but MTV employees deny any manifestation of racism. However, “Billie Jean” became the first video by an African-American artist to be in hot rotation on the channel.
By the spring of 1983, under pressure from CBS Records, the channel gave in and aired the “Billie Jean” video. Then a video for the song Beat It appears on the screens, and long-term cooperation is established between the musician and the channel.
Still from Michael Jackson's video for the song "Thriller" The video for the song Thriller was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful music video. According to critics, the 13-minute “Thriller” is more of a full-fledged short film than a video for a song. Until the moment when the song begins to play in the video, 4 minutes of the plot pass, in which Jackson manages to transform into a werewolf. In the background of Michael's song, a voiceover typical of classic horror films can be heard, and the action in the video unfolds according to the canons of thrillers, ending with the performer's legendary dance surrounded by zombies.
Such music videos, which were more like short films, became Jackson's unique feature. And for other artists, Michael raised the bar high.
Michael Jackson MoonwalkThe idol of millions first demonstrated the famous “moonwalk” on March 25, 1983 at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever show, during the performance of the song Billie Jean. In addition to completely new choreography, Michael brought synchronized dance performances to live concerts, ushering in the era of variety performances in which performers recreate music videos on stage. Now it seems ordinary to the viewer, but then it created a real sensation, if not a revolution.
In 1984, the pop singer recorded the song Say, Say, Say, which instantly became a hit.
Michael Jackson - Say Say SayBut not all videos were successful with critics and the public. In 1987, an 18-minute video for the song Bad was released, directed by. The budget for the video was $2.2 million. Also, an unknown actor at that time took part in the film. A shortened 4-minute version was included in rotation. Time magazine called the song's music video "disgraceful" because of Jackson's overly sexy and provocative moves. And here we had in mind his signature touch of the crotch.
Subsequently, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the musician admitted that these movements came about involuntarily, the music required such emancipation.
Michael Jackson - BadIn 1988, the musician presented his new job Smooth Criminal. Here Jackson first performed a movement called the "anti-gravity tilt." The difficult element required the musician to bend forward almost to the floor, and then straighten up without bending his legs. Special boots were developed for this choreographic trick, for which Jackson received US Patent No. 5255452.
In the same year, a film dedicated to another famous Jackson choreographic movement, “Moonwalk,” was released. The film earned $67 million at the box office; a year later the film was released on video cassettes and sold 800 thousand copies.
In 1990, Michael Jackson received the MTV Video Vanguard Award for his achievements in the 80s, and in 1991 this award was renamed in honor of the musician. At the end of the same year, a controversial video for the song Black or White was presented. The clip was watched by 500 million people, which was a record at that time. The composition called for racial tolerance and non-violence.
The video stars people of different nationalities. Peggy Lipton and George Wendt also took part in its creation. But in full version The clip contained scandalous elements that the public regarded as a call for violence. The musician apologized and was forced to edit the video.
Michael Jackson - Black Or White
In 2001, the album In vincible was presented, and in 2003, a collection of songs Number Ones appeared. A long break from recording new albums provoked a conflict between Jackson and the record label. Sony did not want to continue financing the protracted process.
In 2004, the singer released a collection of songs Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection, consisting of 5 discs. It includes the musician's recognized hits and unreleased compositions from Michael Jackson's entire 30-year creative biography.
King of Pop Michael Jackson In 2009, the King of Pop intended to release a new disc, but, unfortunately, he never managed to do so. Also this summer, the musician was planning a concert tour, This Is It Tour. Initially, it was about ten concerts, but the demand for tickets was so high that the organizers provided an additional 40 performances.
In addition to music and dancing, Michael Jackson was also fascinated by cinema. During his life, he managed to star in more than 20 films. The musician made his film debut at the age of 20, in the fantastic film “Viz” by Sidney Lumet. Then he starred in short films, for example, “Captain Io”.
Michael Jackson in the movie "Men in Black 2" The king of pop also played in the films “Men in Black 2”, “Moonwalk”, “Ghosts”. His last work was his role in the film “That’s All”, the film was filmed in 2009.
Operations
With the advent of popularity, the singer gained considerable cash, a decent portion of which he immediately began to spend on changing his appearance. Since the mid-80s, Michael Jackson's appearance began to change dramatically: his skin became lighter every year, the shape of his nose, lips, chin and cheekbones changed. Soon it became impossible to recognize the artist as the dark-skinned boy with a wide nose and full lips that he was in childhood.
There were rumors that the King of Pop was trying to get rid of his African-American appearance and become white. Journalists assumed that the musician was influenced in this way by racism towards Michael at the beginning of his career: studios and television channels did not want to cooperate with a black singer.
Jackson himself denied rumors about a special change in skin color, explaining the fact of its lightening by a pigmentation disorder. According to the musician, stress became a catalyst for the progressive genetic disease vitiligo. Photos with uneven pigmentation served as evidence of Michael’s words.
During performances, the musician covered areas of skin with missing pigment with dark makeup, but soon he had to switch to a light shade, as the dark areas became less and less. The disease also forced the singer to stay out of the sun, wear closed clothes and hide under an umbrella, hide his face under a hat and dark glasses.
Michael Jackson confirmed only 3 plastic surgery The artist called the situation with facial plastic surgery a necessity related to severe head burns that were received during filming in a Pepsi commercial. The singer officially confirmed only three plastic surgeries, before and after which Jackson’s appearance changed so dramatically: two nose jobs and an operation that created a dimple on the artist’s chin. Michael Jackson explained the remaining changes in appearance by age and the transition to a vegetarian diet.
According to doctors, the musician underwent operations that made his lips thinner, his forehead higher, and the shape of his cheeks and eyelids changed. In the early 2000s, Michael Jackson began to appear wearing a medical mask. Rumors spread that the singer's nose was collapsing, and he allegedly underwent emergency surgery to restore it. Moreover, he soon appeared in public with a band-aid. But the musician denied information about surgical intervention, explaining the presence of the patch as an allergy.
Later, plastic surgeon Arnold Klein admitted to reporters that he performed a second operation on Jackson's nose to restore the singer's ability to breathe.
Scandals
The life of Michael Jackson caused no less interest than his work. Every step of the star artist was covered in the media. And there were many scandals in the life of the king of pop.
In 2002, Michael Jackson carried his newly born son onto the balcony of a hotel room in Berlin and, throwing the child over the railing, began to wave him in front of fans. Everything happened at a height of four floors, and the danger was obvious. After photos of the “caring father” spread around the world, Jackson gave a speech in which he admitted his behavior was a terrible mistake.
Scandalous video with my sonBut there was a more serious scandal in his life than his irresponsible attitude towards his son. The musician was accused of molesting minors. Perhaps this is what ultimately put an end to his musical career and health.
Back in 1993, the singer was accused of sexual assault against 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, who was friends with the musician and often spent time with him at the Neverland ranch. As the boy's father stated, Michael Jackson forced his son to touch his genitals.
The police conducted an investigation, during which they even demanded that the musician demonstrate his genitals for comparison with the testimony of the teenager. But the case did not go to trial; the parties entered into a settlement agreement. Then the situation was resolved by paying Chandler’s family $22 million.
Ten years later, in 2003, Michael was charged with the same thing. This time, the relatives of 13-year-old Neverland regular Gavin Arvizo made claims. The parents claimed that the boy, along with other children, slept in the same room with Jackson, who gave the children alcohol and then groped them.
Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch The singer himself denied the accusations, claiming that the Arvizo family was simply extorting money. The trial lasted four months and caused a massive media frenzy. 2,200 publishers and television channels accredited correspondents to cover the details of the scandalous case. In 2005, a jury acquitted him due to lack of evidence.
Despite the victory in court, the services of lawyers devastated the bank accounts of the King of Pop, and the proceedings themselves greatly undermined the health of the idol of millions. Michael Jackson was forced to take strong antidepressants. After the death of the singer, Jordan Chandler admitted that his father forced him to slander the artist for money, who then committed suicide.
Personal life
In 1994, Michael Jackson again surprised the whole world by secretly tying the knot with his daughter.
The event became a sensation, in which some saw the hope of saving the singer’s reputation, while others saw it as a touching merger of two of the most famous families in the world of music. Be that as it may, the marriage lasted only a year and a half.
In November 1996, after breaking up with his first wife, Jackson registered his marriage to Debbie Rowe, who once worked as a nurse. From this woman the singer left two children. Son Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. was born in 1997, and a year later his wife gave the king of pop a daughter. The union of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe lasted until 1999.
Children of Michael Jackson with the singer's sister Janet Jackson In 2002, the artist’s third child, Prince Michael II, was born from a surrogate mother.
In 2012, information appeared on the Internet that Michael Jackson had an affair with the singer. This was announced by David Guest, an American producer and mutual friend of Whitney and Michael. According to him, the woman was truly in love with Jackson and wanted to marry him. But he was too modest to propose to her.
It is known that only daughter Michaela became an actress. She starred in the TV series “Star” and the feature film “Dangerous Business.” His son Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. works on television, albeit behind the scenes. He is a producer and director. Most youngest son is still in school. Fans believe that he is more like his father than anyone else. He has dark skin, long black hair, brown eyes. Many hope that he will follow in his father’s footsteps and become a musician.
Death
Biographers of Michael Jackson claim that long before his death, the musician experienced physical ailments, suffered from lack of weight and was dependent on painkillers. Their words are confirmed by doctors to whom the musician turned for medicine. Jackson's surgeon Arnold Klein confirmed that the pop musician was abusing prescription drugs, but at the same time noted that Michael was in good physical and psychological state, danced for the doctor's patients and didn't look like he was dying.
On the morning of June 25, 2009, the singer was in a rented house in west Los Angeles. The artist’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, injected him with propofol and left. Two hours later he found Michael Jackson on the bed with wide with open eyes and mouth and tried to resuscitate him, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Emergency services were called at 12:21 p.m.
Paramedics arrived in less than 4 minutes and found the lifeless body of the King of Pop. The doctors, without losing hope, continued resuscitation efforts for several hours, but they were unable to bring the idol of millions back to life. The pop star's death occurred at 14:26 local time; the cause of death was ruled to be a drug overdose.
The media talked about celebrity suicide, deliberate murder at the hands of ill-wishers, and tragic medical negligence. The investigation confirmed the latter option. Doctor Jackson was later stripped of his license to practice medicine and found guilty of manslaughter, for which he went to prison for 4 years.
On June 25, a number of musicians recorded the song Better on the Other Side in memory of Michael Jackson. The song was performed by The Game, Diddy, DJ Khalil, Mario Winens, Polow da Don, Usher and Boyz II Men.
On July 7, 2009, a farewell ceremony took place in Los Angeles, beginning with a family service at Liberty Hall in memorial park Forest Lawn, followed by a live-streamed farewell to the public at Staples Center. The news of Michael Jackson's death broke network records and overloaded the traffic of search sites, creating Internet traffic jams.
Michael Jackson's funeral is shrouded in mystery. The location of the body was kept secret. Rumors leaked onto the Internet that the pop star was buried on August 8 or 9, then the media reported that the funeral took place at the end of August. Soon the news was published on the Internet that the ceremony would take place only in September. Michael finally found peace on September 3 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in suburban Los Angeles.
These secrets surrounding the burial gave rise to a rumor that Michael Jackson was alive and faked his own death and funeral in order to end the star’s life under the guns of cameras and live quietly away from the bustle, the media and the paparazzi. Proponents of this theory provide hundreds of evidence.
Fans are confused by the funeral situation itself. Jackson was buried in closed coffin, the date of the funeral was postponed several times and transported to the crypt. Forest Lawn Cemetery is listed in the documents as a temporary burial place, and where the singer’s body is now is not known for certain.
Reliable details established by the investigation have also not been made public; the police did not give clear comments on the investigation. The cameras from Jackson's house have disappeared. There were inaccuracies in the autopsy report. Interesting fact that the musician’s family refused to do a DNA test.
Fans also noted that reports of the singer’s death had already been published a couple of times during his lifetime, but Michael denied them. The events after the musician’s death also look mysterious: Jackson’s personal belongings were bought by an anonymous collector at a closed auction, and the finances of the late artist are managed by an unknown friend of Michael. In addition, fans claim that they have seen their favorite singer more than once in England, Mexico, Bahrain and other countries.
Is Michael Jackson alive?Some believe that death was beneficial for Jackson. It's no secret that in recent years the pop idol was broke. His debts amounted to millions of dollars. Just to correct his deplorable financial situation, he agreed to a 50-concert farewell tour.
Already at that time, about $85 million worth of tickets had been sold. The amount is colossal, but doctors believe that holding such a large-scale event for the singer practically meant suicide, since even then he was not in excellent health.
The news of Michael Jackson's death triggered an unprecedented demand for his albums. Thriller became the leader of the iTunes rating. Disc sales increased 721 times, as a result of which the King of Pop topped the ranking of the richest deceased stars.
Michael Jackson - ThrillerOne way or another, after the artist’s death, his musical biography did not end. Sony signed a contract with Jackson's family to release 10 of his albums. They will include previously unreleased songs, as well as reissues of old records by the King of Pop. True, fans and music critics were ambivalent about this idea.
In 2010, Michael Jackson's first posthumous album, called Michael, was released. The album received mixed reviews, but fans admitted that the album was even better than they expected. Along with the disc, a number of singles and videos for the songs included in the album were released.
Michael Jackson - MichaelA year later, the remix album Immortal was released, which included 15 recognized hits of the musician. Some of his compositions became the soundtracks of the Cirque du Soleil production Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. The show consisted of the usual acrobatic performances and dances in the style of Michael Jackson. The show program was worked on by choreographers who collaborated with the singer during his lifetime.
In May 2014, the second full-length posthumous album of the king of pop music, Xscape, was presented, containing 8 tracks. On May 18, the musician even performed live at the Billboard ceremony. A holographic image of Jackson, created using Pepper's Ghost technology, appeared on stage and “performed” the song Slave To The Rhythm.
Michael Jackson has it and is now popular "Instagram". By the way, the page has been verified. But it would still be more correct to consider this page a fan page, since the singer died before the creation of the social network. It is known that his Instagram is run by a large American advertising agency, which was hired by representatives of the Michael Jackson legacy company.
Discography
- 1972 – Got to Be There
- 1972 –Ben
- 1973 – Music & Me
- 1975 – Forever, Michael
- 1979 – Off the Wall
- 1982 – Thriller
- 1987 – Bad
- 1991 – Dangerous
- 1995 – HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
- 2001 – Invincible
- 2010 – Michael
- 2011 – Immortal
- 2014 – Xscape
Filmography
- 1978 – “Viz”
- 1983 – “Thriller”
- 1988 – “Moonwalk”
- 1988 – “The Clever Criminal”
- 2002 – “Men in Black 2”
- 2009 – “That’s all”
The name of Michael Jackson has long become a legend. The Life of Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson died on the night of June 25-26, 2009 in Los Angeles. The news of his untimely death instantly spread throughout the world, shocking not only fans, but also envious people. Jackson's name had long since become a legend, and despite numerous reports of illness, no one expected such a sudden death.
On the morning of June 25, 2009, Michael lost consciousness while in the house he was renting in Holmby Hills, west of Los Angeles. Jackson's personal physician, cardiologist Conrad Murray, later reported through his lawyer that he went to the second floor and found Jackson in bed, no longer breathing but with a weak pulse in the femoral artery. Murray began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After 5-10 minutes, Murray decided to make a phone call, but there was no landline phone in the bedroom, and Murray did not want to call a cell phone, since 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 local time, a call to 911 was recorded. The caller was not Murray, but a home security worker.
Paramedics who arrived 3 minutes and 17 seconds after the call found Jackson no longer breathing with his heart stopped and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 42 minutes. According to Murray's lawyer, the UCLA doctor ordered the medical team to administer a direct injection of epinephrine to Jackson's heart. The lawyer noted that the entire time Jackson was at home, he still had a pulse. Efforts to revive Jackson continued along the way and for an hour after arriving at the University of California (UCLA) Medical Center at 1:14 p.m. The effect could not be achieved. Death was pronounced at 14:26 local time.
Thousands of the singer's fans immediately gathered near the hospital. They literally surrounded the porch, covering it with stuffed animals and flowers and filling everything around with photographs of the singer and candles. Fans also came to mourn Jackson's empty childhood home in Gary, Indiana, and the sprawling Times Square area in New York City.
Most people did not learn the exciting news from newspapers. People called each other, sent messages, wrote on blogs. In terms of the scale of the tragedy, Jackson's death can only be compared with the death of Princess Diana or the assassination of President Kennedy.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958. He was the seventh of nine children in the Jackson family. At the age of four, Michael was already on stage. A little later, he began performing with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, German and Marlon in the group “The Jackson 5,” which was created by their father Joseph. And although Michael was the youngest, it was he who attracted the most attention, sang and danced best, knew how to charm the audience, and eventually became the real star of the group.
In the late 1960s, The Jackson 5 signed a contract with Motown Records and began releasing hot hits one after another throughout the next decade. Simultaneously with his work in the family band, Michael made successful solo projects.
For the active Michael, everything was never enough. So, in 1978 he starred with young Diana Ross in feature film The Wizard, an African-American remake of The Wizard of Oz. The film did not become a classic of American cinema, but it was of great importance for Michael, because on the set he met the great music producer Quincy Jones, who worked on the musical accompaniment of the film.
It was Quincy who helped Michael Jackson make his next album, 1979's Off The Wall, multi-platinum, turning the singing black boy into a popular music superstar. The album included the hits Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough and Rock With You, the record sold 10 million copies.
In 1982, Jackson not only broke his own record, but also set an unattainable bar for subsequent generations. The Thriller album did not have time to be re-released; it sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Michael Jackson received seven Grammy Awards for this album. Another world record for the Thriller album is leadership in the charts for 37 weeks in a row, which no one has yet surpassed.
The sensational success of Thriller lay in the never-before-seen, enchanting and amazingly beautiful video clips for the songs “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Thriller”. Jackson was the first to manage to make a small film out of a video clip, to make video a means of transmitting music, to not give a damn about the laws of the genre, establishing his own. Michael broke any stereotypes that came his way. Jackson became the first black guy on American MTV
Having passed his peak, Michael continued to maintain enormous popularity. The 1987 album Bad sold 25 million copies, and the 1991 album Dangerous sold 23 million copies.
In 1993, Michael became famous on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was filmed at his home - the Land of Eternal Childhood ranch in Santa Yanez, California. The interview lasted 1.5 hours and attracted almost 100 million viewers, becoming the most popular show of the year.
In 1995, Michael released the ambitious and ingenious double album HIStory Past, Present and Future Book I, consisting of 15 super hits of past years and 15 new songs, which are still considered his most touching and soulful compositions. Within a year, the album went platinum six times in the United States and is still selling successfully, being the most popular double album in the world.
Jackson easily masters new musical genres and techniques, creating waves, ahead of his time. In subsequent years, he released the albums "Blood On The Dance floor: HIStory In The Mix", "Invincible", "Number 1's", which includes re-released old songs and new compositions, as well as a 44-minute DVD "Michael Jackson - The One" with footage from the CBS archives, including his concerts, off-stage footage, and footage from the HIStory tour.
In 1996, Jackson married nurse Debbie Rowe, who gave him two sons (born 1997 and 2002) and a daughter (born 1998). Jackson says fatherhood is his life's dream.
From 2003 to 2005, the whole world was discussing a high-profile court case: Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation. After long meetings and trials, Michael is found not guilty on all counts, but the long, intense litigation undermines the singer’s health, so after the trial he leaves for the island of Bahrain and becomes a hermit.
In March 2009, Michael announced that he was going to give the last series of concerts in London called This is it Tour. A series of 10 concerts at The O2 arena, which seats 20 thousand people, was scheduled to start on July 13, 2009 and end on March 6, 2010. However, the demand for tickets exceeded all expectations, and the organizers planned additional performances.
According to the doctors who examined Jackson, the singer’s health fully allowed him to carry out such a difficult tour...
The day after Jackson's death, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) began investigating the unusual and high-profile case. They started talking about a new version of the cause of the singer's death - murder.
On July 1, 2009, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) joined the investigation. The DEA, with the power to investigate issues typically protected by physician-patient privilege, could examine all of Jackson's prescriptions. California's top prosecutor, Jerry Brown, said the DEA used CURES, a prescription database containing information about all drugs prescribed, doctors, dosages and patients, to investigate. On July 9, William Bratton, the Los Angeles police chief, said the investigation was focused on homicide or an accidental overdose, but would await full toxicology reports from the coroner.
On August 24, 2009, the conclusions of the 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 classified as a homicide. Cardiologist Conrad Murray, Michael's personal physician, was charged with manslaughter.
The case is still acquiring new details. According to the latest testimony, when the singer's heart stopped, Murray interrupted the initial resuscitation procedure in order to hide the drugs he was illegally administering to celebrities.
However, what difference does it make now... Michael Jackson still cannot be revived with new details about his death.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is to be honest with yourself and your loved ones and work hard. What exists now will not exist tomorrow. Go for it. Fight. Improve and cultivate your talent. Be the best at what you do. Learn more about your line of work than anyone alive. Use tools to present yourself - be it books, or the floor to dance, or water to swim. Wherever it is, it's yours. That's what I always try to remember."
Michael Jackson.
Even 8 years after his death, Michael Jackson is still the most successful pop artist in history. music industry. The total number of albums, compilations and singles sold by the singer is one billion copies. Through his activities, the artist made an invaluable contribution to the global development of video clips, music, choreography and fashion. In addition, Michael Jackson in his youth took part in the film adaptation of the musical “Wiz”, the feature films “Miss Robinson”, “Moonwalk” and “Men in Black 2”.
Childhood years
The boy was born on August 29, 1958 in the Katherine family and decided to name him Michael. The future musician was born in the town of Gary. In 2003, his father publicly admitted to the moral and physical humiliation on his part that all ten of his children, including Michael Jackson, faced. The child suffered beatings, intimidation and insults, which developed into nightmares. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Michael said that communicating with Joseph made him vomit and cry from a feeling of helplessness and loneliness. Despite this, the singer tried to justify his father’s cruel actions by saying that he wanted to teach his son discipline, which would help him become the best of the best.
In 1964, the brothers of the future artist created the musical group The Jackson 5. The guys performed in the genres of disco, soul and rock and roll and played the tambourine and conga. Some time later in the same year, Michael Jackson joined the group. The child had little experience performing at Christmas concerts in front of his classmates. Later, Michael tried himself as a dancer and backing vocalist.
The artist's youth
Since 1966, Jackson has toured extensively with his brothers in the Midwest. Four years later, The Jackson 5's singles topped the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. Despite the fact that Michael was the youngest in the group, it was to him that the public's attention was drawn thanks to his dance moves and manner of performance, which were unusual for that time.
While he was involved with The Jackson 5, the singer managed to release four solo albums. Michael Jackson achieved stunning results in the world of music in his youth. The ballad Ben from his second album, which he dedicated to his pet rat, topped the charts in the early 70s.
personal life, religion
The artist’s amazing talent brought him hundreds of awards, including 15 Grammy statuettes. Jackson is listed in the Guinness Book of Records 25 times. The artist was on friendly terms with many celebrities, including Whitney Houston, Macaulay Culkin, Elton John and Princess Diana of Wales.
Michael was married to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie from 1994 to 1996. After the divorce, they remained good friends, as evidenced by the HIStory tour, in which a woman accompanied the singer, despite the fact that he was married to Debbie Rowe. From his second marriage, the artist has a daughter and a son - Paris and Prince.
Michael Jackson was a Jehovah's Witness in his youth. As a child, Catherine's mother encouraged him to study the Bible and attend sermons. As a sign of protest, Jackson refused to celebrate Christmas, Easter and his own birthday. The singer's brother, Jermaine, is a supporter of Islam. He often gave Michael books about his religion in the hope that faith would ease his struggle with many illnesses.
Solo career of the King of Pop
Thriller is the best-selling album in music history. The record included such hits as Billie Jean, P.Y.T., as well as the song The Girl Is Mine, which Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson worked on. The albums Bad and Dangerous became almost as successful as Thriller.
At the end of January 1984, Michael took part in the filming of a Pepsi commercial. During this process, the artist's hair caught fire from pyrotechnic devices. He received 3rd degree burns. The horrific incident became the impetus for the development of vitiligo. Michael Jackson, whose black skin color was one of his many features, began to partially turn white. But, despite the next difficulties in life, he continued to do his life’s work.
After his death, the artist's family entered into a contract with the Sony label to release ten records, the songwriter of which was Michael Jackson. Albums Michael(2010) and Xscape (2014) turned out much better than fans expected. The latest album features the song Love Never Felt So Good, recorded in two versions: solo and in a duet with Justin Timberlake.
Scandals
Michael Jackson sparked negative comments about music videos in his youth with his explicit dance moves. After some time, the former reason for the violent scandal became a feature and an integral part of the singer’s choreography.
In 1993, Michael was accused of sexually assaulting thirteen-year-old Jordan Chandler. The situation was resolved with $22 million, which Jackson paid to the boy's family. Ten years later, the parents of thirteen-year-old Gavin Arvizo accused the artist of drugging and groping children. In 2005, the court acquitted Jackson, as it was proven that the accusers sought to quickly enrich themselves at the expense of the singer. After the artist’s death, Jordan Chandler stated that his father forced him to slander Michael for the sake of huge compensation. By the way, after the failed deception, the negligent parent committed suicide.
Appearance and plastic surgery
Michael Jackson experienced many problems with physical and mental health. The black skin color became pale due to the disease vitiligo, which was diagnosed in 1986. The illness forced the artist to hide from sunlight using multi-layered clothing, umbrellas and masks.
According to the singer's autobiography, apart from rhinoplasty and adding a dimple on his chin, he did nothing else. However, surgeons claim that Michael Jackson in his youth, before surgery, had a different shape to his forehead, lips and cheekbones. The artist’s mother asked her son to stop adjusting his appearance and believed that he was addicted to plastic surgery. Michael himself attributed the changes in facial features to weight loss, puberty and a change in hairstyle.
Grueling vegetarian diets brought Jackson's weight to 48 kg with a height of 175 cm. By the end of the 80s, the artist gained a little weight, but in 1993, due to worries about being unfairly accused of child molestation, he practically stopped eating and lost even more weight. Two years later, he was hospitalized due to a panic attack, abnormal heart rhythm, gastrointestinal inflammation, dehydration and abnormal liver and kidney function. It should be noted that none of Jackson’s doctors found any drugs in his blood.
The musician lived his last years dependent on painkillers, could not speak clearly and could barely remember the names of loved ones and the titles of his recent albums.
Singer's death and funeral
The favorite of millions died on June 25, 2009. As it was established by the investigation, death was due to an overdose of Propofol. Attempts to resuscitate Michael lasted more than an hour and were unsuccessful. A post-mortem autopsy found that Jackson had a strong heart and a normal weight for his height. The most serious problem turned out to be chronic pneumonia, although this was not the cause of death. Ze'ev Kane, a doctor at the University of California, reviewed the autopsy and said that his overall health was within normal limits.
On the eve of the artist’s death, Christopher Rogers, who was the head of a group of forensic experts, claimed that in lately Jackson was in good health and called him a murder victim. The funeral ceremony took place on September 3, 2009 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles.
How is the rating calculated?◊ The rating is calculated based on points awarded over the last week
◊ Points are awarded for:
⇒ visiting pages dedicated to the star
⇒voting for a star
⇒ commenting on a star
Biography, life story of Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer and pop music legend.
Preface
Michael Jackson became a star at an age when most children are still learning the art of tying their shoelaces. After thirty years, he has achieved amazing commercial and creative heights - the most successful album in history, music videos on all television channels and universal recognition of his musical genius. In many ways, however, the King of Pop was a victim of his own success. Professionally speaking, the multimillion-dollar sales of Jackson's latest albums looked unconvincing compared to the impressive achievements of his early career. In everyday life, it seems that Jackson was haunted by his childhood, which did not really exist, and an insatiable thirst for entertainment.
Childhood years
Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. He became the seventh child in a family of ten children. Michael's childhood was not cloudless. His father, who tried to appear in public as an exemplary family man and caring parent, was a real tyrant at home. He repeatedly abused his children, causing them both physical and emotional pain. Moreover, Michael’s mother Catherine did not in any way interfere with the actions of her cruel husband. Michael remembers very strongly one terrible incident that happened when he was still very young. One night, Joseph, hiding his face under a scary mask, climbed through the window into his son’s room and suddenly began screaming with all his might. After this nightmare, Michael could not sleep normally for many years. There were many similar situations - Joseph Jackson was a real monster.
Jackson entered show business at the age of five, when his father Joseph organized the family ensemble “Jackson 5,” which, in addition to Michael, included his four older brothers. At first, Joseph included Michael in the group as an exotic element, but it soon became clear that the kid had outstanding musical abilities. The young talent brought the group from the ranks of local celebrities to their first serious contract. Between 1969 and 1971 the group released six hit singles, including the famous songs "I Want You Back" and "ABC". Throughout the '70s, the group remained a hit-making machine.
CONTINUED BELOW
The history of collaboration between the Motown record company and the Jackson 5 begins in 1968, when the group, already known for its victories in several homegrown talent competitions, was invited to an audition by one of the company's artists. Berry Gordy was not at the audition, but he was shown a recording of this event and he immediately ordered a contract with the group. It so happened that Jackson 5 became the last great event in the history of the label - new times will soon come. But in 1969, when the first Jackson 5 record was released, which was preceded by the name just in case, simple sweet songs, which quickly became known as “bubble gum soul,” enjoyed stunning popularity. The group became the object of real hysteria the very next day after its release.
In 1970, the competing company MGM launched a response project - the five white Osmond brothers, but most importantly - at the same time began to promote the youngest of them, 13-year-old Donny Osmond, as a solo artist. Motown rightly believed that not answering this challenge meant losing a huge market, and the choice predictably fell on Michael. So a double burden fell on him: from now on he wrote almost simultaneously both as a member of the group and alone. In the mid-70s x, however, the popularity of the Jackson 5 fell, and the brothers left the Motown company, moving to Eric, which was more peaceful in terms of demands. The name of the group, however, remained with Motown, and Jermaine Jackson, who married his daughter, also remained there. Gordy, and he was replaced by his older brother Randy. The group began to be called simply The Jacksons and started singing disco.
It should be noted that Michael was to some extent glad to get rid of the constant presence of his older brothers, because the family atmosphere in the team was not at all the same family atmosphere that was portrayed in public. Envious brothers called Michael “nosy” (isn’t that why he later dealt most with his nose?), but his father simply addressed him as “freak.” He was a young man of an extremely modest and shy disposition, most of all, in his own words, He didn’t like “showing off,” and therefore such treatment could not help but cause him mental trauma.
By the way, Joseph Jackson had a decisive vote on all issues. Simply put, he was a tyrannical person, although honest in his own way: he subsequently did not take a single cent of the money that was owed to his children for their entire long musical career.
Youth
Growing up, Jackson was no longer satisfied with the popularity of the group and soon, with the help of the Motown studio, he made his first independent recordings. When in 1971 his first single composition, “I”ll Be There, entered the charts at number 4, it became clear that a new superstar was appearing on the musical horizon. Continuing to work with his brothers, Jackson made several more recordings that became hits - Rockin' Robin and Ben" and released his first album. In 1976, he and the Jackson 5 signed a contract with Epic Studios.
In the late '70s, Jackson made a brief foray into film, starring in an African-American version of the old film The Wizard of Oz. The film did not work out, but Jackson met the legendary producer Quincy Jones.
Success
Jones and Jackson worked together on the singer's next album, Off the Wall (1979), an album that catapulted the singer from child stardom to adult superstardom. In a short time, 10 million copies were sold. Critics greeted the album enthusiastically, noting, first of all, the harmonious combination of soul and rock styles. Known for his skepticism, critic David Marsh even declared Off the Wall a masterpiece of modern recording). It seemed impossible that an artist could outdo himself, but he did just that, releasing the small album Thriller in 1982, which became the most successful of his career and set new standards in terms of sales. It sold over 40 million copies upon release and received seven Grammy awards. Seven of the nine tracks from it made it into the top ten of different charts. An exceptional number of people worked on the record and accompanying products, Eddie Van Halen, among others, recorded guitar parts on it, sang a duet with Michael, and the video for the title song was shot by John Landis - almost 20 years later this video was recognized best video throughout the history of pop music. And the video about the making of the Thriller video became another bestseller.
As already mentioned, this album sold more than 40 million copies, a record that has never been surpassed. His collaboration with Jones brought Jackson 8 Grammy awards and unanimous critical acclaim. The top ten included a record number of songs for a single album (6), ranging from a duet with The Girl Is Mine in November 1982 to the single Thriller in February 1984. Jackson supported the popularity of this album with video clips.
In 1983, at a ceremony dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Motown, Jackson performed the song Billie Jean and for the first time showed in public his “moonwalk” - a dance move that has never been equal in popularity in the history of dance. Then it was just a collapse: competitions were held all over the world to see who could best portray Jackson, that is, moonwalk; in films, jokes about the “moonwalk” were equal in frequency to jokes about driving a car. In the same 1983, Jackson signed a huge contract with Pepsi-Cola; the next year, tickets to the concerts of his tour cost absolutely unheard-of sums, and the demand for them was indicated by astronomical figures. They talked about him only in superlatives, everything he touched turned to gold: such was the heyday of the reign of the King of Pop.
The newly created MTV network provided constant broadcasting of Michael's videos. The dance-musical compositions Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller not only captivated audiences, but earned praise even from such notorious detractors as Fred Estair and Gene Kelly. Jackson reached his professional zenith in the summer of 1984, when he reunited with his brothers for a joint tour called "Victory Tour".
Metamorphoses of appearance
In the mid-80s, Michael Jackson began to surprise the public more and more. True, this time not with amazing music, but with his appearance. Born dark-skinned, Michael gradually began to lighten. Many journalists were sure that Michael's whitening skin was the result of numerous operations that he did deliberately. The artist himself insisted that he suffers from a rare genetic disease, which manifests itself in impaired skin pigmentation.
Over time, not only the singer’s skin color changed, but also his face - his lips and nose became thinner, his cheekbones became sharper, and his forehead became higher. Jackson himself said that he only went under the surgeon’s knife a couple of times in order to slightly correct his nose and make it more attractive. The remaining changes are the result of a vegetarian lifestyle, Jackson assured. For several years after this, Michael’s doctors began to “surrender” him - one by one they publicly talked about what part of Michael’s body they had to operate on.
Decline in popularity
Although Jackson's next albums Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991) sold millions of copies and topped the charts, the excitement had already begun to subside. Only the incredible was expected from him, so when five years after Thriller he recorded Bad, many were disappointed: music seemed dry and forced to them. He did not deserve such an attitude: his music was the same, perhaps a little less ballad-oriented and more rigidly structured. However, it is impossible to be a king for a long time in a democratic society: any attempts at undivided domination will meet with unconscious resistance. This concerns not only power, but also ideology and tastes. Jackson fell victim to this sad pattern: after some time, the trend took shape in concrete actions. It all started with the fact that, against the backdrop of growing political correctness, voices were heard that Michael despises his race and strives to be like a white man.
A wave of viewer interest returned after Jackson announced his intention to release a video for the song Black and White from the album Dangerous. The press wrote a lot about it, the public was looking forward to it. But as a result, the last shots of Jackson smashing a car with a hammer in a riot again turned viewers away from the singer. The lyrical composition It Don`t Matter If You`re Black or White caused some irony, since after plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures he began to resemble a Caucasian. The delight of the audience subsided not only because of the singer’s frequently changing appearance. If the public also accepted the forgivable eccentricity of the artist’s appearance and behavior, then his quirks (keeping a coffin in the house or erecting an altar in honor) and passions (he could only be seen surrounded by children) began to cause unpleasant conversations.
In 1993, Jackson gave an extensive interview to Oprah Winfrey. The singer told a huge audience about his change in appearance (he cited defects in skin pigmentation and only two plastic surgeries), his personal life (he called him his girlfriend) and his fabulous life (he compared it to the life of Peter Pan) at the Neverland Ranch in the amusement park in surrounding Los Angeles. The interview provided some insight into Jackson's life, but only partly.
The first big scandal
At the end of 1993, Michael again attracted close attention public. A thirteen-year-old boy accused Jackson of sexual assault during his sleepover at Neverland. This accusation, categorically denied by the singer, struck Jackson, who had always been proud of his attitude towards children. The singer interrupted his tour, lost an advertising contract with Pepsi and caused irreparable damage to his reputation. Jackson for 20 ml. dollars agreed with the boy's family. In 1994, the case was closed.
Personal life
Michael Jackson's personal life took a dramatic turn in May 1994, when he married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter, in a secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Some saw this move as an attempt to patch up their reputation, while others found this unification of two prominent musical families touching. Soon Jackson released the double album HIStory (1995), where he included old ones along with new compositions. The album evoked different opinions - enthusiastic recognition of the old songs and very restrained assessments of the new ones. By Jackson standards, the album sold poorly, despite reaching the top ten. The press campaign included an interview with ABC News, where Jackson and Presley insisted that they had a real marriage and were actively in love with each other. Ardent love passed by, the union barely lasted 18 months.
However, another marriage was on the cards. In November 1996, Jackson announced that his girlfriend Deborah Rowe (his dermatologist's assistant) was expecting his child. The couple denied numerous accusations that Jackson was simply using Deborah to carry his child. As proof of their love, they got married shortly after the pregnancy was made public. The wedding took place in Australia. Three months later, Rowe gave birth to Prince Michael Jackson I. A year later, the couple had another child, this time a girl. The baby was named Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. In 1999 (just three years after their wedding), Deborah and Michael divorced.
In February 2002, Michael had another son, Prince Michael Jackson II. He was carried in her womb by a surrogate mother, whose name was never made public.
Attempts to return to former glory
The record, in light of all of the above, is called quite provocatively - Invincible, that is, “Invincible”, was released in October 2001. Its difficulty was that thanks to it, Jackson, if he could win, would only win part of what he had, while he could lose everything. An exceptional amount of money and labor was invested in it; far from the cheapest stars were invited to play on it - from Missy Eliot to Missy Eliot. And what happened in the lead-up to its release? anniversary concerts, difficult to describe in words. Choirs, orchestras, tickets at astronomical prices - a feast during the plague and that’s all. Again, there was a sea of vulgarity and bad taste: huge amounts of money were invested in the project, and nothing worthwhile ever comes out of such a quantity.
If we were not talking about Jackson, this very recording, paradoxically, could have been predicted to be one hundred percent success - primarily because the king, no matter how he was treated, had style. And this style is its own, and not the replicated nonsense that boy bands, teen-pop queens and other dance and entertainment audiences indulge in. In addition, at that time the situation was much more favorable to such music than five years earlier: old forms came back into fashion, people listened to disco again, modified electropop was played again. And such a clear example of these genres, which this disc demonstrated, could not help but attract attention.
Sunset
The last six years of Michael Jackson's life were filled with endless lawsuits (the singer was accused of child molestation, failure to fulfill the terms of contracts, and so on) and attempts to give this world at least a little more music from the king himself.
Death
On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson was in his home. At about two o'clock in the afternoon his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, came to see him. The doctor gave the patient an injection of propofol (a sleeping pill) and left. Two hours later, Conrad returned to find Michael lying completely motionless. At first, the doctor tried to independently bring the patient back to life, but after a couple of minutes he realized that his attempts were clearly not enough. He called an ambulance. Doctors who arrived to help immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They picked up Jackson's lifeless body and took him to USC Medical Center. For an hour, experienced doctors tried their best to revive the King of Pop, but they failed. Death has won.
Funeral
Investigation
After the sudden death of Michael Jackson, Los Angeles authorities began a thorough investigation into the details of his death. Many have come to believe that Conrad Murray unintentionally killed the singer by overdosing him on the drug. In the fall of 2011, Conrad was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison.
Awards and prizes
Throughout his dizzying career, Michael Jackson was awarded almost four hundred prestigious awards in the field of music.
15 Grammy Awards, 13 Guinness World Records, 1 billion albums sold, 2 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 13 #1 hits in the US and more than 500 prestigious music and charity awards. It's not difficult to guess who we're talking about. In 2009, the pop music icon, master of fiery rhythms, dance genius, composer and main musical provocateur of the 20th century left us. The one and only Michael Jackson. Music magazine site invites you to remember the most highlights his career.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, to Joseph Jackson and Catherine Scruse. In addition to Michael, the Jackson couple had 5 sons: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy, as well as 3 daughters: Rabbit, 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 character and stern principles in raising children. In one of his future interviews, Michael openly admits that his father brutally beat him for the slightest offense, believing that thereby he was helping him grow up “disciplined.” In addition, the failed musician always tried to morally suppress his children, especially Michael. “My father always said that I had a huge, ugly nose, which made me feel like a freak,” Michael recalled in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “And one night he climbed into my brothers and I’s bedroom with a scary 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 joined the Jackson Brothers group, founded by the head of the family. Soon the group renamed The Jackson 5, and the main vocal parts began to go to 8-year-old Michael more and more often. 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 just a few years, from a provincial band performing at city festivals, The Jackson turned into superstars with more than 100 million albums sold and fame in all countries from the USA to Japan. The band’s most famous song is still the canonical “I’ll Be There”.
Michael's first solo work was the album “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 shot, which won the hearts of a million American girls.
Many music critics called the “Off the Wall” disc a beautiful end to the disco era. More aggressive music began to come into fashion. This trend did not bypass 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 became the first collaboration between two legends - Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney.
A few months later, Jackson presented to the public his second single, the song “Billie Jean”. Interesting fact: the future world hit was initially rejected by Quincy Jones as “not good enough.” However, Michael's musical instincts did not fail him, 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 entire existence of the music industry. The composition took first place in several major music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and UK singles Chart. The next single, “Beat It,” was officially released on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1983. The subsequent music video became the first in a series of “mini-movie clips from Michael Jackson.” And of course, the song easily topped the aforementioned Billboard Hot 100.
The single of the same name was the perfect ending to the “Thriller” era. The extended version of the album’s video is approaching 115 million views on the popular video hosting site YouTube.
Without exaggeration, this clip can be called “historical.” The legendary choreography of this video gave rise to a phenomenon called “zombie-dance” (zombie dance), and the images invented by Michael remain relevant as before, being reflected in 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 attract 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 for “Best Song of the Year.” “We Are The World” went to number one in more than ten countries and sold over 20 million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles in music history. All money from the sale of the song was sent to help starving children in African countries.
Michael's next big success was the album “Bad”. As many as five singles from this long play managed to take first place on the Billboard Hot 100, which is still an absolute record among male performers. But first things first. The first big hit of the album was the song “Bad”.
Many then expressed the opinion that this song became a kind of response to gossip and Michael’s many ill-wishers. And this version sounds quite convincing, given the interest with which the topic of “Jackson’s changing skin color” was discussed in the press that year.
The album “Bad” amazed with its diversity. Incendiary dance hits here quite successfully coexisted with lyrical compositions. One of the most expressive songs on the entire album turned out to be “Man In the Mirror”.
Song after song, Michael became more and more daring 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 had no equal in dance.
The success of the album was phenomenal. Diamond status in the USA and platinum in all European countries secured “Bad” the title of one of the most successful records in the world.
In 1988, Michael’s autobiography, the book “Moonwalk,” was published, which reveals previously unknown and sometimes shocking details of the star’s childhood and youth. The memoir became a global bestseller in less than a year, selling 250,000 copies.
Spiteful critics argued that after such a successful album, Michael was unlikely to record anything as talented. But Jackson, breaking all stereotypes, again released a brilliant album. The “Dangerous” album still has a cult status, backed 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 composition was the charming boy from the movie “Home Alone” Makalay Culkin. “Black Or White” is considered an unspoken anthem of tolerance and equality.
IN music video On Jackson's next hit, the song “Remember the Time,” the role of the emperor was played by the famous comedian Eddie Murphy. To date, this video has more than 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 gained worldwide recognition.
The album is not complete without dance action scenes. The track “Jam” became the main hit of the summer of 1992, conquering the dance floors of America and Europe.
The composition “Heal the World”, the sixth single of the record, became a kind of solo remake of the song “We Are the World”. The lyrics of the song again reminded people of world problems: wars, famine and AIDS.
In 1993, Michael found himself at the center of a disgusting scandal - he was accused of child molestation. The parents of a certain Jordan Chandler contacted the police with a statement alleging that Jackson had sexually harassed a 13-year-old boy. Such monstrous accusations seriously damaged the artist’s health. The result of the case was a settlement agreement under 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 trial, troubled personal life and public censure could not but affect Jackson's work. In June 1995, he released perhaps 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 became the most expensive in history. Its creation cost the singer approximately $7 million.
The album's second single, “You Are Not Alone,” set a world record, debuting straight from number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Years later, music critics would call it "one of the most inspiring songs of all time."
In November 1995, one of the most important and most important songs in Jackson’s career, the composition “Earth Song,” was released. Song in once again raised pressing issues: deforestation, air pollution, extermination of rare species of animals.
Another highly social single was the song “They Don’t Care About Us.” It really can be called scandalous, because the lyrics clearly pointed to imperfection political system in the USA and the rest of the world. As a result, more than 80 million views on YouTube.
The final, sixth single was the song “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 “Blood On the Dance Floor,” Jackson showed off his consistently great dance skills.
Michael's last work was the album “Invincible”. “You Rock the World” was chosen as the first single of the new product.
Unfortunately, despite the success of the album, Jackson quickly curtailed the promotional campaign, limiting himself to three singles. The most favorite song for fans was “Whatever Happens”. The guitar parts in this song were performed by Carlos Santana himself.
Since 2002, Michael disappeared from television screens for the first time. Some close associates claimed that during this time period he recorded more than a hundred songs for his grand comeback. In the spring of 2009, the first rehearsals for the “This Is It” tour began, which promised to become the most ambitious 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 death of the legend was a lethal dose medicinal product called propofol. Internet media (in particular Twitter) were the first to notify fans of the death of their idol. The news became a nightmare for many millions of fans of Jackson's work. His death was the biggest shock to the public since the September 11 attacks. Many people decided to honor the memory of the artist famous artists, but perhaps the troupe of the world famous Cirque du Soleil did it best. In memory of Michael, a whole tour appeared called “Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour”.
Michael Jackson is the greatest artist in human history. 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 has become an idol for most 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 a story? modern dance without mentioning Michael's signature moonwalk?! All this makes Michael a unique artist, who has never been, is not, and never will be equal. But this is only 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 prevented millions of young children living in lagging African countries from starving to death. In total, for your creative activity he has donated more than $300 million to charity, more than any other person on the planet can boast of. But any amount, no matter how large, becomes insignificant against the background of how selflessly Jackson lived his life, devoting himself entirely to maintaining world peace.
They say that great people do not live long because they invest 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. Michael Jackson's contemporaries should be infinitely happy that they lived at the same time as the legend.
Rest in peace, King. Eternal memory.