Musician,
Entertainer. He was called the "King of Pop," and is best remembered
for his revolutionary videos such as "Thriller" (1982), and "Dangerous"
(1991), as well as two Guinness World Records: Most successful
entertainer of all time (with 13 Grammy Awards, 13 Number One single
hits in a solo career, and sales of over 750 million in albums
worldwide), and for having the greatest selling album of all time
("Thriller"). He is also remembered for his trademark single sequined
white glove, and for The Moonwalk. Born Michael Joseph Jackson in Gary,
Indiana, he was the seventh of nine children to Joseph Walter "Joe"
Jackson and Katherine Esther Scruse Jackson, a working class family
living in an industrial suburb of Chicago. His father was a steel mill
employee who also played guitar in a Rhythm and Blues band, the Falcons.
Jackson showed his musical abilities early, performing in front of his
kindergarten classmates at the age of 5, and later joining his four
brothers in a singing group, The Jackson Brothers, which was changed to
the Jackson 5 when Michael was eight years old. Michael was soon
singing lead to the others playing, and in 1968, the group signed with
Motown Records, their initial break into the recording industry. Even
then, Michael was recognized as a singing prodigy. Their first four
records set a Motown record when all four hit number one on the
Billboard Hot 100. By the early 1970s, the group was considered one of
the most successful pop/soul groups in history. In June 1975, the
Jackson 5 signed with CBS Records, and Michael also became the principal
songwriter of the group. In 1978, he attempted to break into film,
playing the Scarecrow in "The Wiz" but had better luck with his music
videos, to which he changed from just a video recording of his singing
to a short musical story of intense drama. His revolutionary remake of
the video medium would change forever the video industry. In 1979,
Michael broke away from his brothers to go solo, since he had become
more popular than any of his brothers. During the 1980s, his record
sales consistently hit number one in the charts, to be topped by his
best selling album of all time, Thriller (1982). During this period,
Jackson would claim to be suffering from both lupus and vitiligo. In a
1988 autobiography, "Moon Walk," Jackson would speak of facing his
father's abuse during his childhood, his many periods of weight loss and
weight gain, and the changes to his face (many doctors believe that he
has undergone as many as a dozen facial cosmetic surgeries). In 1993,
he would state in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he suffered from
vitiligo, a rare disease that depigments the skin, turning it white. In
the 1990s, as Jackson's fame grew, he become more introverted, building
his Neverland Ranch retreat as a refuge from his fans and detractors
alike. Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, but settled
out of court, paying his accuser 22 million dollars to end the stress of
the pending court trial; this led many to believe he was hiding a
tendency toward pedophilia, which lost him many fans. Ever the
businessman, even his marriages were crafted to improve his image. He
was married twice, first to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Rock
King Elvis Presley, on May 26, 1994, but the marriage ended in divorce
in January 1996. He then married Debbie Rowe on November 15, 1996, with
whom he had two children, a daughter Paris Michael Katherine, and a
son, Michael Jr, nicknamed "Prince." This marriage also ended in
divorce in October 1999. During this period, Jackson became addicted to
painkillers, and was able to break the habit with the help of his
singer friend, Elton John. In 1997, Jackson would dedicate his album,
HIStory, to Elton John; it would sell over 6 million copies worldwide.
Jackson would have a third child in 2002, a son, Prince Michael Jackson
II, and nicknamed "Blanket." To date, the name of the mother has not
been revealed; she apparently gave up custody of the child to Jackson.
In 2003, Jackson was again accused of child molestation, but was found
"not guilty" during a media circus trial that ended in June 2005, due to
lack of evidence. Many court watchers believe that he was a victim of
being a rich celebrity target for blackmailers, hoping to score a quick
multi-million dollar settlement from him. During his lifetime, Jackson
has been very active in a number of charities, and has donated upwards
of $300 million to various charities; he is considered one of the top
celebrity donators. For much of his 50 years of life, Jackson, a
sensitive man, was subjected to severe stress, beginning with what he
considered his father's mental abuse, his early fame and continuous
success in the music world, his loss of several fortunes over the course
of his life, followed by the hard work to set up a tour to recoup his
losses, his unsuccessful marriages, the continual hounding of the
tabloid press, hurtful jokes of late night television hosts, his
addiction to pain killers, and rapid weight gain and weight loss; all
have taken their toll on his fragile body. About noon on June 25, 2009,
Jackson was found unconscious at his home and although EMTs immediately
responded, he was pronounced dead at the hospital, believed at the time
to be from a fatal heart attack. On July 7, 2009, the Jackson family
held a private service for him at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, followed by
a memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Michael
Jackson was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1997
as a member of the Jackson 5, and in 2001, as a solo artist. In 2002,
he was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. He has also
received numerous awards for his contributions to the world of pop
music, and for his numerous best selling albums. On August 28, 2009, the
Los Angeles County Coroner officially ruled the cause of death as a
homicide, caused by acute intoxication from the drug Propofol and other
conditions. | | |
