Michael Jackson

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Michael Joseph Jackson

Michael Jackson on May 14, 1984
Background information
Birth name Michael Joseph Jackson
Born August 29, 1958(1958-08-29)
Gary, Indiana, United States
Died June 25, 2009
Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Pop, rock, soul, R&B, disco, funk
Occupations Singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, dancer, choreographer, actor, author, businessman, financier
Instruments Vocals, multiple instruments, percussion
Years active 1964–2009
Labels Motown, Epic, Sony
Associated acts The Jackson 5/The Jacksons
Website MichaelJackson.com

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)[1] was one of the most famous and successful musicians of the last 3 decades. He was referred to as "The King of Pop" and considered to be one of the biggest and most influential entertainers in the history of pop music. He made the highest-selling album of all time, Thriller, in 1982. The song Thriller showed him dancing like a zombie. Thriller, which includes famous songs like "Beat It" and "Billie Jean," has sold 110 million copies worldwide. Jackson wrote other well-known songs such as "Bad", "Black or White", "Heal the World" and "Earth Song". He is known for popularizing dance moves such as the robot and the moonwalk. He won a lot of awards and broke many records. He is often cited as the biggest star since Elvis Presley. He is sometimes referred to as the world's greatest entertainer.[2]

Contents

Personal life [change]

Jackson lived a well-publicized personal life even though he tried to stay private. He was often in celebrity and tabloid magazines. In 1993, he was accused of child molestation, but there was no trial; the case was settled out of court. In 2003, he was accused a second time of child molestation. This time he went to court and was found not guilty. Over the years his changing facial appearance and lightening skin color attracted much attention. He claimed to have had only a little plastic surgery to his face. He said he had a rare skin condition called vitiligo. He was married to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, before divorcing her in 1995 and marrying nurse Debbie Rowe. Jackson also owned a ranch called Neverland, which he bought in 1989 and sold in November 2008. He kept some rights to it. In 2001, Jackson released the album Invincible but sales on the album were disappointing. His last album with all new original songs was produced in 2001. In March 2009, Jackson announced a series of 50 comeback concerts in London. He said this tour was his "last curtain call" and that he would probably retire after the shows. On June 25, 2009, Jackson died of a cardiac arrest.

Death [change]

Jackson was proclaimed dead on 25 June, 2009 at 2:25pm at the UCLA Medical Center.[3] It is thought that he went into cardiac arrest, which means his heart stopped.[4] At 4:36 pm local time, the Los Angeles coroner confirmed Jackson's death.[5] However, he was unresponsive by 12:15, even though he was not proclaimed dead at the time of hospital arrival, he already passed on by 1pm. Jackson died just two months before his 51st birthday. Rumors and news of Jackson's death broke web records causing a cyberspace traffic jam. The circumstances of his death and the outpouring of grief which was experienced around the world were on record scales never seen before .[6] His death gave Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Yahoo the most page views they have ever gotten.[7][8] Jackson arrived at the hospital not showing any signs of life.

Memorial service [change]

A memorial service was held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. It began with a reading of a letter by Smokey Robinson of comments by Nelson Mandela, Diana Ross and other close friends of Michael Jackson who could not be at the memorial.[9] Mariah Carey sang I'll Be There at the memorial service, followed by a speech given by Queen Latifah. Lionel Richie performed "Jesus is Love". Berry Gordy, Motown founder, spoke next, offering condolences. Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson also spoke, with Magic describing the event as a "celebration of Jackson's life and works" rather than a funeral. Jennifer Hudson sung Will You Be There accompanied by a music video. Reverend Al Sharpton then gave a speech about how Jackson kept rising and "never stopped". John Mayer played the guitar as he did in Michael Jackson's song Human Nature. This was followed by Brooke Shields speaking. Jermaine Jackson, Jackson's older brother, then performed Smile, Michael's favorite song written by comic drama legend Charlie Chaplin. This was proceeded by speeches by Martin Luther King III and Bernice King. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was the next person who spoke at the memorial service, claiming "people are innocent until proven guilty," (reminding those who accused Jackson of unproven child molestations) saying that Jackson's humanitarian efforts need to be praised. Usher then sang "Gone Too Soon," followed by a montage of old videos of Jackson himself. Shahim sang next, with Kenny Ortega introducing him afterwards. Kenny Ortega explained that Michael Jackson saw the Staples Center as his home, a reason for the funeral service to be held there. This was followed by Kenny Ortega doing a tribute to him, including We Are the World and Heal the World. The service ended with speeches by members of his family, including Jermaine, Marlon and daughter Paris who broke into tears and said that "Daddy was the best father anyone could have" and also that "I will miss him" then she left the microphone and turned into Janet Jackson's arms. The memorial lasted over 2 hours.

At first, Michael Jackson's custom made quarter million dollar golden casket, nicknamed "The Promethean" was not expected to appear at the memorial service, however, due to a change in the family's plans the casket was taken to the memorial service.[10]

Viewing parties were held all over the world for the broadcast, including at several movie theaters, in Times Square, the Apollo Theater, Raleigh, and Berlin.[11] The broadcast was replayed a few times the next day. An estimated 1 billion people tuned into the farewell concert.

Over 3,000 police officers were assigned to the event, the largest amount assigned to a single event since the 1984 Summer Olympics.[12] It cost the City of Los Angeles 1.4 million dollars.[13] His funeral took place in Glendale California on September 3, 2009, 9 weeks after he died. He was laid to rest at 9:45pm in the mausoleum, above the ground. Mother Katherine decided on burial details but some family members and friends wanted him buried below ground in the mausoleum. Jermaine Jackson wanted him buried on Neverland ranch.[14]

Recent releases [change]

Jackson recorded several songs before his death. He had recently released a compilation album called "Michael" featuring remixed songs and new songs such as "Hold my Hand" a duet between him and popular singer Akon, and Monster, a strong song with lots of attitude and a hint of dislike for the paparazzi. Also "(I Like) The Way You Love Me", "Keep your head up" and "Much too soon".

Studio albums [change]


References [change]

  1. ↑ imdb.com
  2. ↑ Ryan, Joal (2009-06-25). "Michael Jackson, Pop's Thrilling King, Dead at 50". E! Online. http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b131173_michael_jackson_pops_thrilling_king.html. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  3. ↑ Blankstein, Andrew; Phil Willon (June 25, 2009). "Michael Jackson is dead [Updated"]. The LA Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/pop-star-michael-jackson-was-rushed-to-a-hospital-this-afternoon-by-los-angeles-fire-department-paramedics--capt-steve-ruda.html. Retrieved 25 June, 2009.
  4. ↑ "AP: Michael Jackson Dies at Los Angeles Hospital". 25-06-2009. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529103,00.html. Retrieved 25-06-2009.
  5. ↑ "Special Report with Keith Olberman". MSNBC. June 25, 2009.
  6. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-06-26-jackson-web-traffic_N.htm
  7. ↑ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2349422,00.asp
  8. ↑ http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9134896&intsrc=news_ts_head
  9. ↑ Washington, Jesse (7 July 2009). "Jackson casket on stage". The Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iJN6FHrmT75HzSZChIb2PDzFEDXgD999OGF83. Retrieved 7 July, 2009.
  10. ↑ Washington, Jesse (7 July 2009). "Michael Jackson's casket to be taken to memorial". The Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iJN6FHrmT75HzSZChIb2PDzFEDXgD999LPBO0. Retrieved 7 July, 2009.
  11. ↑ McKay, Hollie (7 July 2009). "Jackson Memorial Airing Live at a Theater (Maybe) Near You". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,530297,00.html. Retrieved 7 July, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Cost only security problem at Jackson memorial". CNN. CNN.com. 7 July, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/07/michael.jackson.security/index.html?eref=rss_showbiz.
  13. ↑ Vercammen, Paul (8 July, 2009). "Mayor's office: Michael Jackson memorial cost L.A. around $1.4 million". CNN. CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/08/michael.jackson.cost/index.html?eref=rss_topstories. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  14. ↑ "Jackson Family Feud: Where Will Michael Be Buried?". FoxNews.com. July 10, 2009. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,531508,00.html.

Related pages [change]

Other websites [change]

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