Michael Jackson

Real Name: Michael Joseph Jackson
Born: August 29, 1958
Birthplace: Gary, Indiana
Ethnicity: African-American
Hometown: Gary, Indiana
Marital Status: Divorced
Residences: Dubai (U.A.E)
Categories: A-Z, Actor, Artist, Award Winner, Beef, Child Star, Crossover, Famous Fam, Icon, Midwest, Pop Star, Post-Op, Race Traitor, Trendsetter, Where Are They Now?

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Bio

Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the ’80s, and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time. In his prime, Jackson was an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and loads of sheer star power. His 1982 blockbuster Thriller became the biggest-selling album of all time (probably his best-known accomplishment), and he was the first black artist to find stardom on MTV, breaking down innumerable boundaries both for his race and for music video as an art form. Yet as Jackson’s career began, very gradually, to descend from the dizzying heights of his peak years, most of the media’s attention focused on his increasingly bizarre eccentricities; he was often depicted as an arrested man-child, completely sheltered from adult reality by a life spent in show business. The snickering turned to scandal in 1993, when Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy; although he categorically denied the charges, his out-of-court settlement failed to restore his tarnished image. He never quite escaped the stigma of those allegations, and while he continued to sell records at superstar-like levels, he didn’t release them with enough frequency (or, many critics thought, inspiration) to once again become better known for his music than his private life. Whether as a pop icon or a tabloid caricature, Jackson always remained bigger than life.

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The Hype

Career Timeline

2006-2009

On June 25, 2009, Jackson collapsed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by his personal physician were unsuccessful.

Prior to his death, Jackson was scheduled to perform 50 sell out concerts to over one million people, at London’s O₂ arena. The concerts would have commenced on July 13, 2009 and finished on March 6, 2010. According to Jackson’s website, ticket sales for the concerts broke several records.

Columbia Pictures is going to make a feature concert-film from the rehearsal and pre-recorded footage.

Jackson was awarded the Diamond Award on November 15, 2006, for selling over 100 million albums.

Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music LLC from Viacom in 2007. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem, Shakira and Beck, among others.

The 25th anniversary of Thriller was marked by the release of Thriller 25, recorded in Ireland. In 12 weeks Thriller 25 sold over three million copies worldwide.

2003-2005

A series of interviews with Martin Bashir, broadcasted in 2003 as Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson addressed accusations of child molestation.
Jackson reportedly became dependent on pethidine (Demerol), and lost a lot of weight.
The People v. Jackson began on January 31, 2005, in Santa Maria, California, and lasted five months, until the end of May. On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.

2000–2003

In October 2001, Jackson released Invincible. This was his first album in six years. It went on to sell approximately 10 million copies worldwide
In a special 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden occurred in September 2001 to mark the singer’s 30th year as a solo artist. Jackson appeared onstage alongside his brothers for the first time since 1984.
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Jackson helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium inWashington, D.C.
Jackson’s third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed “Blanket”) was born

1996–1999

Jackson married dermatology nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe on November 14, 1996
She gave birth to Michael’s first two children: a son, Michael Joseph Jr., commonly known as Prince, and a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine.
Jackson released Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, which contained remixes of hit singles from HIStory and five new songs.Worldwide sales stand at 6 million copies as of 2007, making it the best selling remix album ever released.
He joined Luciano Pavarotti for a benefit concert in Modena, Italy. It raised a million dollars for the refugees of Kosovo, as well as additional funds for the children of Guatemala.
Jackson organized a set of “Michael Jackson & Friends” benefit concerts in Germany and Korea.The proceeds went to the “Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund”, the Red Cross and UNESCO

1995–1997

In 1995, Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony’s publishing division creating Sony/ATV Music Publishing.Jackson retained half-ownership of the company, earned $95 million upfront as well as the rights to even more songs.
He then released the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is the best-selling multiple-disc album of all-time, with 20 million copies (40 million units) sold worldwide.
HIStoryreceived a Grammy nomination for best album.
The first single r”Scream/Childhood“. “Scream” was a duet, performed with Jackson’s youngest sister Janet. The single had the highest debut on theBillboard Hot 100 at number five, and received a Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals”
“You Are Not Alone” was the second single released from HIStory; it holds theGuinness World Record for the first song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Jackson and Marie Presley divorced.

1994

In May 1994, Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley.They married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy.

1993

Jackson gave a 90-minute interview to Oprah Winfrey in February 1993, his second television interview since 1979. He grimaced when speaking of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood years, admitting that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought the bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, stating for the first time that he had vitiligo.
In the summer of 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler and his father, Evan Chandler, a dentist.Jordan told his father that Jackson had touched his penis.
An official investigation began, with Jordan’s mother adamant that there was no wrongdoing on Jackson’s part. Neverland Ranch was searched.
Jackson was never charged, and the state closed its criminal investigation, citing lack of evidence.

1991–1993

In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $65 million, a record-breaking deal at the time.
He released his eighth album Dangerous. As of 2008, Dangerous had shipped seven million copies in the U.S. and had sold 32 million copies worldwide; it is the most successful new jack swing album of all time.
Jackson founded the “Heal the World Foundation” in 1992.
He publicly pleaded with the Clinton Administration at Bill Clinton’s Inaugural Gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research.
In a high-profile visit to Africa, Jackson visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt.
One of Jackson’s most acclaimed performances came during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. As the performances began, Jackson was catapulted onto the stage as fireworks went off behind him.
Jackson was given the “Living Legend Award” at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

1988–1990

In 1988, Jackson released his first autobiography, Moon Walk, which took four years to complete and sold 200,000 copies.
His success resulted in his being dubbed the “King of Pop”.
President George H. W. Bush presented him with The White House’s special “Artist of the Decade.”
From 1985 to 1990, he donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund, and all of the profits from his single “Man in the Mirror” went to charity.

1986–1987

Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus; the vitiligo partially lightened his skin, and the lupus was in remission; both illnesses made him sensitive to sunlight. The treatments he used for his condition further lightened his skin tone, and, with the application of pancake makeup to even out blotches, he could appear very pale. The structure of his face had also changed: several surgeons speculated that he had undergone multiple nasal surgeries, a forehead lift, thinned lips, and cheekbone surgery.
Jackson starred in the 3-D film Captain EO, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
He broke a Guinness World Record when 504,000 people attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium. The the tour grossed him $125 million
He released Bad, his fifth album.

1984–1985

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song “Someone In the Dark” to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Album for Children.
That same year Jackson issued his second Epic album, Thriller, which became the most commercially successful album of all time. The album remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for 80 consecutive weeks and 37 of those weeks at the peak position.
Thriller was certified for 28 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States.^[29] It is the best-selling album of all time, with 110 million copies worldwide.

1975–1981

The Jackson 5 signed a new contract with CBS Records in June 1975, joining the Philadelphia International Records division, later Epic Records.
In 1978, he starred as the scarecrow in the musical, The Wiz.
Jones and Jackson produced the Off the Wall album together.

1958–1975

The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including “Big Boy”, for the local record label Steeltown in 1967, and signed with Motown Records in 1968.
Between 1972 and 1975, Jackson released four solo studio albums with Motown, among them Got to Be There and Ben, released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise.