Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson entered the world on the 29th of August 1958 inside a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana. He was the eighth of ten children born to Joe and Katherine Jackson. His father worked as a crane operator at US Steel while his mother played piano and clarinet. The family lived in poverty within a working-class African-American community. Michael began performing publicly at age six alongside his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. They formed the band known initially as the Jackson Brothers before becoming the Jackson 5. Young Michael played congas and tambourine during rehearsals where his father often sat with a belt ready to punish mistakes. He recalled feeling lonely and isolated during those years despite his early fame. The group won a talent show in 1965 and performed on the Chitlin' Circuit throughout the Midwest. Their first single Big Boy appeared on Steeltown Records in 1968. Bobby Taylor brought them to Motown after they opened for him at Chicago's Regal Theater. The family moved to Los Angeles when Motown signed them in 1969. Diana Ross introduced the group on television that same year. Rolling Stone later described young Michael as a prodigy who quickly became the main draw.
Jackson released Thriller on the 29th of November 1982 and it became the best-selling album of all time. It topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and remained in the top ten for 80 consecutive weeks. The album produced seven Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles including Billie Jean and Beat It. A short film-style music video for the title track saw Jackson dancing with zombies and doubled sales figures. At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards he won eight awards breaking the record for most wins in a single night. He received Album of the Year for Thriller and Record of the Year for Beat It. On the 25th of March 1983 he performed Billie Jean live on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. Wearing a glove decorated with rhinestones he debuted his moonwalk dance which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier. The performance earned him an Emmy Award nomination and transformed him into a dominant force in global pop culture. Time magazine called him a one-man rescue team for the music business. The New York Times wrote that there was Michael Jackson and then everybody else.
Jackson's skin grew paler from the mid-1980s onward drawing widespread media coverage about bleaching. His dermatologist Arnold Klein diagnosed him with vitiligo in 1983 and lupus erythematosus in 1986. Vitiligo causes patches of skin to lose pigment leading to uneven blotches. He used fair-colored makeup and possibly prescription creams to cover these areas. Jackson stated he did not purposely bleach his skin but could not control the condition. He said when people make up stories that he does not want to be who he am it hurts him. His mother later revealed he first turned to cosmetic procedures because he did not want to look like a spotted cow. She claimed he received more than the two surgeries he admitted to having. Witnesses reported he often felt dizzy and speculated he suffered from anorexia nervosa. Periods of weight loss became recurring problems throughout his life. In 1986 reports surfaced claiming he slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow aging which he denied though he leaked an image of himself inside one.
In July 1993 Jordan Chandler filed allegations of child molestation against Jackson demanding $20 million. Evan Chandler threatened to ruin Jackson's career with a carefully planned plot. Prosecutors raided Neverland Ranch but found no medical or physical evidence. A civil lawsuit settled for $15,331,250 in January 1994 with separate payments totaling $18.3 million allocated to the Chandler family. The Chandlers dropped the molestation allegations from their complaint after the settlement. Police never pressed criminal charges following the investigation which closed on the 21st of September 1994. On the 18th of December 2003 Santa Barbara authorities charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and intoxicating a minor. The trial began on the 31st of January 2005 in Santa Maria, California. If convicted he would have faced up to twenty years in prison. On the 13th of June 2005 Jackson was acquitted on all counts. FBI files released in 2009 showed the bureau found no evidence of criminal conduct regarding either case.
Jackson founded the Heal the World Foundation in 1992 to bring underprivileged children to his ranch. He sent millions of dollars globally to help children threatened by war poverty and disease. His charity single We Are the World raised $63 million and sold 20 million copies. It won four Grammy Awards including Song of the Year for Jackson and Lionel Richie. In early 1992 he visited Gabon where over 100,000 people greeted him carrying signs reading Welcome Home Michael. He was crowned King Sani by a tribal chief in Krindjabo during that trip. From 1985 to 1990 he donated $455,000 to the United Negro College Fund. All profits from Man in the Mirror went directly to charity. Guinness World Records recognized him in 2000 for supporting 39 charities more than any other entertainer. He organized benefit concerts raising funds for refugees of the Kosovo War and children of Guatemala.
By 2006 Jackson faced bankruptcy with debts reaching almost $500 million. Fortress Investments held loans against his ATV catalog stake worth about $1 billion. At least thirty employees were owed back wages totaling $306,000. The main house at Neverland Ranch closed as a cost-cutting measure while he lived in Bahrain. He moved to Grouse Lodge near Rosemount County Westmeath Ireland in mid-2006 to work on new music. In March 2009 he announced This Is It comeback concerts scheduled to begin the 13th of July 2009. More than one million tickets sold in less than two hours for fifty dates in London. His debt had grown significantly by the time rehearsals began under choreographer Kenny Ortega. He planned further ventures including films a museum and a casino to recoup losses. Sony Music threatened foreclosure on Neverland Ranch which he used as collateral for loans.
Jackson died from cardiac arrest caused by propofol and benzodiazepine overdose on the 25th of June 2009. Paramedics received a 911 call at 12:21 pm Pacific time arriving four minutes later. Resuscitation efforts continued en route to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center but failed. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm Pacific time. Conrad Murray his personal physician administered propofol lorazepam and midazolam. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled the death a homicide in August 2009. Law enforcement charged Murray with involuntary manslaughter on the 8th of February 2010. He was found guilty in late 2011 and sentenced to four years in prison before release after one year and eleven months. News of his death spread online causing websites to slow down or crash from user overload. Web traffic rose between 11% and 20% globally during that period.
More than 16.1 million copies of Jackson's albums sold in the US alone within the year following his death. Thirty-five million copies were sold worldwide making him the top-selling artist of 2009. He became the first artist to sell one million music downloads in a week with 2.6 million song downloads. Thriller Number Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson outsold any new album that year. Within twelve months he sold over 75 million records worldwide. By end of 2013 sales exceeded 50 million albums since his passing. In March 2010 Sony Music signed a $250 million deal extending distribution rights until at least 2017. That July a court awarded Quincy Jones $9.4 million in disputed royalty payments for Off the Wall Thriller and Bad. In February 2024 Sony acquired half of Jackson's publishing rights and recording masters for $600 million. This transaction possibly represents the largest purchase for a single musician's work ever recorded.
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Common questions
When and where was Michael Jackson born?
Michael Joseph Jackson entered the world on the 29th of August 1958 inside a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana. He was the eighth of ten children born to Joe and Katherine Jackson.
What happened during Michael Jackson's performance of Billie Jean on Motown 25?
On the 25th of March 1983 he performed Billie Jean live on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever while wearing a glove decorated with rhinestones. He debuted his moonwalk dance which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier and earned an Emmy Award nomination for the performance.
Why did Michael Jackson's skin become paler starting in the mid-1980s?
His dermatologist Arnold Klein diagnosed him with vitiligo in 1983 and lupus erythematosus in 1986 causing patches of skin to lose pigment leading to uneven blotches. Jackson stated he did not purposely bleach his skin but could not control the condition.
What were the legal outcomes regarding child molestation allegations against Michael Jackson?
Police never pressed criminal charges following the investigation into the 1993 Jordan Chandler allegations which closed on the 21st of September 1994. On the 13th of June 2005 Jackson was acquitted on all counts related to seven charges of child molestation brought by Santa Barbara authorities in 2003.
How much money did Michael Jackson donate to charity during his lifetime?
From 1985 to 1990 he donated $455,000 to the United Negro College Fund while All profits from Man in the Mirror went directly to charity. Guinness World Records recognized him in 2000 for supporting 39 charities more than any other entertainer.
Who caused Michael Jackson's death and when did it occur?
Jackson died from cardiac arrest caused by propofol and benzodiazepine overdose on the 25th of June 2009 at 2:26 pm Pacific time. Conrad Murray his personal physician administered propofol lorazepam and midazolam leading to a homicide ruling by the Los Angeles County Coroner in August 2009.