>> Read more: The biopic of Michael Jackson will be released in 2025
At 51 years old, and unexpectedly, Michael Jackson said goodbye to this world, leaving not only millions of fans heartbroken, but also three children.
His beginnings and The Jackson 5
Born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana, United States, the King of Pop was the son of Joseph and Katherine Jackson and the seventh of nine children. The singer, producer and performer He grew up in a large family, in a house where music was breathed. In that sense, his father was a guitarist, while his mother played the clarinet and piano.
The origins of Michael Jackson’s career date back to the creation of The Jackson 5, a band that he joined with his brothers, a group that was promoted by Joseph, the father of the family. Between 1966, the small artists formed the group and in their recording debut they managed to have their first four singles (“I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”) reach the top on major American charts.
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Although Michael was very small, He was already beginning to stand out as a singer and composer.. Furthermore, The Jackson 5 managed to establish themselves as one of the most recognized R6B and soul bands of the time. After releasing several albums together with his brothers, the “Black or White” singer ventured into his solo career, crowned by a string of hits.
During the 70s, the creator of “Smooth Criminal” released several solo albums such as “Got to be there”, “Ben”, “Music & Me” and “Forever”, “Michael”. However, his solo career officially began in 1979 with the release of the album “Off The Wall”, which includes the hit “Don’t stop until you get enough”. In addition, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney participated as composers.
Thriller, the best-selling album of all time
Three years later After “Off the Wall”, in 1982 Jackson released “Thirller”, an album that would later be crowned the best-selling album in the history of humanity. This gave him seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards for both the lyrics, the production, the music and the innovation in video clips that were very innovative audiovisual productions in the music industry of that time.
“Thriller” includes among the 9 songs, his homonymous hit, in addition to “Beat It” and “Billie Jean”, all hits that continue to be played to this day, more than 40 years later. On the other hand, the iconic music video for “Thriller” It lasted 14 minutes and became one of the most notable pieces in pop culture. In that sense, in 2009 it became the only one included in the National Film Registry both for the impact it had on society and for being considered “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant.”
On the other hand, with the hit “Billie Jean” was when Jackson premiered his feature Moonwalk, the moon walk, in which it slid backwards, generating an illusion in the spectators. Furthermore, in the same performance she wore for the first time her iconic black sequin jacket and her diamond glove, two pieces of clothing that became synonymous with the King of Pop.
It was not until 1987, five years after the success that was “Thriller”, that he released the new album, “Bad.” This album included, among others, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Man in the Mirror” and “Smooth Criminal”. A curious fact about the last song is that Annie, the protagonist of the song (“Annie, are you okay? So, Annie, are you okay?”, the lyrics say) is inspired by a CPR doll that was in the studio recording location where the piece was created. With this new creation she continued to break records, this time for being the artist who ranked with the most number one singles from the same album on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1991, Jackson released the album “Dangerous”, where, in addition to the song of the same name, the outstanding “Remember the time” and “Black or White” were released. Two years later, in 1993 she was the first star hired to be part of the Super Bowl halftime show, It was the XXVII edition and the King of Pop’s was one of the most acclaimed performances of all time. It is thanks to this performance that triggered the decision of the National Football League (NFL) to hire artists every following year and thus not lose the audience.
His marriage to Elvis Presley’s daughter and their three children
In May 1994, Pop’s king He married Lisa Marie Presley, singer, actress and songwriter, but also daughter of the King of Rock, Elvis Presley. The artists’ wedding was secret, in an intimate wedding in the Dominican Republic, with a ceremony on the beach.
Love was fleeting: The marriage lasted only 20 months., and before their second anniversary they divorced. Much of the press labeled this union as a “screen” or a strategy of both musicians to gain visibility.
>> Read more: Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ daughter who was married to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage
Shortly after Presley’s separation, In 1996, the artist remarried. His His second wife was Debbie Rowe, a nurse at a dermatology clinic that Jackson attended regularly. With Rowe, the singer had two children, first Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. in 1997 and a year later Paris Katherine Jackson.
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In 1999, they divorced and Jackson was left with full custody of both of them after Rowe gave it to him completely. After the death of the King of Pop, the artist’s ex-wife embarked on a legal dispute with the Jackson family to recover custody of their children.
ANDIn 2002, her third and last child, Prince Michael Jackson II, was born, who was given birth after artificial insemination.
The charitable side of Michael Jackson and the songs to help the world
As he established himself as one of the most prominent artists of his generation, Michael Jackson began to show his charitable side. One of his first actions was the release of the song “We are the World”, a song he wrote together with Lionel Ritchie and which was part of the “USA for Africa” project, which aimed to raise funds to alleviate African hunger. .
In addition to Jackson and Ritchie, “We are the world” included emblematic artists, such as Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, George Michael, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross and Paul Simon.
>> Read more: “We Are The World” already has its own documentary on Netflix
After the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the King of Pop tried to carry out a similar musical-charity action to raise funds for the victims of the attack. The singer composed the song “What more can I give” and performed it in a recital called “United We Stand – What More Can I Give” in a stadium in Washington. Aerosmith, N’Sync, Anastacia, James Brown and Maria Carey participated in the performance.
The success was such that studio recording of the song began to be planned. For this. Michael brought together iconic musicians, such as Celine Dion, Gloria Stefan, Ricky Martin, Beyonce, Shakira, Thalia and Usher. However, due to a dispute between the singer and the president of Sony, the record label that represented him, it did not come to light. Finally, in 2009, after his death, it was released.
Neverland, the mansion that was the scene of abuse allegations
In 1988, after releasing the albums “Thriller” and “Bad,” Jackson established himself as one of the most important stars in pop – and music in general. In addition to her fame, her wealth also increased exponentially.. One of the destinations of his fortune was a large piece of land in California, where the famous Neverland “ranch” was installed, the artist’s enormous home, which had eccentric attractions, such as an amusement park, a zoo and a cinema. At the location, it was learned that the artist constantly received children.
In 1993 Michael Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by one of the children who regularly came to his mansion. However, despite the statements presented by the complainant and the investigation that was carried out in Neverland, the evidence was not sufficient and the complaint was discarded.
Years laterIn 2005, he was again denounced for child sexual abuse and, although this time he was tried, the court acquitted him. Other accusations arose from other children and also from choreographer Wade Robson, who accused him of having sexually abused him for seven years when he was seven years old until he was fourteen.
All complaints and testimonies were compiled in the documentary “Leaving Neverland” from 2019, directed by Dan Reed. To this day, the accusations against Jackson remain a topic that circulates in the public opinion. Although there are many who question the singer’s innocence, Jackson retains his loyal followers who deny any type of accusation to the death.
