Michael Jackson

For the British writer, see Michael Jackson (writer).

Michael Jackson
Jackson in 1988.
Born	Michael Joseph Jackson (1958-08-29)August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Died	June 25, 2009(2009-06-25) (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Cardiac arrest induced by acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	Michael Joe Jackson
Occupations	Singer songwriter dancer record producer philanthropist
Years active	1964–2009
Spouse(s)	Lisa Marie Presley ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 1996)​ Debbie Rowe ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2000)​
Children	Michael Jr. Paris Prince Michael II
Parents	Joe Jackson (father) Katherine Jackson (mother)
Family	See Jackson family
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop soul funk hip hop rock disco post-disco dance-pop new jack swing
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards piano bass drums
Labels	Steeltown Motown Epic Legacy Sony MJJ Productions
Website	www.michaeljackson.com
Signature

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential music artists in history.

Michael began performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons) at the age of 6. They gained worldwide fame with Michael as the group's lead singer and recorded multiple successful singles. In the early 1970s, he began his solo career, releasing the following albums with record label Motown: Got to Be There and Ben (both 1972), Music & Me (1973), and Forever, Michael (1975); then he left Motown and moved to Epic Records, where he released the albums Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I (1995), and Invincible (2001). When he died in 2009 at age 50, he had spent 44 years working in the music industry.

Jackson was (and is) a global figure in popular culture. He created some of the best-selling albums in music history. His contributions to music, dance, and fashion had a major cultural impact. Finally, his highly publicized personal life kept him in the public eye.

Jackson died in 2009 from an overdose of propofol administered by Dr. Conrad Murray. Murray's trial was widely publicized, and he went to prison for involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's legacy lives on.

"The King of Pop"

Because of his influence and fame, Jackson is nicknamed the "King of Pop".

Jackson influenced artists across many music genres. Through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated dance moves such as the moonwalk, the robot, and the anti-gravity lean.

Jackson is the most awarded individual music artist in history. His awards include:

• 15 Grammy Awards
• 6 BRIT Awards
• A Golden Globe
• 39 Guinness World Records, including "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"

He is in the:

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Vocal Group Hall of Fame
• Songwriters Hall of Fame
• National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame
• Dance Hall of Fame

Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 500 million records worldwide.

Life and career

Early life

Michael Joseph Jackson was born to a family of Jehovah's Witnesses on August 29, 1958, at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana. He was the eighth of Katherine and Joe Jackson's ten children.

Jackson's father Joseph was a steel mill worker who played guitar in a rhythm and blues band to earn extra money for the family.

1964: The Jackson Brothers

On January 1, 1964, Jackson and his brother Marlon joined The Jackson Brothers, a band that their older brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine had started. When they did their first public performance, Jackson was just five years old.

When Jackson was 8, he and Jermaine became the group's main singers. The group's name then changed to The Jackson 5.

1965: The Jackson 5

See the main article: The Jackson 5

The members of the Jackson 5 were the same as the "Jackson Brothers": Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson.

The group won an important talent show in 1966. Two years later they were signed to a famous record label called Motown Records. Their first Motown single I Want You Back reached No. 1 in the Billboard Hot 100, a list of the 100 top songs in the United States.

Jackson in 1977.

They became quite popular and performed many original songs, including "ABC" and "I'll Be There". They were managed by their father Joe Jackson, who was very strict.

His father did not allow the kids to have a lot of friends and he often whipped the children if they disobeyed. He wanted them to stay out of trouble and away from gangs. Later, when the Jackson 5 was still getting started, Joe would push the boys to practice for hours. He would hit them or verbally abuse them if they made a mistake.

1971-1973

In 1971, Jackson embarked on his solo career and released his studio albums Got to Be There and Ben (both in 1972), and Music & Me (1973).

Got to Be There produced the song of the same name, as Jackson's debut solo single. Ben released one single, the title track "Ben", which was a commercial success.

1974-1981

In 1974, Jackson hosted the first American Music Awards with Donny Osmond, Rodney Allen Rippy, and Ricky Segall.

In June 1975, the Jackson 5 left Motown for CBS Records and changed their name to "The Jacksons". That same year, he released his fourth solo studio album Forever, Michael.

In 1976, The Jacksons got their own TV show on CBS. The show was cancelled in March 1977.

On October 24, 1978, a movie called The Wiz was released. The movie was a remake of The Wizard of Oz with all black actors. Jackson acted as the Scarecrow.

On December 17, 1978, The Jacksons' twelfth album was released. It was the first album they had produced. Jackson wrote the album's second single "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" with Randy Jackson. It reached No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In December 1978, Jackson started making his fifth and first solo album on Epic Records: Off the Wall with record producer Quincy Jones. It was released on August 10, 1979. The album got good reviews and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

The Jacksons' thirteenth album, Triumph, was released in 1980.

Jackson in 1984.

1982-1983

In 1982, Jackson made "Someone in the Dark" for the E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial soundtrack. It won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984.

On October 18, 1982, the first single from his sixth studio album Thriller, "The Girl Is Mine", was released. It was sung with Paul McCartney. Some people thought that the album wasn't going to be very good because of the song.

On November 30, 1982, Thriller was released, which went on to become the best-selling album of all time. Jackson didn't do a tour to promote the album. The album sold around 70 million copies worldwide.

Thriller includes famous songs like "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" and "Thriller".

"Thriller" has a unique music video, in which shows Jackson and others dancing like zombies. The popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame.

That year, Jackson won seven other Grammys for his studio album Thriller.

In 1983, Jackson wrote three songs with Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury. That same year, he performed "Billie Jean" during an NBC special called Motown 25, Yesterday, Today, Forever, where he debuted the "moonwalk", in which became his signature dance move in his repertoire.

1984-1985

Jackson signing a "We Are the World" poster in 1985.

Pepsi commercial

On January 27, 1984, Michael's hair caught on fire while he was filming a Pepsi Cola commercial with the rest of The Jacksons. He received severe burns and was rushed to the hospital.

Pepsi paid $1.5 million to Jackson, who gave it to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California. The accident left him with severe chronic pain, and he started taking narcotic pain medications.

Songs and albums

In May 1984, "Farewell My Summer Love", a song that Jackson wrote it 1973, was released as a single. It reached number seven in the UK Singles Chart.

"Somebody's Watching Me", a single by Rockwell with Jackson singing on the chorus, was released January 14, 1984. It reached number one in Spain and France.

The Jacksons' album Victory was released on July 2, 1984. Between July and December 1984 Jackson toured with his brothers. He won eight awards at the 1984 American Music Awards, the most anyone has ever won at once. He also won Best International Solo Artist and Best International Album at the BRIT Awards.

Jermaine Jackson released his tenth album, Jermaine Jackson. Michael sang on a song from the album, "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming' (Too Good to Be True)". It was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 1985 Grammy Awards.

In August 1985, Jackson bought music publisher ATV Music for $47.5 million. They owned the rights to The Beatles.

Jackson wrote "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie in 1985. The song was recorded by USA for Africa. It was released as a single around the world to raise money to give to starving people in Africa. It sold over 20 million copies. It also won four Grammy Awards.

1986-1990

Jackson performing "The Way You Make Me Feel" in 1988.

In August 1987, his seventh studio album Bad, was released. Jackson wanted it to sell 100 million copies; it has sold over 45 million.

Five of Bad's seven singles were No.1 in the U.S.:"I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana". Until Katy Perry's success with her 2010 album Teenage Dream, Jackson was the only musician to ever have had that many singles from one album be No.1.

From September 1987 to January 1989, Jackson did the Bad World Tour. This was the first tour he did on his own.

In 1988, Moonwalk, a book Jackson wrote about his life, was published. It took Jackson four years to write. The book sold 200,000 copies. Jackson then made and released Moonwalker. In 1989 some video games about the movie were released by U.S. Gold.

In 1986, Disneyland and Epcot started showing a short film called Captain EO that starred Jackson.

Jackson sang "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance.

The Jacksons released their last album, 2300 Jackson Street, in 1989. Michael sang on the album's second single "2300 Jackson Street" with his brothers and two of their sisters, Janet and Rebbie. Michael was also in the song's music video.

Jackson won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form in 1989 for "Leave Me Alone".

1991-1993

On November 26, 1991 Jackson released his eighth studio album, Dangerous. It is a new jack swing album produced with Teddy Riley. Jackson included a rapper on the album for the first time and nine singles from the album. It contains the number-one single "Black or White".

On June 27, 1992, Jackson started the Dangerous World Tour. Its goal was to raise money for charities such as the Heal the World Foundation. Jackson promised to donate all of the tour's income to charitable organizations. Jackson performed to 3.5 million people in 70 concerts, and grossed $100 million in donations.

A Romanian postal cover honoring Michael's 1992 concert in Bucharest.

The Dangerous World Tour was supposed to last until Christmas 1992. However, on November 11, Jackson ended the tour early because he was hospitalized.

In January 1993, Jackson performed at the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII.

1994-1996

On July 16, 1995, Jackson released his ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. This album has two discs. The first is a collection of Jackson's greatest hits (his most popular songs). The second contains fifteen songs that Jackson recorded in late 1994 and early 1995. Thirteen of those songs were new at the time, and two of them are cover versions.

HIStory won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. In August 1995, the album's single "You Are Not Alone" became the first single ever to go straight to No.1 on Billboard's Hot 100 (a list of the 100 most popular songs in the United States).

The video for Jackson's single "Scream" entered the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most expensive short film ever made.

In 1996, he started his HIStory World Tour, which ended the following year. Over 4.5 million fans attended a show on the tour - more than any other tour in Jackson's career. Jackson performed 82 concerts in 58 different cities, within 35 countries, on five continents. The tour grossed a total of $165 million.

Jackson's "Neverland" complex in California included a carousel

In 1997 Jackson released a short film called Ghosts in 1997, which he wrote with Stephen King.

1997-1999

In 1997, Jackson released Blood on the Dance Floor, the best-selling remix album ever made. The album and its first single reached No.1 in the United Kingdom. Blood on the Dance Floor contained five new songs, including the album's first single - also called "Blood on the Dance Floor".

2000-2003

Jackson won Artist of the 1980s at the American Music Awards in 2000.

On October 30, 2001 Invincible, Jackson's last studio album, was released. The album got good and bad reviews. It was No.1 in 12 countries and sold 13 million copies around the world. But compared to Jackson's earlier albums, it was unsuccessful. The album's first single "You Rock My World" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2002, Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century.

On November 17, 2003, Jackson released a collection of his popular songs called Number Ones. The album also includes a new song called "One More Chance", which was released as a single. It reached number one in three countries. The album was released as a DVD too.

2004-2009

In 2006, Sony released twenty of Jackson's popular singles on video called Visionary - The Video Singles.

In March 2009, Jackson told the press that he was going to do a tour called This Is It. He said that he might stop making music after this. Jackson practiced his singing and dancing for the tour in Los Angeles with Kenny Ortega. Jackson died of an overdose of Propofol on June 25, 2009, after having a cardiac arrest, and his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

During an Interview on YouTube during the BBC UK Show featuring "Michael Jackson's This Is It" Michael talked about the future of his career and that he "may" be retiring after his "This Is It" Tour, but he wasn't sure if he would or not. However, due to his death in 2009, the show was cancelled. Some show-goers who paid for tickets wanted refunds but the Jackson Estate did not provide any.

2009-2010

Jackson won Entertainer of the Year at the 2009 Soul Train Awards. That year he also won five American Music Awards.

On October 26, 2009, a two-disc album called Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. The album's only single "This Is It" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2011. On October 28, 2009, Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. It was a documentary movie. The movie showed recordings of Jackson's rehearsals for his This Is It tour. Jackson died before he could do the tour. It made $72,091,016 in the United States. It has made $261,183,588 around the world. It got good reviews from movie critics. On 26 January 2010 the movie was released on DVD. It sold over a 1.5million copies in the US in the first week it was released. This was more than any other music DVD had sold in its first week.

Jackson won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. His children, Prince and Paris collected the award for Jackson.

A video game called Michael Jackson: The Experience was released by Ubisoft in November 2010 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable and Wii.

2011-2012

In April 2011 Mohamed Al-Fayed, who was friends with Jackson when he was alive, showed the public a 7ft 6in statue of Jackson outside Craven Cottage football stadium. A lot of people did not like the statue. In July 2013 Fayed sold his football club to Shahid Khan. In September 2013 Khan chose to have the statue was removed. It was given back to Fayed. Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson, a book written by Joseph Vogel about Jackson's life, was published in 2011.

Jackson was voted as the Greatest Singer of All Time by people who did a poll on NME.com.

In 2011 there was a criminal trial for Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray. Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of Jackson. He was sentenced to four years in prison. On October 28, 2013, Murray was released from prison. He was interviewed by 60 Minutes. He said that he did not think that Jackson's death was his fault in any way. The journalist Liz Hayes asked Murray if he thought that Jackson was a pedophile. Murray stared at her for 13 seconds and would not give an opinion. He said that he would not answer because he did not want to make anything up.

An extinct species of hermit crab was called Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni after Jackson in January 2012.

Bad 25, a documentary movie about Jackson's album Bad, was released in August 2012.

In 2012 he sold almost 8 albums in the United States. He is thought to have sold 2 albums around the world in 2012. His estate makes $1 a year.

2013-2014

Jackson made more money than any other dead celebrity in 2013.

In May 2013 Wade Robson said that Jackson sexually abused him from the age of 7 to 14. In 2005 he had been a defense witness for Jackson's child molestation trial. In June 2014 there will be a hearing where it is decided whether Robson can sue Jackson's estate over the abuse.

In November 2013 Billboard magazine's issue, 44 did a cover with Michael on it. It said 'Life After Death'. Inside the magazine there was an article about the success of Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.

In January 2014 a judge ruled that Jackson's family could not have another trial against AEG Live. Xscape was released on May 9, 2014.

Voice

Jackson had a unique voice. Between 1971 and 1975, it changed from boy soprano to spinto tenor.

Jackson had a three-octave vocal range. He is the best-known musician to use the 'vocal hiccup'. He first used it in 1973 on It's Too Late to Change the Time on The Jackson 5's G.I.T.: Get It Together album. Jackson also sang 'come on' wrongly on purpose so that it sounded like 'shamone'.

Personal life

Jackson lived a well-publicized personal life, even though he tried to stay private. He was often in celebrity and tabloid magazines. Later in his life, he was in magazines because of his personal life more than for his music.

Marriages and children

In 1994 Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. He divorced her in 1995 and married nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996.

Three months after Rowe and Jackson's marriage she gave birth to a son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. The next year she gave birth to a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. The couple divorced in April 2000.

Prince Michael II was born on February 21, 2002. Jackson never said who the mother was. He is better known as Blanket. When Blanket was 8 months old, Jackson held him over a balcony with a towel over Blanket's head. At the time, people did not know that he was called Blanket. Jackson made a public apology after people got upset.

After Jackson died, his mother Katherine was made the guardian of his children. In August 2012, Jackson's nephew TJ was made the children's co-guardian.

Bubbles

In the 1980s Jackson bought a chimpanzee from a Texas research facility. He named it Bubbles and used it for a pet.

Bubbles frequently traveled with Jackson, who had a strong attachment to the animal. The chimp, for example, was permitted to use Jackson's personal toilet. As a result, people started to see Jackson as an eccentric.

The media mocked Jackson and called him "Wacko Jacko," which he hated. Media coverage often focused on Bubbles, rather than on Jackson's music, and many false stories about the animal were told. One such story claimed that Bubbles was not a single ape, but one of several.

Claims of sexual abuse

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. In a TV documentary called Living With Michael Jackson, Jackson held hands with a 12-year-old boy called Gavin Arvizo and said that he shared his bed with children. When he was 13, Gavin Arvizo accused Jackson of sexually abusing him. This time Jackson was tried in court, and in 2005 he was found not guilty of fourteen criminal charges.

In May 2013 on the Today show, a dancer called Wade Robson alleged that Jackson sexually abused him for 7 years. Prior to this, Robson had vehemently defended Jackson, including twice under oath.

Appearance and health

Hair

Over the years, Jackson's face and skin color changed. This attracted a lot of attention.

However, when he was filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984, Jackson got second-degree burns to his scalp. These were extremely painful, and Jackson started taking painkillers.

In his later years Jackson always wore a hairpiece or wig that blended with his natural hair. His autopsy found that his scalp was tattooed black so that it blended in with his wigs.

Face

Jackson's face appeared to go through major changes during his career.

People especially talked about Jackson's nose. Jackson had an immune condition called discoid lupus. According to Dr. Richard Strick, Jackson had an immune condition called discoid lupus that "destroyed part of the skin of his nose".

Jackson denied having plastic surgery to his face on more than a few occasions. When people pointed out that his face changed, he said that puberty, weight loss and his vegetarian diet were at fault. But the change was so drastic that few people believed him.

Jackson's autopsy found that his lips were tattooed pink.

Skin color

Jackson's skin color varied a lot during the course of his career. It seemed to get lighter over time. People accused Jackson of wanting lighter skin and bleaching his skin to make it that way.

Like Michael Jackson did, this person has vitiligo

In truth, Jackson had vitiligo, a rare skin condition that creates light spots on the skin. (The skin around these spots keep their normal color.) Large areas of Jackson's body were very pale. He used makeup and medication to try to make his skin color look the same all over his body. This made it look like his skin tone was getting lighter.

Jackson first revealed that he had vitiligo in a 1993 television interview with Oprah Winfrey. Later, his autopsy confirmed that Jackson did have vitiligo, with large sections of white or lightened skin on his body. It also noted that Jackson used a skin-bleaching cream called Benoquin to treat his vitiligo.

Substance abuse

Jackson was allegedly addicted to prescription drugs. In fact, he died of a drug overdose. In 2009 his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, gave him intravenous Propofol for his insomnia. The insomnia was actually a side effect of Jackson's addiction to Demerol. While Murray was out of the room, Jackson's heart stopped and he died.

This photo of Michael in 1969 shows his original skin color.

Jackson had many physicians (including Dr. Murray) who supplied him with medications, including controlled substances like Demerol.

Mental health and trauma

Michael's father, Joe Jackson, abused him physically and emotionally during rehearsals. When he found out his son was self-conscious about his appearance, his father called him "big-nose."

Some people have suggested that Jackson had body dysmorphic disorder. As a teenager, he had acne. In Living With Michael Jackson, Jackson told Martin Bashir how he went home and cried after a woman called him ugly because of his acne. The disorder is often triggered by appearance-related bullying.

Some people think that Jackson had anorexia nervosa. In 1984, Jackson weighed 105 pounds. He was 5"9 tall. This would have made his BMI 15.5, which is very underweight. He weighed 112 lbs. when he died. This is in the unhealthy range.

Physical health

Jackson may have had a rare genetic disease called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, according to a biographer called Ian Halperin. Halpern wrote that Jackson's genetic disease had caused him to lose 95% of the vision in his left eye. In fact, Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray said that he thought Jackson was "legally blind" and had phlebitis.

Controversies

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. He was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, but the case was settled out of court. In 2003, Jackson was charged with child sexual abuse by Gavin Arvizo. In 2005, Jackson was found not guilty of all charges.

Death

Michael's childhood home in Gary, Indiana with flowers left after his death

On June 25, 2009 Jackson was found without a heartbeat and taken by ambulance to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He had been unresponsive since 12:15. He arrived at the hospital with no signs of life. Though he was not pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital, by 1pm he had already died. His death was announced that day at 2:25pm, and confirmed by the Los Angeles coroner at 4:30pm.

Jackson died just two months before his 51st birthday. The news of his death spread around the world at lightning speed. People around the world grieved on a scale never seen before. Rumors and news items about Jackson's death broke records for web traffic. Jackson's death gave Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Yahoo the most page views they had ever encountered. This enormous amount of Internet traffic caused a cyberspace traffic jam.

Dr. Murray

Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray, who supplied the Propofol, claimed Jackson took the overdose himself. However, the Coroner ruled the death was a homicide. Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter and served four years in prison.

Propofol is used as anesthesia for major surgeries and requires heavy monitoring, including nurses and medical equipment. Conrad Murray admitted to police that he had none of these when he gave Jackson the Propofol. His autopsy discussed how dangerous Murray's actions were. It also noted that Jackson had an increased risk of respiratory failure because he had a lung injury.

Memorial service

A two-hour memorial service was held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. It began with Smokey Robinson reading comments by Nelson Mandela, Diana Ross and other close friends of Jackson's who could not attend the memorial.

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.

A memorial to Michael in Munich, Germany

Jennifer Hudson sang "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. Next to speak were Martin Luther King III and Bernice King. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee followed them, claiming "people are innocent until proven guilty." (This was a reminder to people who accused Jackson of unproven child molestations). She also said that Jackson's humanitarian efforts should be praised.

Usher then sang "Gone Too Soon", followed by a montage of old videos of Jackson himself. Shamim sang next, with Kenny Ortega introducing him afterward. Kenny Ortega explained that Michael Jackson saw the Staples Center as his home, which is why the funeral service was held there. Ortega then sang a tribute to Jackson, including "We Are the World" and "Heal the World".

The service ended with speeches by members of Michael's family, including Jermaine, Marlon and daughter Paris. Paris began to cry and said that "Daddy was the best father anyone could have." She added "I will miss him" before leaving the microphone and turning into Janet Jackson's arms.

Burial

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 did appear.

Viewing parties were held all over the world for the broadcast. Movie theaters showed the memorial service in Times Square, the Apollo Theater, Raleigh, and Berlin. 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. It cost the City of Los Angeles 1.4 million dollars.

Jackson's funeral took place nine weeks after he died, in Glendale, California on September 3, 2009. He was laid to rest at 9:45 pm in the mausoleum, above the ground. Some family members had wanted him to be buried below ground in the mausoleum, while Jermaine Jackson wanted him buried on Neverland ranch. However, Michael's mother Katherine made the final decision.

Legacy

Through music videos and live performances, Jackson is known for popularizing dance moves such as the robot, the anti-gravity lean, the side slide, the crotch grab, and the moonwalk.

He won many awards and broke records. He is the most successful entertainer of all time, according to Guinness World Records.

Jackson gave to many charitable organizations and pioneered efforts to raise funds for charities in the entertainment industry.

Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism. In 2000, the Guinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer.

People continue to buy Jackson's albums and listen to his songs. He is one of the best-selling music artists in history, with worldwide sales approaching 400 million records.

Many of Michael Jackson's songs are still extremely popular. These include:

• "Bad"
• "Beat It"
• "Billie Jean"
• "Black or White"
• "Earth Song"
• "Heal the World"
• "Thriller"

Discography

Recent releases

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 attitudes and a hint of dislike for the paparazzi. Also "(I Like) The Way You Love Me", "Keep Your Head Up", and "Much Too Soon". In 2014, he released the second posthumous album, Xscape which includes the songs "Love Never Felt So Good" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Slave to the Rhythm", and "A Place With No Name".

Studio albums

• Got to Be There (1972)
• Ben (1972)
• Music & Me (1973)
• Forever, Michael (1975)
• Off the Wall (1979)
• Thriller (1982)
• Bad (1987)
• Dangerous (1991)
• HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
• Invincible (2001)

Posthumous albums

• Michael (2010)
• Xscape (2014)

Filmography

• The Wiz (1978)
• Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
• Captain EO (1986)
• Moonwalker (1988)
• Michael Jackson's Ghosts (1997)
• Men in Black II (2002)
• Miss Cast Away and the Islands Girls (2004)

Documentaries after death

• Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)
• Bad 25 (2012)
• Michael Jackson: The Last Photo Shoot (2014)
• Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016)
• Square One: Michael Jackson (2019)
• Thriller 40 (2023)

Concert tours

• Bad World Tour (1987-1989)
• Dangerous World Tour (1992-1993)
• HIStory World Tour (1996-1997)
• MJ & Friends (1999)
• This Is It (2009-2010; cancelled)

Singles

See the main article: Michael Jackson singles discography

Related pages

• Janet Jackson
• The Jackson 5
• Moonwalk

Other websites

• Official website