Michael Joseph Jackson was born August 29, 1958 as the 7th child to a poor family in Gary, Indiana. He and his brothers of the Jackson 5 became one of the few groups in history to have their first four major singles reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. They got their start by winning amateur night at the Apollo in 1967. Michael would continue to make solo music history by becoming the first black to have a video featured on MTV.
Michael’s tireless charity work included a generous $1.5 million fund for the UNCF. Through his own Heal the World Foundation, Jackson sent food and medical supplies to Sarajevo and provided education. In 1984, President Reagan awarded the “King of Pop” with a special medal for his contribution toward the campaign against drunk driving. Then just a year later, Jackson released “We are the World” to address world famine. One year later, he was awarded his own postage stamp in the Virgin Islands, requesting that all revenues go to welfare and education. In his lifetime, Jackson contributed to more than 39 charities including the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children, the Minority AIDS Project and the National Rainbow Coalition.
Michael Jackson made more music history in 1982 with Quincy Jones for his “Thriller” album, which holds the record as the best-selling record of all time. He is the first artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame twice and the composite of his music sold over 750 million records worldwide. He is also an inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame – the first from the genre of pop & R & B.
“The King of Pop” has been noted by the Guinness Book of World Records over 30 times, including for the most successful concert series ever, the biggest selling album of all time (Thriller, 1983) and Guinness named him the most successful entertainer of all time. The grand total of his charitable contributions was claimed to be over $50 million dollars, also a Guinness world record.
In 1990, Jackson helped the world recognize the severity of HIV by introducing fans to Ryan White. In dedication to him after White’s passing, Jackson made the hit song “Gone Too Soon” so that others would take notice of the growing HIV epidemic.
Turmoil hit the megastar and his Neverland Ranch when he was accused of child sexual abuse in both 1993 and 2005. He would be acquitted in the 2005 world-broadcast trial. He became a highlight for public and private scrutiny during his trials, which lead to his own public emotional displays of feelings about his allegations.
In an effort to pay off major debts owed by the entertainer, Michael Jackson partnered with AEG Live concert promoters for the “This Is It” Tour, which was due to launch at the O2 Arena in London, England, beginning July 8, 2009. Tickets sold out in only four hours.
Unfortunately, Michael Jackson passed away from cardiac arrest resulting from an overdose of a pain killer cocktail which included Demerol, Lorazepam, Midazolam, Benzodiazepine, Diazepine and ephedrine.
Jackson’s death was found to be the responsibility of his then physician Dr. Conrad Murray, who was not licensed to prescribe many of the drugs administered to Michael Jackson. Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Michael Joseph Jackson on November 7, 2011. He was later sentenced to a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Overall, Michael Jackson released 17 albums, 167 Singles & EPs, 130 compilations and 28 music videos. He appeared in over 100 albums.
MICHAEL JACKSON’S PUBLIC TIMELINE:
1969 – FIRST HIT SINGLE WITH JACKSON 5 ‘I WANT YOU BACK’
1972 – FIRST SOLO ALBUM HIT SINGLE “BEN”
1982 – THRILLER RELEASED
1984 – HAIR CATCHES ON FIRE FILMING PEPSI COMMERCIAL
1987 – BUYS ELEPHANT MANS BONES
1988 – RELEASE “MOONWALK” AUTOBIOGRAPHY
1990 – RUMORS OF PLASTIC SURGERY BEGAN
1993 – TOLD OPRAH HE SUFFERS FROM VITILIGO & GETS ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ABUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME
1994 – MARRIES LISA MARIE PRESLEY
1996 – DIVORCES LISA MARIE PRESLEY AND MARRIES DEBBIE ROWE
1997 & 1998 – FATHERS TWO CHILDREN
2002 – FATHERS PRINCE “BLANKET” MICHAEL II WITH AN UNKNOWN SURROGATE AND IS CRITICIZED BY FANS AFTER HE DANGLES HIM FROM BALCONY IN BERLIN, GERMANY
2004 – CHILD ABUSE ALLEGATIONS
2005 – EXONERATED OF ALL CHARGES
2009 – DIES FROM CARDIAC ARREST FROM FATAL DRUGS ISSUED BY DR. CONRAD MURRAY
(Photo: Retna)
