Michael Jackson

Nicknamed the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson was arguably the world’s greatest entertainer of the 20th century. He has made enormous contributions to music, dance, and fashion across the world and is considered an important cultural figure in many parts of the world.

Born Michael Joseph Jackson, he made his professional debut as an artist in 1964, as a member of the Jackson 5, a group that consisted of himself and four elder brothers of his. He later became the lead singer of the group. However, in 1971, he began his career as a solo artist, and in 1972; he released his debut solo album titled Got to be There, under Motown Records. He went on to have a phenomenal solo career, releasing numerous singles and albums that broke many records and topped the music charts of many countries.

He is considered one of the most decorated artists of all time, with honors, including the following:

• 39 Guinness World Records
• 6 Brit Awards
• 15 Grammy Awards
• A Golden Globe Award

His notable inductions include the below:

• Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Vocal Group Hall of Fame
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

As of 2021, he was the only recording artist to be inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame.

He lived for 50 years and sadly passed on 25 June 2009 from a drug overdose.

Fun Facts about Michael Jackson

He grew up in a Christian home as a Jehovah witness believer. Like many Jehovah witnesses, he preached their gospel with his family to several people as a child.

Aside from music and dance, he tried several roles in the movie industry. In the 90s when Marvel Comics was in a bankrupt situation, he tried to buy the company. This decision was based on his long-lasting desire to act as Spiderman, a leading role in one of Marvel’s superhero movies. However, his plans to buy the company did not work out.

Again, when Marvel announced the franchise for the famous X-Men movie, he auditioned for the role of Charles Xavier (aka Professor X). His audition was not successful and he failed to secure the role.

He was a pet lover. He is well known to have adopted a pet called Bubbles the chimpanzee. The chimpanzee became very famous as he walked down various red carpets with it. He ate at the same dinner table with it and taught it how to do his famous moonwalk dance.

He suffered some fatal accidents in his career. While filming for a Pepsi commercial, he was involved in a fire incident that caused burns to his scalp and face. He also fell and broke his nose in one of his usual dance-training sessions.

This caused him severe pain and affected his breathing. It is alleged that he began experimenting with plastic surgery and skin bleaching after his injuries were treated. However, he was diagnosed with vitiligo after his death.

He received a humanitarian award from the former President of the United States, Ronald Raegan. The award was for his tremendous work to help stop the spread of HIV / AIDS.

Top Songs from the King of Pop

• “Stranger in Moscow”
• “One Day In Your Life”
• “Ben”
• “You Are Not Alone”
• “Thriller”
• “Human Nature”
• “The Girl Is Mine”
• “Billie Jean”
• “Dirty Diana”
• “Smooth Criminal”
• “Give In To Me”
• “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”
• “Liberian Girl”
• “Don’t Matter to Me”
• “Beat It”

How did Michael Jackson Die?

The death of renowned entertainers is always associated with numerous speculations, suspicions, and rumors. However, if their passing is very sudden or comes as a shock, taking away a revered character from us far too soon; society always seeks answers to a particular question. Thus, why and how did this figure die so early or so suddenly? This, in the case of the death of the legendary American musician, Michael Jackson is no different.

On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson died at his home on North Carolwood Drive, Los Angeles, from severe propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication.

However, during this time Jackson was seriously preparing for one of the biggest moments of his career. He was organizing a series of concerts, which would commence from July 2009 to March 2010 at London’s O2 Arena. It was to be his first concert series after a decade, and it was billed as one of the greatest musical comebacks of all time for a musician.

On June 24, 2009, he arrived at the Staples Center around 6:30 pm for his routine rehearsal sessions. Officials at the center have reported that he looked very healthy and great, appearing to have high energy.

However, at the rehearsal on that day, magician Ed Alonzo has stated in several interviews that Jackson jokingly complained to him of suffering from laryngitis and insomnia.

Jackson paused the rehearsal for a while and then continued to rehearse from 9 p.m. until midnight. According to officials, throughout the night he was given a series of drugs meant to aid his sleep, by his physician, Conrad Murray.

The following morning, Jackson was in bed the whole time and never came out of his bedroom. In the afternoon, Conrad Murray then went to his bedroom and found him in bed, weak and not breathing.

He realized Jackson had a weak pulse so he tried to revive him using CPR methods. The process was unsuccessful and he decided to seek help. According to Murray, help was very hard to find; there was no telephone, he could not call 911 with his cell phone because he was unsure about the address and it took about 30 minutes to find the security who made the call to 911.

However, recordings from the emergency call described the CPR technique used by Murray as non-standard. He administered it while Jackson was on a bed with one hand underneath Jackson, and the other on his chest, whereas the standard method is to administer it to a person on a hard surface such as the floor, with both hands on the chest for compression.

Paramedics arrived shortly at the scene after the call and performed various CPR techniques on him. They then put him in an ambulance and rushed him to the hospital. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. at age 50 by authorities of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Conrad Murray was convicted for involuntary manslaughter in 2011. It was established that Jackson died because of medications found in his system. Reports indicate that Murray had frequently administered an excessive amount of anesthetic propofol to aid him in sleep.

Michael Jackson’s Personal Life/Romantic Relationships

He was born Michael Joseph Jackson, to American parents, Joe Jackson and Katherine Jackson, who were residents of Indiana. Both parents loved music very much. His mother was a good singer and played the piano, while his dad played the guitar for an R&B band and worked as a crane operator at a steel mill. His mom was a stern Jehovah witness and so, Michael grew up in the faith as a witness.

Under strict supervision and encouragement from his dad, he and his four elder brothers formed the famous boy band, the Jackson 5. He became the lead singer of the group when he was just eight years of age.

The group had an incredible career and they released several hit albums and singles. However, he later left the family band and began his career as a solo artist. This move earned him global recognition and enviable success in the creative art industry. He is regarded as the King of Pop.

He lived a fascinating, luxurious, and private lifestyle. During his career, he lived in a large complex, which he dubbed Neverland Ranch, after the fictional kingdom of Peter Pan. It was a combination of residence and amusement park. A zoo, trains, and rides including a Ferris wheel, carousel, roller coaster, and bumper cards were all available at the ranch.

Marriages

Throughout his lifetime, he got married two times. He married his first wife Lisa Marie Presley, legendary rock musician Elvis Presley’s daughter, in 1994. They divorced in August 1996.

However, in November 1996, he shocked the world when he announced that he was to be a father very soon. Debbie Rowe, a long-time friend and an assistant to his dermatologist, was the child’s mother. Later that month, they married in Sydney, Australia.

He and Debbie birthed two kids, Michael Joseph Jackson, and daughter Paris-Michael Jackson before they separated. They got divorced in October 1999 after Debbie filed for a divorce. It is alleged that he had a son, Prince Michael Jackson, with an undisclosed surrogate mother on February 21, 2002.

Other Romantic Relationships

Aside from marriage, he was involved in several romantic affairs with some celebrities and several ordinary people. In 1981, he met Brooke Shields at the Academy Awards. They liked each other very much and their relationship became more romantic after the show.

However, Shields has said in one of her interviews that she rejected his proposal for marriage because she was not ready when he proposed. He also dated popular American singer Diana Ross. Their relationship went very well despite a 15-year age gap between them and he even considered marrying her. However, the age gap was what turned Diana off from marrying him.

He had a short romance with Madonna. They attended the 1991 Academy Awards as partners. However, it is alleged that the relationship did not move past three dinner dates.

In certain interviews, his former bodyguard, Matt Fiddes, confessed that he had a two-week “fling” with Whitney Houston at the Neverland Ranch. During this time, he claims, she moved into the ranch, and he considered marrying her, wishing their relationship were more than a fling. After his death, there were several rumors about his romantic affairs. Some women have confessed them true while some have also denied the rumors.