Michael Jackson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Jackson
For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation).
| Michael Jackson | |
|---|---|
Jackson performing in 1988, during the Badworld tour.
| |
| Born | Michael Joseph Jackson August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 25, 2009 (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Cause of death
| Cardiac arrest induced bypropofol and benzodiazepineintoxication |
Resting place
| Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Residence | Los Olivos, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Michael Joe Jackson |
| Occupation |
|
| Net worth |  U.S. $1.178 billion (2009 estimate)[1] |
| Religion | Jehovah's Witness (1965–1987) Christianity (1987–2009) |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson Prince Michael Jackson II |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Walter Jackson Katherine Esther Scruse |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1964–2009 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | The Jackson 5 |
| Signature |  |
Michael Joseph Jackson[2][3] (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. Called theKing of Pop,[4][5] his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.
The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with breaking down racial barriers and with transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity of these videos helped to bring the then-relatively-new television channel MTV to fame. With videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream", he continued to innovate the medium throughout the 1990s, as well as forging a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop, and rock artists.
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best selling album of all time. His other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), andHIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best selling albums. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame as the first and only dancer from pop and rock music. His other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards, as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; 26 American Music Awards—more than any other artist—including the "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s"; 13 number-one singles in the United States during his solo career, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era; and the estimated sale of over 400 million records worldwide.[Note 1] Jackson has won hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.[6] Jackson became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when "Love Never Felt So Good" reached number nine on May 21, 2014.[7] Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism, and, in 2000, the Guinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer.[8]
Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance,personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In the mid-1990s, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount and no formal charges were brought.[9] In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his comeback concert series titled This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician Conrad Murray was convicted ofinvoluntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world
Life and career
1958–75: Early life and The Jackson 5
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958. He was the eighth of ten children in an African-American working-class family who lived in a two-bedroom house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city and a part of the Chicago metropolitan area.[11][12] His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness. She once aspired to be a country and western performer who played clarinet and piano, but worked part-time at Sears to help support the family.[13] His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker at U.S. Steel. Joe also performed on guitar with a local R&B band called The Falcons to supplement the family's household income.[14] Michael grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet) and five brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy).[15] A sixth brother, Marlon's elder twin Brandon, died shortly after birth.[16]
Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe.[17][18] In 2003, Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Jackson as a boy.[19] Joe was also said to have verbally abused his son, often saying that he had a "fat nose".[20] Jackson stated that he was physically and emotionally abused during incessant rehearsals, though he also credited his father's strict discipline with playing a large role in his success.[17] Speaking openly about his childhood in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, broadcast in February 1993, Jackson acknowledged that his youth had been lonely and isolating.[21] Jackson's deep dissatisfaction with his appearance, his nightmares and chronic sleep problems, his tendency to remain hyper-compliant, especially with his father, and to remain childlike throughout his adult life, are consistent with the effects of the maltreatment he endured as a young child.[22]
In an interview with Martin Bashir, later included in the 2003 broadcast of Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson acknowledged that his father hurt him when he was a child, recalling that Joseph often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, and that "if you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you."[23][24]
In 1965, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father and which included brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine. In 1966, Jackson began sharing lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to The Jackson 5.[15]That following year, the group won a major local talent show with Jackson performingJames Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)".[25] From 1966 to 1968 the band toured theMidwest, frequently performing at a string of black clubs known as the "chitlin' circuit" as the opening act for R&B artists that included Sam and Dave, The O'Jays, Gladys Knight, and Etta James. The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and cocktail lounges, where striptease shows and other adult acts were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school dances.[26][27] In August 1967, while touring the Eastcoast, the group won a weekly amateur night concert at The Apollo Theater inHarlem.[28]
The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including "Big Boy" (1968), their first single, for Steeltown Records, a Gary, Indiana, record label,[29] before signing with Motown Records in 1969.[15] The Jackson 5 left Gary in 1969 and relocated to the Los Angeles area, where they continued to record music for Motown.[30] Rolling Stone magazine later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts," writing that he "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer."[31] The group set a chart record when its first four singles—"I Want You Back" (1969), "ABC" (1970), "The Love You Save" (1970), and "I'll Be There" (1970)—peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[15] In May 1971, the Jackson family moved into a large home on two-acre estate in Encino, California,[32] where Michael evolved from child performer into a teen idol.[33] As Jackson began to emerge as a solo performer in the early 1970s, he continued to maintain ties to The Jackson 5 and Motown. Between 1972, when his solo career began, and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music and Me (1973), and Forever, Michael (1975).[34] "Got to Be There" and "Ben", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, produced successful singles, as did a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".[35]
The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists."[36] Although the group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's refusal to allow them creative control or input, they continued to score several top 40 hits, including the top five single, "Dancing Machine" (1974), before the group left Motown in 1975.[37]
1975–81: Move to Epic and Off the Wall
In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records,[37] and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while Jermaine chose to stay with Motown and pursue a solo career.[38] The Jacksons continued to tour internationally, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's lead songwriter during this time, wrote hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1979), "This Place Hotel" (1980), and "Can You Feel It" (1980).[25] Jackson's work in film began in 1978, when he starred as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, a musical directed by Sidney Lumet that also starred Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross.[39] The film was a box-office disaster.[40] While working on the film Jackson met Quincy Jones, who was arranging the film's musical score, and Jones agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album, Off the Wall.[41] In 1979, Jackson broke his nose during a complex dance routine. His subsequent rhinoplasty was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's second rhinoplasty and subsequent operations.
