On this day in 2009, Michael Jackson, one of the most
commercially successful entertainers in history, dies at the age of 50
at his home in Los Angeles, California, after suffering from cardiac arrest caused by a fatal combination of drugs given to him by his personal doctor.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana,
the seventh of Katherine and Joe Jackson’s nine children. At the age of
5, Jackson began performing with his older brothers in a music group
coached by their steelworker father. In 1968, Motown Records signed the
group, which became known as the Jackson 5, and Michael Jackson, a
natural showman, emerged as the lead singer and star. The Jackson 5’s
first album, released in 1969, featured the hit "I Want You Back," and
the group’s brand of pop-soul-R&B music made them an immediate
success. Their musical popularity even led to their starring in their
own TV cartoon series in the early 1970s.
Jackson
released his first solo album, "Got to Be There," in 1972, while
continuing to sing with his brothers. Six years later, in 1978, he made
his big-screen debut as the Scarecrow in "The Wiz," an adaptation of the
Broadway musical of the same name. Directed by Quincy Jones, the film
starred an all-black cast that included singer Diana Ross as Dorothy.
Jones collaborated with Jackson on his 1979 album “Off the Wall,” which
sold some 7 million copies worldwide. The pair teamed up again for
Jackson’s now-iconic 1982 album, "Thriller," which went on to sell 50
million copies around the globe, making it the best-selling studio album
of all time. "Thriller" is credited with jump-starting the era of music
videos and playing a key role in the rise of then-fledging cable TV
network MTV, which launched in 1981.
In 1983, Jackson created a
massive sensation on a live Motown anniversary TV special when he
performed his now-signature Moonwalk dance step while wearing a black
fedora and a single white glove covered with rhinestones. According to
The Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hillburn, the performance served as
Jackson’s "unofficial coronation as the King of Pop. Within months, he
changed the way people would hear and see pop music, unleashing an
influence that rivaled that of Elvis Presley and the Beatles."
Jackson’s
next solo effort, "Bad," debuted in 1987. It sold 8 million copies and
featured a music video from acclaimed movie director Martin Scorsese. By
this time, however, Jackson had paid a high price for his massive
success. According to The Los Angeles Times: "He became so accustomed to
bodyguards and assistants that he once admitted that he trembled if he
had to open his own front door."
By the 1990s, Jackson’s life
was near-constant tabloid fodder. In 1993, he was accused of molesting a
13-year-old boy who had been a sleepover guest at his home. Jackson
denied the allegations and the criminal investigation was dropped;
however, the singer later settled a civil lawsuit with the boy’s family
for a reported $20 million. In 2003, Jackson was accused of molesting
another boy. Following a highly publicized trial in 2005, he was
acquitted of all charges. During these years, Jackson also faced
intense media scrutiny over his radically altered physical appearance,
which included an ever-lighter complexion (which he attributed to a skin
condition) and multiple plastic surgeries. Although Jackson himself was
mostly close-mouthed on the topic, media sources alleged that Jackson
developed an obsession with cosmetic surgery, in part, following an
accident he suffered in January 1984 while shooting a Pepsi commercial.
During filming, a pyrotechnics mishap set the singer’s hair on fire, and
he suffered burns on his head and face that required reconstructive
surgery. In the aftermath of the surgery, Jackson reportedly suffered
from an addiction to prescription painkillers.
Jackson also made
headlines with his brief marriage (1994-1994) to Lisa Marie Presley,
the daughter of singer Elvis Presley. From 1996 to 1999, he was wed to
Debbie Rowe, the former assistant of his dermatologist and the mother of
two of his three children. (Jackson’s youngest child, a boy, was
reportedly born via a surrogate.)
On June 25, 2009, Jackson, who
after a lengthy time away from the public spotlight was preparing for a
series of summer concerts in London, was discovered unconscious in his
Los Angeles mansion. The Los Angeles coroner’s officer later ruled the
pop star’s death a homicide after lethal levels of the powerful sedative
propofol, as well other drugs, were found in his system. Jackson’s
personal physician, who was at the singer’s home when he died, had been
giving him propofol as a sleep aid for a period of weeks.On July 7, 2009, more than 20,000 fans attended a public memorial for Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Over 30 million viewers tuned in watch the event on cable TV, while millions more viewed it online.
Taken from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/king-of-pop-michael-jackson-dies-at-age-50 [25.06.2012]
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