MichaelJacksonachievedalmosteverythingtherewastoachieveasamusicstar.Hehadwrittensomeofthetopsellingalbumsandsinglesofalltime.HehadmanyA-listfriends,wasphenomenallyrich,extremelyfamousandhadearnedthetitleofKingofPop.HelivedasademigodonPlanetEarth,albeitaverycontroversialone.Hislifewasajaggedgraphofpeaksandtroughs.TheKingofPopbreathedhislastonthe25thofJune,2009.Wegooverafewsignificantphasesandeventsofhislife.InthisarticleMichaelJacksonsEarlyYearsThePeakofMichaelJacksonsCareerMichaelJacksonandCharityMichaelJacksonsControversiesTheDeathofMichaelJacksonMichaelJacksonsEarlyYearsMichaelJacksonstartedhiscareerinabandwithfourofhisbrothers.TheycalledthemselvesTheJackson5andhadconsiderablesuccessinthe60sand70s.Michaelquicklybecamethechiefsongwriterforthisgroupandwrotemanyoftheirbiggesthits.Inthelate70s,hemetmusicmogulQuincyJones,whowouldproduceMichaelJacksonsdebutalbumlaterthatyear.OfftheWall,whichreleasedin1979,wasahugehitandsoldover20millionalbumsallovertheworld.ThealbummadeMichaelJacksonimmenselypopularandfirmlyestablishedhimasasuccessfulsoloartist.Hewonarangeofawardsforthealbum,includingtheprestigiousAmericanMusicAwardsandBillboardMusicAwards.ThisalbumwouldalsowinhimhisfirstGrammyaward.ThePeakofMichaelJacksonsCareerMichaelJacksonhadtheuniqueabilityofreclaimingtoppositionsfrequently,throughouthiscareer.Thepinnacleofhiscareer,however,camewhenhereleasedthealbumThriller.Thisalbumrocketedtothepeakofmusicchartsglobally.Itsoldover109millionalbumsgloballyandwonMichaelJackson8Grammys.ThealbumfirmlyestablishedMichaelJacksonasthetrueKingofPop.AfterThriller,healsoreleasedalbumslikeBad,Dangerous,andHIStory,whichwouldalldowellonmusicchartsandmultiplyhiswealth.Eachofthealbumshadassociatedworldtourswhichwereseenbymillionsandmillionsoffans.HeevenperformedinMumbai,onNovember1st1996,anditwasanepiceventwhenhedid.ThemediacoveragewhenhetouredIndiawasfrenzied.Thecrazewasthesametheworldoverbecausehistourswouldalwaysmakefrontpagenews.Hisfanswouldalwaysguaranteethathisshowsweresoldout.Healsoearnedalotofrevenuethroughmerchandise.MichaelJacksonandCharityMichaelJacksonbelievedincharityandmadeitapointtogivepartofhisprofitstodifferentcauses.Hegavemillionsofdollarstodifferentcharitiesonaregularbasis.Hewouldoftenreleasesingles,theearningsofwhichwouldgotoorganizationsinthirdworldcountries.MichaelJacksonoftendonatedtofaminerelieffunds,orphanages,collegefunds,etc.MichaelJacksonsControversiesThelate80sandearly90swouldfindJacksonembroiledinarangeofcontroversiesandscandals.Itstartedwithreportsofhiseccentricbehaviourandstrangemannerisms.Hewasalsoaccusedoffabricatingliesandmanipulatingthemedia.ThechangeinMichaelJacksonsskincolourinthemid-80sdrewalotofflakfromdifferentgroupsandmediachannels.Conspiracytheoristsclaimedhehadtriedtobleachhisskintolookfairer.Hewouldnotcommentonthisissuetill1993,whenheadmittedonTheOprahWinfreyShowthathehadtheskindiseaseVitiligo.In1993,astaffmemberofMichaelJacksonsranchclaimedthathissonhadbeenmolestedbyJackson.HefiledalawsuitagainstMichaelandinvestigationswereinitiated.Butbeforeanyconclusiveevidencecouldbeunearthed,MichaelJacksonandtheboysparentsreachedanout-of-courtsettlementin1994.Mediachannelsaroundtheworldmadethisincidentaverybigissueandthecasemadefrequentcomebackstothelimelight.Thefocusonhimthereonwasamplifiedandeverythinghedidwouldbeexaminedcloselybyjournalistsandgossipcolumnists.ControversieslikehisconversiontoIslam,hisdependencyonpainkillers,moneyproblems,childcareissues,etc.wouldreceivealotofpublicattention.Magazinesandwebsiteswouldmockhimincessantlythroughouthiscareerforhisunusualconductinpublic,hisobsessionforplasticsurgery,andhisbizarreappearance.TheDeathofMichaelJacksonMichaelJacksonpassedawayathisLosAngeleshomeonthe25thofJune,2009,around2.30p.m.Heissurvivedbyhisparents,threechildrenandhissiblings.MichaelJacksonlivedhislifeking-sized,andhismusictouchedmanypeopleallovertheworld.Heinspiredbothmusiclistenersandmusicianswithhisdedicationtomusic.MichaelJacksonmayhavepassedawaybutitwillbealongtimebeforeheisforgotten.
Michael Jackson achieved almost everything there was to achieve as a music star. He had written some of the top selling albums and singles of all time. He had many A-list friends, was phenomenally rich, extremely famous and had earned the title of 'King of Pop'. He lived as a demigod on Planet Earth, albeit a very controversial one. His life was a jagged graph of peaks and troughs. The King of Pop breathed his last on the 25
th of June, 2009. We go over a few significant phases and events of his life.
Michael Jackson's Early Years
Michael Jackson started his career in a band with four of his
brothers. They called themselves 'The Jackson 5' and had considerable success in the 60s and 70s. Michael quickly became the chief songwriter for this group and wrote many of their biggest hits. In the late 70s, he met music mogul Quincy Jones, who would produce Michael Jackson's debut album later that year.
Off the Wall, which released in 1979, was a huge hit and sold over 20 million albums all over the world. The album made Michael Jackson immensely popular and firmly established him as a successful solo artist. He won a range of awards for the album, including the prestigious American Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards. This album would also win him his first Grammy award.
The Peak of Michael Jackson's Career
Michael Jackson had the unique ability of reclaiming top positions frequently, throughout his career. The pinnacle of his career, however, came when he released the album
Thriller. This album rocketed to the peak of music charts globally. It sold over 109 million albums globally and won Michael Jackson 8 Grammys. The album firmly established Michael Jackson as the true King of Pop.
After
Thriller, he also released albums like
Bad, Dangerous, and
HIStory, which would all do well on music charts and multiply his wealth. Each of the albums had associated world tours which were seen by millions and millions of fans. He even performed in Mumbai, on November 1
st 1996, and it was an epic event when he did. The media coverage when he toured India was frenzied. The craze was the same the world over because his tours would always make front page news. His fans would always guarantee that his shows were sold out. He also earned a lot of
revenue through merchandise.
Michael Jackson and Charity
Michael Jackson believed in
charity and made it a point to give part of his profits to different causes. He gave millions of dollars to different charities on a regular basis. He would often release singles, the earnings of which would go to organizations in third world countries. Michael Jackson often donated to famine relief funds, orphanages, college funds, etc.
Michael Jackson's Controversies
The late 80s and early 90s would find Jackson embroiled in a range of controversies and scandals. It started with reports of his eccentric behaviour and strange mannerisms. He was also accused of fabricating lies and manipulating the media.
The change in Michael Jackson's skin colour in the mid-80s drew a lot of flak from different groups and media channels. Conspiracy theorists claimed he had tried to bleach his skin to look fairer. He would not comment on this issue till 1993, when he admitted on
The Oprah Winfrey Show that he had the
skin disease 'Vitiligo'.
In 1993, a staff member of Michael Jackson's ranch claimed that his son had been
molested by Jackson. He filed a lawsuit against Michael and investigations were initiated. But before any conclusive evidence could be unearthed, Michael Jackson and the boy's parents reached an out-of-court settlement in 1994.
Media channels around the world made this incident a very big issue and the case made frequent comebacks to the limelight. The focus on him there on was amplified and everything he did would be examined closely by journalists and gossip columnists. Controversies like his conversion to Islam, his dependency on painkillers, money problems,
child care issues, etc. would receive a lot of public attention.
Magazines and websites would mock him incessantly throughout his career for his unusual conduct in public, his obsession for plastic surgery, and his bizarre appearance.
The Death of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson passed away at his Los Angeles home on the 25
th of June, 2009, around 2.30 p.m. He is survived by his parents, three
children and his siblings.
Michael Jackson lived his life king-sized, and his music touched many people all over the world. He inspired both music listeners and musicians with his dedication to music. Michael Jackson may have passed away but it will be a long time before he is forgotten.
