Michael jackson biography michael jackson autobiography

Jackson found the experience stressful and it affected his health. If convicted, he would have faced up to twenty years in prison. After the trial, Jackson became reclusive. Bank of America had sold the loans to Fortress Investments , an investment company that buys distressed loans, the year before. Jackson's financial managers had urged him to shed part of his stake to avoid bankruptcy.

There, he began work on a new album with the American producers will. That month, he attended James Brown 's funeral in Augusta, Georgia , where he gave a eulogy calling Brown his greatest inspiration. The deal gave Jackson the rights to songs by Eminem and Beck , among others. In March , amid speculation about his finances and health, Jackson announced a series of comeback concerts, This Is It , at a press conference at the O2 Arena.

Jackson suggested he would retire after the shows. The London residency was increased to fifty dates after record-breaking ticket sales; more than one million were sold in less than two hours. Jackson moved to Los Angeles, where he rehearsed in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of the choreographer Kenny Ortega , whom he had worked with during his previous tours.

By the time of his death, he was three or four months behind payments on his home in San Fernando Valley. On June 25, , less than three weeks before his concert residency was due to begin in London, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died from cardiac arrest, caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose. Paramedics received a call at pm Pacific time UTC and arrived at the property four minutes later.

News of his death spread quickly online, causing websites to slow down and crash from user overload, [ ] and it put unprecedented strain [ ] on many services and websites including Google , [ ] AOL Instant Messenger , [ ] Twitter and Wikipedia. Over 1. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it anyway. At the American Music Awards , Jackson won four posthumous awards, including two for his compilation album Number Ones , bringing his total American Music Awards to It was the most expensive music contract for a single artist in history.

In , Jackson became the first artist to have a top-ten single in the Billboard Hot in five different decades. The deal includes assets from Jackson's Mijac publishing catalog, but excludes royalties from several Jackson-related productions, including the MJ Broadway musical and the Michael biopic. The deal is possibly the largest transaction ever for a single musician's work.

Jackson's posthumous releases and productions are administered by the estate of Michael Jackson , which owns Jackson's trademarks and rights to his name, image and likeness. The surviving Jackson brothers reunited to record backing vocals. The Jackson collaborator will. The video game developer Ubisoft released a music game featuring Jackson for the holiday season, Michael Jackson: The Experience.

In , in an attempt to end a family dispute, Jackson's brother Jermaine retracted his signature on a public letter criticizing executors of Jackson's estate and his mother's advisors over the legitimacy of his brother's will. Jackson, the son of Tito Jackson, was given co-guardianship of Michael Jackson's children after false reports of Katherine Jackson going missing.

Later in , Queen released a duet recorded with Jackson in the s. Deadline Hollywood reported that the film "will not shy away from the controversies of Jackson's life". In , choreographer Wade Robson filed a lawsuit alleging that Jackson had sexually abused him for seven years, beginning when he was seven years old — Safechuck's claim was also time-barred.

In , it was ruled that Jackson's corporations could not be held accountable for his alleged past actions. On October 20, , Safechuck's lawsuit against Jackson's corporations was again dismissed. The judge ruled that there was no evidence that Safechuck had had a relationship with Jackson's corporation, nor was it proven that there was a special relationship between the two.

Robson and Safechuck's allegations were the subject of the documentary film Leaving Neverland , released in March On February 21, , the Jackson estate sued HBO for breaching a non-disparagement clause from a contract. In September , Judge George H. Wu denied HBO's motion to dismiss the case, allowing the Jackson estate to arbitrate. In , a state law passed in California which granted plaintiffs in child sex abuse cases an additional period to file lawsuits.

In August , California's Second District Court of Appeal overturned the ruling, and the case was approved to move forward to trial court. Jackson has been referred to as the " King of Pop " for having transformed the art of music videos and paving the way for modern pop music. For much of Jackson's career, he had an unparalleled worldwide influence over the younger generation.

Jackson's meteoric rise in the s catapulted him to global stardom, and his influence transcended borders. In Africa, his influence was compared to Nelson Mandela for his ability to inspire and unite diverse audiences through his music. Trying to trace Michael Jackson's influence on the pop stars that followed him is like trying to trace the influence of oxygen and gravity.

So vast, far-reaching and was his impact—particularly in the wake of Thriller ' s colossal and heretofore unmatched commercial success—that there weren't a whole lot of artists who weren't trying to mimic some of the Jackson formula. Danyel Smith , chief content officer of Vibe Media Group and the editor-in-chief of Vibe , described Jackson as "the greatest star".

He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley. He just may be the most popular black singer ever. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style, and color too. Following Jackson's death, Glenday wrote in an obituary that Jackson had maintained this status up until his death, [ ] later remarking that his fame had exceeded that of Confucius.

Reports of his fame extend from the Middle East, [ ] [ ] Africa, [ ] [ ] India, [ ] [ ] and China [ ] [ ] to tribes in the Amazon. In , the National Portrait Gallery named Jackson the most depicted cultural figure of the century, [ ] later stating that Jackson's influence on art rivaled that of Jesus Christ. Jackson was prominently placed on the list of top influencers, alongside Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus , Adolf Hitler , and Jesus Christ.

An additional study conducted in also identified Jackson as one of the most influential people of all time. This study ranked Jackson at the top of the list, alongside Napoleon Bonaparte , highlighting the extraordinary influence and global recognition that Jackson achieved throughout his career. Jackson is widely regarded as having been a prolific philanthropist and humanitarian.

Jackson's philanthropic activities went beyond just monetary donations. He also performed at benefit concerts , some of which he arranged. He gifted tickets for his regular concert performances to groups that assist underprivileged children. He visited sick children in hospitals around the world. He opened his own home for visits by underprivileged or sick children and provided special facilities and nurses if the children needed that level of care.

Jackson donated valuable, personal and professional paraphernalia for numerous charity auctions. He received various awards and accolades for his philanthropic work, including two bestowed by presidents of the United States. The vast breadth of Jackson's philanthropic work has earned recognition in the Guinness World Records. On May 14, , President Ronald Reagan gave Jackson an award recognizing his support of alcohol and drug abuse charities, [ ] and in recognition of his support for the Ad Council 's and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 's Drunk Driving Prevention campaign.

Jackson allowed the campaign to use "Beat It" for its public service announcements. Jackson was known as an expressive vocalist with absolute pitch. Bruce Swedien , his long-time sound engineer, emphasized that a critical element of their vocal recordings are of him and Jackson trying numerous approaches to rhythmic, emotional and technical distinctions to consummate a "sonic character".

Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed. Between and , his voice descended from boy soprano to lyric tenor. With the arrival of Off the Wall in the late s, Jackson's abilities in his coming-of-age period had Rolling Stone comparing his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder, and wrote that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful.

It slides smoothly into a startling falsetto that's used very daringly. The New York Times noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals.

When Jackson was a small child, his mother would wake him whenever Brown appeared on television. Jackson described being "mesmerized". Jackson's vocal technique was influenced by Diana Ross; his use of the oooh interjection from a young age was something Ross had used on many of her songs with the Supremes. Jackson had no formal music training and could not read or write music notation.

He is credited for playing guitar, keyboard, and drums, but was not proficient in them. I'll take that bass lick and put the chords of the melody over the bass lick and that's what inspires the melody. The engineer Robert Hoffman recalled that after Jackson came in with a song he had written overnight, Jackson sang every note of every chord to a guitar player.

Hoffman also remembered Jackson singing string arrangements part by part into a cassette recorder. Jackson danced from a young age as part of the Jackson 5, [ ] and incorporated dance extensively in his performances and music videos. Jackson explored genres including pop, [ 4 ] [ ] soul , [ 4 ] [ ] rhythm and blues , [ ] funk , [ ] rock, [ ] [ ] disco , [ ] post-disco , [ ] dance-pop , [ ] and new jack swing.

Pretty Young Thing ". With Off the Wall , Jackson's "vocabulary of grunts, squeals, hiccups, moans, and asides" vividly showed his maturation into an adult, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies The album's title track suggested to the critic a parallel between Jackson and Stevie Wonder 's "oddball" music personas: "Since childhood his main contact with the real world has been on stage and in bed.

In , Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona. In Bad , Jackson's concept of the predatory lover is seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana". Dangerous contains sexually charged songs such as " In the Closet ". The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire.

HIStory creates an atmosphere of paranoia. Sneddon Jr. Jackson released " Thriller ", a minute music video directed by John Landis , in In "Bad"'s minute video—directed by Martin Scorsese —Jackson used sexual imagery and choreography, and touched his chest, torso and crotch. When asked by Winfrey in the interview about why he grabbed his crotch, he said it was spontaneously compelled by the music.

Time magazine described the "Bad" video as "infamous". It featured Wesley Snipes ; Jackson's later videos often featured famous cameo roles. To accomplish this live, Jackson and designers developed a special shoe to lock the performer's feet to the stage, allowing them to lean forward. They were granted U. It helped introduce morphing to music videos.

He apologized and removed the final scene of the video. At over 38 minutes long, it held the Guinness world record for the longest music video until , when it was eclipsed by the video for the Pharrell Williams song " Happy ". In December , the Library of Congress selected "Thriller" as the only music video to be preserved in the National Film Registry , as a work of "enduring importance to American culture".

Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists in history, [ ] with sales estimated around million records worldwide. In , he was honored with a "Presidential Public Safety Commendation" award by Ronald Reagan for his humanitarian endeavors. Jackson won hundreds of awards , making him one of the most-awarded artists in popular music. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of the Jackson 5 in and , [ ] respectively, and again as a solo artist in Contents move to sidebar hide.

Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikinews Wikiquote Wikidata item. American singer — For other uses, see Michael Jackson disambiguation. For other uses, see King of Pop disambiguation. Gary, Indiana , US. Singer songwriter dancer record producer.

Lisa Marie Presley. Debbie Rowe. Joe Jackson Katherine Jackson. Albums singles songs. Musical artist. Early life and the Jackson 5 — Move to Epic and Off the Wall — Thriller and Motown Yesterday, Today, Forever — Pepsi incident, "We Are the World" and other commercial activities — Increased tabloid speculation — See also: Health and appearance of Michael Jackson.

Bad , autobiography, and Neverland — Dangerous and public social work — First child sexual abuse accusations and first marriage — Main article: Michael Jackson sexual abuse allegations. Label dispute and Invincible — Documentary, Number Ones , second child abuse allegations and acquittal — Further information: Trial of Michael Jackson. Final years, financial problems, Thriller 25 and This Is It — Main article: Death of Michael Jackson.

Main article: Michael Jackson memorial service. Fans visiting the makeshift memorial set up outside the Neverland Ranch entrance shortly after Jackson's death. Criminal investigation and prosecution of Conrad Murray. Main article: People v. Posthumous releases and productions. Posthumous child sexual abuse allegations. Main article: Cultural impact of Michael Jackson.

See also: List of Michael Jackson records and achievements. Edward Keyes of Rolling Stone [ ]. Philanthropy and humanitarian work. Main article: Philanthropy of Michael Jackson. Music videos and choreography. See also: List of awards and nominations received by Michael Jackson. Main article: Estate of Michael Jackson. Main articles: Michael Jackson albums discography , Michael Jackson singles discography , and List of songs recorded by Michael Jackson.

See also: The Jackson 5 discography. See also: Michael Jackson videography. Main article: List of Michael Jackson concerts. The Daily Telegraph. May 19, Archived from the original on June 6, Retrieved June 30, May 1, Archived from the original on September 15, Michael Jackson death certificate. Archived from the original on May 7, Retrieved May 31, The New York Times.

Archived from the original on December 8, Retrieved July 12, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. June 24, Archived from the original on February 15, Retrieved October 20, The Guardian. Retrieved April 18, Retrieved April 14, Note: No tribal affiliation named in source. Archived from the original on November 8, Retrieved April 27, June 26, Archived from the original on January 10, Retrieved November 28, ISBN Archived from the original on July 28, BBC News.

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Archived from the original on April 2, Archived from the original on April 10, Retrieved April 6, Archived from the original on December 21, Archived from the original on June 14, Retrieved April 8, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 31, Archived from the original on July 30, Retrieved May 10, Associated Press.

July 27, Archived from the original on April 14, Archived from the original on February 5, Retrieved January 27, November 8, Retrieved June 18, Archived from the original on May 10, Retrieved April 7, Virgin Media. Archived from the original on July 1, The Ledger. January 20, Archived from the original on June 13, The Afro-American.

February 15, Archived from the original on November 17, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. There are very few books written on the art of storytelling, how to grip listeners, how to get a group of people together and amuse them. No costumes, no makeup, no nothing, just you and your voice, and your powerful ability to take them anywhere, to transform their lives, if only for minutes.

His double-platinum singles rocket to the top of the music charts with a velocity equaled only by the inevitable accompaniment of wild rumors about his eccentric personal life. Jackson had surgery to repair his injuries and is believed to have begun experimenting with plastic surgery around this time. His face, especially his nose, would become dramatically altered in the coming years.

Five years after Thriller , Jackson released his highly-anticipated follow-up album Bad Although unable to duplicate the phenomenal sales of Thriller , Bad still reached the top of the charts and became the first album to feature five No. Jackson spent more than a year on the road, playing concerts to promote the album. Named after the fantasy island from the Peter Pan story, it included a zoo, train, Ferris wheel, and seat movie theater.

Around the late s, rumors began swirling that Jackson was lightening the color of his skin to appear more white and sleeping in a special oxygen chamber to increase his lifespan. In , Jackson agreed to a rare television interview with Oprah Winfrey to quell rumors. He explained that the change in his skin tone was the result of a skin condition known as vitiligo, and he opened up about the abuse he suffered from his father.

In , Jackson released his eighth solo album Dangerous , his first without Quincy Jones in 16 years. The final minutes of the video featured Jackson making sexual gesturing and violently damaging cars and buildings, which drew criticism from some viewers. Jackson issued an apology and edited the video to remove these elements. However, also saw the first of several child molestation allegations against Jackson, when a year-old boy claimed that the music star had fondled him.

Jackson was known to have sleepovers with boys at his Neverland Ranch, but this was the first public charge of wrongdoing. The police searched the ranch, but said they found no evidence to support the claim. In the television documentary Living with Michael Jackson, British journalist Martin Bashir spent several months with the singer, even getting him to discuss his relationships with children.

Jackson admitted that he continued to have children sleep over at his ranch, even after the allegations and that sometimes he slept with the children in his bed. The two-disc album featured a greatest hits compilation on disc one and new material on disc two that included collaborations with Janet Jackson, The Notorious B. In , Jackson released Invincible , his final studio album prior to his death.

Despite debuting at No. Invincible was released as Jackson was having legal issues with Sony over the rights to his master recordings , which escalated when Jackson called Sony Music Chairman Tommy Mottola a racist who exploits Black artists. By the turn of the century, Jackson was increasingly becoming known for his eccentricities, which included wearing a surgical mask in public.

In , he received enormous criticism for dangling his baby son Blanket over a balcony while greeting fans in Berlin, Germany. I was doing something out of innocence. In , Jackson encountered more legal woes when he was arrested on charges related to incidents with a year-old boy. He faced 10 counts in total, including lewd conduct with a minor, conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment, and extortion.

This legacy of abuse left Michael scarred throughout his adult life.

Michael jackson biography michael jackson autobiography

By the late s, Michael was increasingly looking to pursue a solo career. The album was a great success, eventually selling over 20 million copies. The album gained much critical acclaim, and Michael secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry. His second solo album, Thriller , launched Michael Jackson into a position as the most famous pop singer in the world.

With little commercial advertising and promotion, Thriller rose to number one on album sales and remained at the number one spot for a total of 37 weeks. Thriller included number one hits such as Beat It, Billie Jean. He performed his distinctive and memorable dance move — the Moonwalk. In the dance routine, he effortlessly moves backwards with seemingly keeping one leg perfectly straight.

His performance made him a global icon of not just music, but dance. Michael Jackson pioneered the importance of music video in promoting a pop artist.