Autobiography of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson: cause of death, official investigation, funeral

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Indiana (Gary, USA). The talented boy became the seventh son in a family with nine children in total. When Michael was five years old, his enterprising father created a family band called the Jackson Five, which included Michael's four older brothers and himself. Over time, it became clear that young Jackson had outstanding musical abilities, thanks to which the ensemble was noticed by famous producers who offered the lucky Jacksons a serious contract.

The group continued to tour successfully for several years, releasing six hit singles during this time.

However, the mega-popularity of the ensemble was suddenly hampered by the ambition of Michael, who was growing up and wanted to become an independent performer, earning money for himself, and not for his father. Continuing to work in the ensemble, he recorded his first solo album, which fell into the hands of the legendary producer Quincy Jones. He takes Michael under his wing and together they create the singer’s great album “Off the Wall,” which quickly sold 10 million copies worldwide. So Michael Jackson becomes an adult superstar and finally leaves the family ensemble.

Michael's Star Trek, his death and funeral arrangements

Having had a taste of fame, Michael outdid himself with the release of Thriller, which sold over 40 million copies and made it the best-selling album of all time. The record record was even included in the Guinness Book of Records. Working with Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson received 8 Grammy awards and worldwide love from music critics, after which he received 11 more Grammys.

Michael Jackson, as a solo artist and member of the Jackson Five, was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Having become the King of Pop, the eccentric Michael was repeatedly attacked for his appearance and behavior on stage, but this made him an even more successful and popular musician. Unfortunately, as often happens with such bright stars, Michael could not stand the fame and everything that accompanies it - on June 25, 2009, the singer died in Los Angeles from cardiac arrest caused by a drug overdose. The world-famous Jackson was only 50 years old. Before burying the singer, his friends organized a large-scale and vibrant show in memory of the King of Pop.

POP ICON MICHAEL JACKSON

He was the brightest pop star of all time. His talent was admired, millions of fans idolized their idol, and his colleagues recognized his brilliant performing and dancing abilities. The list of epithets that journalists bestowed on him during his long and unsurpassed creative life is unlikely to fit on one page. This is how he was and remains in the memory of everyone who once fell in love with Michael’s music.

In the power of "The Nutcracker"

His whole life was shrouded in incredible legends, adventures and scandals were his faithful companions, and the yellow press earned millions in income on his name alone. He knew how heavy the burden of fame was from childhood, when at the age of five he began performing in the family group The Jackson 5, which was organized by the head of the family, Joseph.

Was the seventh of nine children, he was born 1958 in Gary, Indiana. The father quickly realized that his children were not deprived of talent and put together a good team of them, the youngest of which was Michael. He attracted the attention of the public more than other brothers; the boy already sang and danced better than anyone else. The singer later said that even as a child he became a veteran musician.

Despite the fact that Michael performed pop music, he was seriously interested in classical music. He was fascinated by The Nutcracker. He considered every melody of this work a real hit. Then he decided that pop music should also have an album in which every song would become a hit.

Michael Jackson at Motown

From an early age, Jackson learned the wisdom of the profession by watching the best performers. He disappeared behind the scenes of Fred Astaire and James Brown, adopting all their movements, demeanor, presentation of himself to the public, intonation. Brown became for Jackson an idol for all times, having the greatest influence on the young musician. Michael adopted James' vocal style, adapted his rhythmic singing, combined his style with others and created his own unique image.

Michael had the opportunity to continue his musical education at the famous Motown studio, surrounded by the stars of that era - Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross. By the way, it was she who sheltered the young man for several months in her house when he moved to Los Angeles. He loved coming to his studio and watching him work. Michael was interested not so much in the process of recording albums as in the laws of music creation.

Mentors from the Motown record company helped young Jackson sharpen his talent and polish his natural gift. The most significant role in his life then was played by studio owner Berry Gordy. He made his ward a perfectionist, forcing him to record hundreds of takes of the song to achieve the desired effect.

Jackson 5

All his life he adhered to the principles in his work that Gordy instilled in him - the desire to conquer the audience, all kinds of charts and hit parades, conquering the world with his music. The studio owner was a pioneer in promoting the music of black performers; he knew that it was unfairly relegated to the background. It was he who paved the way for them into big show business.

Music without borders

Over ten years of collaboration with Motown, The Jackson 5 released several super-successful compositions. Michael was simultaneously working on solo projects, but always wanted even more. In 1978, he made his debut in the film “The Wiz” (based on the fairy tale “The Wizard of Oz”), where he played alongside Diana Ross. On the set, he met a man who helped him from a famous black guy to a pop superstar. It was Quincy Jones, an outstanding music producer. He created music without boundaries and Michael loved it.

Jackson did not tolerate his work being classified according to genre, race or nationality. The singer said that great music has no color or boundaries. And Jones called Jackson a sponge who, over the course of ten years, had absorbed all the best from the great people of musical art. It was not for nothing that he studied with the very best in order to become that person whose equals would no longer exist.

Thanks to the work of Quincy Jones, Jackson's album Off The Wall went multi-platinum in 1979. The circulation was 10 million copies.

The singer's next album, Thriller, broke his previous record and soared to a height that for others performers has become simply unattainable. More than 50 million copies were scattered all over the world, the record was not re-released, and Michael was awarded seven Grammy Awards statuettes. But the list of records for the Thriller album does not end there. It remained at the top of the charts for 37 weeks in a row. So far, no one has been able to achieve this figure.

This was the album that consisted entirely of hits, like Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” that inspired it. Classical influence on music Michael Jackson was so great that some songs use it as an intro.

Masterpieces instead of video clips

There was another explanation for the sensational popularity of the Thriller album. The audience was literally fascinated by the video clips for the songs “Billie Jean”, “Thriller” and “Beat It”. He destroyed stereotypes and made small films instead of clips. He was not interested in the laws of the genre; he set his own rules. Jackson's videos couldn't be as plotless or low-budget as they were in the 1970s.

The love for Broadway musicals and obsession with cinema took their toll. He watched old films by Disney, Hitchcock and Coppola dozens of times and never stopped learning. He admired the ability of directors to hold the attention of the public, mastering their brain and consciousness. Without a doubt, Jackson achieved this in his work.

The mastery of combining classic rock, rhythm and blues, pop and rap in music, and tap dancing, hip-hop and modern in dance helped Jackson become the king of music for all times. Incredible costumes, incredible choreography and cinematic storytelling instead of a video clip captivated millions of people on both sides of the ocean. His videos were distinguished by their entertainment, special effects, carefully developed storyline and, of course, signature choreography. He wanted to create music that would influence future generations. In this Jackson saw the meaning of his work.

Half a million dollars was spent on the fourteen-minute “Thriller” video. The videotape of the recording became the best-selling videotape in music history. Moreover, this video is still considered the most famous in the world.

Michael Jackson on top

This period was the peak in his career Michael Jackson. He continued to work at a frantic pace, without reducing speeds or the given altitude. The new album, entitled “Bad,” sold 25 million copies, and the popularity of the collection “Dangerous” is estimated at 23 million copies.

The album “HIStory Past, Present and Future Book I” was double and consisted of 15 super-compositions of the singer and the same number of new songs. Many still consider them to be the most soulful of anything Jackson ever released. Just imagine, in just a year the collection reached the platinum mark six times, and is still selling successfully.

The singer continued to captivate the audience with his masterpiece videos. Critics acknowledged that it was largely thanks to Jackson and his videos that the MTV channel became famous, and the music industry reached unprecedented breadth and profitability. Not a single music channel could capture his talent, and the value of video clips before Michael’s appearance was equal to zero. It remained almost the same after his departure.

Unique style

The performing style also captivated the audience. Michael Jackson. His vocals conveyed emotion without language. His famous exclamations, screams, sighs, swallowing sounds made his singing language universal. Michael made the audience feel every song intuitively, even if not all the words were clear. His unique style allowed him to brilliantly convey emotions, filling almost any text with feelings. Everyone who has ever worked with Michael always talked about his absolute pitch and wide vocal range (almost four octaves) - a gentle performance of “Rock With You” was followed by the jazzy “I Can`t Help It”, the ballad “She`s” Out Of My Life" paired perfectly with a rock rendition of "Dirty Diana" or "Give In To Me".

It is also surprising that, without mastering musical notation or musical instruments, Jackson could convey any melody and arrangement for each instrument with his voice. This helped Michael in his composing work. He could easily sing the entire arrangement with all the effects into the recorder. He often hummed a song he composed in his head onto an audio tape and took it to the studio. He would then create the song by building up the sound in layers, calling it a tapestry. If a song didn't work out right away, he'd put it aside, move on to something else, and then come back.

Dancer to the core

During studio recordings, Jackson always danced. He didn't just love to move, Michael was a slave to rhythm, as he described himself. Choreography was both a release and a physical exercise for him. And on stage he was simply obsessed with dance. Michael constantly experimented, passed sounds through himself, interpreted them, put his own meaning and conveyed this melody with his body.

The singer’s signature “moonwalk” was invented by tap dancer Bill Bailey, but it was Jackson who brought it to perfection and made it his signature trick. He constantly studied the work of the great dancers of the century - Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, Jeffrey Daniel, and they, in turn, admired his dancing talent.

Payback for fame

In the 1990s, Michael's life fell into some chaos. His name never left the pages of the yellow press, which attributed to him many novels, star quirks, bohemian life and spending millions of money. He was married twice. His marriage to his daughter Lisa-Marie lasted 18 months, and in 1996 he married nurse Debbie Rowe, who gave birth to his son Michael Joseph and daughter Paris-Michael Catherine. Two years later, this union also fell apart, and in 2002, Jackson had a third son from a surrogate mother, Prince Michael II (Blanket).

Prince, Paris, and Blanket

There were an incredible number of rumors about the singer’s health and the number of plastic surgeries he underwent. However, he himself confirmed only one disease, which changed the pigmentation of his skin.

In the early 2000s, another scandal broke out. Michael was accused of molesting minors. His guilt was not proven; Jackson was acquitted on all counts, but litigation and constant attacks from the press had a significant impact on his physical and moral condition.

Although critics call this period of his life the least fruitful, the singer did not leave the stage and studio work; in the 1990s he wrote more songs than in the previous decade. Despite all the troubles, he created a special aura in the studio. Colleagues respected him immensely, valued him for his modesty, politeness, curiosity and selfless service to art. “Music comes first” - he worked under this motto all his life.

Symbol of the era

For 2009, he planned a series of 50 concerts, “This Is It Tour,” with which he wanted to end his career. But the morning of 2009 brought tragic news. The news of the death of the King of Pop spread around the world at lightning speed. The singer's lifeless body was found in his Los Angeles home by his cardiologist, Conrad Murray. The arriving doctors took the necessary measures to resuscitate Michael, then attempts continued in the hospital, but they were in vain.

Fans refused to believe in such a sudden death. Various causes of death were considered, from murder to accidental drug overdose. The findings of the forensic medical examination confirmed an overdose of a strong anesthetic in combination with the concentration of other potent drugs in the blood. And no matter what versions now surround this tragic event, Michael Jackson this will no longer bring back, like the bygone era of which he was a symbol.

DATA

At the World Music Awards in 2000 he was recognized as the “Man of the Millennium”, and the following year his name inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This year he celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of his career and once again brought together members of The Jackson 5 on stage.

He had an amazing sense of humor and was a voracious reader. He took home entire stacks from each bookstore and read them at the first opportunity. His library consisted of more than 20 thousand books of various subjects and genres. He could quote paragraphs from the biographies of Michelangelo and Albert Einstein. He always turned to this intellectual treasury when working on a new album or video.

Updated: June 25, 2017 by: Elena

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in the town of Geary, Indiana, into a large family that included nine other children. His father organized the family group Jackson 5, which brought the first success to the future legend. Michael was only 12 years old at the time. He subsequently became one of the most commercially successful solo artists in the music industry, the singer gaining worldwide recognition and the title of "King of Pop". During his long musical career, Michael Jackson received 19 Grammy awards, and 13 times he climbed to the first line of the American sales charts with his singles. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a solo artist and as a member of the Jackson 5.

Michael Jackson died at the University of California Hospital from a heart attack on June 25, 2009. The famous performer was 50 years old. The start of a grandiose series of concerts by the singer was scheduled for mid-July.

This photo of 12-year-old Michael Jackson was taken back in 1971, but even then his career was taking off. Berry Gordy signed the Jackson Five to Motown Records in 1968, and Michael and his brothers reached the top of the charts with "ABC" and "I'll Be There." (Henry Diltz/Corbis)

Michael Jackson (far left) and the other five brothers from Indiana, members of the Jackson Five, in 1972. (Frank Barratt/Getty Images file)

Michael Jackson at the premiere of the musical The Wiz. This musical, which appeared on screens in 1978, was the first work of the pop star, created in collaboration with the famous producer Quincy Jones. Subsequently, he will also act as a producer of such famous Jackson albums as Off the Wall and Thriller. Diana Ross, Jackson's friend and mentor, who introduced the Jackson Five to the public in 1968, took part in the musical The Wiz with Jackson. (Bettmann/Corbis)

Michael Jackson performing on tour with his brothers in 1981. During this tour, Michael began recording ideas for his solo project, which later became the best-selling album in the world. (Susan Phillips/Corbis)

Michael Jackson and Diana Ross during the American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Jackson won Best Soul Album and Ross won Best Soul Vocalist. (Juynh/AP)

Jackson with a group of dancers during the filming of the video for the song "Thriller" in 1983. Thriller revolutionized the music industry. Thanks to this zombie video, the general public learned about the MTV channel, and music videos became an independent artistic genre. The album sold 25 million copies in the US alone. (Corbis/Sygma)

Michael Jackson shows off his famous moonwalk for the first time while performing Billie Jean. This dance move, which later became the singer's signature move, stunned the audience, and Michael was crowned the "King of Pop." (Bettmann/Corbis)

Seen here next to his producer Quincy Johnson, Michael Jackson holds six of the eight Grammy Awards he won in 1984 for Thriller. The sequined suit and large sunglasses became Jackson's signature look. (AP)

May 1984. Michael Jackson accepts an award from US President Reagan at the White House. Jackson was celebrated as an example for American youth, and his hit Beat It became the campaign's anthem for the fight against drunk driving. (Bettmann/Corbis)

Michael Jackson (in the background) during the filming of a Pepsi commercial when his hair caught fire, while his brother German (in the foreground) continues to perform, not knowing what is happening. (AP)

A policeman escorts Michael through the crowd during his tour in London in 1985. (Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Pop and film stars are joining forces to sing "We Are the World" to raise awareness of the famine in Ethiopia. Michael Jackson in the center. Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ricci, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor and many others also performed with him. Jackson's sister Janet is in the lower right corner of the photo. (Bettmann/Corbis)

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen performs a guitar solo during a Michael Jackson concert in Irving, Texas. This immortal guitar riff was recorded by the guitarist specifically for Michael's song Beat It, which Van Halen's partner, David Lee Roth, was not at all happy about, but everyone else was delighted with the song. (Carlos Osorio/AP)

Michael Jackson and his dancers during the Bad tour in Tokyo in 1987. A year earlier, Jackson starred in the sci-fi musical film Captain EO in 3D, one of the most expensive and short films. Jackson gradually became the target of increasing criticism as his albums and videos became more and more expensive but were released less and less often. His next album, Dangerous, was released only in 1991. (Neal Preston/Corbis)

Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey on set in January 1993. Jackson was accused of sexually abusing minors for the first time this year, and he addressed the victims on Oprah's 90-minute show. The charges against Jackson were subsequently dropped, but he reportedly paid $25 million to settle the case. (Neal Preston/Corbis)

Michael Jackson performs in front of 30,000 children at the Super Bowl Half-Time Show on January 31, 1993. Despite the accusations against the singer, he was still at the top of the musical Olympus, releasing hits such as Black or White, Remember the Time, and his album Dangerous went multi-platinum. (Ralf-Finn Hestoft/Corbis)

Michael Jackson and French mime Marcel Marceau at the Bacon Theater in New York on December 4, 1995. Michael's face has already been completely changed by plastic surgeons. (Bob Strong/AFP - Getty Images)

Michael Jackson and his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley at Neverland Ranch during preparations for the World Children's Summit in April 1995. Presley filed for divorce less than a year after the wedding, thereby causing a lot of gossip about what exactly caused it. (Steve Starr/Corbis)

Michael Jackson performs at Ericsson Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand in November 1996 during his HIStory World Tour. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Several months after his divorce from Lisa Marie Presley, Jackson married Debbie Rowe on November 13, 1996 in Sydney, Australia. His new wife was pregnant. Jackson and Rowe divorced after 3 years, and Debbie transferred parental rights to Jackson. (Reuters/Corbis)

Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson arrive for a concert in honor of Jackson's 30th anniversary on September 7, 2001. The stars were longtime friends, and Taylor became godmother to Jackson's two children. (Jeff Christensen/Reuters/Corbis)

Michael Jackson testifies at his trial on November 13, 2002 in Santa Maria, California. The California Supreme Court indicted Jackson for canceling concerts, costing promoters several million dollars. (AFP/Getty Images)

Michael Jackson poses for photographers at the launch of his album Invincible in Times Square in New York in November 2001. The new album, which was released on October 30 of that year, became the most expensive album ever recorded and was received better by critics and fans than 1995's HIStory. (Brad Rickerby/Reuters/Corbis)

Jackson holds his son Prince Michael II covered with a towel while standing on the balcony of a Berlin hotel on November 19, 2002. Jackson subsequently called the incident a “terrible mistake,” but this photo shocked even the singer’s most devoted fans. His reputation was irreversibly damaged. (Tobias Schwarz/Reuters)

A photograph of Jackson taken at the Santa Barbara County police station on November 30, 2003. In 2003, Jackson documented that the boys slept in his bed. Soon, the prosecutor began an investigation into accusing Jackson of child molestation. In November, police showed up at the Neverland Ranch for a search, and Jackson was arrested a few days later. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's D/Reuters)

Michael (center) and his sisters La Toya (left) and Janet during a break during a court hearing in Santa Maria on August 16, 2004. (Pool/Reuters)

Michael Jackson, wearing pajama pants, walks accompanied by bodyguards to a court hearing on March 10, 2005, on charges of molesting minors since 2003. Jackson appeared in court after Judge Rodney Melville threatened to revoke his bail. (Kimberly White/pool via Reuters)

Jackson sings with his young fans during the World Music Awards in London on November 16, 2006. (Graham Jepson/WireImage)

Michael Jackson receives a written commendation from Colonel Robert M. Waltmeyer, commander of Garrison Zama, Japan, March 10, 2007. Michael greeted thousands of American military personnel and their families. (U.S. Army via Getty Images)

Michael walks through the parking lot of a recording studio in Los Angeles with his children Prince and Paris in March 2009. The singer was spotted entering the studio on that cold, rainy day. He spent more than two hours in the studio with a large number of staff, presumably recording the video. (Splash News/Splash News)

Fans watch a broadcast of the singer's press conference at the O2 Arena in London on March 5, 2009. In a press release, the megastar announced his intention to hold a series of concerts in London in July that would be his biggest performances in a decade. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

Michael Jackson died on the night of June 25-26, 2009 in Los Angeles. The news of his untimely death instantly spread throughout the world, shocking not only fans, but also envious people. Jackson's name had long since become a legend, and despite numerous reports of illness, no one expected such a sudden death.

Despite years of musical silence, in the memory of bloggers the singer remains a true legend, the king of pop music, the author of numerous hits, spectacular video clips and the famous “moonwalk”, without which few can imagine the bygone era of the 1980s and their youth.

On the morning of June 25, 2009, Michael lost consciousness while in the house he was renting in Holmby Hills, west of Los Angeles. Jackson's personal physician, cardiologist Conrad Murray, later reported through his lawyer that he went to the second floor and found Jackson in bed, no longer breathing but with a weak pulse in the femoral artery. Murray began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After 5-10 minutes, Murray decided to make a phone call, but there was no landline phone in the bedroom, and Murray did not want to call a cell phone, since he did not know the address of Jackson's house. While Murray was looking for a security guard to use his phone to call emergency services, 30 minutes passed. At 12:21 local time, a call to 911 was recorded. The caller was not Murray, but a home security worker. Here is a recording of this historic call.

Paramedics who arrived 3 minutes and 17 seconds after the call found Jackson no longer breathing with his heart stopped and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 42 minutes. According to Murray's lawyer, the UCLA doctor ordered the medical team to administer a direct injection of epinephrine to Jackson's heart. The lawyer noted that the entire time Jackson was at home, he still had a pulse. Efforts to revive Jackson continued along the way and for an hour after arriving at the University of California (UCLA) Medical Center at 1:14 p.m. The effect could not be achieved. Death was pronounced at 14:26 local time.

Thousands of the singer's fans immediately gathered near the hospital. They literally surrounded the porch, covering it with stuffed animals and flowers and filling everything around with photographs of the singer and candles. Fans also came to mourn Jackson's empty childhood home in Gary, Indiana, and the sprawling Times Square area in New York City.

Most people did not learn the exciting news from newspapers. People called each other, sent messages, wrote on blogs. In terms of the scale of the tragedy, Jackson's death can only be compared with the death of Princess Diana or the assassination of President Kennedy.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958. He was the seventh of nine children in the Jackson family. At the age of four, Michael was already on stage. A little later, he began performing with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, German and Marlon in the group “The Jackson 5,” which was created by their father Joseph. And although Michael was the youngest, it was he who attracted the most attention, sang and danced best, knew how to charm the audience, and eventually became the real star of the group.

In the late 1960s, The Jackson 5 signed a contract with Motown Records and began releasing hot hits one after another throughout the next decade. Simultaneously with his work in the family band, Michael made successful solo projects.

For the active Michael, everything was never enough. So, in 1978, he starred with young Diana Ross in the feature film “The Wiz,” an African-American remake of “The Wizard of Oz.” The film did not become a classic of American cinema, but it was of great importance for Michael, because on the set he met the great music producer Quincy Jones, who worked on the musical accompaniment of the film.

In 1982, Jackson not only broke his own record, but also set an unattainable bar for subsequent generations. The Thriller album did not have time to be re-released; it sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Michael Jackson received seven Grammy Awards for this album. Another world record for the Thriller album is leadership in the charts for 37 weeks in a row, which no one has yet surpassed.

The sensational success of Thriller lay in the never-before-seen, enchanting and amazingly beautiful video clips for the songs “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Thriller”. Jackson was the first to manage to make a small film out of a video clip, to make video a means of transmitting music, to not give a damn about the laws of the genre, establishing his own. Michael broke any stereotypes that came his way. Jackson became the first black guy on American MTV.

Having passed his peak, Michael continued to maintain enormous popularity. The 1987 album Bad sold 25 million copies, and the 1991 album Dangerous sold 23 million copies.

In 1993, Michael became famous on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was filmed at his home - the Land of Eternal Childhood ranch in Santa Yanez, California. The interview lasted 1.5 hours and attracted almost 100 million viewers, becoming the most popular show of the year.

In 1995, Michael released the ambitious and ingenious double album HIStory Past, Present and Future Book I, consisting of 15 super hits of past years and 15 new songs, which are still considered his most touching and soulful compositions. Within a year, the album went platinum six times in the United States and is still selling successfully, being the most popular double album in the world.

Jackson easily masters new musical genres and techniques, creating waves, ahead of his time. In subsequent years, he released the albums "Blood On The Dance floor: HIStory In The Mix", "Invincible", "Number 1"s", which includes re-released old songs and new compositions, as well as a 44-minute DVD "Michael Jackson - The One" with footage from the CBS archives, including his concerts, off-stage footage, and footage from the HIStory tour.

In 1996, Jackson married nurse Debbie Rowe, who gave him two sons (born 1997 and 2002) and a daughter (born 1998). Jackson says fatherhood is his life's dream.

From 2003 to 2005, the whole world was discussing a high-profile court case: Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation. After long meetings and trials, Michael is found not guilty on all counts, but the long, intense litigation undermines the singer’s health, so after the trial he leaves for the island of Bahrain and becomes a hermit.

In March 2009, Michael announced that he was going to give the last series of concerts in London called This is it Tour. A series of 10 concerts at The O2 arena, which seats 20 thousand people, was scheduled to start on July 13, 2009 and end on March 6, 2010. However, the demand for tickets exceeded all expectations, and the organizers planned additional performances.

According to the doctors who examined Jackson, the singer’s health fully allowed him to carry out such a difficult tour...

The day after Jackson's death, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) began investigating the unusual and high-profile case. They started talking about a new version of the cause of the singer's death - murder.

On July 1, 2009, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) joined the investigation. The DEA, with the power to investigate issues typically protected by physician-patient privilege, could examine all of Jackson's prescriptions. California's top prosecutor, Jerry Brown, said the DEA used CURES, a prescription database containing information about all drugs prescribed, doctors, dosages and patients, to investigate. On July 9, William Bratton, the Los Angeles police chief, said the investigation was focused on homicide or an accidental overdose, but would await full toxicology reports from the coroner.

On August 24, 2009, the conclusions of the forensic medical examination were made public - death was due to an overdose of the potent anesthetic propofol. A number of other potent substances (lorazepam, diazepam, midazolam) were also found in the blood.

On August 28, the Los Angeles coroner announced that Michael Jackson's death would be classified as a homicide. Cardiologist Conrad Murray, Michael's personal physician, was charged with manslaughter.

The case is still acquiring new details. According to the latest testimony, when the singer's heart stopped, Murray interrupted the initial resuscitation procedure in order to hide the drugs he was illegally administering to celebrities.

However, what difference does it make now... Michael Jackson still cannot be revived with new details about his death.

“At the end of the day, the most important thing is to be honest with yourself and your loved ones and work hard. What exists now will not exist tomorrow. Go for it. Fight. Improve and cultivate your talent. Be the best at what you do. Learn more about your line of work than anyone alive. Use tools to present yourself - be it books, or the floor to dance, or water to swim. Wherever it is, it's yours. That's what I always try to remember."

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (1958-2009) is an American singer who managed to become the most successful pop music performer in world history. Music producer and arranger, choreographer and dancer, screenwriter and songwriter, actor and philanthropist. He has 15 Grammy awards and 25 entries into the Guinness Book of Records. 1 billion copies of his collections and albums have been sold worldwide. Since 2009, he has been awarded the title of American Legend and Music Icon.

Childhood

Michael was born on August 29, 1958 into a poor, unremarkable African-American family, the Jacksons, who lived in the small settlement of Gary near Chicago.

His father, Joseph Walter Jackson, a former boxer, was working as a foundry worker at a Chicago ironworks at the time of Michael's birth. Mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a saleswoman. Both parents loved music, and that’s how they met. My father played the guitar very well and, in his free time, worked part-time in a local musical group. Mom sang beautifully, most of all she loved the country style.

Michael was the eighth child in the family, after him the Jacksons had two more boys.

The singer’s childhood cannot be called cheerful and rosy: his father adhered to harsh principles in his upbringing, which subsequently affected Michael’s mental state. The moral humiliation and beatings suffered in childhood did not have the best effect on his character.

All children in the Jackson family inherited musical abilities from their parents. When the father noticed that his older sons taught themselves to play the guitar, he came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a family ensemble. He began to realize his dream. But at rehearsals, a heavy and wide belt was often used; the father mercilessly whipped his sons with it for mistakes and mistakes.

Family ensemble

The group initially included three sons: Jackie, Tito and Germaine. Marlon and Michael doubled for their brothers and learned to play the conga and tambourine. In 1964, the family group performed on stage for the first time. Michael was initially a drummer, but after he amazed everyone with a soulful performance of “I’ll Climb Any Mountain” during a school concert, his father entrusted him with backing vocals.

A series of regular concerts in clubs began. A specially hired teacher taught the children. The guys lived between rehearsals, performances and school lessons. The group toured from 1966 to 1968, and finally they were noticed and invited to the most popular club in New York Harlem, the Apollo. After performing there, a recording studio signed a contract with the Jacksons, and the family moved to Los Angeles.

Michael quickly became an idol among teenagers. But this did not affect his father’s attitude towards him; he still found fault and sometimes made caustic jokes about his son’s wide nose.

Own creative path

In 1979, Michael told his father that he had become an adult and would continue to sing on his own. In the same year, his first solo album “Off The Wall” was released, which sold 20 million copies. A year ago, Michael took part in the film adaptation of the musical “Viz,” where he met Quincy Jones. This music director became Michael Jackson's first producer.

In 1982, the second album “Thriller” was released, which was even more successful and brought Jackson 7 Grammy awards. This album was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling album in the world.

In 1983, Jackson showed the world his moonwalk for the first time.
After receiving burns to the skin of his face, Michael had to undergo plastic surgery for a transplant. At the same time, he decided to change the shape of his nose and chin. On top of everything else, he switched to a vegetarian lifestyle and lost a lot of weight. All this led to a completely new image.

In 1987, after the release of his third studio album, Michael Jackson went on his first world tour. Over three years, he gave 123 concerts in 15 countries, and each of them became a brilliant show. His phenomenal dancing abilities and lively communication with the audience made Michael the idol of the planet. Once again he got into the Guinness Book of Records for the half-million audience that came to his performance.

In 1993, Jackson's first concert in Russia took place at the Luzhniki Stadium.
During his creative life, he released 10 studio albums, the eleventh was supposed to be released in 2009, but the singer did not have time to do this.

Personal life

Michael spent his crazy fees on charity, for which he received an award from President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

While filming a Pepsi commercial, Jackson was close to pyrotechnic installations and received facial burns. While in the hospital, Michael visited the children's burn unit, and what he saw made a serious impression on him. He used the compensation that Pepsi was supposed to pay him to open a children's burn center. From that day until the last minutes of his life, Jackson was engaged in charitable activities.

Michael registered his first marriage with the daughter of the famous Elvis Presley, Lisa Maria. Their life together lasted only a year and a half, the couple divorced, but the former spouses maintained good friendly relations with each other.

Jackson's second wife was nurse Debbie Rowe. This woman gave birth to two children for the singer: in 1997, a son, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., and a year later, a girl, Paris-Michael Catherine Jackson. Debbie Rowe voluntarily took on the mission to continue the lineage of the great musician, she gave birth to two children, filed for divorce and renounced her parental rights.

In 2002, Michael had a third child, son Prince Michael II, from a surrogate mother.

Death

On June 25, 2009, Jackson was administered the drug Propofol. But as a result of an overdose, the singer’s heart stopped. The rescue team arrived and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but everything turned out to be ineffective.
The news of Michael Jackson's death for the first time provoked such a phenomenon as Internet traffic jams.

On July 7, 2009, the farewell ceremony for Michael was broadcast throughout the world.
Jackson was buried only on September 3 near Los Angeles at Forest Lawn Cemetery.