How does Michael Jackson live? Michael Jackson - biography, information, personal life

Michael Joseph Jackson

On August 29, 1958, a boy was born into a poor and unremarkable family of African-Americans Joseph and Katherine Jackson, in the town of Gary, lost in Indiana. He was the seventh child in a family living in a small house - so small that it looked like a garage. The boy was named Michael. This is how the greatest and most mysterious artist of the late twentieth century was born - Michael Jackson.

Hundreds of biographies, books, and studies have been written about the Michael Jackson phenomenon, and not one has yet been able to capture his entire image. In this short biography we will not be able to do this. But let’s try, for those who are just entering the magical world of the artist, to write a short biographical article. Based on it, it will be easier to understand Michael Jackson’s autobiography “Moonwalk” and other books, interviews, and stories of people who were friends and worked with him for many years.

Childhood in Gary, Indiana

The town of Gary, where Michael was born, is a small community in Indiana, in the East Chicago area. 80% of the town's residents are African Americans - ordinary workers living in poor houses and working at the local steel mill. And Michael's father, Joseph Jackson, worked at that time in the foundry at this plant. After Michael, two more children were born into the family, and six boys had to sleep in a tiny bedroom on three-story beds. The family struggled to make ends meet, but thanks to Michael's mother Catherine, a devout follower of Jehovah's Witnesses, the children grew up under strict rules and the house was kept as tidy as possible. From infancy, children were taught to clean themselves and take care of themselves.

In addition, music was constantly playing in the house. “We sang a lot in our house, mostly blues songs that were popular at the time, like “Mustang Sally.” Katherine and I loved to sing with the children, and she also played the piano and sometimes the clarinet. I could also play some songs on my guitar, and every free minute we played R&B records by singers such as Little Richard, the Chi-lites, Chuck Berry, the Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Fats Domino, Joe Tex, Big Maybell, the Impressions and Major Lance,” the father of the family, Joseph, later wrote in his book. It was he, according to Michael himself, who played a decisive role in his development as an artist - despite the fact that the relationship between father and son could hardly be called harmonious.

Joseph was a man of no timidity, a tough character and great ambitions. In his youth, he had to change many occupations - he visited, among other things, the boxing ring, worked as a sleeper stacker, and picked cotton on the plantations of the South. “Someday I, too, will be at the very top, I promised myself,” Joe later wrote in his autobiography. But it’s unlikely that in his youth he could have imagined who would take him to this peak, although show business was clearly very much on his mind: the group he created with his friends, “Falcons” (“Falcons”), played all over the city, and also performed in clubs and colleges in northern Indiana and Chicago.

The first memories of Michael's childhood do not describe his temperament in infancy in much detail. Everyone only agrees that the baby was always full of unquenchable energy. His mother recalls how, at two years old, he famously danced to the beat of washing machine; older brother Jermaine - about how agile he was before he even learned to walk - so much so that it was impossible to change his diapers; my father said that you couldn’t take your eyes off him for a second, otherwise he would disappear, and then he would be found under the table or under the bed.

Film "The Jacksons" American dream", based on the history of the Jackson 5, describes the legend of its origins. According to her, it all started when one of the eldest sons, Tito, slowly took his father's guitar to learn to play. One day, the father discovered that his son was taking his instrument without asking. Tito was punished, and punished cruelly: Joseph was not distinguished by humanity in raising children. However, at the same time, he was surprised to see that Tito had learned to play very well. According to his own version, Tito broke a string on his guitar. ““What did you do?” I asked him calmly. Tito looked at me incredulously. He thought I was going to get angry. “Well, show me what you can do,” I said. I could hardly hide my joy. And he actually knew how to play. He taught himself the blues songs that I always played on the guitar. Like me, he played by ear. I didn’t show Tito right away how proud I was of him, but a couple of days later I came home and brought him a gift: a new red guitar!” - Joe recalls.

From that moment on, the fate of the children was decided. The Falcons group gradually disappeared from the sight of its creator. Joseph created from the older boys Music band, with whom I rehearsed day after day - for three hours or more. Michael was one of younger brothers, at the time of the creation of the group he was about 5 years old. They didn’t want to notice this little tomboy for some time: at first he just played the bongos, which, according to his father and brothers, he really liked. It is curious that even as an adult, Michael remained an excellent percussionist and also performed excellent beatboxing. But one day during a rehearsal, according to legend, Catherine’s mother heard Michael sing. “Listen to how he sings,” she told her husband. And Joe heard.

Frontman of the Jackson 5

Everyone who remembers little Michael unanimously says that his talent was immediately visible. In his book Moonwalk, he recounted his first performance at a school concert: he sang the song “Climb every mountain” from the musical “The Sound of Music.” “The reaction of the listeners when I finished singing shocked me. The hall burst into applause, people smiled, some stood up. The teachers were crying. I just couldn't believe my eyes. I gave them all happiness. It was such a wonderful feeling. But at the same time I was a little embarrassed: I didn’t do anything special. I just sang like I sang at home every night,” Michael recalled. Life has confirmed: “I can climb any mountain” - this is indeed his motto.

Joseph was shrewd: once convinced of how great his young son's gift was, he made Michael the frontman of the group. Thus was the beginning of Michael Jackson's artistic career. At the age of five he became one of the most gifted child artists of the twentieth century. But the same talent that made Michael the most famous artist on Earth began to limit his freedom from childhood.

From the age of five, the boy’s life was subject to a strict schedule of rehearsals and concerts. Over time, he, like his brothers, had to leave school: a teacher, Rose Fine, who traveled with the Jackson 5 group around the world, was specially hired to teach the boys. And there was simply no time left for things like communicating and playing with peers. Thus, the theme of “lost childhood” became one of the main “red lines” in the artist’s work, and indeed in the entire life of the artist.

In “Moonwalk” he wrote: “I used to come home from school and, as soon as I left my books, I rushed to the studio. There I sang until late at night, in fact, when it was already time for me to sleep. Across the street from the studio<...>there was a park, and I remember I looked at the guys playing there. I looked at them and marveled - I simply could not imagine such freedom, such a carefree life - and more than anything in the world I wanted to be so free that I could go out into the street and behave like them. So I also had sad moments as a child. But this happens with all children who become “stars”. Elizabeth Taylor told me she felt the same way. When you work when you're very young, the world can seem terribly unfair. Nobody forced me to be little Michael the lead singer—I chose it myself, and I loved it—but it was hard work. When we were recording for the album, for example, we'd go into the studio right after school, and sometimes I'd get a snack and sometimes I wouldn't. There just wasn't time. I returned home exhausted, at eleven, or even twelve at night, when it was already time to sleep.”

All this was complicated by the steep and cruel temperament the main mentor and then producer of the Jackson brothers, Joseph. His father's rudeness and harshness, his tendency to solve problems with a belt and shouting, influenced the boys in different ways, but Michael, a gifted child with a fine mental organization, found it especially difficult to endure. The father trained his children “excellently”; he instilled in Michael throughout his life the concept of the importance of discipline and hard work, without which no talent can be realized; however, a vulnerable child with a wild imagination needed not only a strict coach, but also a loving person. “He trained me as a showman, and under his guidance I could not make a single wrong move. But what I really wanted was for him to be a dad. I wanted a father who would show me his love,” Michael later said.

As an adult, he managed to overcome childhood and youth grievances, and Joe himself became softer over time, but nevertheless, the traumas experienced in childhood were never completely forgotten, and relations with his father remained tense until Michael’s death. In many ways, this childhood tragedy of a child artist repeated the fates of such geniuses as Paganini or Mozart, who were the same “child stars” guided by strict fathers. As an adult, Michael quickly found mutual language with people with a similar fate - this is how, for example, his friendship with Elizabeth Taylor and his tender affection for the “girl star” of old Hollywood, Shirley Temple, began.

Meanwhile, the Jackson Five gained recognition in their city and surrounding area within three or four years. Children performed wherever the opportunity presented itself - in schools, at various talent competitions, which they invariably won, in nightclubs and strip bars, where little Michael, at the age of seven or eight, became acquainted with the whole “underside” of show business. Often the group performed as an opening act for strippers, and then stayed in the hall or came home late at night - and the next day they rehearsed and performed again.

The next stage was the conquest of Chicago. Everywhere the boys found success - primarily thanks to the amazing little soloist who skillfully performed covers of songs by Motown artists - the first “black” music label in the USA, which brought to light a whole galaxy of brilliant soloists and groups in the R&B style. After some time, the group was invited to the oldest “black” musical theater in the USA - the famous New York Apollo Theater in the heart of Harlem, the cradle of such world-famous talents as Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Jackie Wilson, Nina Simone, James Brown . The demanding and capricious New York public was literally captivated: the triumph of the Jackson Five was deafening. After this, the brothers were invited to appear on television, on the David Frost show - but suddenly, at the very last moment, Joseph refused the invitation. The boys couldn’t believe their ears when they heard about this, but their father explained: “Motown called.”

Growing up. Motown and Epic

The Jackson Five were invited to audition for the famous label, and for many years this audition determined their fate. They joined the team of studio stars as equals at the very zenith of its history, when such artists as The Supremes (with Diana Ross), The Temptations, The Four Tops, singers Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson shone on stage. and young prodigy Stevie Wonder.

Young Michael's main idols were famous black stars James Brown and Jackie Wilson. Sitting behind the scenes for hours, Michael watched and watched them while his brothers rested carelessly, and learned from these masters the art of holding the attention of the public, absorbed their expression, and learned dance techniques. Michael was a master at imitating his idols, and this touched the audience, but Michael's vocal talent was not just an object of affection. The boy, who had never studied either music or vocals, sang his parts in the clearest voice, easily remembering any melody, as soon as you hummed it to him. Throughout his career, Michael Jackson remained “musically illiterate,” that is, self-taught in everything. However, ignorance of notes did not prevent him from composing music, and ignorance vocal technicians It didn’t hurt to record songs from the first take.

In the USA there are fans of Michael Jackson who are older than him. These are the ones who witnessed the resounding success of the Jackson Five. All of America fell in love with these boys. The Jackson Five broke records in terms of attendance at concerts. The Beatles. They were idols of young audiences, and the paparazzi began hunting for them.

Michael, 12 years old Michael's life changed greatly and forever. He became a superstar at the age of 11 and at the same time grew into the only artist in the history of music who, having matured, not only did not lose the love of the audience, but also multiplied the success of his childhood years.

In the early 1970s, thanks to the talent of the Jackson brothers and Joe's perseverance, the whole family moved to California, where the Motown label also moved. The Jacksons collaborated with Motown for several more years, but then they went their separate ways, mainly because the brothers wanted to write their own songs, which Motown did not allow them to do. Michael, at the age of 16, discussed termination of the contract with the label management. It should be noted that even at such a young age, when it came to business, Michael behaved decisively and uncompromisingly. As a result, the group moved to another label - Epic - and changed its name to The Jacksons. And little Michael, unnoticed by everyone, has grown a lot.

17 years old Describing his growing up in his autobiography, Michael recalls that it became very stressful for him. When you grow up in front of the whole country and never leave the covers of magazines, people want to see you the way they initially liked you, he said. The cute boy with an afro hairstyle, bright, playful eyes and dimples was the favorite of millions. And as it turned out, no one recognized the thin teenager with youthful acne on his face. Sometimes, in search of “little Michael,” people passed by him, and when they realized that Michael was standing next to them, they did not hide their annoyance.

Joseph also added “fuel to the fire” by pointing out to his son his huge wide nose, insisting that he got this feature from his mother. Both brothers and cousins ​​teased Michael - no one missed the opportunity to humiliate the public's favorite. Perhaps the stress experienced in adolescence and youth has become last factor, which influenced subsequent artificial changes in Michael’s appearance. However, these changes are explained by many other things - both the state of his health and his understanding of art as, among other things, the art of sculpting himself and his life to his liking.

Off The Wall. Thriller. Conquering the peak

Michael, 21 Michael began his official solo career when he turned 21. He refused his father's services as a manager, broke his contract and took control of his creative destiny into your own hands. His first solo album Off The Wall, consisting of songs in the then popular disco style, was released in 1979 and was a phenomenal success - much greater than the work of Michael and his brothers, released shortly before. This disc was recognized at that time as the most successful album by a black artist. in history. Many music critics, especially in America, still consider it the pinnacle of Michael Jackson's work.

However, Michael himself remained unsatisfied. The album received a string of awards, but did not win the music industry's most influential award, Grammy Awards"Album of the Year" “I felt ignored by my colleagues, and it hurt,” Michael later recalled. “This experience lit a fire in my soul,” he wrote in his autobiography. – I was only thinking about the next album and how I would create it. I wanted him to become truly great."

And he fully realized his idea. It is customary to talk about Michael's next album as greatest achievement in the history of modern sound recording. Album Thriller received such success that it is virtually impossible to repeat. The best-selling album, a Guinness record holder, a peak that only one person has climbed and only once. The album won seven Grammy awards at the 1984 ceremony, including Album of the Year, and Michael's comeback was deafening.

In his cult film“Thriller” It was from this album that Michael Jackson’s triumphant march through the world of video clips began. Michael decided to invite film directors to work on his musical films. He himself didn't call his videos "video clips" - he called them "short films." And in general, he was right, because the video clip genre, neither before nor after Michael, had reached such perfection and sophistication.

In addition, Michael completely reinvented his own image. Moonwalk. Shiny glove. The famous black fedora... All these most recognizable features of Michael Jackson's appearance entered the world of popular music precisely during the era Thriller.

Michael invested his profits from record sales of the album into a strategically important acquisition. On the advice of colleague Paul McCartney, he bought the ATV music catalog, which contained the rights to songs by many famous artists (including, ironically, songs by The Beatles themselves). Buying the catalog turned out to be a wise investment: Michael had the right to control where and how songs from the catalog were used and, throughout his later life, received royalties whenever these songs generated commercial income.

The series of successes, however, was overshadowed by an accident. In 1984, while filming a commercial for PepsiCo, a pyrotechnic explosion caused sparks to hit Michael's head and his hair caught fire. Michael's security guard, Miko Brando, put out the flames with his hands, and Michael was immediately taken to the hospital. He was left with severe burns on his skin. Several surgeries were required to restore the scalp. The procedures were long and painful. The recovery took several years and was complicated by the appearance of keloid scars, which grew and prevented normal hair growth. As Michael's nurse and future wife, Debbie Rowe, later said, he had to struggle with this problem for decades. It was from that time that Michael began to wear a black hat so often - at first it served a cosmetic function, and then became an integral part of his image.

Bad. "Crazy Jacko." Neverland

25 years after resounding success Thriller Michael plunged back into work: he gave interviews very rarely, talked little about his hobbies outside of music, and even less so about his private life. He carefully guarded his personal space. In addition, this was his PR strategy: he believed that in order to achieve success, he needed to intrigue the public and give them time to miss the “star”, and not become annoying, an eyesore on television screens and social events. He carefully created a persona that made people wonder and discuss him.

Thus, he soon became known as a strange “hermit”, leading a reclusive life in the company of his animals (Michael had a small zoo at home). Rumors spread. Michael sometimes appeared in public either in the company of singer and actress Diana Ross, sometimes accompanied by film actress Brooke Shields, sometimes with Elizabeth Taylor. But they could not discern romance in these appearances, and Michael began to be accused of hiding his true identity. sexual orientation. Some said he was gay. And when people noticed that Michael had changed the shape of his nose and began wearing makeup off stage, the conviction that “something was wrong” with him only grew.

However, many rumors were intentionally fueled by Michael and his manager Frank DiLeo. They seemed to be playing with the press and public opinion— believing that they have the situation under control. Thus, rumors that Michael “sleeps in a pressure chamber” and that he bathes only in Evian water were deliberately spread. “It’s all about rhythm and timing,” Michael once explained his audience tactics, as if talking about a real stage performance. - You need to know clearly what you are doing... It’s like a fever: people are waiting, waiting. It is very important to wait. Preserve, protect this feeling... If you remain mysterious, people’s interest will grow.”

However, the game has gone too far. “Suddenly, in an instant, all of Jackson's eccentricities, which only a few months ago had been considered intriguing or completely insignificant, began to be called strange, wonderful and wonderful,” writes Joseph Vogel in his book “The Man in the Music.” “It became difficult for the artist to withstand merciless attacks, interference in his life, annoying questions and attention.<…>He was more isolated from the world than ever. As soon as he left the house, a crowd of fans and paparazzi immediately attacked him.<…>Every aspect of the artist's life was examined under a microscope. People wanted to know everything about him. Why does he have such a high voice? Was he taking hormones? Did he have sex reassignment surgery? Is he homosexual? Is he asexual? Why does he live in solitude and a fabulous environment? Why is he obsessed with animals and children? Why does he wear masks and costumes? Is he out of touch with reality? Is he even a man?”

Already shy and isolated, Michael almost completely stopped appearing in public. In the vacuum caused by the artist's absence, gossip spread and multiplied. Soon the label “Crazy Jacko” firmly stuck to him, and streams of fabrications poured out of the floodgates of human slander. Some of the stories seemed harmless, if strange: rumors about a supposed "shrine" he built in honor of Elizabeth Taylor, about Bubbles the chimpanzee, and even that he bought the bones of the Elephant Man.

“By 1987, to the public, Jackson the man seemed to have ceased to exist,” Vogel writes. “He transformed into the creature they tried to mold him into.” Even those to whom he seemed completely normal noticed the consequences. “One day in the studio I saw Michael sitting on the bathroom cabinet behind the control room,” recalls assistant engineer Russ Ragsdale. “He sat with his feet on the tabletop, leaning his shoulder on the mirror and was almost in a trance, like an animal in a cage.”

The public's opinion of the artist has changed so much that his new album Bad, despite very strong material, a number of hits and strong worldwide sales, was recognized by the readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the “worst album.” Later that year, during the Bad World Tour, Jackson wrote a despairing letter to the press from his hotel room. It said: “As the old Indian saying goes, don’t judge a man until he’s walked two moons in his moccasins. Many people don't know me, so they write things, most of which are not true. I often cry because it hurts... Animals attack not out of anger, but because they want to live. And the same goes for those who criticize: they want our blood, not our pain... But show mercy, because I have been bleeding for a very long time.”

In reality, Michael spent most of his time working hard. Unprecedented success of the album Thriller set an unattainable bar for him, which the artist, nevertheless, tried to surpass with each subsequent album. He carefully studied the weekly charts, tracked new releases and trends in modern music in order to know what resonated most with the audience. He attracted the most talented producers and musicians to cooperate. When preparing the albums, Michael worked on dozens of songs, the best of which were then selected for the final tracklist. And he was constantly learning.

Michael Jackson was a voracious reader and collected his own library, which over time grew to 20 thousand volumes. His collection included books on world art, history, biology and psychology. He was deeply interested in the biographies of great people of the past and drew life lessons from their destinies. He was interested in auto-training techniques and developed programs for himself to mentally target results. In addition, he not only loved movies and cartoons like any American, but seriously studied film art and admired Walt Disney and Charlie Chaplin.

Rich Gate to Neverland During this period, Michael also acquired new house is a picturesque 2,800-acre ranch two and a half hours from Los Angeles. He named the ranch "Neverland" - in honor of the fairy-tale land from his favorite story about Peter Pan. After moving from his parents' house to Neverland, Michael renovated the ranch to his liking and turned it into a truly magical, fabulous place for guests - especially for children. “I wanted to create a place that would have everything that I missed in my childhood,” Michael said about Neverland. There appeared a zoo with exotic animals, an amusement park, a cinema, an arcade with video games and Railway with a real locomotive. Having established the ranch, Michael opened it to visitors. He invited friends, fans and children from surrounding schools to visit. Every few weeks, sick and needy children were bussed into the ranch so they could spend a day in “fairyland.” The rural idyll of Neverland also gave Michael solitude and a sense of harmony with nature - essential ingredients for creative inspiration.

Dangerous. Accusations and international scandal

Although the commercial success of the album Thriller Michael (like no one else to this day) could not be surpassed; all his subsequent albums invariably ended up at the top of the charts. With the release of the album Dangerous and the world tour of the same name in 1992-93, Jackson expanded the geography of his performances, including the countries of Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. This raised his already great global popularity to a previously unseen level. In Third World countries, Michael Jackson hysteria was no less than American and British. He won the title famous person in the world - even in perestroika Russia. His arrival in Moscow with the Dangerous concert in September 1993 became one of the landmark events of the era of change for Russians.

But such fame, like a snowball, “wound” more and more rumors around the artist’s reputation. It seemed that people were overwhelmed with curiosity, burning with the desire to know what he eats, what he sleeps in, who he dines with, what color his socks are, why he’s wearing a hat, why he’s white, why he’s wearing makeup on his face, why he’s wearing a bandage on his sleeve. , who is his girlfriend, why are there children around him.

Michael and Oprah, 1993 In February 1993, Michael decided to give a big one for the first time in ten years. The interview was intended to dispel rumors around the star and lift the veil of secrecy that hid him true life. The world saw a light-skinned man with a high-pitched voice, long black hair and makeup on his face, who sat in the living room of his luxurious mansion on the territory of a huge ranch with the magical name “Neverland” and answered questions that excited the public for almost an hour. Much in this interview was a revelation to the public. In particular, it was then that Michael first spoke about the fact that he suffers from a skin disease (vitiligo), as a result of which his skin loses its natural pigment and becomes light. The interview achieved record high ratings: the channel estimated that 85 million Americans watched it live. It caused a new wave of interest in the artist’s work and had a positive impact on Michael’s image in the eyes of ordinary people.

Unfortunately, the effect of the interview was short-lived. In the same 1993, the madness around the name of Michael Jackson reached its “boiling point.” All the misunderstanding that accumulated around his image, all that attracted attention to Michael, all his resounding success and mega-popularity turned out to be a breeding ground for the emergence of the most terrible accusation that he himself could only imagine. In August, Evan Chandler, the father of the family with whom Michael became friends, filed a civil lawsuit accusing the artist of “inappropriate behavior” towards his minor son. The news that the King of Pop was a pedophile spread around the world in a matter of days.

It is difficult to imagine what Michael himself was going through during that period. According to his family and friends, the accusation was a terrible blow for him. After all, it was precisely what Michael considered his mission, the meaning of his life - helping children - that was distorted and turned against him. His best aspirations and most important life principles misinterpreted. When the global scandal broke, Michael was on tour. Every evening he had to go on stage in different countries and cities, not knowing how the new audience would greet him and what the thousands of people gathered for the concert actually thought of him. During a short visit to Russia, he wrote a poignant song about loneliness, “Stranger In Moscow”: “I wandered in the rain, hiding behind the mask of life, feeling like I was going crazy...” Intense stress, coupled with a grueling performance schedule, jet lag and pain from the surgery he had undergone before the start of the tour, they made themselves felt - Michael’s insomnia worsened, and he was forced to turn to painkillers and sleeping pills in order to maintain his ability to work.

By November, his condition had become critical: the remaining dates of the Dangerous tour had to be canceled, and Michael's girlfriend, Elizabeth Taylor, took him to a rehabilitation clinic in London. Michael spent about a month there, restoring his health and strength.

Was there anything rational about the accusations made against Michael? Both the singer’s fans and his ill-wishers have talked about this a lot, but it’s worth looking first at the facts. Evan Chandler, a dentist divorced from his wife and taking very little part in his son's life, was a man of great ambition and dreamed of making a career in Hollywood. When his son Jordan met superstar Michael Jackson, Evan was initially receptive to the friendship and even tried to start a relationship with Michael. friendly relations. However, Jordan began to spend more and more time with Michael, clearly seeing him as a father figure, and Evan, by his own admission, became jealous and felt that he was losing his son. And the boy’s mother, June, sympathized with Michael more than with her ex-husband. In the summer of 1993, Evan, allegedly having received a confession from Jordie, first approached Michael demanding money and threatening to start a public scandal. In a published private telephone conversation, Evan admits that he has conceived a plan and his goal is to get his way or ruin Michael's career. He also says his son's interests in the case are "irrelevant." This probably explains why Evan did not file a police report, as a truly angry parent would have done, but instead tried to extort financial compensation from Jackson. When Jackson refused to comply with his terms, Chandler carried out his threats and filed a civil suit.

Michael declares his innocence on TV Michael Jackson has always vigorously defended his innocence. At first, he intended to fight for his honor to the end and did not agree to make concessions. However, the scandal undermined his health and jeopardized his career. The trial threatened to drag on for several years, which would have had a detrimental effect on music sales and the artist's public image. In addition, despite the fact that the Chandlers never contacted the police, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney, on his own initiative, opened an investigation with the intention of bringing criminal charges against Michael. If he succeeded, Jackson would have to defend himself “on two fronts.” The situation was extremely stressful for Michael.

The final straw was the humiliating body search to which Michael was subjected: he, a shy man who was extremely sensitive to his public image, was forced to strip naked in the presence of investigators and doctors and his genitals were photographed to compare with the description given by the boy. Shortly after this traumatic event, Michael, succumbing to the persuasion of his advisers and the insurance company, agreed to a peace agreement with the Chandlers. “We wanted to put this horror behind us,” he later explained in a television interview. The amount his insurer paid Evan Chandler was $15 million.

Prime Time Interview, 1995 The settlement with the Chandlers in the civil suit did not affect the investigation led by the prosecutor's office - and the investigation continued for several more months. However, the police did not find any evidence or reliable evidence that would indicate Michael’s criminal behavior. The description given earlier by Jordan was not confirmed by photographs, and Jordan himself did not want to testify against Michael. Two grand juries convened on the matter ultimately declined to indict Jackson for lack of merit.

Michael was left alone, but this scandal and the monetary payment had an extremely negative impact on his reputation. PepsiCo, which sponsored his world tour, decided not to renew his contract. Many former friends suddenly disappeared from his life. And the question forever remained in the minds of the public: “If he was innocent, then why did he pay?”

HIStory. The King of Pop and the Princess of Rock. Second marriage and children

Michael himself publicly commented on these events only twice - in a statement declaring his innocence on TV and later in . However, personal experiences poured abundantly into his work: most of new, released in 1995, was his response to the accusations. For example, in the song “This Time Around,” Michael says to the unnamed offenders: “This time I won’t let myself get stung, although you really want to get to me!” In the song “Money” he accuses the enemy of self-interest: “You will do anything for money...”, and in the song “D.S.” openly incriminates the district attorney who began the hunt for him: “Tom Sneddon is a heartless man.”

Michael and Lisa Marie Just a few months after the scandal died down, the world was shocked by another unexpected news: Michael Jackson got married. Lisa Marie Presley, daughter and heir to the Elvis empire, told the world that she is the legal wife of the King of Pop. “I am truly in love with Michael and want to dedicate my life to him,” she said in a statement to the press.

At that moment, the general public knew nothing about the history of the relationship between Michael and Lisa Marie, so this news was received with skepticism by many. The young people were quick to accuse the marriage of being fictitious, and that its purpose was to help Michael restore his reputation after the accusations and demonstrate his heterosexuality. Over time, however, it became increasingly clear that this was not the case.

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley First joint photo shoot Michael and Lisa met in 1992 through a mutual friend: Lisa wanted to invite Michael to produce her debut album. She later admitted that at the very first meeting she was fascinated by Michael: he denied the rumors about himself and turned out to be completely different from how the press portrayed him. “I forgot that he was a superstar after 20 minutes - he behaved so openly and simply with me,” she said. Michael and Lisa began to communicate often, and an affair began between them. At the time, Lisa was still married to her previous husband, Denny Keough, but this did not stop Michael from continuing his courtship or Lisa from accepting it.

Michael and Lisa Marie, February 1998 At first, the couple seemed truly happy, but the marriage lasted only a year and a half - at the beginning of 1996, Lisa Marie filed for divorce. According to her, she could not live “in the ivory tower” built around Michael. She, like any woman, wanted attention and marital understanding - Michael was used to existing in the mode of a public performance staged by himself. Ending the marriage was an impulsive decision (“a stupid move,” as Lisa Marie later called it). The couple's relationship continued for several years after the divorce. Lisa made no secret of the fact that she loved Michael for many years, and although the breakup left her with bitterness and doubts about the reciprocity of these feelings, after Michael’s death she admitted: “And he loved me as much as he knew how.”

For Michael, a serious disappointment in his marriage was that Lisa Marie did not give birth to his child. Having grown up in a large family and seeing children as a source of inspiration, Michael really wanted to become a father, but Lisa, who already had two small children from her first marriage, was in no hurry to conceive, and the marriage was ultimately childless.

Michael and Debbie A year and a half after the divorce of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, a message appeared that Debbie Rowe, a nurse and longtime acquaintance of Michael, was expecting a child from him. Soon - in Australia during the HIStory world tour - Michael and Debbie got married. This news was received more criticism than Jackson's first marriage. Most people heard the name Debbie Rowe for the first time and knew nothing about her friendship with Jackson. “An unknown nurse of ordinary appearance is not a match for a world-famous superstar,” the public reasoned. The marriage was again called fictitious, and this time, it seemed, even Michael himself did not try to deny it.

Perhaps this relationship really was not built on romance, but Debbie Rowe was far from random person in Michael's life. Michael met Debbie back in the early 80s at an appointment with a dermatologist, from whom he underwent medical and cosmetic procedures to improve his skin condition. For more than ten years, Debbie helped Michael cope with vitiligo, a disease that caused his skin to lose its natural pigment, as well as the effects of a burn received on the set of a commercial. In the early 90s, when Michael underwent painful scalp surgery, Debbie lived with him for several weeks, helping him through the post-op period.

Michael saw Debbie as a devoted friend, but she truly loved him and did not hide it. Noticing how Michael was worried about his failed marriage to Lisa Marie, Debbie offered her help in fulfilling his deepest dream - to become a father. And Michael gratefully accepted her offer. On February 13, 1997, Debbie gave Michael probably the most precious gift in his life - she gave birth to his son Prince, and a year later - daughter Paris.

Shortly after this, the couple filed for divorce. The children remained with Michael, and Debbie saw them only from time to time. Many condemned the couple for this decision and accused Debbie of abandoning her children. But according to her, this was the plan from the very beginning: she did not want to become a mother, but only wanted to give children to Michael, to make him happy. She bore children for him.

Michael with his three children According to Michael himself, having children radically changed his life. The children gave it a new meaning and became an inspiration and support for him. From now on, they were more important to him than anything in the world, and even music faded into the background. According to all of Michael’s acquaintances, friends and colleagues without exception, he was an exemplary parent. He himself took care of his children from infancy: he changed their diapers, did laundry, cleaned up after them, cooked for them, taught them good manners and was involved in their diversified development. He studied books on parenting and strived to become the world's best father. “My biggest dream is that one day Prince and Paris will say about me: “He was the best dad!”” Michael admitted to his friend in a private conversation published later. No matter where he traveled, no matter what projects he worked on, he always took care of the needs of his little ones and always found time for them.

In February 2002, Michael had a third child - a son, Prince Michael Jackson II. The baby received the affectionate nickname “Blanket” from his father, which stuck with him as his main name. Nothing was publicly reported about the boy’s mother (as he later said in his memoirs personal assistant Michael, Blanket was born from a surrogate mother).

Invincible. Bashir's film. New charges and trial

Action against Sony In the fall of 2001, the long-awaited new album of Michael Jackson was released Invincible. The release was accompanied by two concerts in New York; there were rumors that Michael would tour again. However advertising campaign support for the album was suddenly interrupted: the Sony Music label stopped releasing video clips and promoting the album in the media. Sony executives explained this by saying that huge amounts of money had already been invested in the album (the recording and mixing of the songs alone cost $30 million), and sales did not cover further costs. Michael, who had devoted several years of hard work to this project, was hurt and angry. He believed that Sony was sabotaging the album's promotion and began to suspect the label's management of a conspiracy to keep him in debt and force him to sell his share of shares in the Sony/ATV catalog, a joint venture that Michael by this time owned half-and-half with Sony. Michael broke off relations with label head Tommy Mottola and began to openly oppose Sony. Many fans of the singer supported him with protests. The album ultimately failed to live up to commercial expectations, and although Michael subsequently worked with Sony on several more releases, he never forgave the label for this betrayal.

Unfortunately, this betrayal was not the last and not the most difficult in the life of Michael Jackson. In 2003, Michael made another attempt to overcome the image imposed on him by the tabloid press and find understanding among the general public. He invited British journalist Martin Bashir to make a documentary about his private life off stage. Relying on recommendations from friends, Michael trusted Bashir and agreed to give him unrestricted access to his home and his life for eight months.

Michael in Bashir's film Bashir spent almost a year with Michael. He communicated with his children, lived in Neverland, and accompanied him on his travels. However, the film that was eventually released was not at all what Michael expected. From eight months of filming, Bashir carefully selected moments that illustrated the most scandalous themes. Michael's remarks were skillfully edited to add sensationalism to the film; the most innocent scenes were provided with ambiguous voice-over comments. Michael was portrayed as an antisocial, abnormal person who had tendencies towards megalomania and paranoia and posed a threat to his own and other people's children. Relatives and friends did not recognize him in this film.

Many viewers and even celebrities criticized Bashir's film. Michael released a refutation program exposing the journalist's duplicity. However, the damage had already been done. The most terrible consequence of the film was a new attempt to accuse the artist of having an inappropriate relationship with a child. The film showed a teenager from a poor Latin American family, whom Michael helped cope with a serious cancer disease. The negative presentation of this story and Bashir's insinuations led to the fact that Michael's relationship with the boy's family deteriorated, and the boy's mother contributed to the initiation of a criminal case against Michael.

On the days of judgment. 2005, Santa Maria This time, District Attorney Tom Sneddon (who failed to indict Jackson in 1993) secured formal charges. Michael was arrested and, in front of cameras, escorted in handcuffs to the police station. His Neverland ranch was unceremoniously raided by 70 police officers. All his plans to implement new projects (including creating a designer clothing brand and producing films) were crossed out.

The investigation into the case lasted two years, after which a trial took place, which turned into a worldwide media spectacle. Reporters were not allowed into the courtroom, and they surrounded the courthouse like a flock of vultures, filming Michael's daily arrival and departure from hearings. There were fans at the courthouse who supported the artist, and haters who shouted threats at him. Michael Jackson went through this three-month public ordeal with quiet dignity. According to the stories of those close to him, these were the hardest months of his life, a period of despair, during which he drew strength only from his children, the support of fans and faith in God. On June 13, 2005, Michael was unanimously acquitted by a jury of fourteen counts.

Last years. This Is It

Although the jury found the artist not guilty, this trial itself had a strong impact on his state of mind. According to relatives, Michael became more withdrawn, stopped trusting people, and preferred to avoid appearing in public. Immediately after the end of the trial, he left Neverland, saying that he could never live there again, and left the country. For the next year and a half, he and his children wandered around the world: for some time he stayed with the Prince of Bahrain, then moved to a quiet estate in Ireland. And only in December 2006 he finally found the strength to return to his homeland.

By this time his financial situation had become critical. Jackson had not released new music or performed in seven years and his career seemed to be consigned to oblivion. Without new sources of income, he lived increasingly in debt. By 2008, the size of his loans reached the value of the mortgaged property: Michael almost lost the Neverland Ranch and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The only way out of the situation was to return to the stage.

Announcement of the This Is It concerts And in January 2009, a contract was signed with one of the largest concert promoters AEG Live for 10 concerts at the O2 arena in London. The concerts were called This Is It - “That’s all.” Michael announced them as his "final bow". According to eyewitnesses, he was forced to accept this contract. It was psychologically difficult for him to return to the stage - Bashir’s film, the charges and the trial had an extremely negative impact on his image: many people by that time considered Michael Jackson crazy, or even a criminal. He didn't know how the public would receive him. However, contrary to fears, the demand for tickets turned out to be unheard of: within 24 hours of the announcement, applications were received from almost a million people. They hastened to increase the number of concerts to fifty.

The upcoming “marathon” of fifty performances and intensive preparation for it turned out to be extremely stressful for Michael. He was afraid that at the age of 50 he would not be able to withstand such a load, he was worried that he would disappoint his fans, that the show would fail. There was too much at stake. His insomnia, which usually accompanied him on tour, worsened. Michael was forced to resort to strong drugs to get enough sleep before rehearsals. His health deteriorated sharply, he lost weight - team members working on preparing the show, and even fans sounded the alarm. But it was not possible to prevent the tragedy.

On the morning of June 25, 2009, a week before flying to London and three weeks before the start of the concerts, Michael Jackson died from an overdose of an anesthetic administered to him by his attending physician. Dr Conrad Murray was subsequently found guilty of the artist's manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.

Fans see Michael off at the Apollo Theater, New York Michael Jackson's passing was an event that caused an even greater public outcry than his failed grand return to the stage. On June 25, 2009, the news of his death crashed Twitter and a number of news sites, unable to cope with the explosion of traffic that resulted from the news. Google responded to millions of searches about Michael Jackson as a cyber attack. Wikipedia has registered a record number of visitors to a single article for the entire existence of the service. The artist’s Facebook page gained 10 million subscribers in a matter of hours. The leaders of the Internet corporation America Online called the death of Michael Jackson "a significant milestone in the history of the Internet."

Many people, even those who were not ardent fans of the artist, cried when they heard about his death. Others admitted that it was difficult for them to comprehend the news: Michael Jackson had become such a bright and integral part of modernity for his generation that it was difficult for people to imagine a world without him. By to the globe a wave of tributes swept through: from Stockholm to Taipei, from Mexico City to Hong Kong, young people took to the streets and danced to Michael’s songs. Hundreds of obituaries, memoirs and articles appeared in the press and blogs, rethinking the personality and work of the “King of Pop”. His songs, which were rarely heard on the radio in the last years of his life, returned to active rotation. The documentary “This Is It,” based on recordings of rehearsals for the canceled concerts, broke box office records and earned unanimous praise from critics. Album Invincible based on a vote by Billboard readers, was named best album decades. A re-evaluation of Jackson's work began as people began to discover his lesser-known and commercially successful works.

Paris Jackson at the funeral service But, perhaps, the key event that marked the beginning of a new, eternal life for Michael Jackson was the words of his daughter Paris, spoken by her at the farewell ceremony, which was watched live by about a billion people. When Michael’s family took the stage, his 11-year-old daughter suddenly, in a fit of emotion, asked for a microphone and, barely holding back tears, uttered to the audience and to the television cameras the very words that Michael once dreamed of hearing: “From the day I was born, dad was the best.” the kind of father you could ever imagine. I love him so much...” This simple short eulogy did what Michael had not been able to achieve for many years - it seemed to instantly allow millions of people to take off the blinders from their eyes and finally see a person in the hero of the scandalous gossip column. Death, alas, took this man away, but it also freed his personality and genius from the burden of social prejudices.

Eyewitnesses spoke about the incredible...

The legendary Michael Jackson is alive! The singer’s fans are confident of this and provide evidence in favor of their theory.

Fans of Michael Jackson, who died in the summer of 2009, claim that in fact the king of pop is alive and very well. As evidence, there are photographs of the idol, which regularly appear on the Internet and claim to be fresh. The Politeka portal writes about this.

Producer Yana Rudkovskaya recalls how she spoke with a Western music manager and he suggested that a “grand scam” was planned.
“It just became known that Jackson announced a 50-date tour. And this manager told me: “There will be no concerts. On the eve of them, Michael will disappear. And the whole world will tremble from the very grandiose scam century!- she said.

The Russian producer believes that the death of the pop idol was primarily beneficial to himself. Stagnation in creativity, huge debts, constant persecution in the media - all this terribly interfered with the artist. People from his close circle noticed that it was not Michael’s wallet that suffered the most, but his pride - the singer simply could not come to terms with the fact that he was beginning to fade away. And after Jackson’s death, his compositions again soared to the top of the charts, CDs were bought up in a day, books about the king of pop culture were resold for incredible amounts of money, and only millionaires could afford to buy Jackson’s autograph. It was the singer’s dream, a repeat of his finest hour, a second wind.

“Jackson was torn to pieces and he would have felt damned good about it,” one of his show-makers noted at the time.

Well, of course, “death” would solve all the singer’s debts, of which he had accumulated quite a few.
"In the end it's - best chance to hide somewhere and watch from the side the commotion in the world, the shock that his death caused. At the same time, the organizers of Jackson’s tour are making a huge jackpot: it’s unlikely that people will return tickets they’ve already purchased,”— Rudkovskaya is sure.

Those who were present at Jackson’s last rehearsal are also inclined towards the “fake death” version. According to eyewitnesses, he moved on stage as if he were not 50 years old, but 25. But shortly before that, he had not gotten up since wheelchair. They say that it was his double, of which Jackson had many. The King of Pop wanted to be remembered as young and energetic. The double sang, of course, to a soundtrack - Jackson’s dance can be faked, but the “signature sound” cannot be faked.

Michael Jackson's obsessiveness led to the fact that, in fact, no one knew what the singer really looked like. The doctors who confirmed the death of the stage legend could easily have mistaken any of the doubles for Jackson.

But the strangest thing in this story is Michael's funeral. Not a single photograph or video shows any grief-stricken, crying relatives. The singer’s brother generally looked quite joyful. Literally an hour after the funeral, he was already giving interviews left and right and shining in front of the cameras. It is unlikely that a grief-stricken person would be capable of such a thing.

There are also many eyewitness accounts circulating online about meetings with the singer.

Some saw him in Spain at a gas station wearing a huge black hat and a goatee. Others are on attractions in Cologne, Germany. He appeared to someone surrounded by “colored” guards and a “boy of about nine” in Australia. And someone even hugged him.

“My father works as a shoemaker in a shopping center. One day I came to his place for lunch, and Michael Jackson came to our table and asked to fix his shoes. They were so worn out that he couldn't do the moonwalk. I asked through tears:
-Are you Michael Jackson?
- Well, of course.
- Why did you make the whole world believe that you died?
“I needed time to come to my senses and overcome my drug addiction. And now I'm sad that I only caused so much pain to fans around the world.
We hugged,” said one of his fans.

To top it all off, fans are sharing a video that allegedly shows King Michael. It's about about an amateur video taken at Jackson's nephew's wedding. Fans noticed a strange man who was closely watching the dance of the bride and groom. Particularly zealous ones found in the stranger a resemblance to the character in the film “Ghost” played by Michael.

Michael Jackson, a legendary performer who has remained at the top of the musical Olympus for decades, was born on August 29, 1958 in the small town of Gary (Indiana, USA).

Childhood

The parents of the future star also devoted their entire lives to music, but did not achieve the same recognition as their son. However, Michael's father, a black blues singer, was popular among local residents. But his mother, who had Indian blood in her veins, preferred country style. Moreover, she not only sang beautifully, but also danced excellently.

In childhood

Young Katherine fell in love with Joseph Jackson without looking back and married him at a very young age - she was barely 19 years old. But the popular bluesman at home turned out to be completely different from what she was used to seeing on stage. In addition, he was a fierce opponent of abortion, so Catherine was almost always pregnant.

Michael was the eighth born. By this time, a strict “education system” had already clearly emerged in the Jackson family, where Joseph was an unquestioned authority and could single-handedly execute and pardon. Physical punishment was often used, but more often the father publicly humiliated the children morally, believing that in this way he strengthened their spirit.

Unable to resist the barbaric educational methods of her husband, who often amused himself by scaring children at night, Catherine found an outlet in the church. She began to regularly attend meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses and forced the children to also study the Bible according to their traditions.

When Michael turned six, Joseph came up with the successful idea of ​​creating a musical ensemble from his own children. Moreover, most of them had pronounced artistic abilities and enjoyed playing musical instruments, of which there were several in the house.

But then the game ended, and the tough drill began. Waving the belt, the father forced them to rehearse until they were completely exhausted. At first, only the elders were unlucky. But a couple of years later, Michael and his brother Marlon were also included in the main lineup of the team, which was now called “Jaksons 5”.

His duties included dancing, backing vocals and playing the tambourine. And since 1966, Michael was already a soloist in the group.

Carier start

The pop star considers the beginning of his career to be the first tour that their family ensemble went on after winning the regional competition talents. About two years passed on the road, and for Michael it was an excellent school for survival and work on stages of various levels.

Participation in the concert tour brought them some fame, but the money received for it was not enough for such a crowd, and especially for their father. Then the boys adapted to working part-time in strip clubs as opening acts. Their task was to excite and excite the audience before the start of the main show, and the boys did a great job with it.

Already in 1970, the Jackson group was known to everyone in the Southwest of the United States, and some of their songs began to sound in prestigious charts. By this time, Michael became very interested in dancing and came up with the very style that millions of his fans around the world later began to copy.

In the meantime, he remained an eccentric, talented black boy, completely different from those who were already on the stage.

Solo career

The brothers were lucky - they managed to sign a contract with one of the leading American recording studios. But their father's obnoxious character and greed cost them their careers. Already in 1973, a loud scandal broke out, which resulted in the severance of relations between the Jackson team and the producers.

Only 14-year-old Michael did not suffer, but rather benefited from this conflict. Realizing that the boy had all the makings of a star and his own style of performance, the owners of the Motown studio entered into an individual contract with him and over the course of several years released as many as four solo albums of the young singer.

In 1978, already a famous performer, 20-year-old Michael appeared on screen for the first time. To the young artist got the role of the Scarecrow, which he performed with endless charm. While working, he met music producer Quincy Jones, who offered him cooperation and patronage.

In this creative tandem, Jackson’s fifth solo album with the strange title “Off the Wall” is born. The title song from it and three more compositions, with the recording of which Paul McCartney helped the young Jackson, burst onto the top positions of music billboards and brought resounding success to the singer. The album sold 20 million copies.

Music King

In the early 80s, everyone knew Jackson. His songs were heard in every home, and millions of fans eagerly awaited the release of his new album. And in 1984, he delighted the audience with the presentation of his new creation, for which he wrote several songs himself.

The circulation of this album with the intriguing title “Thriller” exceeded 100 million worldwide and became one of the best-selling albums in the history of pop music.

For the first time in US history, a black singer not only stayed at the top of the charts for several years and appeared on national television, but was also received by the President himself in the White House. And in the video for this super-successful album, Jackson walked for the first time with his famous “Moonwalk,” which the whole world is still a fan of.

In 1984, having earned millions from his songs, Jackson became a co-owner of the recording studio with which he worked, and even later, he bought a controlling stake. This led to a serious disagreement with Paul McCartney, who was actively involved in promoting the singer and also counted on high profits.

Since 1985, the singer has been involved in charity work. His first major act of goodwill was the $61 million he earned from “We are the World,” a duet he recorded with friend Lionel Richie, to help poor children in Africa. IN further singer regularly donated large sums to help black children.

In 1987, Jackson released his seventh album and went on a world tour. Countless crowds of fans gathered at each concert. It would seem that there was nowhere to go, but the musician’s popularity still continued to grow.

And in 1993 he came to Russia for the first time, where he gave a solo concert at Luzhniki. Jackson's second and final visit to Moscow was in 1996, where then-mayor Luzhkov attended a concert at Dynamo Stadium and met the singer personally.

Until the early 2000s, the singer remained the recognized king of pop music. Until a loud scandal broke out over him. The singer was accused of molesting children. Although no evidence of this could be found subsequently, this had a rather bad effect on the artist’s career.

He was just preparing a song for release, dedicated to the victims Hurricane Katrina, in the recording of which other world stars were supposed to participate, but they refused to cooperate with him.

In 2008, a year before his death, the singer released his tenth anniversary album “King of Pop”. And the one that he planned to present to the public in 2009 never reached the viewer. On June 25, 2009, the talented singer died prematurely due to a drug overdose.

He was buried on September 3, 2009 in the suburbs of Los Angeles, on famous cemetery Forest Lawn, where fans now constantly come to honor the memory of their favorite singer.

Personal life

Jackson was married twice. His first wife was the daughter of the famous musician Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie. He met her for the first time in 1975, when he was 17, and little Lisa was only 8. But in 1993, their new meeting in London, during which they somehow immediately became close.

With Lisa Marie Presley

Less than a year later, the couple got married in a small church in the Dominican Republic. Moreover, Jackson proposed to his beloved over the phone. But they both quickly became disillusioned with the marriage. Due to Michael's frequent travels, Lisa hardly saw him.

He was a real star, and she wanted peace and a cozy home. Two years later they divorced, maintaining a lifelong friendship.

With Debbie Rowe

The second wife of the King of Pop was an ordinary nurse, whom he met at an appointment with his own dentist. Jackson was depressed at the time, and she asked what was wrong. He admitted that he was disappointed by the divorce and most of all by the fact that a child was not born in the marriage. Then Debbie Rowe offered to become a surrogate mother for his children.

Since the surrogacy procedure was not yet legalized at that time, Jackson married her, and his first-born and two years later, a daughter, were born into the legal marriage. Jackson soon divorced Rowe, and she, observing the terms of the agreement, renounced her maternal rights. Jackson's third child was officially born through an undisclosed surrogate.

Illness and operations

By the end of his life, the black singer became literally unrecognizable. At first, everything was attributed to unsuccessful plastic surgeries, which the artist was fond of, trying to make his appearance even more spectacular. But the problem turned out to be much more serious - he suffered from two serious diseases at once - vitiligo and lupus.

Vitiligo disease manifests itself as a lack of pigmentation in certain areas of the body. As it progresses, and this can be influenced by anything from overwork and stress to drugs, white spots gradually cover the entire body. Over time, Jackson was forced to apply several layers of makeup to his face to ensure an even color.

Lupus not only destroys the skin, but also internal organs, including connective tissues. This caused dramatic changes in the artist’s facial features. His cheekbones sunken, his lines became angular, his whole image became thin and gaunt.

(1 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

The video for the song Smooth Criminal left viewers scratching their heads over how Michael's dancers managed to defy gravity. The mystery turned out to be simple: during filming, Jackson and other artists in the video used strings in their shoes to support them.

But later, Michael Jackson, in collaboration with designers, actually managed to create anti-gravity boots. A special groove was built into the heel of the shoe, which clung to a pin that was pulled out of the stage at the right moment. Thanks to this invention, the famous movement was created in which the singer and his dancers could lean forward at an angle of almost 45 degrees.

Marriage to Lisa Marie Presley

Popular

Only three months have passed since the divorce of Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie and her first husband Danny Keogh, when the woman married Jackson. They say that the couple met at one of Michael's concerts in 1975, but their relationship began only in 1992. When Michael was accused of child molestation, Lisa supported him. The couple got married modestly in Dominican Republic May 26, 1994, and Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the King of Rock and Roll, became the wife of the King of Pop. Michael and Lisa Marie divorced on January 18, 1996, although Lisa Marie said in an interview with Oprah that after the divorce, she and Michael traveled a lot together. The couple had no children. Later, the daughter of the legendary Presley admitted: “Michael really wanted children from me, but I was afraid that if we separated, we would then sue for custody of the kids.”

Accusations of child molestation: fact or fiction?

Michael Jackson was put on trial twice on charges of child molestation.

In 1993, he was accused of sexually assaulting 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. Jordan was a Jackson fan and often visited him at the Neverland Ranch. As a result, the parties entered into a settlement: Jackson paid Chandler’s family $22 million, and Jordan refused to testify against Michael.

In 2003, Michael was again charged with molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo, also a regular guest of the famous amusement ranch. Jackson denied the accusation, saying the Arvizo family was simply trying to engage in extortion. The musician was arrested, but almost immediately released on bail. Michael's trial lasted from February to May 2005. As a result, the jury decided that there was insufficient evidence and Jackson was innocent.

Constant litigation undermined Jackson's health and drained his bank accounts. The services of the best US lawyers cost more than... $100,000,000.

After the singer's death in 2009, Jordan Chandler admitted that he had slandered Michael. His father forced him to do it for the money.

The secret of changing skin color

Michael Jackson suffered rare disease- vitiligo (pigmentation disorder), he discovered this in the early 90s. Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, also diagnosed the artist with lupus. These autoimmune diseases created white patches on Michael's skin and made him sensitive to sunlight.

Vitiligo changed Michael's face, and the same disease indirectly caused the musician's strange behavior. Michael used tons of makeup to cover up the spots.

Michael's skin color change gave rise to many rumors. Some believed that Michael simply bleached his skin because he didn't like its natural color. Others asked why Michael decided to depigment healthy skin instead of repigmenting diseased skin. Although many accused Jackson of deliberately changing his skin color to white, Michael was always proud of his race and even burst into tears during an interview with Oprah when it came to his illness.

The Mystery of the Jackson Children's White Skin

The mother of two of Jackson's three children is the musician's second wife, Debbie Rowe. Jackson's biological paternity was in doubt. Both Prince and Paris are fair-skinned. This, however, happens sometimes. Properties and qualities Negroid race are transmitted through women, and in Jackson’s own family there were light-skinned people. Therefore, Jackson's children may be white, with a hint of negroidity. But there are absolutely no Negroid features in them and almost no external resemblance with Father.

Rumors that all three of Jackson's children, including the youngest son from a surrogate mother, were not actually his biological offspring, circulated during the singer's lifetime. And after his death, candidates for the fathers of these children began to appear one after another.

Actor Mark Lester was the first to say that he was the father of Prince and Paris. Mark tried to declare his rights and become the children's guardian, but met severe rebuff from Michael's relatives.

Another contender was Arnold Klein, a Jackson dermatologist, but he did not insist on his rights.

Michael's youngest son, Prince Jr., was born to an unknown surrogate mother. But there were also rumors about him that his biological father was Jackson’s security guard.

The Mystery of Michael Jackson's Death

According to the first version of the singer’s death, cardiac arrest could have been caused by excessive use of painkillers. The King of Pop took powerful drugs to relieve pain due to spinal problems and became dependent on them. Jackson's family spokesman, lawyer Brian Oxman, said angrily: "This was what I feared and what I warned about. This is a case of drug abuse. There are no other reasons for his death known to me. The people around him allowed him to do this to them!"

According to the second version, the singer was ruined by his numerous plastic surgeries. Plastic surgery in itself cannot be a direct cause of a person’s death, but their health is greatly undermined by their consequences - frequent stays under general anesthesia, taking medications in the postoperative period. It is reported that after another operation on his nose, Michael became infected with staphylococcus, which was destroying his body. Also, some doctors call one of the consequences of plastic surgery oxygen deficiency caused by a decrease in the nasal passages. This could cause chronic hypoxia, which, in turn, often leads to sudden cardiac arrest - apnea.

The third version of the singer’s death was expressed by his lawyer. In his opinion, the artist’s death could have been a consequence of the pressure placed on the singer by the obligation to perform in July at a multimillion-dollar concert venue in London. If you believe his words, “intermediaries” are to blame for Jackson’s death, forcing the singer to endure excessive physical exercise in preparation for the concert.

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. A list of epithets that journalists bestowed on him during his long and unsurpassed career 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 his family’s The group 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 influenced young musician greatest influence. Michael adopted James' vocal style, adapted his rhythmic singing, combined his style with others and created his own unique image.

Continue musical education Michael had the opportunity to visit 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 studying at the same time 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 - 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 no color or borders. 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. 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 talks about him absolute pitch and about the wide vocal range (almost four octaves) - the gentle performance of “Rock With You” was replaced by the jazzy “I Can`t Help It”, the ballad “She`s Out Of My Life” went perfectly with the rock performance of “Dirty Diana” or "Give In To Me"

It is also surprising that, without knowing 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 this 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 whatever versions now surround it 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 again gathered on stage members of The Jackson 5.

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 different topics 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