- Michael Jackson's difficult childhood - the start of his road to fame
- Solo career that he dreamed of
- Is the Michael Jackson legend still alive?
- Charity work was equally important as his singing
- Michael Jackson received his awards before the death
Michael Jackson's difficult childhood - the start of his road to fame
Michael Jackson died on 25 June 2009. The King of Pop's life and death have always been shrouded in mystery and conspiracy theories; not all of them have been solved or refuted.
Jackson was born in 1958 into a large family of nine children. The future star's father, Joseph Jackson, was strict and did not hesitate to use force in the upbringing of his children. But he also played a major role in Michael's becoming a singer. Joseph wanted to become an actor or a musician but gave up his dream because he needed to provide for his family. Michael's brothers and he loved music, and when their father found out about their hobby, he decided to support his offspring. And so The Jackson 5 was born - the five Ž. Jackson's five sons became band members, and he took on the producer role.
Despite his father's encouragement of music lessons, he was still very strict. Later, Jackson said that he and his brothers had no childhood spent in endless rehearsals and performances. "The Jackson 5 were rapidly gaining popularity and Michael, responsible for the vocals and dancing in the band, was soon noticed.
Solo career that he dreamed of
In the 1980s, Jackson's solo career took off, and he finally became independent of his father. The freedom bore fruit as he produced hit after hit and picked up numerous prestigious music awards. During this period, his famous album, Thriller, was released, and it is still the best-selling record in the world.
Despite his dizzying success and friendships with many stars, Jackson remained lonely. Scandals soon followed. In 1993, the singer was accused of raping a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler. The police launched an investigation, but the case did not go to court - Jackson denied his guilt but paid compensation to the teenager's parents anyway. Chandler later admitted to defaming the singer.
The musician continued his career after that, but 10 years after the first accusation, he found himself in court again for the same reason. Jackson was acquitted, but the trial pushed him into debt. The King of Pop's career gradually faded. In 2008, he was involved in the recording of his album 'This Is It' and announced that he would play his last few concerts in London. But in the summer of 2009, Jackson died at 50. The cause was an overdose of propofol. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, who administered the drugs, was charged with murder and sentenced to four years in prison.
Is the Michael Jackson legend still alive?
Not all of Michael Jackson's fans believed in his death. To this day, some of them believe that the death was staged. One of the reasons for this is the singer's huge debts, which, in the event of his death, would have fallen on his family's shoulders. For this reason, fans believe the death was a great publicity stunt to help pay off creditors. Since the singer's death, his songs have become popular again. According to media estimates, this brought the Jackson family €2.4 billion. US dollars.
Charity work was equally important as his singing
Throughout his life and work, Michael advocated humanity, equality and world peace. He has raised and donated millions of dollars for poor children and countries (some estimates put his donations as high as $500 million). Some estimates suggest that donations have reached as high as USD 500 million. The amount donated by the singer is complicated because some of his donations were anonymous. Following the success of the single "Heal the World", he set up a charitable foundation of the same name in 1992.
In 2000, Jackson broke the Guinness Book of World Records record for the 'Most Charities Supported by a POP Artist' by making financial contributions to 39 charities.
Jackson has been honored for his philanthropic work by two US Presidents, the Boy Scouts of the USA, and others. He has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice, in 1998 and 2003. More than 15,000 people had signed a petition to re-nominate Jackson for the Nobel Peace Prize, but the singer's death prevented it. However, Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" was performed at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize concert.
Michael Jackson received his awards before the death
Michael Jackson has won a total of 18 Grammy Awards (8 at the 1984 ceremony alone - another record) and has released 13 number-one singles in the US - more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. In 2006, the World Music Awards announced that, worldwide, Jackson had sold more than 750 000 000 copies of records and given US$ 500 million to charity.
Jackson is the world's biggest-selling singer and one of the world's biggest philanthropic donors.
