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» Add News | Michael Jackson
Alternately known as 'The King of Pop' and 'Wacko Jacko,' few have done more, or had more done to them, to destroy their own legacy.
Almost universally acknowledged as a musical genius, Jackson has been dogged in recent years by criticism of his own eccentricity
(possibly mental disorder,) reports of extensive plastic surgery and recent allegations of child abuse, of which he was tried and acquitted in
2005.
Jackson began his career at an early age, as the star of Motown group The Jackson 5, with his brothers. He signed a solo record deal in
1978, though he didn't formally part with ...read more
Alternately known as 'The King of Pop' and 'Wacko Jacko,' few have done more, or had more done to them, to destroy their own legacy.
Almost universally acknowledged as a musical genius, Jackson has been dogged in recent years by criticism of his own eccentricity
(possibly mental disorder,) reports of extensive plastic surgery and recent allegations of child abuse, of which he was tried and acquitted in
2005.
Jackson began his career at an early age, as the star of Motown group The Jackson 5, with his brothers. He signed a solo record deal in
1978, though he didn't formally part with the group until nine years later, and released his debut album, 'Off The Wall,' the next year, which
yielded the classic singles 'Rock With You' and 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' and has sold over 20 million copies to date.
If 'Off The Wall' was a massive success, then 'Thriller' changed music forever; to date it's shifted over 60 million copies, becoming the
highest selling album of all-time by a significant margin. The massive singles 'Billie Jean,' 'Beat It' (featuring a guest performance by Eddie
Van Halen) and 'Thriller' resulted, aswell as the duet with Paul McCartney, 'The Girl Is Mine.' The elborate 14-minute video clip for
'Thriller,' produced by horror director Vincent Price, has become a classic, and at the time became the best-selling home video of all time.
While the success of 'Thriller' may never be equalled, the combined sales of Jackson's next two releases come close. 'Bad' (1987) and
'Dangerous' (1991) were both huge critical and commercial success stories, the former spawning nine singles, including 'Smooth Criminal,'
'Bad,' 'The Man In The Mirror' and 'The Way You Make Me Feel.' 'Dangerous' saw Jackson take a more 'rock' approach, working with Guns
N'Roses' guitar Slash, among others. In between these albums, Jackson wrote and produced 'Do The Bartman' for the Simpsons' 'The
Simpsons Sing The Blues.'
'HIStory,' released in 1995, was a double-CD release, one disc a greatest hits compilation, the other an entirely new collection of songs. It
sold 36 million copies, and spawned the hit singles 'They Don't Care About Us,' 'Earth Song' and the R Kelly-produced 'You Are Not Alone.'
In 1997, it was calculated that Jackson was the most famous person in the world, ahead of Pope John Paul II and Elvis Presley.
'Invincible' was released in 2001, two years and tens of millions of dollars in the making. It was a commercial and critical flop, which in
Michael Jackson's terms calculates to 8 million copies sold.
In the years that followed, Michael faced a multitude of personal-turned-public problems, as financial ruin has constantly threatened and his
health has declined considerably in the face of child sex abuse allegations by an unnamed former friend.
On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest at his rented mansion in Los Angeles. He was rushed to UCLA Medical Center
but was pronounced dead soon afterward. Upon hearing the news of his sudden death, an outpouring of grief from fans around the world was
covered by comprehensive media coverage of the event. While Jackson's many public controversies, especially accusations of child sex
abuse, will factor into how he is remembered, for many admirers, he will be best remembered and celebrated for his super-stardom and his
monumental contributions to dance, music, and pop culture. Michael Jackson was 50. « hide |
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