American singer Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson's youngest son

, Los Angeles) is an American entertainer, songwriter, dancer, composer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. The most successful performer in the history of pop music, over 260 million albums sold worldwide, not counting singles, winner of 15 Grammy awards and hundreds of other awards. 13 times listed in the Guinness Book of Records; Around a billion copies of Jackson's albums have been sold worldwide. In 2009, he was officially recognized as an American Legend and Music Icon. Michael Jackson has made a significant contribution to the development of popular music, music videos, dance and fashion. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 as a result of an overdose. medicines in particular propofol.

Biography

Childhood and The Jackson 5

Michael Jackson was born to Joseph and Katherine in Gary, Indiana. He was the seventh of nine children. Jackson claimed that his father repeatedly humiliated him mentally and physically. However, he respected his father's strict discipline, which played a large part in Jackson's success. In one of the confrontations with his father, described by Michael's older brother Marlon, his father, holding him upside down, delivered blows to his back and buttocks. One night, while Michael was sleeping, his father snuck into his room through the window. He was in a frightening mask, piercingly screamed and roared. Joseph explained his action by saying that he wanted to teach his children to close the window before going to bed. Four years later, Michael confessed to suffering from nightmares in which he was kidnapped from his bedroom. In 2003, Joseph admitted to the BBC that he had beaten Michael when he was a child.

Jackson first spoke openly about the humiliation he endured as a child in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He said that in childhood he often cried from a feeling of loneliness and vomited after talking with his father. In another high-profile interview, Living with Michael Jackson (2003), while talking about childhood abuse, the singer covered his face with his hand and began to cry. Jackson recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand when he rehearsed with his brothers, and that "if you did something wrong, he will bring you to tears, really get you."

Jackson has been performing in front of classmates at Christmas concerts since the age of five. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined The Jacksons, a band formed by their brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine, as understudies, playing congo and tambourine, respectively. Jackson later began performing as a backing vocalist and dancer; at the age of eight, he and Jermaine became the main vocalists and the group was renamed The Jackson 5. The band toured extensively in the Midwest from 1968 to 1968. Often they performed in a number of "black" clubs and places known as " Chitlin" circuit", Often warming up the audience before a striptease. In 1966, they won a local talent competition, performing with hits from Motown Records and "I Got You (I Feel Good ) » by James Brown with Michael as the main vocalist .

The Jacksons soon rose to the national level, and in 1970 their first four singles hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Gradually, Michael stood out as the frontman of the children's quintet, in fact, it was he who got the main solo parts. He drew attention to himself with his unusual manner of dancing and behavior on stage, which he copied from his idols - James Brown, Jackie Wilson and others.

The beginning of a solo career

Thriller

Jackson in 1988

"Black music has been forced to play second fiddle for a long time, but its spirit is the whole driving force in pop music that Michael connected with every soul in the world"

• "The Girl Is Mine" (No. 2, duet with Paul McCartney).
• "Billie Jean" (No. 1, Grammy Award, the biggest hit of Jackson's entire career and one of the most sampled tracks in funk music).
• "Beat It" (No. 1, another Grammy).
• "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin"" (No. 5).
• "Human Nature" (No. 7).
• P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (No. 10).
• "Thriller" (No. 4).
• "Baby Be Mine".
• "The Lady in My Life".

On October 29, 1988, the musical film "MoonWalker" was released, which was a success at the box office and earned $ 67 million, and then published on video in the amount of 800 thousand copies (for 1989). In 1989, at the Soul Train Heritage Award ceremony, actress Elizabeth Taylor called Michael Jackson "the true king of pop, rock" in her speech. and soul”, that is,“ the real king of pop, rock and soul music ”, and the unofficial title“ the king of pop ”was assigned to Michael Jackson forever.

However, the 80s were marked not only by achievements and records. January 27, 1984 - the day that changed a lot in the life of Michael Jackson. Michael and his brothers starred in Pepsi commercials. At the request of the director, he lingered dangerously close to pyrotechnic devices. His hair caught fire and Michael suffered 3rd degree burns to his scalp. . While in the hospital, Michael visited a children's burn unit, and after that he decided, instead of receiving a multi-million dollar settlement from Pepsi, to open a children's burn center with the help of Pepsi in his name. This was the beginning of Michael's charitable activities, which he did not stop until the end of his days. At the opening of the same burn center, Michael was asked to pose in an oxygen pressure chamber for patients with extensive body burns. Michael posed lying on his back, and then turned on his side and pretended to be asleep. Thus was born the most famous myth in show business. In fact, this was the only time that Michael Jackson "sleep" in a pressure chamber. Another consequence of the burn was that the stress transferred by the body provoked the development of "vitiligo", a disease transmitted to Michael through maternal line, and disturbing skin pigmentation. This led to the need to apply heavy makeup, and to avoid sunlight. Another consequence: Jackson never recovered from this injury, and the pain did not leave Michael for the rest of his life, and he was forced to start taking painkillers regularly. In addition, after the burn, Michael first got acquainted with plastic surgery, when he restored damaged skin and scalp. After that, he decided to have nose and chin surgery. All this, combined with the transition to a vegetarian diet, and weight loss led to significant changes in the appearance of the singer, which was constantly fodder for discussion in the press. .

The nineties

Due to the increased attention to his person, Jackson spent most of his time in seclusion at his strictly guarded Neverland Ranch. Few friends visited him there, including Elizabeth Taylor. Children also lived on the ranch, to whom the singer was always partial. In 1991, he wrote two singles for The Simpsons, of which he was a fan. However, due to restrictions imposed by the contract, his name was not mentioned in the credits.

On November 26, 1991, the album "Dangerous" was released, the release of which was preceded by the premiere of a large-scale video clip for the single "Black or White" ("Black or White"). For five weeks, "Black or White" was at the top of the charts and became Jackson's biggest hit since "Billie Jean". As with previous albums, seven singles were released from this album. In addition to "Black or White" (No. 1), they included "Remember the Time" (No. 3), "In the Closet" (No. 6) and "Will You Be There" (No. 7). For "Remember the Time", a multi-million dollar budget video with CGI was filmed, in which the pharaoh of Egypt and his consort were portrayed by Eddie Murphy and top model Iman.

Throughout the 1990s, Jackson's face changed a lot, and his skin became completely white.

On June 16, 1995, the double album "HIStory: Past, Present and Future - Book I" was released: on the first disc - a collection of greatest hits, on the second - 15 new songs. It was supposed to be the first part of a trilogy. The first single released was "Scream", a duet between the singer and his sister, Janet Jackson. The song was accompanied by a futuristic music video that cost over seven million dollars to film.

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies (7 million copies in the US). Many new songs from it were released as singles, among them a ballad about Moscow (“Stranger in Moscow”; Jackson promised to record a song about the Russian capital when he first visited here in 1993), an ecological composition “Earth Song” (five weeks on the first place in the UK) and the contemporary rhythm and blues composition "You Are Not Alone" (his thirteenth "number one" on the Billboard Hot 100), written and produced for him by R. Kelley. In the video for "You Are Not Alone", Michael appeared half-naked along with his first wife - Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley.

In 1997, the album "Blood on the Dance floor" was released: the soundtrack to the film "Ghosts" and a collection of dance remixes for tracks from "HIStory". Reviews for this disc were mostly positive, with the title track topping the sales charts in many countries, including the UK. In the US, the album went largely unnoticed and did not reach number one on the charts.

Performances in Russia

Album Invincible

Jackson's next studio album was recorded only six years later, its release was repeatedly postponed. The Sony label was reluctant to invest millions of dollars in the protracted process of recording and subsequent promotion of the album, which ultimately led to a falling out between the singer and the recording giant. "Invincible" (Invincible), released in October 2001, contained 16 tracks, including the single "You Rock My World", which featured famous actors Marlon Brando and Chris Tucker in the video. The album was met with a mixed critical reception, and its sales figures were half that of "HIStory".

The song Invincible is dedicated to a 15-year-old Afro-Norwegian boy named Benjamin Hermansen, who was killed by a group of neo-Nazis in Oslo (Norway, January 26, 2001). Omer Bhatti, a close friend of Jackson, was a good friend of Benjamin Hermansen. Michael Jackson writes in a message:

“This album is dedicated to Benny Germansen. We must remember that a person can be judged not by the color of his skin, but by his personal qualities. Benjamin, we love you. Rest in peace".

In order to promote the album, a special 30th anniversary celebration was organized solo career Michael Jackson at Madison Square Garden which happened in September. Jackson appeared on stage alongside his brothers for the first time since 1984. The show also included performances by Britney Spears, Mýa, Usher, Whitney Houston, Tamia, "N Sync, Slash, Aaron Carter. A world tour was also planned to support the album, but due to the September 11 attacks, the tour was canceled. The album spawned three singles," You Rock My World", "Cry" and "Butterflies", the latter of which did not have a music video. "Unbreakable" was supposed to be released as a single, but due to a number of funding issues, Sony refused to release it.

In March 2009, Michael announced that he was going to play the last series of concerts in London called "This Is It Tour". The concerts were scheduled to begin on July 13, 2009 and end on March 6, 2010. When Jackson announced his return to the stage at a special press conference on March 5, 2009, they were talking about 10 concerts at the stadium.

Clips and choreography

Jackson is also called the King of the music video. Steve Hay of Allmusic watched as Jackson turned the clip into a work of art through complex storylines, dancing, special effects and celebrity cameo appearances while breaking down racial barriers. Prior to Thriller, Jackson tried in vain to break into MTV, allegedly because he was African American. Pressure from CBS Records convinced MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and then "Beat It", leading to a long-term partnership with Jackson and also helping other black musicians gain recognition. MTV staff denied racism in their shows or pressure to change their stance. MTV claims they played rock music regardless of race. The popularity of his videos on MTV helped put the relatively young channel on the line; Attention on MTV shifted towards pop and R&B. His performance on Motown: Yesterday, Today, Forever changed the scope of the live show on stage; "The fact that Jackson performed "Billie Jean" in sync is not extraordinary in itself, but the fact that it didn't change the impression of performing extraordinary, whether it was live or in sync, doesn't affect the audience," thus creating an era in which the artists recreate the imagery of the music video on stage. Short films like Thriller mostly remained unique to Jackson, while the dance group dance in "Beat It" was repeatedly imitated. Thriller's choreography has become part of global pop culture, being copied everywhere from Indian films to prison in the Philippines. The short film Thriller marked the rise of music videos and was named the most successful music video ever to enter the Guinness Book of Records.

In the 19-minute video for the song "Bad" - directed by Martin Scorsese - Jackson began to use sexual imagery and choreography not seen before in his work. From time to time he grabbed or touched the chest, torso and crotch. Asked by Oprah in an interview in 1993 about why he grabs his crotch, he replied, "I think it's subconscious," and he described it as something that wasn't planned, but rather something that was forced by the music. "Bad" received a mixed reception from fans and critics, with Time magazine calling it "infamous". The film also features Wesley Snipes, and future Jackson videos will often feature celebrity cameos. For "Smooth Criminal", Jackson experimented with an innovative "anti-gravity tilt" in his performances. This maneuver requires special shoes, for which he received US Patent #5255452. Although the video for "Leave Me Alone" was not officially released in the US, it was nominated for three Billboard Music Video Awards in 1989; he received the Golden Lion award the same year for the quality of the special effects used in his productions. In 1990, "Leave Me Alone" won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form.

He received the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 1988 and the MTV Video Vanguard Artist of the Decade Award in 1990 to honor his artistic accomplishments in the 1980s, and in 1991 the first award was renamed in his honor. "Black or White" was accompanied by a controversial music video, which premiered on November 14, 1991, simultaneously in 27 countries to an estimated audience of 500 million, the largest ever watched music video. The scenes shown have been interpreted as being sexual in nature, as well as depicting violence. The offending scenes in the final section of the 14-minute version were edited to prevent the video from being banned, and Jackson apologized. Along with Jackson, the video featured Macaulay Culkinn, Peggy Lipton and George Wendt. This work helped introduce morphing as an important technology in music videos.

Personal life

A family

Michael (under an umbrella) and his two children wearing masks

Michael Jackson has been married twice. From 1996 to 1996 he was married to Lisa-Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley. They first met in 1975 during one of the celebrations at the MGM Grand Hotel, in the casino. Through a mutual friend, they met again in early 1993, and their relationship became serious. Every day they called up.

When Jackson was accused of child molestation and it became public, Jackson became dependent on Presley: he was chasing after her, he needed emotional support, and she was preoccupied with his health and addiction to relaxing drugs. Presley explained:

“I believed that he did nothing wrong and that he was innocent, I became closer to him. I wanted to save him. I felt I could do it"

She soon persuaded him to settle the charges out of court, as well as the need for rehabilitation to restore health. In October 1993, Jackson proposed to Presley over the phone, "If I asked you to marry me, would you?" They married on May 26, 1994 in the Dominican Republic in secret, denying it for almost two months. The marriage took place at the home of local judge Hugo Alvarez Pérez in the city of Santo Domingo. The wedding took place in the church of St. Stanislaus in the town of Altos de Chavon. The marriage has been called "semi-fictitious" because, under the laws of the Dominican Republic, no woman can remarry unless three months have passed since the divorce. And Lisa Maria in those days only divorced her ex-husband. Jackson and Presley divorced less than two years later, but remained friends. In 1997, Presley accompanied Michael, who was married to Debbie Rowe, on the HIStory tour.

He was on good friendly terms with Princess Diana.

Health

Since the mid-1980s, Michael Jackson's appearance has changed markedly. His skin was getting lighter. As Jackson himself said, the reason for his "whiteness" is a rare genetic disease of vitiligo, and there is a lot of evidence for this in photographs showing white milky spots on Michael's body. These changes were hidden with makeup. Jackson categorically denied rumors that he was deliberately trying to turn into white man.

According to some doctors, he underwent several nose surgeries, as well as forehead lifts, lip thinning, cheek surgeries, eyelid surgeries, and chin dimples. The singer himself stated that he only changed the shape of his nose 2 times, and also made a dimple on his chin. He categorically denied everything else, explaining the changes in appearance by growing up, a strict vegetarian diet. In the future, Jackson experienced problems associated with the consequences of operations.

In the early 2000s, Michael briefly appeared in public wearing a medical mask. Rumors began to circulate that Jackson's nose was collapsing and that he had to undergo plastic surgery to repair his nose. Later, Jackson appeared in public with a band-aid on his nose. The performer himself said that it was an anesthetic patch that he put on because of an allergy. Surgeon Arnold Klein subsequently confirmed that he operated on the singer's nose to restore Michael's ability to breathe.

Child molestation allegations

Michael's fans held demonstrations in support of him during the allegations. The inscription on the poster - "Michael is innocent"

Michael Jackson has been tried twice on charges of child molestation, both times boys.

In 1993, he was accused of molesting 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. Jordan was a fan of Jackson and often visited him at Neverland Ranch. According to the boy's father, the son confessed to him that the singer forced him to touch his genitals. The police investigated these allegations, during which Michael had to show his genitals to compare with what the boy described. As a result, the parties entered into a settlement: Jackson paid the Chandler family $ 22 million, and Jordan refused to testify against Michael.

Ten years later, in 2003, Michael was again charged with a similar charge. This time, the singer was accused of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo, also a regular guest at the Neverland Ranch. During their stay at the ranch, the children often slept in the same room with Jackson and even on his bed. According to the prosecution, Jackson allegedly got Gavin drunk, which is already a crime under US law, and then masturbated with him. In addition, he allegedly often groped Gavin and other children.

On December 18, the police raided Neverland Jackson Manor, and on the 20th, the singer was arrested and released on bail a day later. As in previous time Jackson vehemently denied the accusation, stating that the Arvizo family was simply trying to engage in extortion. Michael's trial lasted from February to May 2005. More than 2,200 media outlets from around the world have accredited their journalists to cover the scandalous trial. The jury ruled that there was not enough evidence and Jackson was innocent.

Constant litigation led to the deterioration of Jackson's health, he even began to use painkillers to cope with stress. In addition, the court led to the complete devastation of bank accounts: the services of the best lawyers in the United States cost more than 100,000,000.

After the singer's death in 2009, Jordan Chandler admitted that he slandered Michael Jackson, his father Evan Chandler (who later committed suicide) forced him to do this for the sake of money.

Religious views

Michael Jackson was not an open follower of any church, but showed interest in the religion of various denominations.

Katherine Jackson (Michael's mother) was christened in 1963 when Michael was five years old. The mother tried to raise Michael as a Jehovah's Witness and encouraged him to study the Bible, attend Christian meetings in Kingdom Halls, and preach. However, his relationship with the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses did not work out. Jehovah's Witnesses were shocked by his defiant behavior on stage and his video Thriller unacceptable to members of the organization.

By 1984, despite his immense fame, Michael Jackson continued to preach as a Jehovah's Witness, twice a week, maybe an hour or two. He also attended Christian meetings at the Kingdom Hall with his mother four times a week when he was in the city. He refused to eat blood, celebrate Easter and Christmas, which he regarded as "pagan holidays", and celebrate his own birthday.

However, in 1987, Jackson left the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in response to disapproving reviews about the Thriller video. This, in particular, was facilitated by the fact that Michael's sister La Toya Jackson was expelled from the organization around the same time. Michael, like all other members of the organization, was forbidden to communicate with her on spiritual topics (you can talk about everyday topics in a forced situation), which was a blow to him. Michael violated this principle and, as a result, stopped attending meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses himself. In 1987, it was announced that Michael Jackson was no longer a Jehovah's Witness.

Michael's brother, Jermaine Jackson, is an open Muslim, and often gave his brother books about the religion. Germain hoped that his passion for religion would protect Michael from nervous breakdowns and bad habits.

Jackson was also intimately acquainted with Andre Crouch, a Christian musician and gospel singer. Shortly before his death, the singer visited a Christian church with Crouch and sang several Christian songs. According to Crouch and his sister, Jackson asked about their customs but said nothing about wanting to join their denomination.

Death, farewell ceremony and funeral

There were reports that Michael Jackson was secretly buried on August 8 or 9, 2009 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, but later it was reported that he would not be buried until September. Jackson's final funeral took place on Thursday, September 3 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in suburban Los Angeles.

Authorities in Los Angeles, meanwhile, are investigating the death of Michael Jackson. The Los Angeles coroner qualified the doctors' actions as murder and did not rule out a trial against them. In November 2011, Conrad Murray was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to 4 years in prison. He also lost his license to practice medicine.

After death

Flash mobs (fan mobs)

Michael Jackson flash mob (fan mob)(English) michael jackson flash mob) - flash mobs in memory of Michael Jackson, arose after the death of Michael. Flash mobs in memory of Jackson, with their scale and frequency of conduction, went beyond the usual fan mobs and began a completely new, unique movement. These flash mobs are different from the usual ones, they do not correspond to the rules of the classic mob, just like the fan mob, the participants of this mob are dressed in Jackson's attributes and clothes, thereby copying his style. All choreography and movements copy the movements of Michael Jackson. The music of this flash mob must be selected from Michael's repertoire. Basically the choreography of this mob is taken from Jackson's original choreography, but is sometimes lightened or simply changed, as it is very difficult for non-professionals to repeat it.

Jackson was also awarded the Outstanding Contribution to World Culture Award for contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to the 39 charities and his own foundation Heal the World .

He was awarded (posthumously) at the "Muz-TV 2010 Prize" for his huge contribution to the global music industry. The prize was awarded to the sister of the singer Jackson, La Toya (LaToya Jackson).

In total, the singer has 395 awards.

Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

1. 1978 - Scarecrow / The Wiz
2. 1986 - "Captain IO / Captain EO"
3. 1988 - Moonwalker
4. 1996 - "Ghosts / Ghosts"
5. 2002 - "People in Black 2" - "Agent Em" (uncredited)
6. 2004 - "Miss Robinson / Miss Cast Away"
7. 2009 - "That's it / This is it"
8. 2011 - "Michael Jackson: The Life of a Pop Icon / Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon"

Books

• Michael Jackson "Moonwalk" Publisher: William Heinemann, London, 2009
• Michael Jackson "Dancing the Dream" Publisher: DoubleDay, 1992

Literature

• N. Ya. Nadezhdin. Michael Jackson: "Thriller": Biographical stories. Moscow: Mayor, Osipenko, 2012. 192 p., Informal Biographies Series, 2000 copies, ISBN 978-5-98551-200-7

Michael Jackson in philately

Postage stamps and other philatelic materials from the British Virgin Islands, Saint Vincent Island, Angola, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Guinea and other countries are dedicated to Michael Jackson.

see also

• Hollywood Walk of Fame - list of honorees for contributions to the recording industry
• Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni- extinct hermit crab, named after the singer in 2012

Notes

Links

	Michael Jackson at Wikimedia Commons
	Michael Jackson at Wikinews

• Official site (English)
• Official site (Russian)
• Michael Jackson video channel on a video hosting service

The legendary American singer Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana (USA). He was the seventh of nine children in the Jackson family.

At the age of five, Michael became a member of the Jackson Five family band and soon took over as lead vocalist.

In 1968, the Jackson Five signed a contract with Motown Records and recorded such hits as I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save and I "ll Be There. In the mid-1970s, the popularity of the Jackson Five began to decline, and a solo career Michael began to gain momentum.

In 1977, Michael Jackson made his debut in the film-musical The Wiz, which began his long-term collaboration with the famous producer and composer Quincy Jones. Together with him, Michael released a solo album Off the Wall in 1979. The disc took the top lines of the US and UK charts, and for the song Don "t Stop" Til You Get Enough, Jackson received his first Grammy statuette.

In 1982, the singer released his second album Thriller. The album became one of the most commercially successful in the history of pop music - its circulation amounted to 70 million copies worldwide. The Thriller disc brought Michael seven Grammy awards.

A video clip was shot for the album's main song of the same name, which is believed to have laid the foundation for active development music video.

In 1983, at the Motown 25 years show, Michael Jackson walked his famous "moonwalk" for the first time.

In 1987, the singer released the album Bad. All the singles from this album reached the first lines of the charts. The album was sold with a circulation of 29 million copies.

In the same year, Jackson's autobiography Moonwalker was published.

In 1991, Michael Jackson signed a major contract with Sony Music and released his solo album Dangerous.

The singer finally secured the status of the first star in the world show business - his composition Black Or White became a number one hit on both sides of the ocean.

In September 1993, a Michael Jackson concert took place in Moscow, at the Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Stadium.

In 1995, Jackson released the double album HIStory, which paired a disc of 15 new songs with a greatest hits disc. The album has sold 7 million copies in the US (15 million worldwide).

In 1996, Jackson's second performance in Russia took place at the Dynamo Stadium in Moscow.

In 1997, an album of dance remixes for tracks from HIStory - Blood on the Dancefloor appeared in stores.

The album Invincible, released in October 2001, contained 16 tracks, including the single You rock my world, which featured the legendary actor Marlon Brando in the video. In the same year, Michael recorded the song What more can I give, the proceeds of which went to charity.

Michael Jackson's greatest hits album Number Ones was released in 2003. The only original track on this disc, One More Chance, spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard charts.

In 2004, Jackson released the anniversary edition of Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection, a five-disc collection of his biggest hits, demos, and an additional DVD of live recordings from the Dangerous tour.

In August 2008, Michael Jackson released an original studio album titled King of Pop. The collection consisted of compositions based on poems by the great Scottish poet of the 18th century, Robert Burns.

Jackson's album Thriller 25, released in February 2008 to mark the 25th anniversary of the release of the legendary Thriller album, was a great success. The new compilation includes nine original tracks from the old album, as well as remixes and a new song For All Time.
The disc went to number one on eight charts. European countries, peaked at number two in the US and number three in the UK charts. It was sold in the USA.

As a forensic medical examination established, the king of pop music became an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol.

July 7, 2009 at the Staples sports and entertainment complex in Los Angeles was held with Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson has been married twice. The first time was on Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. The marriage did not last long, from 1994 to 1996, but the stars remained friends. In 1996, Michael Jackson married former nurse Debbie Rowe. For three years of marriage, they had two children: a son, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Sr. (1997) and a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (1998). Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (2002), was born via a surrogate mother.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

June 25, 2017, 19:36

Today is exactly 8 years since the death of the King of Pop. All fans of Michael Jackson remember the great artist. His talent and genius changed a lot in music in general. Many books and films have been written about Michael's life story. I, in turn, want to introduce you to the youngest son of Michael.

Quite a lot is already known about the older children of Michael Jackson. In addition, Prince and Paris themselves periodically give interviews and go out. But almost nothing is known about the youngest son. So I tried to find at least a little information about him.

Prince Michael Jackson II was born on February 21, 2002 to a surrogate mother whose identity is unknown. Michael gave him the nickname "Blanket", which means "blanket". When asked by a journalist why he gave him such a nickname, he replied:

Because this is the expression that I use in conversations with my family, with my employees. I say "you can cover me" or "you can cover her" meaning that the veil is a blessing. This is a way to show love and care.

When Prince was only a couple of months old, a scandalous story was connected with him, when Michael, from the fifth floor, showing his fans on Prince Street, staggered a little and it seemed to many that Michael almost dropped him. “I would never have done this, I held him tight,” he assured.

It is known that Jackson always tried to hide his family from the press and fans: when they appeared in public with their father, the children wore masks. In a controversial interview with Martin Bashir, Michael fed Prince while covering him with a cloth.

Prince Michael Jackson II considered "the most similar" to his father. After all, Paris and Prince (senior) have fair skin, while Blanket has darker skin. And indeed they are very similar.

Tito Jackson on Prince: Blanket reminds me a lot of Michael. He is a funny and hooligan boy, hooligan in a good sense of the word. He reminds me a lot of his dad, with all his behavior.

Paris and Prince (senior) have long lived independent lives. Blanket is only 15 years old and under the care of his grandmother Katherine Jackson.

It is known that Blanket goes to karate, his favorite color is blue, loves carrot juice. (that's all I found on the Internet) And he travels a lot with his family! Quite often appears on Paris's Instagram.

Paris' Instagram caption:
"look at my little poop, he's so cute I'm ready to die"

Michael wanted Blanket to have long hair, so Blanket did not touch them and walked with long hair from childhood.

But last year he cut off his long locks :(

The latest official news about him is that he changed his nickname "Blanket" to which everyone is accustomed to "Bigi" (Bigi, Bigi). This is due to the fact that the nickname "Blanket" causes ridicule from peers. His nickname is misunderstood, so he asked his family and friends to call him Bigi now.

"His schoolmates have always been a little hostile towards him. Perhaps it's because of jealousy. The name Blanket made him an even easier target for ridicule," the insider said.

Currently, Prince Michael Jackson II is studying at the Buckley School in California.

Well, a few more photos)

Hope everything goes well for him :)

During his lifetime, the king of pop carefully protected his children from annoying public attention. If the musician's family was caught by the paparazzi, the faces of Jackson's heirs were always covered. But everything changed after the tragic death of Michael. The faces of his children were revealed to the world at the memorial ceremony, and after that everyone wanted to know more about them than ever before.

History reference

The fact that the legendary singer has three children has been known for a long time, but the details were clearly not enough. Their birth was not secret and was covered in the press. Michael Jackson's first son was born on February 13, 1997. His mother became old friend pop king - Debbie Rowe, whom he nevertheless married at the insistence of his pious mother Catherine. The boy was given the name Prince Michael Literally a year later (April 3, 1998), his sister Paris Michael Katherine Jackson was born. And a year later, the couple Michael and Debbie officially filed for divorce.

The singer's fans, and indeed the entire world community, were very surprised when, in early 2002, he announced the birth of his third child. The youngest son of Michael Jackson was born from whose name is still a mystery. The king of pop claimed that he did not even know her, and the insemination was artificial. Prince Michael II's father named Blanket (which means "Blanket"). From the point of view of the performer, such a name meant love and care.

The children grew up with their father at his Neverland Ranch, the biological mother of Prince and Paris did not take any part in their lives and did not claim them in any way, but they had as many as 6 nannies, and Michael himself devoted all his time to them. Actually, this is almost everything that was known about the younger Jacksons before the death of their parent, but secrets are always overgrown with gossip.

Most of all, the media discussed the color of the children's skin and ranted with might and main that Michael was not their real father. That the eldest son of Michael Jackson, that the youngest, and even more so the light-eyed Paris, are white, it was considered strange for the children of an African American. At the same time, journalists were not embarrassed by the many similar children from other mixed marriages.

After the tragedy

When, after the death of the singer, the masks were finally thrown off, gossip about paternity subsided a bit. If the firstborn-weather still raised questions, then the youngest son of Michael Jackson, Blanket, turned out to be almost a copy of his father, except perhaps in a lighter version. From that moment on, the children came under the watchful eye of the lenses of the ubiquitous reporters. Gossip, rumors, litigation for a long time riveted public attention to the Jackson family. Their grandmother Catherine became the guardian of the heirs of the pop king, and it was also revealed that back in the early 2000s, Debbie Rowe was deprived of any rights to her biological children.

The family tried to hide, besides, they could not recover from grief, but they failed to attract attention. Children very painfully endured the death of their beloved father. This was especially true of Paris, who survived severe depression and several suicide attempts, which, of course, got into the press.

Family Traditions

Years passed, and the hype around the orphaned offspring of the idol of millions faded away. Although the same Paris has repeatedly found herself on the pages of popular publications, but now thanks to her success. She played in the series, took up music and modeling career, becoming the face of the Calvin Klein brand. But the son of Michael Jackson Prince for the time being remained in the shadow of his older sister. Only recently he opened up to the press, gave a long heartfelt interview, in which he warmly recalled his father, his instructions and boundless love, about the hard times when his father was slandered by accusations of pedophilia (which were completely refuted after the death of the musician).

Michael's first-born does not want to be promoted at the expense of the glory of the pop king, but also decided to go into the world of show business. He has always been interested in making music videos, producing and directing. At the age of 20, Michael Jackson's son created his own company, King`s Son Production, does what he loves, shot several videos, graduated from TV journalism courses and tries himself in this field, more and more often flashes on TV. I recently got a tattoo in honor of my father (like Paris, by the way). He hopes to be worthy of his famous parent's legacy.

The youngest is the hardest

Prince Michael II is still at school, by the way, recently, as he was previously homeschooled. Relatives believe that he suffered the most from the tragedy, matured early and became withdrawn. The paparazzi began to catch him more often, noting also that this son of Michael Jackson is becoming almost a copy of his star dad. According to relatives, not only in appearance, but also in character.

He wears long hair as his father wanted him to. The teachers praise the young man, but his peers do not really like him. Due to ridicule and bullying, Blanket changed his name to Bigi and asked his family and everyone else to call him that only. By the way, he is not very interested in his musical career yet, but he is fond of martial arts.

friend, protégé?

Interestingly, journalists and other gossips are actively identifying all the new kings of pop music. The most famous among them is the Norwegian dancer Guy 25, according to the estimates of those interested, he was born 9 months after the singer's tour in Norway. The rumors are fueled by the fact that the potential son of Michael Jackson (photo above) was sitting in the front row at the memorial service among the rest of the relatives, is part of the family, and his resemblance to the late musician is simply amazing. The Jackson family does not comment on the rumors in any way, and the dancer's mother pointedly stated that Michael was more than a pop king for them.

Michael Joseph Jackson is an American singer and dancer who began his career performing in the family band The Jacksons. Since 1972, he devoted himself to a solo career, quickly achieving unrivaled success. His sixth studio album, Thriller, has been the best-selling album of all time for more than 30 years, and Michael Jackson has become a pop legend.

Childhood: humiliation and first glory

The boy, later recognized as the King of Pop, was born in the town of Gary, Indiana. The boy's parents, Joseph Jackson and Katherine Vinta, married in November 1949. They were brought together by a love of music: the future father of the family was a bluesman, played the guitar, and his mother, half Indian, half mulatto, a native of the rural outback, was obsessed with country music.

19-year-old Katherine quickly realized that family life was by no means as rosy as in her fantasies. Joseph proved himself to be a real person, turning out to be an unsociable and even cruel person.

When Michael was born in 1958, there were already seven children in the Jackson family. Joseph's strict disciplinarian approach to raising children was harsh: he humiliated his children both morally and physically. The singer's brother Marlon said that his father dissolved his hands for the slightest offense. In an effort to accustom children to order, at night he put on a terrible mask, sneaked up under the windows of the nursery and roared in different ways (later Michael admitted that he was constantly tormented by nightmares as a child). The mother, on the other hand, forced her sons to study the Bible and took them to meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Only in 1993, Michael Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in the studio that in those years he constantly cried and felt lonely, he was literally sick of communicating with his father.

In 1964, the brothers formed The Jacksons. The original line-up consisted of the elders Tito, Jeremy and Jackie, while Michael and Marlon were backup musicians, playing tambourine and congo. Later, Michael took the place of the backing vocalist, and also accompanied each performance with dancing. The strict father watched the band's rehearsals with a belt in his hands and used leather weapons if he didn't like something.

In 1966, it was decided to rename the group to "Jackson 5" ("Jackson's Five"), and Michael became the lead singer. The young musicians won the city talent competition with the song "I Got You (I Feel Good)", after which they went on tour in the Midwest, which lasted until 1968. Michael and his brothers performed in strip clubs for "blacks", warming up the audience before the start of the show.

In 1970, the Jackson Brothers went national with their first singles to the top of the US Billboard chart. Even then, Michael riveted the attention of the public with eccentric dances, which he copied from Jackie Wilson and James Brown.

"Jackson 5" at the show "American Bandstand", 1970

The beginning of a solo career

In 1973, the Jackson 5 became involved in a conflict with their record label, Motown Records. This did not prevent Michael from releasing 4 solo albums in collaboration with the label: the debut "Got to Be There" (1972), which sold over five million copies, "Ben" (1972), "Music & Me" (1973), and, finally, "Forever , Michael" (1975).

In 1976, the Jacksons signed a contract with CBS Records, after which they had to return the name "The Jacksons" - Motown retained the rights to "Jackson's Five" for themselves.

Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz

In 1978, Michael Jackson took part in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with Diana Ross. The set brought him together with music director Quincy Jones, who took the talented singer who played the Scarecrow under his wing.

The first fruits of cooperation made themselves felt in 1979, when Michael Jackson presented the public with his fifth solo album "Off the Wall" (translated into Russian - "Alien to Conventions"). With the recording of the album, the musician was helped by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Four singles from the record hit the first lines of the Billboard Hot charts: "Don't Stop "Til You Get Enough", "Rock with You", "She's Out of My Life" and "Off the Wall". sold 20 million copies of the album.

King of pop music

By the beginning of the 80s, Michael Jackson had already achieved phenomenal success, and ahead of the fans was waiting new album, Thriller. Work on it was carried out for 8 months; The album included 9 tracks, 4 of which Michael wrote on his own.

The record was released in November 1982, and in just a year received the status of the best-selling album in history, keeping it for several decades. In the US alone, fans of the black singer have bought 26 million copies, and in the world this figure has exceeded 109 million. The album topped the Billboard 200 for 37 weeks and stayed on the list for two years.

The album was a breakthrough in music and, in addition, broke the latest racial stereotypes in the pop industry: three videos of Michael Jackson ("Thriller", "Billie Jean", "Beat It") got into MTV rotation, and the musician was invited to White House meeting with Ronald Reagan.

Michael Jackson demonstrates "moonwalk" for the first time

In 1983, on the 25th anniversary of Motown Records, Michael Jackson debuted his famous "moonwalk" performance of "Billie Jean" for the first time, as well as a 14-minute video for the song "Thriller", which set new music video standards.

Michael Jackson - "Thriller" Full Clip

In 1984, Michael's work was again at the top of the charts. This time the single "Say Say Say", recorded together with Paul McCartney, got there. The following year, Jackson bought out a controlling stake in ATV Music Publishing, which owns the rights to most of The Beatles' songs, which caused a quarrel with also claiming to securities McCartney.

In March 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie recorded the song "We Are the World". All commercial proceeds, which exceeded $61 million, were given to help the starving children of Africa.

Michael Jackson's seventh studio album ("Bad", 1987) did not repeat the phenomenal success of the previous record, but still stayed on the first line of the Billboard 200 for 6 weeks, sold 29 million copies and gave the world several hits, including the composition " I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Dirty Diana", "Smooth Criminal" and "Man in the Mirror".

Immediately after the release of the album, Michael Jackson went on his first international solo tour "Bad Tour", visiting 15 countries with 123 concerts over the next three years. Jackson turned each performance into a brilliant show: he demonstrated crazy dance steps, communicated with the audience. During one of the London concerts, he got into the Guinness Book of Records - a record half a million spectators came to the performance.

In 1989, Elizabeth Taylor called Michael Jackson "the real king of pop, rock and soul music" during the Soul Train Music Awards. Fans shortened her phrase - "King of Pop", and this nickname stuck with Michael forever.

In 1991, Michael delighted fans with new material by releasing his eighth solo album Dangerous. The release was preceded by the premiere of the video for the song "Black or White", which topped the charts for 5 weeks.

Michael Jackson - "Black or White", 1991

Michael Jackson in Russia

In September 1993, Jackson visited Russia for the first time. The concert took place at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow in the pouring rain. After that, the Dessa company, which spent a million dollars on organizing the event, went bankrupt, and the stadium was closed for repairs.

Michael Jackson in Moscow 1996 ORT

In 1995, the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future - Book I, a collection of the musician's greatest hits, which included 15 new songs, went on sale. Among them was the sad ballad Stranger in Moscow. When the fans asked why the song turned out so sad, did he really not like it in Moscow, Michael replied that the audience at the Moscow concert was almost the most welcoming in his memory, but at that moment he was shackled by a feeling of "all-consuming loneliness and cold."

The second time the king of pop visited Moscow in September 1996 - he gave a concert at the Dynamo stadium, met with Yuri Luzhkov and Igor Krutoy.

Later career

The next studio album ("Invincible") Michael Jackson released only in 2001. It consists of 16 tracks, which were collaborated with Michael by Notorious B.I.G. (composition "Unbreakable"), Chris Tucker ("You Rock My World") and Carlos Santana ("Whatever Happens").

The musician dedicated the album to the tragic events in Oslo - on January 26, 2001, 16-year-old Afro-Norwegian Benjamin Hermansen was killed by neo-Nazis. A close friend of the deceased, Omer Bhatti, was also a good friend of Michael Jackson, so the musician took the death of a teenager especially hard.

After the release of the album, Michael Jackson organized a performance dedicated to the 30th anniversary of his solo career at Madison Square Garden. For the first time since 1984, he took to the stage with the former "Jackson Five", and also sang along with Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, N'Sync and Usher.

In 2003, Michael released the hits compilation Number Ones, which included several previously unreleased tracks, including the brand new track "One More Chance".

At this time, Michael was accused of child molestation, and although the musician was acquitted, due to the hype that arose in the press, many celebrities refused to collaborate with Jackson to record a charity song in memory of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The composition "I Have This Dream" was eventually recorded, but never appeared on sale.

In 2004, a five-disc set "Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection" Box Set" was released with 13 previously unreleased songs, and in August 2008, a collection of hits "King of Pop", dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson planned to release his eleventh studio album in 2009.

Michael Jackson's personal life

Michael Jackson has been married twice. The first wife of the musician was the daughter of the King of Rock and Roll - Elvis Presley. Jackson first met Lisa Marie Presley in 1975 at an MGM Grand Hotel event in Las Vegas, but at that time she was only 8 years old.

The next meeting took place in 1993. After that, they began to communicate and quickly became best friends; Lisa supported him during a period when it seemed that everyone turned their backs on Jackson. One day he asked a girl on the phone: "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?" Six months later, they secretly married in Dominican Republic. In 1996, their marriage broke up, but former spouses remained friends.

Michael was going through a divorce very hard, which made his disease [vitiligo] worse. During a visit to personal dermatologist Arnold Klein, he met his assistant, Debbie Rowe. They started talking, and Debbie asked Michael what made him sad the most about the situation. The musician replied that he deeply regretted that he had not acquired common children with Lisa. Then the woman invited Jackson to bear his child so that he could experience the happiness of fatherhood.

Michael happily agreed. The woman gave birth to two children - the son of Prince Michael Joseph Jackson and the daughter of Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. In 1999, Debbie considered mission accomplished and filed for divorce, relinquishing all parental rights.

In 2002, Michael Jackson had a second son, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson II. The musician kept the name of the surrogate mother who carried the child a secret.

Michael Jackson with his son on the balcony of a hotel in Berlin

During the artist's tour in Berlin, one journalist managed to shoot a video of Michael Jackson standing on the hotel balcony and holding his youngest son in his hand. The press made a real scandal out of the video, accusing the singer of careless handling of the child. After this incident, the artist began to be wary of the press and hide all the details from his personal life, and if the Jacksons appeared in public together, the faces of the children were hidden by masks.

Allegations of pedophilia

In 1988, Michael purchased 112 hectares of land in California, near the town of Santa Barbara. In this place, the musician who retired from general attention could finally be himself. He rebuilt the ranch, turning it into the dream of every child: a mansion reminiscent of a fairytale palace, a miniature Railway, carousels, a zoo, a huge variety of colorful sculptures ... He named the amusement park he created "Neverland", in honor of the book about Peter Pan, a boy who will never become an adult.

In 1993, the singer was accused of molesting thirteen-year-old Jordan Chandler, who was a fan of the artist and a frequent visitor to Neverland Ranch. The son admitted to his father, Evan Chandler, that during the visits, Jackson forced the boy to touch his genitals. During the investigation, Michael even had to demonstrate his "dignity" so that the jury could compare the boy's descriptions with reality.

As a result, a settlement was concluded: the Chandlers withdrew the lawsuit, and Michael paid the family $ 22 million in compensation. In 2003, Michael Jackson was again brought to trial on charges of a similar crime. The new "victim" was thirteen-year-old Gavin Arvizo, who told the press that Michael got him drunk and masturbated with him together.

Authorities raided the Jackson estate and arrested the singer, but released him on bail a day later. During the investigation, the artist claimed that the Arvizo family decided to repeat the example of the Chandlers and was engaged in heinous extortion. Litigation lasted two years, in the end Michael Jackson was fully acquitted. Unfortunately, the very fact of being accused of pedophilia had a very negative impact on the reputation and career of the singer.

In 2005, Michael Jackson left Neverland Ranch for good, moving to a mansion in Holmby Hills.

After the singer's death in 2009, Jordan Chandler admitted that all the words about molestation were lies from beginning to end, and said that his father forced him to tell the truth. In November of that year, the elder Chandler shot himself.

Plastic surgery and Michael Jackson's illness

In 1987, after the release of the video for the title track of the album "Bad", fans noticed changes in the face of the idol, and with each subsequent performance, the singer became even paler and thinner.

The media paid too much attention to the artist's haggard appearance: journalists built the most unexpected hypotheses why Michael Jackson whitened his skin and changed the contours of his face, going as far as accusing him of dysmorphophobia - hatred of his own body.

In the early 90s, Michael put an end to gossip by admitting that in 1986 he was diagnosed with two rare diseases - vitiligo and lupus. And if vitiligo affected only the pigmentation of the skin, covered with light spots due to the disease (hence the deathly white complexion of Michael - this is a thick layer of cosmetics that hid the difference between healthy and affected skin), then lupus, a dangerous autoimmune disease that damages the connective tissue. tissue, led to the failure of the cheekbones and a general deformity of the face. In addition, powerful drugs prescribed to Michael by a doctor during a relapse of lupus led to the musician's addiction to painkillers.

As for the quantity plastic surgery Michael Jackson, experts who closely followed the gradual transformation of the artist concluded that there were multiple surgical interventions. According to them, he operated on his nose several times, changed the shape of his lips, reshaped his cheeks and eyelids, and also made a dimple in his chin. Michael's mom confirmed that her son, in her opinion, was addicted to plastic surgery. The artist himself stated that he had only done rhinoplasty twice. Doctors failed to resuscitate Michael Jackson

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the way to the medical center of the University of California and in the center itself did not help - Michael Jackson's death was ascertained at 14:26. The news of Michael Jackson's death spread around the world within minutes.

The police immediately launched an investigation into the incident. The first to be interviewed was the singer's personal doctor, Conrad Murray. He said that he found the lifeless Jackson in bed, but managed to distinguish the pulse and tried to give him cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and when he realized that all attempts to resurrect the singer were unsuccessful, he called an ambulance. The following fact played an important role here - Michael rented a mansion, so Conrad did not know the exact address. While he was figuring out the coordinates, a whole half hour passed, which turned out to be fatal for Jackson.

This was the version of Conrad Murray, but the coroners continued the investigation. It turned out that one of the producers of the Emmy Award, Ken Erlich, saw the singer the day before his death - and he seemed to him very energetic and provocative.

An autopsy showed that the singer was in the extreme stage of exhaustion - with an increase of 178 centimeters, his weight was only 51 kilograms. Not a single hint of food was found in the stomach, but a decent amount of painkillers was found. On August 24, a forensic examination established the true cause of Michael's death - an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, administered intravenously. Michael Jackson's death certificate lists the cause as "murder".

Propofol found in Michael Jackson's bedroom

In November 2011, Murray was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 4 years in prison.

The funeral

On July 7, 2009, a closed farewell ceremony was held for the idol of millions. Jackson's closest friends came to the Forest Lawn Cemetery Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Messages from Diana Ross, Nelson Mandela, Queen Latifah, Stevie Wonder, children of Martin Luther King Jr. were read. The farewell ended with a speech by Paris Jackson. Without holding back her tears, the girl said: "He was the best father that could be ...".

In December 2010, the world heard the first posthumous album of Michael Jackson. The record, called "Michael", consisted of 10 tracks, recorded with the participation of Lenny Kravitz, 50 Cent and Tarill Jackson. The release of the album divided the singer's fans into two camps: some believed that publishing songs deliberately hidden by the author "on the table" was blasphemy, which had a strictly commercial purpose. Others, on the contrary, were glad that even after his death, the idol continues to delight fans with new creations. Numerous celebrities, including Michael's brother Randy Jackson, referred to the album as "raw" and "unfinished".