My pop culture head is literally spinning. When Ed McMahon passed away a few days ago, I was sad, but I knew many young readers wouldn’t remember Ed other than his financial problems of late. When Farrah Fawcett passed away today, again, I was sad, but knew that she was not in good shape. While still trying to blog about Farrah, a friend told me Michael Jackson was dead. It was being reported by TMZ, but I wasn’t sure how much faith to put in that. Now, both the AP and NBC have confirmed that the singer died after being taken to UCLA Medical Center when paramedics were called to his home. The singer had collapsed and had stopped breathing. There are rumors that he suffered a cardiac arrest.
All this comes on the heels of a Jackson comeback. The singer was set to perform concerts in London starting on July 13. When tickets went on sale in March, they sold out in minutes. Jackson had been in LA to rehearse for the upcoming concert. Oddly enough, I just remembered that Elvis was set to perform a concert when he died too.
Over his career, Jackson sold close to 750 million records, with 1982’s Thriller winning eight Grammys and remains the best selling album of all time. In his career, Jackson would win 13 Grammys in all.
He started out at the tender age of 6 with his four brothers, performing as the Jackson 5. While the Jackson 5 was very popular and had a string of hits, Michael was not a superstar until he struck out on his own with 1979’s Off the Wall.
Jackson was also known for his dancing and choreography, having introduced the moonwalk to the world in 1983. He helped Lionel Richie co-write “We Are the World” in 1985. The song featured 39 singers and sold almost 20 million copies. The proceeds were donated to help famine relief.
Jackson’s star continued to shine throughout the ‘80s, but in 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse. Jackson settled out of court for a reported $22 million dollars, saying “I wanted to go on with my life. Too many people had already been hurt. I want to make records. I want to sing. I want to perform again…It’s my talent. My hard work. My life. My decision.” Jackson was charged with seven counts of child sexual abuse in 2003. More than two years after the charges were filed, Jackson was acquitted. He was still loved by fans around the world, but his career never recovered.
Jackson had lived the life of a recluse since the acquittal. He was married twice – to Lisa Marie Presley in 1994 and Debbie Rowe in 1996. Both marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by three children – Prince Michael I, Paris Michael, and Prince Michael II.
(This photo is a work of an employee of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, taken or made during the course of the person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.)
