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Moonwalk: A Memoir Hardcover – October 13, 2009

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• Print length 320 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Crown Archetype
• Publication date October 13, 2009
• Dimensions 6.22 x 1.11 x 9.26 inches
• ISBN-10 9780307716989
• ISBN-13 978-0307716989
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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0307716988
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown Archetype; revised ed. edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780307716989
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0307716989
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.22 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.22 x 1.11 x 9.26 inches
• #202 in Rich & Famous Biographies
• #224 in Composer & Musician Biographies
• #426 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

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Michael jackson.

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Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was a multitalented singer and dancer who enjoyed a chart-topping career both with the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist.

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Quick Facts

Early life and family, the jackson 5, emerging solo career, "thriller" (1982), the height of stardom, continued career success and abuse allegations, career decline and criminal charges, wives and children, memorials and legacy, who was michael jackson.

Known as the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson was a best-selling American singer, songwriter, and dancer. As a child, Jackson became the lead singer of his family’s popular Motown group, the Jackson 5 . He went on to a solo career of astonishing worldwide success, delivering No. 1 hits from the albums Off the Wall , Thriller , and Bad . Thriller remains one of the best-selling albums in history. In his later years, Jackson was dogged by allegations of child molestation. The 13-time Grammy Award winner died in 2009 at age 50 of a drug overdose just before launching a comeback tour.

FULL NAME: Michael Joseph Jackson BORN: August 29, 1958 DIED: June 25, 2009 BIRTHPLACE: Gary, Indiana SPOUSES: Lisa Marie Presley (1994-1996) and Debbie Rowe (1996-2000) CHILDREN: Michael “Prince,” Paris , and Prince “Blanket” ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. He was the eighth of 10 children born to Joseph Jackson , a crane operator, and Katherine Jackson, a homemaker and a devout Jehovah’s Witness. Both of Jackson’s parents previously had musical aspirations themselves: Katherine played clarinet and piano and had aspired to be a country singer, while Joseph was a guitarist who performed in local R&B bands. They encouraged their children to pursue musical ambitions, and Jackson’s career in music began at the age of 5 under his father’s encouragement.

Almost all of Jackson’s siblings made marks in the music industry, including Rebbie , Jackie, Tito, Jermaine , La Toya, Marlon, Randy, and Janet Jackson . (His brother Brandon, Marlon’s twin, died shortly after birth.) Joseph pushed his children hard to succeed, making them rehearse five hours a day after school, and was reportedly known to become violent with them . He was said to beat them with a belt buckle or electric kettle cord and to order them to break a branch off a tree if they got a dance step wrong so he could hit them with it.

Joseph molded his sons into a musical group in the early 1960s that would later become known as the Jackson 5. At first, the Jackson Family group consisted of Jackson’s older brothers Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie. Jackson joined his siblings when he was 5 years old and emerged as the group’s lead vocalist. He showed remarkable range and depth for such a young performer, impressing audiences with his ability to convey complex emotions. They officially became the Jackson 5 when older brother Marlon joined the group.

Watch This Is It , the dramatic documentary with rare behind-the-scenes footage of Michael creating and preparing for his sold out shows that would have taken place in London's O2 Arena.

Jackson and his brothers spent endless hours rehearsing and polishing their act. At first, the Jackson 5 played local gigs and built a strong following. They recorded one single on their own, “Big Boy,” with the B-side “You’ve Changed,” but the record failed to generate much interest. The group moved on to working as the opening act for R&B artists such as Gladys Knight and The Pips, James Brown , and Sam and Dave. Many of these performers were signed to the legendary Motown record label, and the Jackson 5 eventually caught the attention of Motown founder Berry Gordy .

Impressed by the group, Gordy signed the group to his label in early 1969. Jackson and his brothers moved to Los Angeles, where they lived with Gordy and with Diana Ross of the Supremes as they got settled. The Jackson 5 made its first television appearance during the 1969 Miss Black American Pageant, performing a cover of “It’s Your Thing.” Their first album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 , hit the charts in December 1969, with the single “I Want You Back” reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart shortly afterward.

More chart-topping singles quickly followed, such as “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There.” For several years, Jackson and the Jackson 5 maintained a busy tour and recording schedule, under the supervision of Gordy and his Motown staff. The group became so popular that it even had its own self-titled cartoon show, which ran from 1971 to 1972. Jackson also popularized the “robot dance” after using the move during a 1973 performance of the song “Dancing Machine” on The Mike Douglas Show .

Despite the group’s great success, there was trouble brewing behind the scenes. Tensions mounted between Gordy and Joseph over the management of his children’s careers, with the Jacksons wanting more creative control over their material. The group officially severed ties with Motown in 1976, though Jermaine remained with the label to pursue his solo career. Now calling themselves the Jacksons, the group signed a new recording deal with Epic Records. By the release of its third album for the label, Destiny (1978) , the brothers had emerged as talented songwriters.

Moonwalk: A Memoir

Jackson began his solo career while simultaneously performing with the Jackson 5. He released his debut solo album at age 13 with Got to Be There (1971), making the charts with the title track. He had his first solo No. 1 single with the title track from his sophomore album Ben (1972), which he recorded for the 1972 film of the same name about a killer rat. Jackson followed those albums with Music and Me (1973) and Forever, Michael (1975), the latter of which was his last album with Motown Records.

As Jackson’s stardom rose, he tried his hand at acting, and the experience left its mark on his music, too. Jackson portrayed the Scarecrow in the Sidney Lumet–directed film The Wi z (1977), starring alongside Diana Ross and Nipsey Russell. While living in New York City to make the film, Jackson frequently visited the Studio 54 nightclub and was exposed to early hip-hop music, which contributed to his beatboxing in future songs like “Working Night and Day.”

Jackson achieved his solo career breakthrough with Off the Wall (1979), his first album with Epic Records and his first produced by Quincy Jones , whom he met while working on The Wiz . An infectious blend of pop and funk, Off the Wall featured the Grammy Award–winning single “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough,” along with such hits as “Rock with You,” “She’s Out of My Life,” and the title track. Critics felt the album moved Jackson from the pop music of his youth into a more complex sound, and some have called it one of the best pop albums ever made .

Jackson was still performing with his brothers at this time, and the overwhelmingly positive response to Off the Wall helped the Jacksons as a group. Their album Triumph (1980) sold more than 1 million copies, and the brothers went on an extensive tour to support the recording. At the same time, Jackson continued exploring more ways to branch out on his own. In 1983, Jackson embarked on his final tour with his brothers to support the album Victory (1984). Jackson’s duet with Mick Jagger called “State of Shock” was the most successful single from the album.

Jackson achieved unparalleled success with the release of his six solo album Thriller (1982), which as of August 2021 was still recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling album of all time, having sold 67 million copies worldwide and 34 million units in the United States alone. The album stayed on the charts for 80 weeks after its release, holding the No. 1 spot for 37 weeks, and generated seven Top 10 hits, including “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Human Nature,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” and “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).”

The album garnered 12 Grammy Award nominations and notched eight wins, both records at the time. Jackson also filmed an elaborate music video was for the album’s title track. Directed by filmmaker John Landis, the 14-minute “Thriller” mini-movie features a horror plot that culminates with Jackson dancing with dozens of zombies in an abandoned city street. Following its debut on MTV on December 2, 1983, it was hailed as one of the greatest music videos of all time and became the first music video to be selected for the National Film Registry in 2009.

On a 1983 television special honoring Motown, Jackson performed his No. 1 hit “Billie Jean” and debuted the moonwalk, which became one of his signature moves. The dance step, which R&B musician Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier , involves the dancer gliding backwards despite bodily actions that suggest forward motion. The much-lauded dance performance further boosted sales for the already-successful Thriller album. The New York Times hailed Jackson as a “musical phenomenon,” writing: “In the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else.”

Jackson signed a record-breaking $5 million promotional deal with PepsiCo in November 1983, launching the brand’s youth-targeted New Generation campaign. However, Jackson ended up filing a lawsuit against Pepsi when, during filming of a simulated concert for a commercial, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson’s hair on fire , resulting in second- and third-degree burns on his scalp. Jackson had surgery to repair his injuries and is believed to have begun experimenting with plastic surgery around this time. His face, especially his nose, would become dramatically altered in the coming years.

In 1985, Jackson showed his altruistic side by working with Lionel Richie to co-write “We Are the World,” a charity single for the non-profit organization USA for Africa. A veritable who’s who of music stars participated in the project, including Ray Charles , Bob Dylan , Willie Nelson , Bruce Springsteen , and Tina Turner . It became one of the top-selling singles of all time and raised, by some accounts, more than $75 million for humanitarian aid to fight poverty in Africa.

Five years after Thriller , Jackson released his highly-anticipated follow-up album Bad (1987). Although unable to duplicate the phenomenal sales of Thriller , Bad still reached the top of the charts and became the first album to feature five No. 1 hits with “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Dirty Diana.” Filmmaker Martin Scorsese directed the title track’s music video, which featured a then-unknown Wesley Snipes and involved an elaborate story about delinquent teenagers and gang violence. Jackson spent more than a year on the road, playing concerts to promote the album.

In 1988, Jackson bought 2,700 acres of property in Los Olivos, California, for $17 million and had it converted into Neverland Ranch , a home and private amusement park that he owned until 2005. Named after the fantasy island from the Peter Pan story, it included a zoo, train, Ferris wheel, and 50-seat movie theater. Several exotic pets were kept at the ranch, including Jackson’s famous pet chimpanzee Bubbles.

Around the late 1980s, rumors began swirling that Jackson was lightening the color of his skin to appear more white and sleeping in a special oxygen chamber to increase his lifespan. In 1993, Jackson agreed to a rare television interview with Oprah Winfrey to quell rumors. He explained that the change in his skin tone was the result of a skin condition known as vitiligo, and he opened up about the abuse he suffered from his father.

In 1991, Jackson released his eighth solo album Dangerous , his first without Quincy Jones in 16 years. The album marked a different direction for Jackson and mixed various genres, including R&B, funk, gospel, hip-hop, rock, industrial, and classical. It included the hit single “Black or White,” with an accompanying music video directed by Landis and featuring a cameo appearance by child star Macaulay Culkin . The final minutes of the video featured Jackson making sexual gesturing and violently damaging cars and buildings, which drew criticism from some viewers. Jackson issued an apology and edited the video to remove these elements.

Jackson’s music continued to enjoy widespread popularity in the following years. In 1993, he performed at several important events, including the halftime show of Superbowl XXVII. However, 1993 also saw the first of several child molestation allegations against Jackson, when a 13-year-old boy claimed that the music star had fondled him. Jackson was known to have sleepovers with boys at his Neverland Ranch, but this was the first public charge of wrongdoing. The police searched the ranch, but said they found no evidence to support the claim. The following year, Jackson settled the case out of court with the boy’s family.

In the 2003 television documentary Living with Michael Jackson, British journalist Martin Bashir spent several months with the singer, even getting him to discuss his relationships with children. Jackson admitted that he continued to have children sleep over at his ranch, even after the 1993 allegations and that sometimes he slept with the children in his bed. “Why can’t you share your bed? That’s the most loving thing to do, to share your bed with someone,” Jackson told Bashir.

Jackson’s musical career began to decline with the lukewarm reception to HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I (1995). The two-disc album featured a greatest hits compilation on disc one and new material on disc two that included collaborations with Janet Jackson, The Notorious B.I.G. , Shaquille O’Neal , and Slash . HIStory was considered Jackson’s most personal album , with lyrics pertaining to his child abuse allegations and anger of his treatment by the media. The record spawned two hits, “You Are Not Alone” and his duet with sister Janet, “Scream.” The spaceship-themed video for the latter song cost a record-setting $7 million to produce and earned a Grammy Award for its slick effects. Another track from the album, “They Don’t Care About Us,” brought Jackson intense criticism for using an anti-Semitic term.

In 2001, Jackson released Invincible , his final studio album prior to his death. It cost $30 million to produce, making it the most expensive album ever made . The album touched upon such topics as isolation, social issues, and Jackson’s continued objections to the media. Despite debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, it received mixed reviews from critics. Invincible was released as Jackson was having legal issues with Sony over the rights to his master recordings , which escalated when Jackson called Sony Music Chairman Tommy Mottola a racist who exploits Black artists.

By the turn of the century, Jackson was increasingly becoming known for his eccentricities, which included wearing a surgical mask in public. In 2002, Jackson made headlines when he seemed confused and disoriented on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2002, he received enormous criticism for dangling his baby son Blanket over a balcony while greeting fans in Berlin, Germany. In a later interview, Jackson explained that “We were waiting for thousands of fans down below, and they were chanting they wanted to see my child, so I was kind enough to let them see. I was doing something out of innocence.”

In 2003, Jackson encountered more legal woes when he was arrested on charges related to incidents with a 13-year-old boy. He faced 10 counts in total, including lewd conduct with a minor, conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment, and extortion. The resulting 2005 trial was a media circus, with fans, detractors and camera crews surrounding the courthouse. More than 130 people testified, and Jackson’s accuser described via videotape how he had been given wine and molested. However, the jury found problems with his testimony, as well as that of his mother. Jackson was found not guilty of all charges on June 14, 2005.

In August 1994, Jackson announced that he had married Lisa Marie Presley , daughter of rock icon Elvis Presley . The union proved to be short-lived, as they divorced in 1996. Some thought that the marriage was a publicity ploy to restore Jackson’s image after child molestation allegations.

Later in 1996, Jackson wed nurse Debbie Rowe . Jackson and Rowe had two children through artificial insemination: son Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. , born in 1997 and known as Prince Jackson, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson , born in 1998. When Rowe and Jackson divorced in 1999, Michael received full custody of their two children. Jackson would go on to have a third child, Prince Michael Jackson II who went by “Blanket” and now “Bigi,” with an unknown surrogate in 2002.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50, after suffering a cardiac arrest in his Los Angeles home. CPR attempts failed, and he was rushed to the hospital, where he died later that morning. In February 2010, an official coroner’s report revealed Jackson’s cause of death was acute propofol intoxication, or a lethal overdose on a prescription drug cocktail including the sedatives midazolam, diazepam, and lidocaine.

Aided by his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray , Jackson had been taking sedative drugs to help him sleep at night. Murray told police that he believed Jackson had developed a particular addiction to propofol, which Jackson referred to as his “milk.” Murray reportedly administered propofol by IV in the evenings, in 50-milligram dosages, and was attempting to wean the pop star off the drug around the time of his death.

A police investigation revealed that Murray was not licensed to prescribe most controlled drugs in the state of California. The steps he took to save Jackson also came under scrutiny, as evidence showed that the standard of care for administering propofol had not been met, and the recommended equipment for patient monitoring, precision dosing, and resuscitation had not been present. As a result, Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter on November 7, 2011, receiving a four-year maximum prison sentence.

In 2013, the Jackson family launched a wrongful death lawsuit against AEG Live, the entertainment company that promoted Jackson’s planned comeback series in 2009. They believed that the company had failed to effectively protect the singer while he was under Murray’s care. Jackson family lawyers sought up to $1.5 billion—an estimation of what Jackson could have earned to that point—but in October 2013, a jury determined that AEG wasn’t responsible for the singer’s death.

On July 7, 2009, a televised memorial was held for Jackson’s fans at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. While 17,500 free tickets were issued to fans via lottery, an estimated 1 billion viewers watched the memorial on television or online. Jackson’s death resulted in an outpouring of public grief and sympathy. Memorials were erected around the world, including one at the arena where he was set to perform and another at his childhood home in Gary, Indiana. The Jackson family held a private funeral on September 3, 2009, at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, for immediate family members and 200 guests. Celebrity mourners included Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley and actor Elizabeth Taylor .

Over the course of his career, Jackson had notched 38 Grammy Award nominations and 13 wins, including Album of the Year for Thriller , Record of the Year for “Beat It,” Song of the Year for “We Are The World,” and his first Grammy in 1980 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance on “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough.” Among his other awards and honors are the 1993 Grammy Legend Award, his 2001 induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Michael Jackson's This Is It

A documentary of Jackson’s preparations for his final tour, entitled This Is It , was released in October 2009. The film, which features a compilation of interviews, rehearsals, and backstage footage of its star, made $23 million in its opening weekend and went on to make $261 million worldwide.

A handful of posthumous albums were released in the years after Jackson’s death. The first, Michael , was released in December 2010 amid controversy about whether the singer actually performed some of the tracks. Brother Randy was among those who questioned the authenticity of the recordings, but the Jackson estate later refuted the claims, according to The New York Times . The second album, Xscape ( 2014), featured R&B star and Jackson protege Usher performing the single “Love Never Felt So Good.” The album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard ’s Top 200 Album chart.

Since his death, Jackson has been profiled in multiple biographies and inspired the creation of two Cirque du Soleil shows. He was posthumously honored with the 2018 Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Legacy Award for Humanitarian Service, with children Paris and Prince Michael accepting on his behalf.

Jackson’s debts have been settled thanks to his earlier investment in the Sony/ATV Music catalog, which includes the publishing rights for songs of industry heavyweights such as the Beatles , the Rolling Stones , and Taylor Swift . The Jackson estate sold its share of Sony/ATV in 2016 for $750 million, and two years later, the estate received another $287.5 million for its stake in EMI Music Publishing. Additionally, Jackson’s earning power lasted well past his final days. In October 2017, Forbes announced that Jackson had topped the publication’s list of top-earning dead celebrities for the fifth straight year, earning $75 million.

Accusations of sexual abuse against Jackson resurfaced in early 2019 with the airing of Leaving Neverland at the Sundance Film Festival, followed by an HBO broadcast. The four-hour documentary explores the recollections of two men who describe how the pop star lured them into his orbit when they were boys, gaining the trust of their parents, before coercing them into sexual activities in hotel rooms and at his Neverland Ranch. The Jackson estate called the two accusers “serial perjurers” and launched a $100 million lawsuit against HBO. As of December 2020, the suit planned to go into arbitration .

• Being onstage is magic. There’s nothing like it. You feel the energy of everybody who’s out there. You feel it all over your body.
• Being an entertainer, you just can’t tell who is your friend.
• Being mobbed hurts. You feel like you’re spaghetti among thousands of hands. They’re just ripping you and pulling your hair. And you feel that any moment you’re gonna just break.
• I hate to take credit for the songs I’ve written. I feel that somewhere, someplace, it’s been done, and I’m just a courier bringing it into the world. I really believe that. I love what I do. I’m happy at what I do. It’s escapism.
• Why can’t you share your bed? That’s the most loving thing to do, to share your bed with someone.
• If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.
• I always want to know what makes good performers fall to pieces.
• My father would rehearse with a belt in his hand. You couldn’t mess up.
• Magic is easy if you put your heart into it.
• I wouldn’t be happy doing just one kind of music or label ourselves. I like doing something for everybody... I don’t like our music to be labeled. Labels are like... racism.
• What I’m asking is whether this is still a country where a peculiar person such as Michael Jackson can get a fair shake and be considered innocent until proven guilty... or is this just a 21st century American barnyard where we all feel free to turn on the moonwalking rooster... and peck it to death?

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us !

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Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. He is the author of two true crime books: Love Me or Else and Fatal Jealousy . He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories.

Top 10 Best Books About Michael Jackson to Read

by Kan Nigua January 4, 2021, 12:00 pm updated April 1, 2024, 11:46 am

Books often present the opportunity to judge a person and his life through different perspectives. Hundreds of authors have written on Michael Jackson and his life, reading at least some of the most popular ones, will get your mind all cleared up. We have gathered 10 books about Michael that’ll help you to understand his life inside and philosophy.

1. Moonwalk – Michael Jackson

“Moonwalk” is the autobiography of Jackson. Published in 1988, the book takes us to a journey to the life of legendary Michael Jackson. Edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the book was published by Doubleday publishers. Michael talks about his stardom, how he became the star, and details of his life. It is dedicated to his idol, Fred Astaire.  

2. Dancing the Dream – Michael Jackson

The world-renowned singer, dancer, and songwriter was a poet too. In his book “Dancing the Dream”, he published 46 poetries of various subjects. It came out soon after the release of “Dangerous” and became a huge success. While reading the poems, one can feel about his artistry and sophistication. 

3. In the Studio with Michael Jackson – Bruce Swedien

Bruce Swedien was a true companion of Michael Jackson. Ever since Michael started with Quincy, Bruce too joined the team. The legendary musical trio has re-written history with magnanimous records from the studio. In this book, published by Hal Leonard, Bruce reminisced the good old days. 

15 Vintage Cars of All Time: Icons of Automotive History

35 future cars set to hit the market until 2028: supercars that will redefine innovation, 12 pieces of donald trump car collection: former president’s 2m$ luxury vehicles, 4. michael jackson: in his own words – catherine dineen.

Some books don’t just tell a story, it shows the truth. Jackson had a life full of fortunate and unfortunate events of extreme degrees. This book is a collection of quotes from Michael taken from various places. Catherine Dineen has done a fantastic job by looking at his life through his own words.

5. MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson – Steve Knopper

This book should be the next best choice to know Michael properly; his autobiography of course comes first. Written by Steve Knopper, the editor of Rolling Stone, it takes a critical approach to analyze and organize the events that took place in Michael’s life ever since he first stepped into a stage in 1965.

6. You Are Not Alone- Jermaine Jackson

Written by brother Jermain, the book offers an optional narrative on the life of King of Pop from a close person’s perspective. It’s sort of a biography, as Jermain has comprehensively covered Michael’s life. It was published by Touchstone in 2011.

7. The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson – Michael Bush

Michael was probably the pioneer of introducing heavy fashion to music. The pop music of Michael couldn’t be separated from his unique dressing style. Michael Bush, his fashion designer, has lots of stories in this book that reflect upon the relationship of them and provides a deeper sense of his fashion mind.

8. Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson

People who want to zero in on Michael’s philosophy of music and how he created them, this is the book to read. It extensively covers every little detail of his singles, albums, and shows. Giving the readers a true sense of understanding of who Michael Jackson truly was, Joseph Vogel has created a legendary literary piece.

9. My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship with an Extraordinary Man – Frank Cascio

Frank Cascio and Michael Jackson had a sacred relationship between them. To Frank, he was many things but most importantly a true friend. In this book, he talks about all those memories, they had together. It’s really a treasure to know another side of Michael’s life from a person who had known him so closely.

10. Making Michael: Inside the Career of Michael Jackson – Mike Smallcombe

Mike Smallcombe’s book presents an opportunity to dive down into the realm of Michael Jackson. He interviewed dozens of people, who worked with Michael and dug up stories, no one ever heard. It’s like getting a second opinion on what Michael was like as a living being.

book celebrity Michael Jackson read singer

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The King is dead! Long live the cash-in!

W hile she waited for Michael Jackson's memorial service to begin at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on 7 July, the Sky News anchor asked her guests, including Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk actor, billed as the singer's friend and personal trainer, whether now that he was dead, we could forget about the child abuse allegations and the rest of the weirdness that surrounded him and instead simply remember the superstar.

In the warmth of that summer morning and in the heat of the "whoopla" attending the event (to borrow the term of another of Jackson's confidants, Elizabeth Taylor), it felt a forgivable question, but the weirdness was always inseparable from the transformative process that saw this troubled black child from Gary, Indiana become a universal figure of indeterminate race and sexual yearnings: the self-styled King of Pop.

It's a point lost, however, on those publishers and authors who rushed into print before Jackson's emaciated and pock-ridden corpse was laid to rest. The most feeble effort is Michael Jackson: Legend, Hero, Icon (HarperCollins £12.99, pp192) written by James Aldis, a self-confessed fan whose chief credential is that he "was among the many fans to have bought tickets for the London O 2 arena performances". It skims over the 2005 child abuse court case in a paragraph, although novel insight is offered into the source of Jackson's changing image: "Perhaps as a direct consequence of the stress, Michael's appearance seemed further removed from the happy, dark-skinned child he had once been." The jacket lifts quotes mourning the singer from three of his fellow stars – Mariah Carey, Madonna and, bathetically, Fergie, from the Black Eyed Peas.

Its rival as a coffee-table companion, Michael Jackson: Life of a Legend (Headline £17.99, pp192) by Michael Heatley has better pictures, and the story is told at greater length in Michael Jackson: King of Pop (John Blake £7.99, pp288) by Emily Herbert (previous credits: Gok Wan: The Biography and Kerry: Story of a Survivor ). But best of this sorry bunch is former Melody Maker writer Chris Roberts's more astute tribute, Michael Jackson: the King of Pop (Carlton £14.99, pp144).

Neither Jackson's protestations nor the findings of the jury could initially persuade Ian Halperin that the singer was innocent of the charges brought against him in court. His Unmasked: the Final Years of Michael Jackson (Simon & Schuster £10, pp288) was being written to coincide with Jackson's O 2 dates and it contains the results of his own investigative work. Refreshingly, he is candid about having set out to "nail" the singer, but the conclusion he draws, convincingly, is that Jackson was never a child molester but, rather, the victim of two extortion attempts.

Equally intriguing are claims that Lisa Marie Presley's marriage to Jackson in 1994 was part of a plot to bring him into the fold of Scientology. But the idea that Jackson could never love her (or show off his mottled penis to a child) because he was gay, with a hidden string of (adult) male lovers, feels less convincing. But the Michael Jackson myth has always served as locus for lurid speculation and if that appeals, this is the place to come – at least until tomorrow's tabloids appear with their new bombshell revelations.

Otherwise, anyone wanting a reliably solid account of Michael Jackson's life should continue to turn to J Randy Taraborrelli's 1991 biography, Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness (Pan £8.99, pp704), updated in 2004 but yet to be further revised. "Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars?" Jackson told Taraborrelli in 1995, in a quote that prefaces the book. "Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, 'I'm an alien ...', people would say, 'Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is nuts. He's cracked up! You can't believe a thing that comes out of his mouth ...'"

The one thing that none of these books bother with much is, inevitably, his music, and so it is that for all these several hundred thousand words written about Jackson's life and death, the most fun is to be found in Smash Hits: Michael Jack son 52-page Special Tribute Issue edited by Barry McIlheney (Bauer £2.99, p52). Lazarus-like, rather than like the ghouls rising from the dead in the "Thriller" video, the magazine has returned for a one-off issue, complete with a guide on how to moonwalk and a selection of old reviews of his singles. "I like Michael Jackson," wrote guest reviewer Zodiac Mindwarp of "The Way You Make Me Feel" in 1987. "I don't think he's 'wacko' at all."

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Michael Jackson Biography

Despite achieving his goal to be a music performer, Michael’s childhood was far from happy. He was regularly beaten and threatened by his authoritarian father. This legacy of abuse left Michael scarred throughout his adult life.

Solo Career Michael Jackson

His second solo album, Thriller , launched Michael Jackson into a position as the most famous pop singer in the world. With little commercial advertising and promotion, Thriller rose to number one on album sales and remained at the number one spot for a total of 37 weeks. It gained one of many Guinness World Records for Michael Jackson, attaining 110 million global sales and 29 million sales in the US. Thriller included number one hits such as Beat It, Billie Jean .

Michael Jackson with the Reagans

In March 1983, Michael Jackson performed live on Motown 25, ‘Yesterday, today, forever’, – a TV special. He performed his distinctive and memorable dance move – the Moonwalk. In the dance routine, he effortlessly moves backwards with seemingly keeping one leg perfectly straight. His performance made him a global icon of not just music, but dance. Michael Jackson pioneered the importance of music video in promoting a pop artist. This iconic performance has been compared to the famous Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.

By the late 80s, there was an increasing number of stories speculating on Jackson’s personal life, health and physical appearance. Michael Jackson underwent numerous operations of plastic surgery to fix his nose and add a dimple in his chin. During the 1980s, his skin started to lighten; this was due to a rare skin pigment disease, but it didn’t stop a wave of speculative press stories that he was bleaching his skin colour. The press covered a range of speculative stories about Michael Jackson, including imaginary stories Michael had invented himself (such as sleeping in an oxygen tent to avoid the ageing process)

“I’ve been in the entertainment industry since I was six-years-old, and as Charles Dickens would say, “It’s been the best of times, the worst of times.” But I would not change my career… While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me.”

—Michael Jackson

The press attention made Michael increasingly reclusive, spending much of his time in his ‘Never Land’ ranch.

Speaking on the Oprah Winfrey show, Jackson addressed the issue of skin colour change:

“OK, number one. There, as I know of, there is no such thing as skin bleaching…I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin, it’s something that I cannot help, OK? But, when people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me…it’s a problem for me, I can’t control it.”

He married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994; it lasted two years though they remained friendly after the divorce. In 1996, he married Deborah Rowe in Sydney. Together they had two children. They divorced in 1999 and Rowe gave full custody of children to Jackson.

Allegations of child abuse were first raised in the 1980s and re-appeared in the 1990s. This led to the trial of The People v Jackson on 31 Jan 2005, in Sante Maria, California. After five months of high publicity, Jackson was acquitted. Though the experience left him physically weak and emotionally stressed. He departed America for the Persian Gulf Island of Bahrain.

“The minute I started breaking the all-time record in record sales—I broke Elvis’s records, I broke Beatles records—the minute it became the all-time best-selling album in the history of the Guinness Book of World Records, overnight they called me a freak. They called me a homosexual. They called me a child molester. They said I bleached my skin. They made everything to turn the public against me.”

– Remarks at National Action Network headquarters (9 July 2002)

Towards the end of his life, he was increasingly plagued by money troubles and ill health. He increasingly became dependent on a variety of drugs, which was said to have contributed to his ill health and premature death. Despite concerns over finance, he is said to have made career earnings of $500m and had assets in Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalogue worth over $300m alone.

“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe”

– M. Jackson Quoted by CNN June 2009.

Michael Jackson died on 25 June 2009, at a rented mansion in the district of Los Angeles.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Michael Jackson”, Oxford, UK.  www.biographyonline.net , 28th Jul 2010. Updated 11th February 2018.

Charity Work of Michael Jackson

• Michael Jackson supported many charities. This included a burns charity in Culver City, California. This followed an incident where Michael Jackson was burnt in filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984.
• He also supported HIV / AIDS charities at a time when it was still unfashionable.
• In 1984, he received an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities which help overcome alcohol and drug abuse.
• From his 1984, Victory Tour he donated all funds (around $8million to charity)
• In 1985, he also co-wrote the charity single “We are the World” with Lionel Richie. It sold over 30 million copies, and the proceeds were sent to the poor in the US and Africa.
• He continued his charity work to the end of his life supporting charity concerts such as Aid for victims of Kosovo war.

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Michael Jackson Biography

Born: August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana African American entertainer, singer, and songwriter

Aperformer since the age of five, Michael Jackson is one of the most popular singers in history. His 1983 album, Thriller, sold forty million copies, making it the biggest seller of all time. Through his record albums and music videos he created an image imitated by his millions of fans.

Career planned in advance

Michael Joe Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, the fifth of Joe and Katherine Jackson's nine children. The house was always filled with music. Jackson's mother taught the children folk and religious songs, to which they sang along. Jackson's father, who worked at a steel plant, had always dreamed of becoming a successful musician. When this failed to happen, he decided to do whatever it took to make successes of his children. He tried to control his children's careers even after they were adults. The struggle for the control of the musical fortunes of the Jackson family was a constant source of conflict.

The Jackson boys soon formed a family band that became a success at amateur shows and talent contests throughout the Midwest. From the age of five Michael's amazing talent showed itself. His dancing and stage presence caused him to become the focus of the group. His older brother, Jackie, told Gerri Hershey in Rolling Stone, "It was sort of frightening. He was so young. I don't know where he got it. He just knew. "

Discovered by Motown

The Jacksons' fame and popularity soon began to spread. While performing at the Apollo Theater in New York City's Harlem neighborhood in 1968, Motown recording artist Gladys Knight (1944–) and pianist Billy Taylor discovered them. Later that year singer Diana Ross (1944–) became associated with the boys during a "Soul Weekend" in Gary. With Ross's support, the Jacksons signed a contract with Motown Records. Berry Gordy (1929–), the famous head of Motown, took control of the Jacksons' careers.

By 1970 the group, known as the Jackson Five, was topping the charts and riding a wave of popularity with such hits as "ABC," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There," each of which sold over one million copies. The group also appeared on several televised specials, and a Jackson Five cartoon series was created. Gordy quickly recognized Michael's appeal and released albums featuring him alone. These solo albums sold as well as those of the Jackson Five. The group managed to survive Michael's voice change and a bitter break with Motown Records in 1976, but as the Jackson family they continued to fight with each other and with their own father.

Unbelievable success

While working on The Wiz, Jackson met producer Quincy Jones (1933–). They worked together on Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall, which sold ten million copies and earned critical praise. In 1982 Jackson and Jones again joined forces on the Thriller album. Thriller fully established Jackson as a solo performer, and his hit songs from the album—"Beat It," "Billie Jean," and "Thriller"—made him the major pop star of the early 1980s. The success of Thriller (with forty million copies sold, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time) and the videos of its songs also helped Jackson break the color barrier imposed by radio stations and the powerful music video channel MTV. By 1983 Jackson was the single most popular entertainer in America.

In 1985 Jackson reunited with Quincy Jones for USA for Africa's "We Are the World," which raised funds for the poor in Africa. Jackson's next two albums, Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991), were not as hugely successful as Thriller, but Jackson remained in the spotlight throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. In 1992 he founded "Heal the World" to aid children and the environment. In 1993 he was presented with the "Living Legend Award" at the Grammy Awards ceremony and with the Humanitarian (one who promotes human welfare) of the Year trophy at the Soul Train awards.

Rocked by scandal

Despite Jackson's popularity and good works, he became the subject of a major scandal (action that damages one's reputation). In 1993 a thirteen-year-old boy accused Jackson of sexually abusing him at the star's home. Jackson settled the case out of court while insisting he was innocent. The scandal cost Jackson his endorsement (paid public support of a company's products) contract with Pepsi and a film deal. His sexual preference was called into question, and his public image was severely damaged.

In 1995 Jackson was criticized following the release of his new album HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I. One of the songs on the album, "They Don't Care About Us," seemed to contain anti-Semitic (showing hatred toward Jewish people) lyrics (words). To avoid further criticism, Jackson changed the lyrics. He also wrote a letter of apology to Rabbi Marvin Hier, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, who had protested the lyrics.

Marriage and fatherhood

In 1994 Jackson shocked the world when he married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the late (deceased) rock legend Elvis Presley (1935–1977). Many felt that the marriage was an attempt to improve his public image. In August 1996 Jackson and Presley divorced. In November 1996 Jackson announced that he was to be a father. The child's mother was Debbie Rowe, a long-time friend of Jackson. They married later that month in Sydney, Australia. On February 13, 1997, their son, Prince Michael Jackson, Jr., was born in Los Angeles, California. The couple's second child, daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, was born in 1998. Rowe filed for divorce from Jackson in October 1999.

Jackson and his brothers were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1997. Later that year another album, Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, containing new versions of songs from HIStory along with five new songs, was released. The album received good reviews, and the world continued to be fascinated by the talent and career of Michael Jackson.

In 2000 Jackson's promoter sued him for $21.2 million for backing out of two planned concerts the previous New Year's Eve. In 2001 Jackson, while delivering a lecture at Oxford University in England to promote his Heal the Kids charity, described his unhappy childhood and proposed a "bill of rights" for children that would provide for the right to an education "without having to dodge bullets." Later that year Jackson was again elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this time as a solo performer. Jackson also released a new album, Invincible, in October 2001.

For More Information

Grant, Adrian. Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. New York: Omnibus Press, 1994.

Graves, Karen Marie. Michael Jackson. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 2001.

Jackson, Michael. Moonwalk. New York: Doubleday, 1988.

Marsh, Dave. Trapped: Michael Jackson and the Crossover Dream. New York: Bantam, 1985.

Nicholson, Lois. Michael Jackson. New York: Chelsea House, 1994.

Wallner, Rosemary. Michael Jackson: Music's Living Legend. Edina, MN: Abdo & Daughters, 1991.

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You’re welcome, exhibs: dwayne johnson turns up at cinemacon to show off ‘moana 2’, lionsgate shows off emotional, intense first look of michael jackson biopic ‘michael’ at cinemacon.

By Anthony D'Alessandro , Nancy Tartaglione

Yes, this just happened — to big cheers.

Producer Graham King showed up to close Lionsgate ‘s CinemaCon session in a big way Wednesday, showing off an emotional first trailer for Michael , the Michael Jackson biopic that hits theaters on April 18, 2025. Director Antoine Fuqua still is shooting the movie, but a first-look clip was assembled.

“I’m looking forward to giving to the audience a thrill like they’ve never seen before,” King said.

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He promised the film will cover Jackson’s career, his personal life, artistry and musical legacy.

King said the filmmakers had tried to “find the untold version of the story.”

“Michael Jackson was an enigma, full of eccentricities and … talent,” he said. He also was “simply a man who lived a very complicated life. The movie will get into all of it including over 30 songs spanning his career … his life on stage and his life out of the public eye.”

RELATED: First Photo From Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Unveiled As King Of Pop’s Nephew Takes The Stage

King also said this would be “a long feature film.”

The footage begins with scenes of screaming fans and cuts to Jackson as a little boy whose mother tells him, “There might be some people who think you’re different, and that’s going to make life a little harder for you, but you never were like anyone else.”

In voice-over, a grown-up Jackson says of performing: “It transports your entire being. That’s what I want the world to feel like — magic.”

Some of the footage shown to the exhibitor crowd today at the Caesars Colosseum appears to take place during the Off the Wall era as well as that of Bad — “Man in the Mirror” is a key song heard throughout. We also see the pop singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson performing onstage as the King of Pop. At one point, his voice-over says, “When I’m not on stage, everything feels foreign to me.”

The pic shows it all — from Jackson’s childhood days in snowy Gary, Indiana, to the Jackson 5 performing and the Thriller star being mobbed by fans while sitting in his limo.

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Lionsgate's Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael' Adds 7 To Cast

The Michael Jackson biopic Michael from Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International has added seven in key roles: Larenz Tate (Power Book II: Ghost), Kat Graham (Black, White & Blue), Jessica Sula (Split), Liv Symone (Power Book III: Raising Kanan), Kendrick Sampson (Something from Tiffany’s), KeiLyn Durrel Jones (How to Die Alone), and Kevin Shinick.

Tate plays Motown Records founder and impresario Berry Gordy, with Graham as Diana Ross, lead singer of The Supremes; Sula as Michael’s older sister, La Toya; Symone as Motown artist Gladys Knight; Sampson as iconic songwriter, composer, and producer Quincy Jones; Jones as Jackson 5 security guard turned confidante to Michael, Bill Bray; and Shinick as American Bandstand host Dick Clark.

As previously announced, Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson leads the ensemble as Michael, with Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, and Juliano Krue Valdi among others set for key roles.

Currently in production, Michael promises to bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became known worldwide as the King of Pop. The film will examine Jackson’s triumphs and tragedies - from his human side, to his public and private struggles, to the accusations and the 24/7 media microscope Jackson lived under, even at his artistic apex. Pic will also capture Michael’s undeniable creative genius, recreating his most memorable, iconic performances. 

Antoine Fuqua is directing from a script by John Logan, with Graham King/GK Films producing. Prince Jackson, Michael’s eldest son, is working side-by-side with the filmmakers on set, on behalf of his siblings. In addition to King, producers include the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate, John Branca and John McClain. Lionsgate is distributing the film domestically, while Universal Pictures International will handle all international territories apart from Japan, which Lionsgate will oversee.

Pic’s slated for release worldwide on April 18, 2025.

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