Michael Joseph Jackson
(August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

He was an American recording artist, entertainer and businessman.
The singer died suddenly on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50.
The seventh child of Joseph Walter and Katherine Esther Jackson.
The Jackson Family originating in Gary, Indiana and later relocating to Encino, California.

He made his debut as an entertainer in 1964 as a member of The Jackson Brothers (later renamed The Jackson 5). He then began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group, and that successful career led to him being dubbed the “King of Pop” in subsequent years. The acclaim of The Jackson 5 led the group to become known as the “First Family of Soul”; the continued success of Michael and Janet’s careers as solo artists led the Jacksons to become known as the “Royal Family of Pop”.

Michael became a dominant figure in American popular music and culture.
Beyond his success on television, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, with his elaborate stage performances. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop music and contemporary R&B artists across several generations.

Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller remains the world’s best-selling album of all time, and four of his other solo studio albums are among the world’s best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995). Michael Jackson was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984.

Jackson suffered a setback on January 27, 1984. While filming a Pepsi Cola commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Jackson suffered second degree burns to his scalp after pyrotechnics accidentally set his hair on fire. Happening in front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert, the incident was the subject of heavy media scrutiny and elicited an outpouring of sympathy. PepsiCo settled a lawsuit out of court, and Jackson gave his $1.5 million settlement to the “Michael Jackson Burn Center” which was a piece of new technology to help people with severe burns. Jackson had his third rhinoplasty shortly afterward and grew self conscious about his appearance.

Jackson was involved in many projects, and co-wrote the charity single “We Are the World” in 1985 with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in Africa and the US. He was one of 39 music celebrities who performed on the record. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief. Jackson donated and raised more than three hundred million dollars for beneficial causes through his Heal the World Foundation, charity singles, and support of 39 charities.

The Neverland Valley Ranch most famous for being a former home of Michael Jackson from 1988 to 2005. It is named after Neverland, the fantasy island in the story of Peter Pan, a boy who never grows up. Michael Jackson may have had Peter Pan Syndrome. (Peter Pan syndrome is a pop-psychology term used to describe an adult who is socially immature.) In a 2003 interview, Jackson told interviewer Martin Bashir, “I am Peter Pan”. Bashir then said, “No, you’re Michael Jackson”. Jackson then stated, “I’m Peter Pan in my heart”.

During his residency at The Neverland Ranch, Jackson brought groups of children and their families to the facility as day visitors. He also hosted various children overnight, a practice which came under scrutiny when Jackson was accused of sexual misconduct with minors at the ranch, first in 1993 and again in 2003. Jackson said in 2005 that he would not return to The Neverland Ranch, saying he no longer considered the ranch a home, feeling the 70 police officers had “violated” it in their searches. In 2006 the ranch was closed.

In May 1994, Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. But they divorced less then two years later.

In 1997, Jackson married Deborah Jeanne Rowe, who bore him two children: a son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (after divorce name changed to Prince Michael Jackson), and a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. The couple divorced in 1999, and remained friends, with Rowe giving full custody of the children to Jackson.

Jackson’s third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (also known as Blanket) was born in 2002. The mother’s identity was never released by Jackson, but he has said the child was the result of artificial insemination from a surrogate mother and his own sperm cells.

Throughout his career he received numerous honors and awards, including the World Music Awards’ Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award and the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award. Jackson was also an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.

On June 25, 2009, Jackson collapsed at his mansion in Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by his personal physician were unsuccessful. Continued attempts on the way to the hospital were made but still unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m.

The funeral was held on July 7, 2009, in Los Angeles, consisting of a private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park’s Hall of Liberty, followed by a public memorial at the Staples Center. Jackson’s casket was present during the memorial, which was broadcast live around the world and watched by up to one billion people. No information has been released about the final resting place of the body.

Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholi sang selected Jackson songs. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave eulogies, while Queen Latifah read “We had him,” a poem written for the occasion by Maya Angelou.

The Reverend Al Sharpton received a standing ovation when he told Jackson’s children, “There wasn’t nothing strange about your daddy. What was strange was what your daddy had to deal with.” Jackson’s 11-year-old daughter, Paris Katherine, wept as she told the crowd “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine … I just wanted to say I love him so much.”

He is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. His other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone), including one for “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time.” He has won 13 Grammy Awards, charted 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and posted sales of over 750 million records worldwide, making him, according to the World Music Awards, the best selling solo artist of all time!

I grew up with the Jackson’s and so it is sad to have to bid one of them goodbye now.
I learned many things in life while listening to their music but especially Michael.
I learned to dance, i learned to laugh, i learned to cry, i learned to love, and i learned to have respect for the earth and for our fellow mankind. Despite what anyone’s personal opinions may or may not have been, of his personal life there is one thing the world should agree on and that is that we have lost a great artist and a gentle kind caring soul.

Article by: Tracy Lewis
July 8, 2009

In case you werent able to watch the memorial service live, you can watch it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQuQ04ILFz0&feature=related