The international Music industry has faced its biggest shock this week with the sudden demise of Michael Jackson. The 50 year old music legend reportedly suffered a heart attack in his LA home on Thursday 25^th June 2009.

Jackson was rushed to the UCLA Medical Centre where both doctors and paramedics continually tried to resuscitate the star before he was pronounced dead 2 hours later.

With the rising anticipation of his comeback tour, many fans were shocked to hear the king of pop had reached his untimely end before his ‘last curtain call’. In a press conference earlier this year Michael Jackson delivered the news that after years of touring and recording music this would be his final performance. Coroners have concluded that intense routine practices and prescription drugs were the leading causes to his death.

Fans have been truly devastated by the stars sudden death, with many leaving tributes outside his home and messages on his fan site (www.mjfanclub.net) one message read: “Our hearts are broken. We are overwhelmed with sadness. The MJFC Team sends our heartfelt condolences to Michael’s children, his parents and his siblings. We will ALWAYS remember the extraordinary talent of the entertainer and the gentle soul of the man.”

So in loving memory of one of the most influential stars of our generation here at baitmag we decided to take a look back on the life of one of the world’s greatest entertainers:

Career:

Michael Joseph Jackson was a recording artist, business man, entertainer and seventh child of the Jackson family. Michael first appeared on our screens as the youngest member of the Jackson 5.  The band produced many hits including Blame it on the Boogie, I’ll be there, ABC and the Love you save.  The Jackson 5 were the first act in recorded history to have their first four singles reach the top of the American charts. They were also the first black teen idols to appeal to all audiences (many believed this was thanks to the promotional skills of Motown CEO Berry Gordy).

By 1989 the band had signed up with Epic records and had produced hits including Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) and State of Shock. But on their final album 2300 Jackson Street the absence of Michael and Marlon led to great decline in record sales, the band never formally announced any sort of split but made appearances on Michael’s Tribute concerts in 2001.

Jackson 5

Before the bands last album Michael had begun working on his own solo career; it was here that the Kings true reign on music began. 1982 saw the release of one of the greatest albums of all time, Thriller. Even today the album is heralded  as the World’s bestselling album of all time. He also produced four other studio albums that are amongst the world’s best selling records: Off the Wall (1979) Bad (1987) Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995)

It was not long before the 1980′s was declared as Jackson’s era. By this point he had become a prominent figure in popular music and was the first African American entertainer to create a strong crossover in to MTV, after the music station began to broadcast his videos. To this day many people accredit Jackson for taking music videos that were used as mere promotional tools and turning them into an art form. He brought MTV into the spotlight- videos such as Scream and Black or White made Jackson a key staple on the station all throughout the 1990s. The success of his sell out tours and music videos meant Jackson was able to popularize a number of physically complicated dance routines including the robot and his infamous Moonwalk. His vocal styling’s and distinct musical sound influenced a generation of R&B and Hip Hop artists- who still use his music as their templates.

He was one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as well as setting a number of records in the Guinness World Records  one of which includes the “Most successful Entertainer of All Time”. With 13 Grammy Awards, and 13 Number 1 Singles in his solo career alone, Jackson was able to amass 750 million record sales worldwide. Before his sudden demise, Jackson was preparing for his show entitled This is it; a series of 50 concerts that would have been held in London beginning July 13, 2009.

His Personal Life:

From a young age Michael was pushed into the spotlight and forced to face public scrutiny,  not just from his fans but from the world press. Throughout his career Jackson was plagued by numerous reports about his eccentric nature- with the tabloids dubbing him Wacko Jacko. He constantly battled with prescription drugs and an unusual obsession with plastic surgery.

On stage Michael was enigmatic and outgoing, but off stage, Jackson was a  reclusive and very self conscience man. After years of criticism he decided to go the knife to ‘improve’ his physical appearance. Some believe that one of the mains reasons behind all the surgery was his father;  throughout his life Jackson spoke about his repressed childhood and expressed a certain degree of resentment towards his father for it. So in an attempt to distance himself from his father and childhood he began to reinvent himself (and create a new beginning) through plastic surgery. 

Jackson also faced a lot disapproval from the African American community after he was diagnosed with a skin disorder- many people believed that he was using skin bleaches to distance himself from his roots:

“I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of my skin, it’s something that I cannot help, OK?”

Despite all of this, his fans still loved his eccentric nature- but the controversy he generated damaged his image in the press immensely. The most prominent issue that shadowed his career was his ‘inappropriate’ relationship with children. In 1993 Jackson was brought to court over a child sexual abuse case. The criminal investigation was soon dropped due to a lack of evidence. The singer constantly faced health concerns in the late 1990s and was continually criticised for the bad state of his finances – by the end he was reported to have collected a debt of $500 million.  Much of his wealth was spent creating his Neverland ranch; a home that helped him re-create a childhood he never had:

Changing Faces of Michael Jackson

“I wanted to have a place that I could create everything that I that I never had as a child. So, you see rides. You see animals. There’s a movie heatre.”

In 2005 Jackson was again tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. Michael Jackson fought against the allegations, pleading with the courts and press that his intentions with children were always pure. After the trial Jackson decided to cut himself off from the world as much as possible- so that he would never be caught in any sort of negative situation again.

“Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrists”

Jackson also donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundations, charity singles, and support of 39 charities. He supported a number of children’s charitites and did all he could to help them.

So irregardless of what  his personal life was, his loyal fans continued to follow him to the very end.  His music will continue to live on in generations to come and will continue to change the face of music. For those who are mourning his passing here are some final words from the king himself:

“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.“

RIP Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009)