Early life and the Jackson 5 (1958–1975) in
Gary, Indiana, in May 2014 Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in
Gary, Indiana. He was the eighth of ten children in the
Jackson family, an
African-American working-class household living in
a two-bedroom home on Jackson Street. His mother,
Katherine Jackson (née Scruse), played clarinet, cello, and piano, had aspired to be a
country-and-western performer, and worked part-time at
Sears. She was a
Jehovah's Witness. His father,
Joe Jackson, was a former boxer and a crane operator at
US Steel, who also played guitar for the local
rhythm and blues group the
Falcons. Michael grew up with three sisters—
Rebbie,
La Toya, and
Janet—and five brothers
Jackie,
Tito,
Jermaine,
Marlon, and
Randy. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers, a band formed by their father that already included Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine. They initially performed as backup musicians, playing
congas and
tambourine. Michael later said that his father physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals, recalling that Joe often sat with a belt in hand, ready to punish mistakes. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon denied that their father was abusive, saying the whippings—felt more intensely by Michael because he was younger—kept the group disciplined and out of trouble. Michael described his youth as lonely and isolated. By late 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and the group was renamed
the Jackson 5. That year, they won a talent show in which Michael danced to
Robert Parker's "
Barefootin'" and sang
the Temptations' "
My Girl". From 1966 to 1968, the Jackson 5 toured throughout the
Midwest, performing frequently on the
Chitlin' Circuit as an opening act for artists such as
Sam & Dave,
the O'Jays,
Gladys Knight, and
Etta James. They also performed in clubs and cocktail lounges that featured
striptease shows, as well as at local auditoriums and high school dances. In August 1967, while touring the
East Coast, they won a weekly amateur night competition at the
Apollo Theater in
Harlem. in 1972. The group were among the first
African American performers to attain a large following.|left The Jackson 5 recorded several songs for the Gary-based label
Steeltown Records, releasing their first single, "
Big Boy", in 1968. Bobby Taylor of
Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers brought the group to
Motown after they opened for him at Chicago's
Regal Theater that year. Taylor produced some of their early Motown recordings, including a version of "
Who's Lovin' You". After signing with Motown, the Jackson family relocated to Los Angeles. In 1969, Motown executives decided that
Diana Ross would introduce the Jackson 5 to the public—partly to support her emerging television career—launching what was considered Motown's final product of its "production line". The group made its first television appearance that year at the
Miss Black America pageant, performing a cover of "
It's Your Thing".
Rolling Stone later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who quickly became the group's main attraction and lead singer. In January 1970, "
I Want You Back" became the Jackson 5's first single to reach number one on the
Billboard Hot 100, remaining at the top for four weeks. Three additional Motown singles—"
ABC", "
The Love You Save", and "
I'll Be There"—also reached number one. In May 1971, the Jackson family moved into a large home on
Hayvenhurst Avenue, a estate in
Encino, California. During this period, Michael developed from a child performer into a
teen idol. Between 1972 and 1975, he released four solo studio albums with Motown:
Got to Be There (1972),
Ben (1972),
Music & Me (1973), and
Forever, Michael (1975). "
Got to Be There" and "
Ben", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, sold well as singles, as did his cover of
Bobby Day's "
Rockin' Robin". Michael remained involved with the Jackson 5. They grew frustrated with Motown's refusal to grant them creative input. Michael's performance of their top five single "
Dancing Machine" on
Soul Train helped popularize the
robot dance.
Move to Epic and Off the Wall (1975–1981) (right) appear with
Diana Ross on her upcoming special,
Diana, in March 1981. The Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, signing with
Epic Records and renaming themselves the Jacksons. Their younger brother Randy joined the band around this time, while Jermaine remained with Motown to pursue a solo career. The Jacksons continued to tour internationally and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's main songwriter during this period, wrote songs such as "
Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1978), "
This Place Hotel" (1980), and "
Can You Feel It" (1980). In 1977, Jackson moved to
New York City to star as the
Scarecrow in
The Wiz, a musical film directed by
Sidney Lumet and featuring
Diana Ross,
Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross. The film was a box-office failure. Its score was arranged by
Quincy Jones, who later produced three of Jackson's solo albums. During his time in New York, Jackson frequented the
Studio 54 nightclub, where he heard early
hip-hop; this influenced his
beatboxing on later tracks such as "
Working Day and Night". Jackson's fifth solo album and first as an adult,
Off the Wall (1979), established him as a solo performer and marked his transition from the
bubblegum pop of his youth to more complex sounds. The album produced four top-10 entries in the US: "
Off the Wall", "
She's Out of My Life", and the chart-topping hits "
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "
Rock with You".
Off the Wall reached number three on the
Billboard 200 and sold more than 20million copies worldwide. Jackson won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". At the
American Music Awards during the early 1980s, he won Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", two consecutive awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album, and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. In 1981, he again won the American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. Jackson felt that
Off the Wall should have made a greater impact and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest
royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.
Thriller, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and Pepsi incident (1981–1984) on the 1983 television special
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, which helped popularize the move From 1981 to 1983, Jackson recorded demos of "
State of Shock", "Victory" and "
There Must Be More to Life Than This" with
Queen's lead singer
Freddie Mercury for a planned album duet. The project was never completed; "State of Shock" was later recorded with
Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' album
Victory (1984), and "There Must Be More to Life Than This" was released posthumously in 2014. In 1982, Jackson contributed "Someone in the Dark" to the
audiobook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Jackson's sixth studio album,
Thriller, was released on November 29, 1982. It was the best-selling album worldwide in 1983 and eventually became the best-selling album of all time in the US and
globally, with an estimated copies sold. It topped the
Billboard 200 for 37 weeks and remained in the chart's top 10 for 80 consecutive weeks.
Thriller became the first album to generate seven top-ten singles on the
Billboard Hot 100, including the number-one hits "
Billie Jean" and "
Beat It". On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, an NBC television special that aired on May 16 to an estimated audience of . Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first
Emmy Award nomination. Wearing a
rhinestone-studded glove, he debuted the
moonwalk—taught to him three years earlier by
Jeffrey Daniel—which became his signature dance move. Jackson had initially declined the invitation, believing he had been doing too much television, but agreed to perform at the request of Motown founder
Berry Gordy in exchange for a solo spot. His performance received widespread acclaim:
Rolling Stones Mikal Gilmore called it "extraordinary", and
The New York Times critic
Anna Kisselgoff praised the timing and technique of his dancing, while Gordy said he was "mesmerized". , where he won eight awards, breaking the record for the most wins in a single night At the
26th Annual Grammy Awards, Jackson received 12 nominations—the most in a single night at the time (later tied with
Babyface)—and won eight awards, breaking the record for the most wins in a single night (later tied by
Santana). Jackson won seven awards related to the album, including Album of the Year for
Thriller and Record of the Year for "Beat It", and also won an award for the
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook. He also won Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Artist, and Favorite Pop/Rock Artist. "Beat It" won Favorite Soul/R&B Video, Favorite Pop/Rock Video, and Favorite Pop/Rock Single. The album won Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album.
Thrillers sales doubled after the release of an extended music video for
its title track, which features Jackson dancing with a group of zombies. The success transformed Jackson into a dominant force in global pop culture, He had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, earning about $2 for every album sold (), and was making record-breaking profits. In the same year, ''The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller'', a documentary about the music video, won a Grammy for Best Music Video (Longform). In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with
PepsiCo in a $5million promotional deal that set a new record for a celebrity endorsement (equivalent to $ in ). The first
Pepsi campaign, which ran in the US from 1983 to 1984 and launched the company's "New Generation" theme, included tour sponsorship, public relations events, and in-store displays. Jackson helped create the advertisement and suggested using his song "Billie Jean", with revised lyrics, as its
jingle. during the
Victory Tour in 1984 On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial at the
Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, overseen by
Phil Dusenberry, a
BBDO ad agency executive, and
Alan Pottasch, Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director. During a simulated concert before a full audience, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing second-degree
burns to his scalp. He underwent treatment to conceal the scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly afterward. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $1.5million settlement (equivalent to $ in ) to the
Brotman Medical Center in
Culver City, California; its now-closed Michael Jackson Burn Center was named in his honor. Jackson signed a second agreement with Pepsi in the late 1980s for $10million (equivalent to $ in ). The second campaign covered 20 countries and provided financial support for Jackson's
Bad album and 1987–1988 world tour. Jackson also had endorsements and advertising deals with companies such as
LA Gear,
Suzuki, and
Sony, but none were as significant as his deals with Pepsi. Following
controversy over the concert's ticket sales, Jackson donated his share of the proceeds—estimated at —to charity. During the final concert of the Victory Tour at the
Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Jackson announced his split from the Jacksons during "Shake Your Body".
"We Are the World" and other commercial activities (1985) " poster in 1985 With
Lionel Richie, Jackson co-wrote the charity single "
We Are the World" (1985), which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa. It earned $63million (equivalent to $ in ), It won four Grammy Awards in 1985, including Song of the Year for Jackson and Richie. Jackson collaborated with
Paul McCartney in the early 1980s and learned that McCartney was making $40million a year from owning the rights to other artists' songs. In 1981, McCartney had been offered the catalog for £20million ($40million) (equivalent to $ in ). Jackson submitted a bid of $46million (equivalent to $ in ) on November 20, 1984. His purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985. a condition characterized by patches of skin losing their pigment. He also identified
discoid lupus erythematosus in Jackson. Klein diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year Vitiligo's drastic effects on the body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup and possibly skin-bleaching prescription creams to cover the uneven blotches caused by the illness. The creams would depigment the blotches, and with makeup he could appear very pale. Jackson said he had not purposely bleached his skin and could not control his vitiligo, adding, "When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me." He became friends with Klein and Klein's assistant,
Debbie Rowe. Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his first two children. In his 1988 autobiography and a 1993 interview, Jackson said he had had two
rhinoplasty surgeries and a
cleft chin surgery, but no more than that. He said he lost weight in the early 1980s because he changed his diet to achieve a dancer's body. Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy and speculated he was suffering from
anorexia nervosa. Periods of weight loss became a recurring problem later in his life. After his death, Jackson's mother said that he first turned to
cosmetic procedures to address his vitiligo because he did not want to look like a "spotted cow". She said he had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he had become addicted to them. in 1986 In 1986, it was reported that Jackson slept in a
hyperbaric chamber to slow aging. He denied the story, although it was alleged that Jackson leaked an image of himself sleeping in a glass chamber (which he said was a promotional shot from
an upcoming space opera featuring him) to
The National Enquirer. It was also reported that Jackson took estrogen injections to keep his voice high and facial hair sparse, proposed to
Elizabeth Taylor and possibly kept a shrine to her, and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. Jackson's manager
Frank DiLeo denied all of these claims except for Jackson having a chamber. DiLeo added, "I don't know if he sleeps in it. I'm not for it. But Michael thinks it's something that's probably healthy for him. He's a bit of a health fanatic." When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee
Bubbles on tour in Japan, the media portrayed him as an aspiring
Disney cartoon character who befriended animals. It was also reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of
Joseph Merrick (the "Elephant Man"). In June 1987, the
Chicago Tribune reported Jackson's publicist bidding $1million for the skeleton from the
London Hospital Medical College on his behalf. The college maintained the skeleton was not for sale. DiLeo said Jackson had an "absorbing interest" in Merrick, "purely based on his awareness of the ethical, medical and historical significance". Jackson worked with
George Lucas and
Francis Ford Coppola on a 17-minute, $30million
3D film,
Captain EO, which ran from 1986 at
Disneyland and
Epcot, and later at
Tokyo Disneyland and
Euro Disneyland. After being removed in the late 1990s, it returned to the theme park for several years after Jackson's death. As a Jehovah's Witness, Jackson would evangelize door-to-door while wearing a disguise. In 1987,
Ebony reported that Jackson had disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses. Katherine Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed the
Thriller video, which Michael denounced in a Witness publication in 1984. While former members are usually shunned by their families, Jackson's mother remained in contact with him. In 2001, Jackson told an interviewer he was still a Jehovah's Witness.
Bad, autobiography and Neverland (1987–1990) " at the
Bad World Tour in 1988|left Jackson released his highly anticipated seventh studio album,
Bad, on August 31, 1987.
Bad sold more than 2.25 million copies in its first week in the US, debuting at number one on the
Billboard 200, where it remained for six weeks. It became the first album to produce five US number-one singles: "
I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "
Bad", "
The Way You Make Me Feel", "
Man in the Mirror", and "
Dirty Diana". Another single, "
Smooth Criminal", peaked at number seven. Jackson received an Award of Achievement at the American Music Awards in 1989 after
Bad generated five number-one singles, became the first album to top the charts in 25 countries, and was the best-selling album worldwide in 1987 and 1988. The
Bad tour ran from September 12, 1987, to January 27, 1989. In Japan, it had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record for a single tour. The 504,000 people who attended seven sold-out shows at
Wembley Stadium set a new
Guinness World Record.
Bad cemented Jackson's status as a dominant music force; the album has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, placing it among the
best-selling albums of all time. In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography,
Moonwalk, with input from Stephen Davis and
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. It sold 200,000 copies, and reached the top of
The New York Times Best Seller list. Jackson discussed his childhood, the Jackson 5, and the abuse he experienced from his father. He attributed his changing facial appearance to three plastic surgeries, puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and stage lighting. On June 28, 1988, during the Bad World Tour, Jackson was presented with the Grand Vermeil
Medal of the City of Paris by Mayor
Jacques Chirac. On July 20, he became the first
commoner in history to enter London's
Guildhall through the building's Royal Entrance. In October, Jackson released the film
Moonwalker, which featured live footage and short films starring Jackson and
Joe Pesci. In the US it was released
direct-to-video and became the best-selling videocassette in the country. The
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it eight times Platinum. in July 1988 In March 1988, Jackson purchased of land near
Santa Ynez, California, to build a new home,
Neverland Ranch, at a cost of $17million (equivalent to $ in ). He installed a
Ferris wheel, a
carousel, a movie theater, and a zoo. A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds. Around this time, Jackson became known as the "
King of Pop", a nickname embraced by his publicists. When
Elizabeth Taylor presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, she called him "the true king of pop, rock and soul". President
George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade". At the 38th
BMI Awards in 1990, Jackson became the first person to be honored with an award named after its recipient. From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $455,000 to the
United Negro College Fund, and all profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity. His performance of "You Were There" at
Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration earned Jackson a second Emmy nomination.
Dangerous and public social work (1991–1993) In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $65million (equivalent to $ in ), a
record-breaking deal at the time. He released his eighth studio album,
Dangerous, on November 21, 1991, co-produced with
Teddy Riley. It was certified eight times platinum in the US and had sold 32 million copies worldwide by 2018. In the US, the first single, "
Black or White", was the album's highest-charting song; it was number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and achieved similar chart success worldwide. The second single, "
Remember the Time" peaked at number three on the
Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, "
Heal the World" reached number two on the charts in 1992. The tour ran from June 1992 to November 1993, grossing (equivalent to $ in ) from 69 concerts outside the US and attracting more than 3.5 million people. Jackson sold the broadcast rights for his October 1, 1992, concert in Bucharest to
HBO for $20million (equivalent to $ in ), then the highest fee ever paid for a concert performer to appear on television. He donated a portion of the fee to aid Romanian children. and performed "
Gone Too Soon", a song dedicated to White, and "Heal the World" at the gala. Jackson visited Africa in early 1992; on his first stop in Gabon, he was greeted by more than 100,000 people, some carrying signs that read "Welcome Home Michael", and was awarded the rank of Officer of the
National Order of Merit from President
Omar Bongo. During his trip to Ivory Coast, Jackson drew larger crowds than
Pope John Paul II had on his previous visits. He was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief in the Ivorian village of
Krindjabo, where he thanked dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances. With 133.4 million viewers, it was the first Super Bowl whose halftime show drew a larger audience than the game itself. Jackson performed "
Jam", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", and "Heal the World".
Dangerous rose 90 places on the US albums chart following the performance. Jackson gave
a 90-minute interview with
Oprah Winfrey on February 10, 1993. He spoke about the abuse he experienced during his childhood at the hands of his father, said he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood, and stated that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought the bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, and stated for the first time that he had vitiligo. After the interview,
Dangerous re-entered the US albums chart in the top 10, more than a year after its release. The interview became the
most-watched television interview in US history to date, with more than 90 million viewers. In January 1993, Jackson won three
American Music Awards: Favorite Pop/Rock Album (
Dangerous), Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Remember the Time"), and became the first recipient of the International Artist Award of Excellence. In February, he received the "Living Legend Award" at the
35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Dangerous was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (for "Black or White"), Best R&B Vocal Performance ("Jam"), and Best R&B Song ("Jam"), and Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered—Non Classical.
First child sexual abuse accusations and first marriage (1993–1995) In the second half of 1993, Jackson faced significant controversy following allegations that he had sexually abused 13‑year‑old Jordan Chandler, whom he met that year. On July 8, Jordan's father, Evan Chandler, was recorded threatening to ruin Jackson's career with a "carefully planned plot." The following day, Jackson's investigator, Anthony Pellicano, met Jordan, who denied any abuse or inappropriate touching by Jackson. After a letter from psychiatrist Dr. Mathis Abrams stating that sexual abuse might have occurred, Chandler allegedly received a confession from his son Jackson denied all of the claims and financial demands, prompting Chandler to go public with the allegations. Prosecutors raided Neverland Ranch and other residences while Jackson was on tour in August, finding no
child pornography or other incriminating evidence. In December 1993, Prosecutor
Thomas W. Sneddon Jr. filed a court order to conduct a strip search of Jackson, based on a drawing provided by the accuser and submitted to authorities. According to
Reuters and
USA Today, the description of Jackson's genitalia did not match the photographs taken during the police investigation. The grand jury subsequently subpoenaed Jackson's mother, reportedly to assess whether there were any physical alterations compared to the description. In November 1993, Jackson requested that the civil trial be postponed until after the criminal hearing, arguing that proceeding would violate his
civil rights under the circumstances of having to defend himself under
double jeopardy. The motion was denied, and in January 1994, the civil lawsuit was settled for $15,331,250, with separate payments of $1.5million for Evan and June Chandler, totaling $18.3million allocated to the Chandler family—less than the initial $20–30 million demand. The settlement documents show that the Chandlers dropped the child molestation allegations from their complaint, with Jackson's settlement filed over claims of negligence. It was later revealed that the settlement did not prevent the Chandlers from testifying in the criminal case. The police never filed criminal charges. The prosecution continued to investigate Jackson from January to June 1994, with Jordan Chandler continuing to cooperate with investigators. On September 21, 1994, after 400 witnesses had been investigated and another 30 called before the grand juries, the investigation was closed. A few potential leads were found, but all proved to be false. Jackson had been taking
painkillers for reconstructive scalp surgeries administered after the 1984 Pepsi commercial accident, and became dependent on them to cope with the stress of the allegations. On November 12, 1993, Jackson canceled the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour due to health problems, stress from the allegations, and painkiller addiction. He thanked his close friend Elizabeth Taylor for her support, encouragement, and counsel. The end of the tour concluded his sponsorship deal with Pepsi. In late 1993, Jackson proposed to
Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of
Elvis Presley, over the phone. They were married in
La Vega, Dominican Republic, in May 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez. The tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a publicity stunt intended to deflect attention from Jackson's sexual abuse allegations and to boost Presley's career as a singer. Their marriage ended little more than a year later, and they separated in December 1995. Presley cited "irreconcilable differences" when filing for divorce the following month and sought only to reclaim her maiden name. She later said they had attempted to reconcile intermittently for four years after their divorce, traveling internationally to be together. Jackson composed music for the
Sega Genesis video game
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), but left the project around the time the sexual abuse allegations surfaced and went uncredited. Jackson's involvement was the subject of fan speculation for decades until
Sonic co-creator
Yuji Naka confirmed it in 2022.
Sega Technical Institute director Roger Hector and
Sonic co-creator
Naoto Ohshima said Jackson was terminated and his music reworked following the allegations. However, Jackson's musical director
Brad Buxer and other members of Jackson's team said he went uncredited because he was unhappy with how the Genesis hardware replicated his music. The game's credits theme later served as the basis for Jackson's 1996 song "
Stranger in Moscow".
HIStory, second marriage, fatherhood and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1995–1997) for the premiere of ''
Michael Jackson's Ghosts'' In June 1995, Jackson released the double album
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The first disc,
HIStory Begins, is a
greatest hits compilation (reissued in 2001 as
Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I). The second disc,
HIStory Continues, contains 13 original songs and two cover versions. The album debuted at number one on the charts and has been certified for eight million shipments in the US. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with 20million copies (40million units) sold worldwide. The first single from
HIStory was "
Scream/
Childhood". "Scream", a duet with Jackson's youngest sister Janet, protests the media's treatment of Jackson during the 1993 child abuse allegations. The single reached number five on the
Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. In late 1995, he was hospitalized after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance, the result of a stress‑related
panic attack. In November, Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony's music publishing division, creating
Sony/ATV Music Publishing. He retained ownership of half the company, earning $95million up front (equivalent to $ in ) as well as
rights to additional songs. "
Earth Song" was the third single released from
HIStory, and topped the
UK Singles Chart for six weeks over Christmas 1995. It became the 87th-best-selling single in UK history. At the
1996 Brit Awards, Jackson's performance of "Earth Song" was interrupted by
Pulp singer
Jarvis Cocker, who said he was protesting what he viewed as Jackson's "Christ-like" persona. Jackson called the stage invasion "disgusting and cowardly". In 1996, Jackson won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form, for "Scream" and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist. In July 1996, he performed for
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's 50th birthday at
Jerudong Park Amphitheater, which had been built specifically for the event. Jackson was reportedly paid $17 million (equivalent to $ in ). He promoted
HIStory with the
HIStory World Tour, from September 7, 1996, to October 15, 1997. He performed 82 concerts across five continents, 35 countries, and 58 cities to more than 4.5million fans, making it his most‑attended tour. It grossed (equivalent to $ in ). During the tour, in Sydney, Australia, Jackson married
Debbie Rowe, a dermatology assistant who was six months pregnant with his first child. Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997. His sister
Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was born on April 3, 1998. Jackson and Rowe divorced in 2000; Rowe conceded custody of the children and received an $8.5million settlement (equivalent to $ in ). In 2004, after the
second child abuse allegations against Jackson, she returned to court seeking to regain custody. The suit was settled in 2006. In 1997, Jackson released
Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, which contained remixes of singles from
HIStory and five new songs. Worldwide sales stand at copies, making it the
best-selling remix album of all time. It reached number one in the UK, as did the single "
Blood on the Dance Floor". In the US, the album reached number 24 and was certified platinum. In June 1999, Jackson joined
Luciano Pavarotti for a
War Child benefit concert in
Modena, Italy. The show raised a million dollars for refugees of the
Kosovo War, and additional funds for the children of
Guatemala. Later that month, Jackson organized a series of "
Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit concerts in Germany and
South Korea. Other artists involved included
Slash,
The Scorpions,
Boyz II Men,
Luther Vandross,
Mariah Carey,
A. R. Rahman,
Prabhu Deva Sundaram,
Shobana,
Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti. The proceeds went to the
Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, the
Red Cross and
UNESCO. In 1999, Jackson was presented with the "Outstanding Humanitarian Award" at
Bollywood Movie Awards in New York City where he noted
Mahatma Gandhi to have been an inspiration for him. From August 1999 to 2000, he lived in New York City at 4
East 74th Street. At the turn of the century, Jackson was awarded with the Artist of the 1980s Decade Award at the
27th American Music Awards, and the Best Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium Award at the 12th
World Music Awards. In 2000,
Guinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer. In September 2001,
two concerts were held at Madison Square Garden to mark Jackson's 30th year as a solo artist. Jackson performed with his brothers for the first time since 1984. The show also featured
Mýa,
Usher,
Whitney Houston,
Destiny's Child,
Monica,
Liza Minnelli and Slash. The first show was marred by technical lapses, and the crowd booed a speech by
Marlon Brando. 45million people watched the television broadcast of the shows in November according to
Nielsen Media Research. After the
September 11 attacks (in which Jackson narrowly avoided death by oversleeping and missing a scheduled meeting at the
World Trade Center), Jackson helped organize the
United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., on October 21, 2001. Jackson performed "
What More Can I Give" as the finale. The release of
Invincible was preceded by a dispute between Jackson and his record label, Sony Music Entertainment. Jackson had expected the licenses to the masters of his albums to revert to him in the early 2000s, after which he would be able to promote the material however he pleased and keep the profits, but clauses in the contract set the revert date years into the future. Jackson sought an early exit from his contract.
Invincible was released on October 30, 2001. It was Jackson's first full-length album in six years, and the last album of original material he released in his lifetime. It debuted at number one in 13 countries, and went on to sell eightmillion copies worldwide, receiving double-platinum certification in the US. On January 9, 2002, Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century. Later that year, an anonymous
surrogate mother gave birth to his third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket"), who had been conceived by
artificial insemination. On November 20, Jackson briefly held Blanket over the railing of his Berlin hotel room, four stories above ground level, prompting widespread criticism in the media. Jackson apologized for the incident, calling it "a terrible mistake". In March, a Santa Maria jury ordered Jackson to pay Avram $5.3million (equivalent to $ in ). On December 18, 2003, Jackson's attorneys dropped all appeals on the verdict and settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. On April 24, 2002, Jackson performed at
Apollo Theater. The concert was a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee and former President Bill Clinton. The money collected would be used to encourage citizens to vote. It raised $2.5million (equivalent to $ in ). The concert was called
Michael Jackson: Live at the Apollo and was one of Jackson's final on-stage performances. In July 2002, at
Al Sharpton's
National Action Network in Harlem, Jackson called the Sony Music chairman
Tommy Mottola "a racist, and very, very, very devilish", and accused him of exploiting black artists for his own gain. The accusation prompted Sharpton to form a coalition investigating whether Mottola exploited black artists. Jackson charged that Mottola had called his colleague
Irv Gotti a "fat
nigger". Sony issued a statement calling the accusations "ludicrous, spiteful, and hurtful" and said Mottola had championed Jackson's career for years. The documentary, broadcast in February 2003 as
Living with Michael Jackson, showed Jackson holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a twelve-year-old boy. He discussed seeing nothing wrong with having sleepovers with minors and sharing his bed and bedroom with various people, which aroused controversy. He insisted that the sleepovers were not sexual and that his words had been misunderstood. In October 2003, Jackson received the
Key to the City of
Las Vegas from Mayor
Oscar Goodman. On November 18, 2003, Sony released
Number Ones, a
greatest hits album. It was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, and ten times platinum in the UK, for shipments of at least 3million units. On December 18, 2003, Santa Barbara authorities charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor with
alcoholic drinks. Jackson denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty. The
People v. Jackson trial began on January 31, 2005, in
Santa Maria, California, and lasted until the end of May. Jackson found the experience stressful and it affected his health. If convicted, he would have faced up to twenty years in prison. On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.
FBI files on Jackson, released in 2009, revealed the FBI's role in the 2005 trial and the 1993 allegations, and showed that the FBI found no evidence of criminal conduct on Jackson's behalf.
Final years, financial problems, Thriller 25 and This Is It (2005–2009) , 2006 After the trial, Jackson became reclusive. In June 2005, he moved to
Bahrain as a guest of
Sheikh Abdullah. In early 2006, it was announced that Jackson had signed a contract with a Bahrain startup, Two Seas Records. Nothing came of the deal, and the Two Seas CEO,
Guy Holmes, later said it was never finalized. Holmes also found that Jackson was on the verge of bankruptcy and was involved in 47 ongoing lawsuits. The main house at Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure, while Jackson lived in Bahrain at the hospitality of Abdullah. At least thirty of Jackson's employees had not been paid on time and were owed $306,000 in back wages. Jackson was ordered to pay $100,000 in penalties. In mid-2006, Jackson moved to
Grouse Lodge, a residential recording studio near
Rosemount, County Westmeath, Ireland, where he began work on a new album with the American producers
will.i.am and
Rodney Jenkins. That November, Jackson invited an
Access Hollywood camera crew into the studio in Westmeath. He returned to the US in December, settling in Las Vegas. That month, he attended
James Brown's funeral in
Augusta, Georgia, where he gave a eulogy calling Brown his greatest inspiration. near Los Olivos, California, showing the ridesIn 2007, Jackson and Sony bought another music publishing company,
Famous Music LLC, formerly owned by
Viacom. The deal gave Jackson the rights to songs by
Eminem and
Beck, among others. In a brief interview, Jackson said he had no regrets about his career despite the "deliberate attempts to hurt me". That March, Jackson visited a US Army post in Japan,
Camp Zama, to greet more than 3,000 troops and their families. As of September, Jackson was still working on his next album, which he never completed. In 2008, for the 25th anniversary of
Thriller, Jackson and Sony released
Thriller 25, with two remixes released as singles: "
The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008". For Jackson's 50th birthday, Sony BMG released a series of greatest hits albums,
King of Pop, with different tracklists for different regions. That July, Fortress Investments threatened to
foreclose on Neverland Ranch, which he had used as collateral for his loans. Fortress sold Jackson's debts to
Colony Capital LLC. In November, Jackson transferred Neverland Ranch's title to Sycamore Valley Ranch Company LLC, a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital LLC. The deal earned him . In 2009, Jackson arranged to sell a collection of his memorabilia of more than 1,000 items through
Julien's Auction House, but canceled the auction in April. In March 2009, amid speculation about his finances and health, Jackson announced a series of comeback concerts,
This Is It, at a press conference at
the O2 Arena. The shows were to be his first major concerts since the HIStory World Tour in 1997. Jackson suggested he would retire after the shows. The initial plan was for ten concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York City and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, the president and chief executive of
AEG Live, predicted the first ten dates would earn Jackson £50million. The London residency was increased to fifty dates after record-breaking ticket sales; more than one million were sold in less than two hours. The concerts were to run from July 13, 2009, to March 6, 2010. Jackson moved to Los Angeles, where he rehearsed in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of the choreographer
Kenny Ortega, whom he had worked with during his previous tours. Rehearsals took place at
the Forum and the
Staples Center owned by AEG. By this point, Jackson's debt had grown to almost $500 million. By the time of his death, he was three or four months behind payments on his home in San Fernando Valley.
The Independent reported that Jackson planned a string of further ventures designed to recoup his debts, including a world tour, a new album, films, a museum and a casino. == Death ==