Michael Jackson is one of the artists who earned the right to have his name written in the noblest pages of music history. A prolific creator who revolutionized the rhythms of his time, combining different styles with the vision and knowledge of an expert.
However, her image has been marred by various controversies ranging from a traumatic childhood, accusations of child abuse, the paternity of her children and shocking physical changes.
Con los Jackson Five
Michael Jackson’s first foray into show business came with his brothers in the group The Jackson 5. These five youngsters amazed the American public in the 1960s, turning the group into one of the most relevant groups in the music industry despite their young age. In fact, young Michael, only eleven years old, already stood out from his brothers, demonstrating the potential he had.
Michael Jackson with his brothers in The Jackson Five. | GTRES
Despite all this, the success of the Jackson 5 had a very bitter side behind the scenes. Over the years, Michael Jackson has recounted on several occasions the mistreatment to which he and his brothers were subjected by their father, Joseph Jackson, who did not hesitate to beat his children with a belt if they failed during rehearsals.
The King of Pop
During the final years of The Jackson 5 as a group, Michael Jackson also released several solo albums. A period in which the rise of this child prodigy managed to consolidate his name as one of the most prominent in American music during the 70s and 80s, achieving his great milestone in 1982 with the publication of Thriller.
Michael Jackson dominated the music scene during the 1980s. | GTRES
The album’s resounding success has led many to consider it the album that changed the trajectory of music up to that point. Critical acclaim was accompanied by seven Grammy Awards, a total of 65 million copies sold worldwide and the most transcendent music video in history.
Over the next few years, Michael Jackson’s music also remained the focus, although news began to circulate in the early 1990s linking him to cases of child abuse at his residence and theme park, Neverland.
In addition, and in parallel to this initial information, the artist’s continuous cosmetic surgeries and the loss of his natural skin tone began to attract more headlines than his work in the studio, where he continued to create new and successful music.
The balcony episode
One of the most memorable images of Michael Jackson, which in some ways shows the direction the character has taken, was taken in November 2002. Standing on a balcony at the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, the artist wanted to show his children to the fans who were gathering in front of the hotel.
Michael Jackson shows off his son at the Adlon hotel in Berlin. | GETTY
Covering his identity with a towel over the little ones, Michael Jackson held his children over the railing and even held the youngest, Prince Michael II, over the void, causing terror among those gathered there at the risk of the baby falling from a great height.
Child abuse
The first accusation of sexual abuse of minors came in 1993, when the family of Jordan Chandler, one of Michael Jackson’s child dancers, sued the artist. However, an out-of-court settlement was eventually reached to avoid the courts.
In 2005, the most high-profile of the trials the author faced took place. Gavin Arvizo’s family accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse during the boy’s stay at Neverland as part of the singer’s initiatives to help children with cancer. A trial that lasted six months and in which Jackson was accused of 10 crimes, although he was finally acquitted.
Michael Jackson arriving at the courthouse in 2005. | GETTY
The 2019 release Living Neverland once again shone a spotlight on the artist’s shadows with the revelations made in the documentary by Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck, two of the children who lived at Neverland as children, reiterating accusations of sexual abuse.
This is It
The This is It project, the most important of which was the eponymous documentary about the preparations, was the singer’s last attempt to regain the media spotlight on the stage in a big way with a residency at the O2 Arena in London as a farewell to music.
Michael Jackson during the press conference for the presentation of This is It. | GETTY
A comeback that was cut short by the death of Michael Jackson due to acute propofol poisoning, a powerful anesthetic, for which Conrad Murray, his personal physician, was later charged with involuntary manslaughter.
