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king of pop michael jackson michael jackson dies michael jackson is dead thriller
All Things Considered, June 25, 2009 - Singer Michael Jackson, the man known as the King of Pop to legions of fans around the globe, who lived most of his extraordinary life in the public eye, died Thursday in Los Angeles after going into cardiac arrest. He was 50 years old.
Los Angeles paramedics responded to a call at Jackson’s Holmby Hills home at 12:30 p.m. PT Thursday. He was not breathing. Paramedics performed CPR and took him to the nearby Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Jackson had been rehearsing for his first major concert tour in 12 years, scheduled to begin in London next month. However, there had been speculation that he would not be up to the task physically. In 2005, he had appeared gaunt and weak during his trial on child molestation charges. He later admitted an addiction to painkillers. After his acquittal, he kept a low profile, spending time in Bahrain, Ireland and France.
A Childhood In The Limelight
It used to be that Jackson’s talent was the most compelling thing about him, says music critic Jody Rosen.
“I think ‘I Want You Back’ is one of the greatest pop singles I’ve ever heard,” Rosen says.
“I Want You Back” was the hit single that famously thrust a young Michael Jackson and four of his brothers from the Gary, Ind., talent show circuit to world fame. Their grimly focused father put Michael on stage at age 5. The child, says Rosen, somehow channeled the gifts of vastly more seasoned performers.
“He had a very gritty voice at that time, which is strange, given that as he grew older, he started to sing more and more like a pre-pubescent little boy,” Rosen says. “And when he was a pre-pubescent little boy, he was singing like a soul elder statesman.”
The Jackson 5 had four No. 1 singles in a row, as well as a TV show; the group toured constantly. This was all under the guidance of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, who had a genius for crossover — molding black artists into mainstream stars. But Gordy told NPR’s Liane Hansen in 1994 that young Michael had a regular childhood.
“Oh, we played baseball every week. We did all kinds of fun things,” Gordy said. “I think it’s been overdramatized about his lack of fun, having no childhood. He had a childhood.”
That account is disputed by Jackson biographers.
Rosen says, “There are stories of the Jackson 5 on the road and all the older brothers cavorting with groupies, while young Michael Jackson — 10, 11, 12 years old — sat in a corner and hung out.”
Jackson’s years at Motown were a study in manipulation and control. Like Stevie Wonder andMarvin Gaye before him, Jackson rebelled. He left Motown and took his first adult solo album to another label. But on the surface, Rosen says, Jackson morphed from child star to pop idol with apparent ease.
‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’
“At the time, his transition to adulthood really did seem seamless,” Rosen says. “He was a disco-era prince. This was 1979. He was this beautiful young man, and he was recording these dance songs which married the music of the disco era and the emphasis on party anthems with the feeling of classic soul.”
The break from Motown paid off with a new kind of rhythm and blues, says Jason King, a professor at New York University. King says in Jackson’s album Off the Wall, you can hear a euphoric sense of freedom.
“Absolutely it was his declaration of independence,” King says. “He had a particular vision of himself doing these funk up-tempo dance numbers and the ballads he had done as a child — but to do them on his own.”
With the help of producer Quincy Jones, Off the Wall scored four Top 10 hits. But King says for Jackson, that wasn’t enough.
“He wanted to do something that would cross over even more — that was his dream, his ambition,” King says. “All of the major Motown artists had the same ambition, which was upward mobility, crossover — reach as high as you can.”
In 1983, Michael Jackson’s Thriller became the top-selling album in the world. Critic Rosen says Jackson’s restless crossover ambitions were realized with Thriller, especially with “Beat It.”
“Jackson hired Eddie Van Halen — who at the time was hard rock’s reigning guitar hero — to play this goofy heavy metal solo,” Rosen says. “And that also helped get him on MTV, which, prior to that time, had been the domain almost exclusively of white artists.”
Jackson changed MTV for black artists and for music video auteurs, who admired his skill with the medium. But NYU’s King says Jackson was driven to top his own success.
“[His success] became an impossible goal because Thriller sold such an incredible amount of copies,” King says.
Fall From Grace
Jackson released more records, but sales declined precipitously. Jackson’s music got denser and more baroque, his behavior more erratic. His videos and performances became bloated, multimillion-dollar affairs. And then came the charges of child molestation.
For comedians like Chris Rock, Michael Jackson became a punch line.
“Another kid? That’s like another dead white girl showing up at OJ’s house,” Rock once joked in a comedy routine.
Or an extended riff.
“Another kid, get the [expletive] out here,” Rock said. “Yo, that’s how much we love Michael. We love Michael so much we let the first kid slide.”
We’ve loved Michael Jackson, been horrified by him and we’ve pitied him.
Not long ago, Rosen was at a nightclub. Everyone there was too cool to dance. Then the DJ started spinning Jackson’s early hits, one after the other.
“As soon as he started playing those, the dance floor was stampeded,” Rosen says. “The longer it went on, the more ecstatic the crowd got, and everyone was dancing. That’s the image I’d like to remember MJ by: just sheer joy generated by his best music.”
The Michael Jackson in his mind, Rosen says, was not a has-been, a controversy or a joke. He was a genius.
Jackson Memorial Is Tuesday; L.A. Rushes To Plan
Mark Ralston
Messages left by fans outside the gates of the rented Holmby Hills home of music legend Michael Jackson after his recent death in Los Angeles. AFP/Getty Images
Saying Farewell To A Legend
• July 3, 2009
Listeners Share Their ‘A-List’ Of Jackson Hits
• July 3, 2009
For Sale: Your Michael Jackson Memorabilia
• July 2, 2009
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough Michael Jackson
Enlarge
A graphical view of the state of Jackson’s financial empire. AP
AP, July 3, 2009 • Los Angeles city officials are preparing for massive crowds downtown during Tuesday’s public memorial for Michael Jackson at Staples Center, even though only 17,500 tickets are being offered to the public.
Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger says anywhere from a quarter-million to 700,000 people may try to reach the arena. A wide area around Staples Center will be sealed off to those without tickets.
City Councilwoman Jan Perry strongly urged people to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. The ceremony will not be shown on Staples’ giant outdoor TV screen and there will be no funeral procession through the city.
But public safety officials appeared to assume their requests to stay home would have little effect. Since Jackson’s death, fans have flocked to Jackson sites from Los Angeles to his Neverland Ranch in rural Santa Barbara County.
Staples Center is offering the memorial tickets through an Internet lottery. Eleven thousand tickets are for the arena and 6,500 for the adjacent Nokia Theatre.
People who want tickets must register on the Web at Staplescenter.com. After 6 p.m. Saturday, 8,750 names will be randomly selected to receive two tickets each. Notifications will go out on Sunday.
After the ticketing details were announced on television, it became impossible to log on to the arena’s Web site.
Brent Trueheart, 20, of Los Angeles, went online on his cell phone immediately after hearing the announcement.
“It kept saying ’service unavailable, service unavailable,’ and finally it got through. So once it got through, I started celebrating,” he said. “It feels real good.”
No details were given about the actual memorial events.
The memorial comes as the nation’s second-largest city struggles with a $530 million budget deficit.
Perry said the cost of police protection for “extraordinary” events like the memorial is built into the Police Department’s budget, but she still solicited help for “incremental costs.”
Last month, donations covered about $850,000 of the city’s $1 million cost for the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA championship parade. Critics had blasted the idea of using city money when it is considering layoffs to close its budget gap.
In other developments:
— A 30-second snippet of Jackson rehearsing for a series of comeback concerts in London two days before his death was released Thursday. The rehearsal footage, shot in high definition, includes Jackson performing his hits “Thriller” and “Beat It.” His voice is strong and he appears in perfect health. Other footage shows production meetings and auditions.
— A court hearing was scheduled for Monday to deal with who will take temporary control of Jackson’s estate. He left all his assets to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. A person familiar with the details of the trust said it would be shared between his mother, who gets 40 percent, his three children, who together get 40 percent, and charities for children, which would receive 20 percent. The charities will be determined later by the trust. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
— Authorities were investigating allegations that the 50-year-old Jackson had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration and California Attorney General Jerry Brown both were helping Los Angeles police investigate the possible involvement of prescription drugs in Jackson’s death.
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The physical being is no more-the Legend lives on!
RIP Michael.
King of Pop – RIP
Michael was such a phenomenon- a gifted child wonder whose genius changed the world of music, dance and broke down racial barriers on MTV with the huge success of “Thriller”. Let us remember him for his talent and essential sweetness and with love.
Delrish sent you a message.
——————–
Re: Michael Jackson
“So many men seem destined to settle for something small. But I, I won’t rest until I know I have it all. So don’t ask where I’m going. Just listen when I’m gone. And, far away you’ll hear me singing softly to the dawn: Rivers belong where they can ramble. Eagles belong where they can fly. I’ve got to be where my spirit can run free. Got to find my corner of the sky.” “Corner in the Sky” as song by Michael Jackson. I pray he is enjoying his corner…
Here it is… Please, share it with the world.
——————–
Lorna, I think everybody is sad about his passing. He was a rhythmic genius on many fronts, one of a kind to be sure! He will be missed.
I also am reminiscing on the fun memories I have of my oldest son, Zeb, when a youngster imitating Michael’s dancing and singing, then improving his artistic skills by drawing MJ in a lot of those lively and innovative outfits. I enjoy those memories still, will always, and still am in awe that this charismatic young entertainer Michael Jackson could impact so many in a myriad of ways. I had to call Zeb as soon as Micheal’s death was confirmed to share the sadness about the passing and the above memories with him since this son is now in his 30’s, a busy husband and papa and we haven’t talked about mimicking MJ in a long, long time. Zeb had just left his job and heard on the radio a moment before my call. HE was immediately reminiscing the exact same memories I had. This was a touching moment for us to share, now many miles apart. So thank you, Michael, for that too!
Michael Jackson transcended generations, inspired many, entertained millions. He is happy in his new home and will never be forgotten here through his dynamic and prolific offerings. He is forever young.
We took more than we gave to Michael. Having to live under a microscope could not have been easy. I am hoping we all remember the good he brought to the world. Besides being a pop icon he gave himself, his time and money to numerous charities and individuals with compelling stories of need.
The world has lost agreat musician.
Michael Jackson sudden passing yesterday
leaves the world with His Legacy.
Michael,an eccentric and often misunderstood human being was a “child at heart” he as ultra sensitive and many did not understand him as a human being. What he was able to convey was his talent in the Music world, he melted the barriers across the world with his music.
Today you see people from ALL OVER THE WORLD making comments about how his music impacted them. Michael’s music and legacy will play in forever…
Do you have a legacy? Don’t die in vain.
God Bless all of us for our uniqueness and contributions to the Universe
Beatriz Boo Torrente
The star had one asset that will likely be the target of much maneuvering by creditors and heirs in the coming months and years—his 50% interest in the Sony/ATV music catalog. Shortly after his string of early 1980s hits that included Thriller, one of the best-selling albums of all time, Jackson was shrewdly advised to buy the Beatles catalog for $47 million. Ten years later, Jackson merged his music company with Sony Corp.’s (SNE) music publishing arm in a deal reportedly worth $90 million to him.
Today, that company owns the publishing rights to thousands of hit songs by everyone from Neil Diamond to Lady Gaga. Music publishers collect royalties from radio stations, movie studios, and record labels every time a song is played or album sold. Jackson’s half interest has been estimated to be worth as much as $500 million. Jackson’s own hits are owned by a separate company, also now part of his estate. But like his life, Jackson’s estate is unlikely to be settled without controversy.
Palmeri is a senior correspondent in BusinessWeek’s Los Angeles bureau.
I heard an interview with Gladys Knight, who responded to a question about Michae’s bizarre behavior, as an adult. She reminded the questioner about all the gifts that Michael’s talents gave to us; transending culture, race, genre, and generation. He did not just change the music industry, he “pierced” it (and us) with unprecedented passion. To those who insist on focusing on the negative aspects of Michael’s life, may they remember that all lives are between each individual and The Lord. As it will be for all of us, someday. Amen! May he be resting in deep and peaceful sleep.
Good Bye MICHAEL. RIP