Biography
American singer, dancer and exceptionally talented entertainer. The seventh of
nine kids, he performed from age six as one of the Jackson Five, a group promoted by
Motown and consisting of Michael, Jermaine, Marion, Tito and Jackie. By the time he
was 11 the boys had already sold six Gold records and he made his first solo record
the fall of 1971 at 13. His album "Thriller" sold more copies than any album in
history and by February, 1984, he had won eight Grammy's. By 1984, his 23-million-copy
"Thriller" was the biggest-selling solo LP of all times and his estimated wealth reached
the amount of some $100 million.
Jackson grew up isolated from normal childhood and adolescence, subject to the loneliness
of outstanding fame and fortune. He did not date, smoke or drink, and found it virtually
impossible to do something as simple as go to a market or a movie either by himself or with
a pal. As an adult, he has maintained multi-million-dollar residences within secluded,
guarded estates, observing a strict vegetarian diet and up till 1987, observing his devotion
to his religion, Jehovah's Witness.
High drama and speculation have always followed Michael. In 1976 the first rumors
appeared that he was gay, and even gossip that he was a drug addict or that he was a
castrato or had had a sex-change operation. He began altering his appearance with cosmetic
surgery to his nose and chin and having his skin color lightened. On June 27, 1999, Jackson
was bruised badly after he slipped to the floor at a concert in Munich, Germany when an
elaborate mechanical stage set failed. On August 17, 1993, police began an investigation of
child sex abuse stemming from a complaint made by the father of a 13-year-old boy. His
attorney said that an attempt had been made of $20 million blackmail. The news story broke
on August 23, 1993 while Jackson was in Thailand on a concert gig. The case never went to
trial but was settled on January 26, 1994, allegedly for something like $10 million.
Michael's loyal friends always backed him up, people such as Elizabeth Taylor and Brooke
Shields. The news media went into a frenzy again on May 26, 1994 with the report that
Jackson had married Lisa Marie Presley at 9:30 AM in La Vega, Dominican Republic; they
divorced a year later but remained friends.
He made a second marriage to dental assistant Debbie Rowe who gave birth to their son,
Prince Michael Jackson on February 13, 1997, Los Angeles, CA, followed by a daughter, Paris,
on April 3, 1998. Debbie filed for divorce in L.A., October 8, 1999, ending the marriage of
convenience, which was speculated to have been entered into in order to repair his image and
give him children. Jackson purchased a $1.27 million home in Franklin Canyon for Debbie and
an allowance of $200,000 annually. Details of a settlement have not been revealed.
In October 2001 Jackson released his first album of entirely new material since 1991. After
a decade of generating headlines for other things than music, he went into a flurry of
activity that tested the limits of his superstardom. He mounted a pair of poorly managed
self-tribute concerts at Madison Square Garden that included testimonials from pals Liza
Minnelli and Liz Taylor, then a hurriedly compiled tribute to victims of the September 11
terrorist attack. The album had a rapid sale of 600,000 copies, huge for lesser artists but
not up to par for his caliber. In early 2002, Michael introduced a third child, named Prince
II, whom he named categorically as his son at a show on July 30, 2002; with no information
about the child's mother. He opened himself to another spate of bad press when he playfully
dangled the baby from the widow of a Paris hotel on November 19, 2002.
On November 18, 2003, at 8:30 AM, based on allegations of child molestation, investigators
served a search warrant at Michael Jackson's spread, "Neverland." A warrant was issued the
next day for the pop star's arrest. He turned himself on April 20, 2005 flying into the Santa
Barbara airport and disembarking from his private plane into the hangar. At 12:05 PM, he was
taken into custody, booked, and released on $3 million bail. Jackson's arraignment on the
charges was scheduled for January 9, 2004 at 8:30 AM at Santa Barbara Superior Court. Without
a music contract for the first time in 35 years, Jackson faces mounting financial woes with
escalating legal costs and dismal record sales. He has proclaimed his innocence, launching a
website to communicate directly with his fans, and his good friend, Elizabeth Taylor, came
to his defense.
On December 18, 2003, in Santa Maria, CA, he was charged with several counts of child molestation
and administering an intoxicating agent to a minor in connection with allegations that he
molested a cancer-stricken boy (age 14 at the time of the felony charge) in February and
March of 2003. The pop star was indicted on April 21, 2004 by a 19-member grand jury that
convened on March 29, 2004. Jackson subsequently replaced his lawyers, Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brafman,
with Thomas Mesereau, Jr., who represented Robert Blake in his murder case until they went their
separate ways. Adding to Jackson's woes was an announcement on April 13 by the Los Angeles
Police Department that it is investigating a new accusation of child abuse that allegedly
occurred in the late 1980s. On April 30, 2004, he entered a "not guilty" plea. His pre-trial
hearing was held on September 17, 1004; jury deliberations began on January 31, 2005 and his
trial opened on February 28, 2005. On June 13, 2005, after 14 weeks of trial, Jackson was
acquitted of all charges including four charges of child molesting, one charge of attempted
child molesting, one conspiracy charge and eight possible counts of providing alcohol to
minors.
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