21/11/2017
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he was one of the most popular entertainers in the world, and was the best-selling music artist at the time of his death. The eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown Records. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his 1982 album Thriller, are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool.
“Beat Me, Bash Me,
You can never Trash Me”
These lines were sung by Michael Jackson, in the song “They don’t care about us”. "They Don't Care About Us" is the fifth single from Michael Jackson's album History: Past, Present and Future, Book I, released on March 31, 1996. The song remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed. In the US, media scrutiny surrounding allegations of anti-Semitic lyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple apologies and re-recording the song with altered lyrics. The singer countered allegations of anti-Semitism, arguing that reviews had misinterpreted the context of the song, either unintentionally or deliberately.
Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behaviour, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all fourteen counts. While preparing for his comeback concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofoland benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest.
Forbes ranks Jackson the top-earning dead celebrity, with earnings of $825 million in 2016, the highest yearly amount ever recorded by the publication. In October 2017, Forbes announced that Jackson had topped the publication's list of top-earning dead celebrities for the fifth straight year with annual earnings of $75 million.
No matter which generation one belongs to, a Michael Jackson song can never phase out.