“My childhood was taken away from me. There was no Christmas, no birthdays; it was not a normal childhood, nor the normal pleasures of childhood. Those was exchanged for hard work, struggle, pain, and eventually material and professional success.”
Michael Jackson
Introduction
It’s been 15 years since the music world has lost one of its most talented pop stars. An artist who sold an estimated 500 million records worldwide was ultimately in a bubble of fame and lived in childhood mode. Never happy with his looks, he constantly had plastic surgery to reconstruct his facial features. Dying at 50 in 2009, Michael Jackson was moments away from a sellout comeback tour. Hoodwinked to take a cocktail of drugs he never needed but ultimately became dependent on and addicted to—a fallen star who cried out for company but walked in the shadow of loneliness.
The Slippery Slope
Michael grew up in a two-bedroom house in Gary, Indiana. Born in 1958 and one of ten siblings, his childhood was far from happy. His father, Joseph, was a patriarchal bully, regularly dishing out mental and physical abuse to his children. Perhaps the pressure of having ten children in just 16 years got to him, but that does not excuse the metaphorical iron rod that he beat those whom he should have unconditionally loved. A far cry from the parents, Joe and Katherine, who fell in love at first sight and knew they would be husband and wife. A welder and crane operator who worked long hours while his wife feathered the home as a homemaker. A devout Jehovah’s Witness who filled the house with music and song to drown out the physical and psychological hell that suffocated the family home.
There was a disconnect between the Jackson family and their neighbours. They never had lights or a Christmas tree at Christmas, being told it was not good for them. Yet the shackles of cruelty would continue when Tito broke one of Joseph’s prized guitar strings from his music days. Squaring up to his father when he found out, Tito got brave and said he wanted to form a music group with his brothers. Joseph obliged after he demanded that his son show what he could play on his guitar. A music audition that had repercussions.
The Paternal Shadow
In 1963, the Jackson brothers formed a group made up of Jackie, Tito and Jermaine. They entered local talent shows and competitions. By 1966, Joe added Marlon and Michael to the group, and Jackson 5 was born. The spanner in the works was that their father was their manager. Joe was a taskmaster, putting the group through gruelling rehearsals until he felt they were perfect to perform. They had to call him Joseph, and he squeezed every drop of their childhood out of them. Michael grew up not knowing what it was like to be a child. He grew up in a foreign world of nightclubs. It was an adult world where he saw strippers, fights break out, and adults behaving like pigs.
Michael was so afraid of his father that he would vomit when he saw him. Michael tried to run away when Joe wanted to beat him. His mother shouted in the background that he could kill their son. When he got hold of him, Joe beat him to a pulp with a belt—calling him Fat Nose as he did. He sat in a chair at rehearsals with his belt, ready to punish his sons. Claims that Joe consistently refuted, saying Michael and the others were never hit by him but only occasionally spanked by their mother.
In 1967, the Jackson 5 won an amateur talent competition, and two years later, they signed up for Motown Records. They produced hits like I Want You Back,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” “I’ll Be There” and “ABC.” The group would go on to sell more than 100 million records globally. The family moved from Gary to Los Angeles. A childhood that was left with claims of Joe sexually abusing his children.
The Solo Artist
By 1972, Michael was recording solo songs away from the Jackson 5. “Ben” being one of them. He would remain with the group for some years after but was continually churning out solo albums. By the time of the release of Off the Wall in 1979, he had already released five solo albums. Working with Freddie Mercury for several years helped him immensely and was a prequel to great things. Massive albums like Thriller followed and dawned the beginning of the MTV music video age, allowing Michael to showcase his trademark Moon Walk. It hailed the dawn of Jackson becoming a dominant force in pop culture.
Tragedy
Tragedy would come to Michael when he shot a Pepsi commercial in 1984. While shooting with his brothers, a pyrotechnics effect went wrong and set his hair on fire, leaving Michael with second-degree burns to his head. Although he sued Pepsi and successfully won $1.5 million in an out-of-court settlement, the physical and mental scars would haunt him for the rest of his life. He often wearing a wig to hide his seared hair and constantly uses plastic surgery to combat his body dysmorphia.
Further Success
This global icon just grew bigger and bigger. His concerts and appearances were mind-blowing. Albums like Bad, Dangerous, History and Invincible and the films Moonwalker and This Is It were a massive success, but rumours of sexual abuse with children he had invited to his Neverland home were looming in the background. Everyone wanted a piece of Michael, and although the media loved him, they were intrigued by his private life. A man who went through two failed marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe and had three children, including Paris.
Last Years
By his last years, Jackson had turned into a circus freak show. The but of multiple jokes and whose face was splashed across the media for the wrong reasons. He was a sad and lonely figure who retreated behind closed doors and only emerged just before his tragic death. Now pumped with drugs and often disguised when he went outside. Not ready to do a set of global dates, he agreed and went into rehearsals. Although his voice still sounded good, the physical strain was too much.
Three weeks before the start of his UK tour, Michael was found dead at his rented house in Los Angeles. Being looked after by a doctor called Conrad Murray, he was given propofol to relieve his physical pain. He died from an overdose and went into cardiac arrest. Despite a 911 call and CPR from medics, he was declared dead on arrival at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center—a tragic end to a music icon who died aged only 50.
