The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the “WWF Hall of Fame”, it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously inducted with a video package as the sole inductee that year. The 1994 and 1995 ceremonies were held in conjunction with the annual King of the Ringpay-per-view events and the 1996 ceremony was held with the Survivor Series event. Since 2004, the promotion has held the ceremonies in conjunction with WrestleMania ever since. Since 2005, portions of the induction ceremonies have aired on television and since 2014, the entire ceremonies have aired on the WWE Network, which was extended to Peacock in 2021 after the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock that year.
The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) established the WWF Hall of Fame in 1993. It was first announced on the March 22, 1993, episode of Monday Night Raw where André the Giant, who had died nearly two months prior, was announced as the sole inductee.[1][2][3] In the proceeding two years, induction ceremonies were held in conjunction with the annual King of the Ring pay-per-view events. The 1996 ceremony was held with the Survivor Series event, for the first time in front of a paying audience as well as the wrestlers, after which, the Hall of Fame went on hiatus.[4]
After an eight-year hiatus the promotion — renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002 — scheduled the 2004 ceremony to coincide with WrestleMania,[5] establishing the traditional date for all following ceremonies. Highlights of the 2004 ceremony were shown at WrestleMania XX, followed by the inductees appearing on the entrance stage in a condensed ceremony, which would become a Hall of Fame tradition from that point forward. The full version was released on DVD on June 1, 2004.[6] Beginning with the 2005 ceremony, an edited version of the Hall of Fame was broadcast on Spike TV (2005)[7] and on the USA Network (2006[8]–present[9]); these were aired on tape delay. Since 2005, the entire Hall of Fame ceremony has been packaged as part of the annual WrestleMania DVD release,[10] and from 2014, has been broadcast live on the WWE Network streaming service.[11] The 2021 ceremony was pretaped on March 30 and April 1 and aired on April 6. In addition to the WWE Network in international markets, the event also aired on Peacock in the United States after the American version of the WWE Network had merged under Peacock in March that year.[12]
Although a building has never been built to represent the Hall of Fame, WWE has looked into constructing a facility. In 2008, Shane McMahon, then-Executive Vice President of Global Media of WWE, stated that WWE had been storing wrestling memorabilia in a warehouse for years, with all items categorized and dated in case a facility is created.[13]Ric Flair stated in 2020 that WWE was in the process of creating a building for the Hall of Fame and that it would be in Florida in the Orlando area,[14] but plans had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] The current WWE president has expressed interest about creating a hall of fame building in 2021.[16]
Specialty inductees
Celebrity wing
The “celebrity wing” of the Hall of Fame is dedicated to celebrities that have made memorable appearances on WWE programming, and/or have had longtime associations with WWE (or professional wrestling in general), who have been very successful in other fields.
Warrior Award
Dana Warrior presents the inaugural Warrior Award at the 2015 Hall of Fame ceremony
In 2015, WWE introduced the Warrior Award for those who have “exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who live life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of the Ultimate Warrior“.[17]
While WWE promotes Warrior Award recipients as Hall of Fame inductees,[18][19] they are not included in the Hall of Fame section at WWE.com[20] and an image gallery which shows “every WWE Hall of Famer ever” does not contain any recipient.[21]
The award was created following the Ultimate Warrior’s death. During his April 2014 Hall of Fame speech shortly before his death, he proposed that there be a special category called the “Jimmy Miranda Award” for WWE’s behind-the-scenes employees.[22][23] Miranda, who died in 2002, was part of the WWE merchandise department for more than 20 years.[24] Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts expressed disappointment at how WWE used portions of Warrior’s Hall of Fame speech to promote the award but left out Warrior’s intentions of honoring WWE’s off-screen employees.[25][26] WWE responded, “It is offensive to suggest that WWE and its executives had anything, but altruistic intentions in honoring Connor and his legacy with The Warrior Award”, adding that “moving forward the award will be given annually to acknowledge other unsung heroes among WWE’s employees and fans”.[27] Since 2019 all recipients have been either current or former WWE employees.[28]
Traditionally, Dana Warrior, the widow of the Ultimate Warrior, presents the award. The 2024 Hall of Fame did not have a Warrior award entry.
Legacy inductees
In 2016, WWE introduced a new category for the Hall of Fame called the “Legacy” wing. Inductees in this category are from several eras of wrestling history, going back to the early 20th century.[29] All but two inductees, Hisashi Shinma and MSG Network creator Joseph Cohen, have been inducted posthumously. Legacy inductees are recognized with a video package at the ceremonies.[30][31]
The Legacy wing also has some criticism around it, specifically regarding the abbreviated way of the inductions. Journalist Dave Meltzer said “this is the category they (WWE) use to honor people who, for whatever reason, they don’t feel are marketable names to the modern audience to put in their actual Hall of Fame”.[32] Promoter and manager Jim Cornette criticized the fact that recognizable names like Jim Londos or El Santo were part of a video package.[33] Legacy inductees are not announced before the ceremonies and families of posthumous inductees are not notified of their inductions. This practice has been criticized by family members of Legacy inductees Bruiser Brody and Ethel Johnson.[34][35] The Legacy wing was retired in 2021 and has not inducted anyone since.
WWF Hall of Fame (1993) was the inaugural class of the WWE Hall of Fame. During the March 22, 1993, episode of Monday Night Raw a video package announcing André the Giant’s induction was shown.[3] No ceremony took place, and André was inducted posthumously. In March 2015 a condensed version of the 1994 ceremony was added to the WWE Network.[36] Due to no original ceremony, the 1993 induction of André was discussed by Gene Okerlund and Renee Young as part of the 1994 commentary.
WWF Hall of Fame (1994) was the event that featured the introduction of the second class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the WWF on June 9, 1994, from the Omni Inner Harbor International Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.
In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the WWE Network.[36] Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary.
WWF Hall of Fame (1995) was the event that featured the introduction of the third class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the WWF on June 24, 1995, from the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event took place the same weekend as King of the Ring.
In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the WWE Network.[36] Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary. It has been discovered that the full ceremony has been recorded (albeit with low quality) and has been uploaded on YouTube
The 1995 class featured two posthumous inductees. Antonino Rocca was presented by his wife, and The Grand Wizard was represented by Bobby Harmon.
A three-time WWF Women’s Champion. Her first reign is recognized as lasting a record 28 years[49] The first woman to be inducted. In 1999 she won the Women’s Championship one more time.
WWF Hall of Fame (1996) was the event which featured the introduction of the fourth class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the WWF on November 16, 1996, from the Marriott Marquis in New York City, New York. The event took place the same weekend as Survivor Series.
In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the WWE Network.[36] Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary.
One-time WWWF United States Tag Team Champion As a manager, he led 13 different tag teams to a record 17 tag team titles,[56] and four singles wrestlers to various championships His association with Cyndi Lauper was pivotal in turning professional wrestling into a mainstream phenomenon[57]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony did not take place. As such, the Class of 2020 was inducted alongside the Class of 2021 at the 2021 ceremony.
2013 headliner Bruno Sammartino previously refused to accept an induction
In 2012, The Post and Courier columnist Mike Mooneyham noted that the Hall has garnered criticism due to the inductions of questionable performers, and the omissions of major names within the industry.[261] Bob Backlund declined induction multiple times,[262] and The Ultimate Warrior wrote that he refused the honor in 2010;[263] they were eventually inducted in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Randy Savage was long recognized as being noticeably absent;[264]Chris Jericho said that the Hall achieved a level of legitimacy by inducting Savage in 2015.[265] Mick Foley long described Vader as “the most glaring and obvious omission from the #WWEHOF”;[266][267] this was later corrected when he was posthumously inducted as part of the Class of 2022.[224]Chyna is also a topic of conversation of whether or not she should be inducted due to the nature of her post-WWE career. Ultimately, she was posthumously inducted as a member of D-Generation-X in 2019, although fans, family and fellow wrestlers have since started petitioning for her solo posthumous induction. The most recent discussion amongst fans about a potential induction to the Hall of Fame is about the potential posthumous induction of Bray Wyatt in the near future. Fans started petitioning for his induction, whether it be solo or as part of The Wyatt Family, after his death in August 2023.
Bruno Sammartino, the longest-reigning WWWF World Heavyweight Champion, was once critical of the Hall of Fame. Sammartino disapproved of celebrity inductees such as Pete Rose and William Perry, and said of the ceremony: “What’s the point to a Hall of Fame? Is it a building I can actually go to? No. Give me a break”.[268] Sammartino declined previous induction offers, before accepting in 2013. Paul Levesque (Triple H) said that it was important for Sammartino to be inducted from a “legitimacy standpoint” and ESPN said that his induction was an opportunity to legitimize the Hall of Fame.[269] After being announced as an inductee, Sammartino said he considered the Hall to be legitimate.[270]
In December 2021, Jeff Hardy was released from WWE. On March 8, 2022, the day that Hardy’s no-compete clause expired, WWE reached out to Hardy and offered him an inductee spot to the WWE Hall of Fame (2022) ceremony. Jeff Hardy declined the offer because he was offended, felt like it wasn’t time yet and he wanted Matt Hardy to be inducted alongside him.[271]
Quality of inductees
Koko B. Ware‘s 2009 induction remains controversial
Ric Flair has stated there are several wrestlers in the Hall of Fame that didn’t deserve it, but he didn’t name names.[272] Koko B. Ware, who worked as an undercard wrestler in WWF, is often billed as a controversial inductee since he was selected before wrestlers such as Randy Savage or Bruno Sammartino.[273][274][275] Caleb Smith of Slam Wrestling questioned how Ware was inducted, but former WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff never was before his 2017 death.[276]411Mania writer Steve Cook defended his Hall of Fame status since he was very popular with fans and some of his losses were historic, while Kevin Pantoja described him as “the floor for inductees”.[277]
Superstar Billy Graham publicly slammed the hall and demanded that WWE remove him from it, due to the 2011 induction of Abdullah the Butcher. Graham wrote: “It is a shameless organization to induct a bloodthirsty animal such as Abdullah the Butcher into their worthless and embarrassing Hall of Fame and I want the name of Superstar Billy Graham to be no part of it”.[278] In 2018, Bret Hart, who headlined the 2006 ceremony, criticized the omissions of several wrestlers, primarily Dynamite Kid and his brother Owen, as well as the inductions of the likes of The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and The Fabulous Freebirds, who experienced little success in WWE. Hart said he would not go to another ceremony until WWE inducts “proper, deserving candidates”.[279] Hart attended the 2019 ceremony to be inducted for a second time as part of The Hart Foundation.[31] Hart also asked WWE to remove Goldberg from the Hall of Fame, stating that “he got in there for hurting everybody he worked with” (which included himself in 1999).[280] In 2021, after the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Mick Foley asked Vince McMahon to remove Donald Trump, who was then President of the United States, from the Hall of Fame, though it ultimately did not occur.[281]
Dave Scherer of PWInsider has questioned how WWE can sustain the 2004–present Hall of Fame model, due to legends being rapidly inducted. He wrote: “There are only so many people that they can have headline a class. They really need to make more new stars to ensure that they can keep filling arenas for the ceremony”.[282] 411Mania’s Ryan Byers said WWE standards are “weird” since several inductees have Hall of Fame careers, but others “made it in for political reasons, longstanding loyalty to the promotion”.[283]
Praise and criticism
Owen Hart’s widow, Martha Hart, responded to calls for him to be inducted by stating: “They don’t even have a Hallway [sic] of Fame. It doesn’t exist. There’s nothing. It’s a fake entity. There’s nothing real or tangible. It’s just an event they have to make money. They put it on TV and have a celebration, and it’s just so ridiculous. I would never even entertain it. It’s garbage.”[284]Sabu also criticized the Hall of Fame, saying “I’d only do it because I need the money… I don’t consider it a real Hall of Fame”.[285]
Others have offered praise for the Hall of Fame. World Wrestling Council promoter and 26-time WWC Universal Heavyweight ChampionCarlos Colón Sr. said that his 2014 induction was a “realization of a dream”.[286] Arn Anderson, who was inducted in 2012 as part of The Four Horsemen, said that the induction was the “pinnacle of [his] wrestling life”.[287] 2015 Hall of Fame headliner Kevin Nash stated that two things in the professional wrestling business are real: “When you win your first championship and when you get inducted into the Hall of Fame”. Nash claimed this is a sentiment to which colleague Ric Flair also subscribes.[288] During his 2013 induction, Donald Trump said that the honor meant more than “having the highest ratings in TV, being a best-selling author or getting a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame“.[289]
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the “King of Pop“, he is regarded as one of the most significant figures of the 20th century. Over a four-decade career, his world record music achievements broke racial barriers in America and made him a global figure. Through songs, stages, and fashion, he proliferated visual performance for artists in popular music; popularizing street dance moves including the moonwalk (which he named), the robot, and the anti-gravity lean. Jackson is often deemed the greatest entertainer of all time based on his acclaim and records.[1]
In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father which included Jackie, Tito and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine.[16][17] Michael said his father told him he had a “fat nose”,[18] and physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals. He recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, ready to punish any mistakes.[11][19] Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Michael.[20] Katherine said that although whipping came to be considered abuse, it was a common way to discipline children when Michael was growing up.[21][22] Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon denied that their father was abusive and said that the whippings, which had a deeper impact on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and out of trouble.[23] Michael said that during his youth he was lonely and isolated.[24]
Later in 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and the group’s name was changed to the Jackson 5.[25] In 1965, the group won a talent show; Michael performed the dance to Robert Parker‘s 1965 song “Barefootin’” and sang the Temptations‘ “My Girl“.[26] From 1966 to 1968, the Jacksons 5 toured the Midwest; they frequently played at a string of black clubs known as the Chitlin’ Circuit as the opening act for artists such as Sam & Dave, the O’Jays, Gladys Knight and Etta James. The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and cocktail lounges, where striptease shows were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school dances.[27][28] In August 1967, while touring the East Coast, they won a weekly amateur night concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.[29]
Michael Jackson (center) as a member of the Jackson 5 in 1972. The group were among the first African American performers to attain a crossover following.[30]
The Jackson 5 recorded several songs for a Gary record label, Steeltown Records; their first single, “Big Boy“, was released in 1968.[31] Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers brought the Jackson 5 to Motown after they opened for Taylor at Chicago’s Regal Theater in 1968. Taylor produced some of their early Motown recordings, including a version of “Who’s Lovin’ You“.[32] After signing with Motown, the Jackson family relocated to Los Angeles.[33] In 1969, Motown executives decided Diana Ross should introduce the Jackson 5 to the public — partly to bolster her career in television — sending off what was considered Motown’s last product of its “production line”.[34] The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance in 1969 in the Miss Black America pageant, performing a cover of “It’s Your Thing“.[35]Rolling Stone later described the young Michael as “a prodigy” with “overwhelming musical gifts” who “quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer”.[36]
Michael maintained ties to the Jackson 5.[40] The Jackson 5 were later described as “a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists“.[42] They were frustrated by Motown’s refusal to allow them creative input.[43] Jackson’s performance of their top five single “Dancing Machine” on Soul Train popularized the robot dance.[44][45]
Move to Epic and Off the Wall (1975–1981)
Jackson (left) and Quincy Jones (right) appear with Diana Ross (center) on her upcoming special, “Diana”, in March 1981
The Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, signing with Epic Records and renaming themselves the Jacksons.[46] Their younger brother Randy joined the band around this time; Jermaine stayed with Motown and pursued a solo career.[47] The Jacksons continued to tour internationally, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group’s main songwriter during this time, wrote songs such as “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” (1978), “This Place Hotel” (1980), and “Can You Feel It” (1980).[48]
Jackson’s fifth solo album and first album as an adult, Off the Wall (1979), established him as a solo performer and helped him move from the bubblegum pop of his youth to more complex sounds.[39] It produced four top 10 entries in the US: “Off the Wall“, “She’s Out of My Life“, and the chart-topping singles “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock with You“.[56] The album reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies worldwide.[57] In 1980, Jackson won three American Music Awards for his solo work: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”.[58][59] He also won a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”.[60] In 1981, Jackson was the American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.[61]
Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.[62] In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.[63]
Thriller and Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1982–1983)
Jackson in a press photo for Thriller in 1983.
Jackson recorded with Queen‘s lead singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, recording demos of “State of Shock“, “Victory” and “There Must Be More to Life Than This“. The recordings were intended for an album of duets but, according to Queen’s manager Jim Beach, the relationship soured when Jackson brought a llama into the recording studio,[64] and Jackson was upset by Mercury’s drug use.[65] “There Must Be More to Life Than This” was released in 2014.[66] Jackson went on to record “State of Shock” with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons’ album Victory (1984).[67]
On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, an NBC television special. The show aired on May 16 to an estimated audience of 47 million, and featured the Jacksons and other Motown stars.[74] Jackson’s solo performance of “Billie Jean” earned him his first Emmy Award nomination.[75] Wearing a glove decorated with rhinestones,[76] he debuted his moonwalk dance, which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier, and it became his signature dance in his repertoire.[77] Jackson had originally turned down the invitation to the show, believing he had been doing too much television. But at the request of Motown founder Berry Gordy, he performed in exchange for an opportunity to do a solo performance.[78]Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore called the performance “extraordinary”.[39] Jackson’s performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley‘s and the Beatles‘ appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.[79]Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times praised the perfect timing and technique involved in the dance.[80] Gordy described being “mesmerized” by the performance.[81]British Vogue called Jackson “a fashion pioneer […] who gave new meaning to moonwalking, immortalised solitary, [and] sparkly gloves”.[82]
At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, Thriller won eight awards, and Jackson won an award for the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook. Winning eight Grammys in one ceremony is a record he holds with the band Santana.[60] Jackson and Quincy Jones won the award for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical). Thriller won Album of the Year (with Jackson as the album’s artist and Jones as its co-producer), and the single won Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) award for Jackson. “Beat It” won Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male). “Billie Jean” won two Grammy awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male), with Jackson as songwriter and singer respectively.[60]
Thriller won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording (Non Classical), acknowledging Bruce Swedien for his work on the album.[83] At the 11th Annual American Music Awards, Jackson won another eight awards and became the youngest artist to win the Award of Merit.[84] He also won Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Artist, and Favorite Pop/Rock Artist. “Beat It” won Favorite Soul/R&B Video, Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Pop/Rock Single. The album won Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album.[84][85]Thriller‘s sales doubled after the release of an extended music video, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which sees Jackson dancing with a horde of zombies.[86][87]
The success transformed Jackson into a dominant force in global pop culture,[87] and the album “conquered racial divides”.[88] Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, with about $2 for every album sold (equivalent to $6 in 2024), and was making record-breaking profits. Dolls modeled after Jackson appeared in stores in May 1984 for $12 each.[89] In the same year, The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, a documentary about the music video, won a Grammy for Best Music Video (Longform).[60]Time described Jackson’s influence at that point as “star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too.”[89]The New York Times wrote “in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else”.[90]
Pepsi incident, “We Are the World” and other commercial activities (1984–1985)
In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with PepsiCo in a $5 million promotional deal that broke records for a celebrity endorsement (equivalent to $15.8 million in 2024). The first Pepsi campaign, which ran in the US from 1983 to 1984 and launched its “New Generation” theme, included tour sponsorship, public relations events, and in-store displays. Jackson helped to create the advertisement, and suggested using his song “Billie Jean”, with revised lyrics, as its jingle.[91]
On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial overseen by Phil Dusenberry,[92] a BBDO ad agency executive, and Alan Pottasch, Pepsi’s Worldwide Creative Director, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. During a simulated concert before a full house of fans, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson’s hair on fire, causing second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter.[93] Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $1.5 million (equivalent to $4.5 million in 2024) settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California; its now-closed Michael Jackson Burn Center was named in his honor.[94][95] Jackson signed a second agreement with Pepsi in the late 1980s for $10 million (equivalent to $27.7 million in 2024). The second campaign covered 20 countries and provided financial support for Jackson’s Bad album and 1987–1988 world tour. Jackson had endorsements and advertising deals with other companies, such as LA Gear, Suzuki, and Sony, but none were as significant as his deals with Pepsi.[91]
The Victory Tour of 1984 headlined the Jacksons and showcased Jackson’s new solo material to more than two million Americans. It was the last tour he did with his brothers.[96] Following controversy over the concert’s ticket sales, Jackson donated his share of the proceeds, an estimated $3 to 5 million, to charity.[97] During the last concert of the Victory Tour at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Jackson announced his split from the Jacksons during “Shake Your Body”.[98]
With Lionel Richie, Jackson co-wrote the charity single “We Are the World” (1985), which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa.[99][100] It earned $63 million (equivalent to $184 million in 2024),[100] and became one of the bestselling singles of all time, with 20 million copies sold.[101] It won four Grammy Awards in 1985, including Song of the Year for Jackson and Richie.[99] Jackson, Jones, and the promoter Ken Kragen received special awards for their roles in the song’s creation.[99][102][103][104]
Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was making $40 million a year from owning the rights to other artists’ songs.[100] By 1983, Jackson had begun buying publishing rights to others’ songs, but he was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson’s early acquisitions of music catalogs and song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included “Everyday People” (1968), Len Barry‘s “1-2-3” (1965), and Dion DiMucci‘s “The Wanderer” (1961) and “Runaround Sue” (1961). In 1984, Robert Holmes à Court announced he was selling the ATV Music Publishing catalog comprising the publishing rights to nearly 4,000 songs, including most of the Beatles’ material.[105] In 1981, McCartney had been offered the catalog for £20 million ($40 million) (equivalent to $138 million in 2024).[100][106] Jackson submitted a bid of $46 million (equivalent to $139 million in 2024) on November 20, 1984.[105] When Jackson and McCartney were unable to make a joint purchase, McCartney did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles’ songs, and did not pursue an offer on his own.[107][106] Jackson’s agents were unable to come to a deal, and in May 1985 left talks after having spent more than $1 million and four months of due diligence work on the negotiations.[105]
In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman‘s and Marty Bandier‘s The Entertainment Company had made a tentative offer to buy ATV Music for $50 million; in early August, Holmes à Court contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson’s increased bid of $47.5 million (equivalent to $139 million in 2024) was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence.[105] Jackson agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon.[108] His purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985.[100][105]
Jackson’s skin had been medium-brown during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually grew paler. The change drew widespread media coverage, including speculation that he had been bleaching his skin.[109][110][111] His dermatologist, Arnold Klein, said he observed in 1983 that Jackson had vitiligo,[112] a condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment. He also identified discoid lupus erythematosus in Jackson. He diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year,[112] and with vitiligo in 1986.[113] Vitiligo’s drastic effects on the body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup,[114] and possibly skin-bleaching prescription creams,[115] to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would depigment the blotches, and, with the application of makeup, he could appear very pale.[116] Jackson said he had not purposely bleached his skin and could not control his vitiligo, adding, “When people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me.”[117] He became friends with Klein and Klein’s assistant, Debbie Rowe. Rowe later became Jackson’s second wife and the mother of his first two children.[118]
In his 1988 autobiography and a 1993 interview, Jackson said he had had two rhinoplasty surgeries and a cleft chin surgery but no more than that. He said he lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet to achieve a dancer’s body.[119] Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was suffering from anorexia nervosa. Periods of weight loss became a recurring problem later in his life.[120] After his death, Jackson’s mother said that he first turned to cosmetic procedures to remedy his vitiligo, because he did not want to look like a “spotted cow”. She said he had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he had become addicted to them.[121]
In 1986, it was reported that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow aging. He denied the story,[122] although it was alleged that Jackson leaked an image of him sleeping in a glass chamber (according to Jackson, this was a promotional shot from an upcoming space opera featuring himself) to The National Enquirer.[123] It was also reported that Jackson took female hormone shots to keep his voice high and facial hair wispy, proposed to Elizabeth Taylor and possibly had a shrine of her, and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. Jackson’s manager Frank DiLeo denied all of them, except for Jackson having a chamber. DiLeo added “I don’t know if he sleeps in it. I’m not for it. But Michael thinks it’s something that’s probably healthy for him. He’s a bit of a health fanatic.”[124]
When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee Bubbles to tour in Japan, the media portrayed Jackson as an aspiring Disney cartoon character who befriended animals.[125] It was also reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the “Elephant Man”).[126] In June 1987, the Chicago Tribune reported Jackson’s publicist bidding $1 million for the skeleton to the London Hospital Medical College on his behalf. The college maintained the skeleton was not for sale. DiLeo said Jackson had an “absorbing interest” in Merrick, “purely based on his awareness of the ethical, medical and historical significance”.[127]
In September 1986, using the oxygen chamber story, the British tabloid The Sun branded Jackson “Wacko Jacko”, a name Jackson came to despise.[5][128]The Atlantic noted that the name “Jacko” has racist connotations, as it originates from Jacko Macacco, a monkey used in monkey-baiting matches at the Westminster Pit in the early 1820s, and “Jacko” was used in Cockney slang to refer to monkeys in general.[129]
Jackson worked with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on the 17-minute $30 million 3D filmCaptain EO, which ran from 1986 at Disneyland and Epcot, and later at Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland.[130] After having been removed in the late 1990s, it returned to the theme park for several years after Jackson’s death.[131] In 1987, Ebony reported that Jackson had disassociated himself from the Jehovah’s Witnesses.[132] Katherine Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed the Thriller video,[133] which Michael denounced in a Witness publication in 1984.[134] In 2001, Jackson told an interviewer he was still a Jehovah’s Witness.[135]
Bad, autobiography, and Neverland (1987–1990)
Jackson during the Bad tour in 1987, the highest grossing solo concert tour of the 1980s
Jackson’s first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting another major success.[136] It became the first album to produce five US number-one singles: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You“, “Bad“, “The Way You Make Me Feel“, “Man in the Mirror“, and “Dirty Diana“. Another song, “Smooth Criminal“, peaked at number seven.[56]Bad won the 1988 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form for “Leave Me Alone“.[60][83] Jackson won an Award of Achievement at the American Music Awards in 1989 after Bad generated five number-one singles, became the first album to top the charts in 25 countries and the best-selling album worldwide in 1987 and 1988.[137][138] The Bad tour ran from September 12, 1987, to January 27, 1989.[139] In Japan, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record for a single tour.[140] The 504,000 people who attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium set a new Guinness World Record.[141]Bad cemented Jackson’s status as a dominant music force;[142] the album has sold over 45 million copies worldwide, which ranks it amongst the best-selling albums ever.[143][144][145][146][147]
In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, Moonwalk, with input from Stephen Davis and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.[148] It sold 200,000 copies,[149] and reached the top of The New York Times bestsellers list.[150] Jackson discussed his childhood, the Jackson 5, and the abuse from his father.[151] He attributed his changing facial appearance to three plastic surgeries, puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and stage lighting.[152][119] In June, Jackson was honored with the Grand Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris by the then Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac during his stay in the city as part of the Bad tour.[153][154] On July 20, he became the first commoner in history to enter London’s Guildhall through the building’s Royal Entrance.[155] In October, Jackson released a film, Moonwalker, which featured live footage and short films starring Jackson and Joe Pesci. In the US it was released direct-to-video and became the bestselling video cassette in the country.[156][157] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as eight times Platinum in the US.[158]
In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km2) of land near Santa Ynez, California, to build a new home, Neverland Ranch, at a cost of $17 million (equivalent to $45 million in 2024).[159] He installed a Ferris wheel, a carousel, a movie theater and a zoo.[159][160][161] A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds.[160] Shortly afterwards, he appeared in the first Western television advertisement in the Soviet Union.[162]
Jackson became known as the “King of Pop“, a nickname that Jackson’s publicists embraced.[19][163][164] When Elizabeth Taylor presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, she called him “the true king of pop, rock and soul.”[165] President George H. W. Bush designated him the White House’s “Artist of the Decade”.[166] At the 38th BMI Awards in 1990, Jackson was the first person to be honored with an award named after its recipient.[167] From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $455,000 to the United Negro College Fund,[168] and all profits from his single “Man in the Mirror” went to charity.[169] His rendition of “You Were There” at Sammy Davis Jr.‘s 60th birthday celebration won Jackson a second Emmy nomination.[75] Jackson was the bestselling artist of the 1980s.[170]
In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $65 million (equivalent to $150 million in 2024), a record-breaking deal,[171] beating Neil Diamond‘s renewal contract with Columbia Records.[172] In 1991, he released his eighth album, Dangerous, co-produced with Teddy Riley.[173] It was certified eight times platinum in the US, and by 2018 had sold 32 million copies worldwide.[174][175] In the US, the first single, “Black or White“, was the album’s highest-charting song; it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and achieved similar chart performances worldwide.[176] The second single, “Remember the Time” peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[177] At the end of 1992, Dangerous was the bestselling album of the year worldwide and “Black or White” the bestselling single of the year worldwide at the Billboard Music Awards.[170] In 1993, he performed “Remember the Time” at the Soul Train Music Awards in a chair, saying he twisted his ankle during dance rehearsals.[178] In the UK, “Heal the World” made No. 2 on the charts in 1992.[179]
Jackson founded the Heal the World Foundation in 1992. The charity brought underprivileged children to Jackson’s ranch to use the theme park rides, and sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war, poverty, and disease. That July, Jackson published his second book, Dancing the Dream, a collection of poetry. The Dangerous World Tour ran between June 1992 and November 1993 and grossed $100 million (equivalent to $220 million in 2024); Jackson performed for over 3.5 million people in 70 concerts, all of which were outside the US.[180][181] Part of the proceeds went to Heal the World Foundation.[182] Jackson sold the broadcast rights of the tour to HBO for $20 million (equivalent to $45 million in 2024), a record-breaking deal that still stands.[183]
Following the death of HIV/AIDS spokesperson and friend Ryan White, Jackson pleaded with the Clinton administration at Bill Clinton’s inaugural gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research[184][185] and performed “Gone Too Soon“, a song dedicated to White, and “Heal the World” at the gala.[186] Jackson visited Africa in early 1992; on his first stop in Gabon he was greeted by more than 100,000 people, some of them carrying signs that read “Welcome Home Michael”,[187] and was awarded an Officer of the National Order of Merit from President Omar Bongo.[188][189] During his trip to Ivory Coast, Jackson drew larger crowds than Pope John Paul II on his previous visits.[190] He was crowned “King Sani” by a tribal chief in the Ivorian village of Krindjabo, where he thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.[187]
In January 1993, Jackson performed at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in Pasadena, California. The NFL sought a big-name artist to keep ratings high during halftime following dwindling audience figures.[191][192] With 133.4 million viewers, it was the first Super Bowl whose halftime show drew greater audience figures than the game.[193] Jackson played “Jam“, “Billie Jean”, “Black or White”, and “Heal the World”. Dangerous rose 90 places in the US albums chart after the performance.[109]
Jackson gave a 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey on February 10, 1993. He spoke of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood, and said that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought the bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, and stated for the first time that he had vitiligo. After the interview, Dangerous re-entered the US albums chart in the top 10, more than a year after its release.[19][109] The interview itself became the most-watched television interview in United States history to date, with more than 90 million viewers.[194]
In January 1993, Jackson won three American Music Awards: Favorite Pop/Rock Album (Dangerous), Favorite Soul/R&B Single (“Remember the Time”), and was the first to win the International Artist Award of Excellence.[195][196] In February, he won the “Living Legend Award” at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.[60] He attended the award ceremony with Brooke Shields.[197]Dangerous was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (for “Black or White”), Best R&B Vocal Performance (“Jam”) and Best R&B Song (“Jam”), and Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley won the Grammy for Best Engineered – Non Classical.[83]
First child sexual abuse accusations and first marriage (1993–1995)
In August 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, and his father, Evan Chandler.[198] Jordan said he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex.[199] While Jordan’s mother initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested him, her position wavered a few days later.[155][200] Evan was recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, which Jackson used to argue that he was the victim of a jealous father trying to extort money.[200] Jackson’s older sister La Toya accused him of being a pedophile;[201] she later retracted this, saying she had been forced into it by her abusive husband.[202]
Police raided Jackson’s home in August and found two legal large-format art books featuring young boys playing, running and swimming in various states of undress.[203] Jackson denied knowing of the books’ content and claimed if they were there, someone had to have sent them to him and he did not open them.[204] Jordan Chandler gave police a description of Jackson’s genitals. A strip search was made, and the jurors felt the description was not a match.[205][206][207] In January 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for a reported total sum of $23 million.[208] The police never pressed criminal charges.[209] Citing a lack of evidence without Jordan’s testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994.[210]
Jackson had been taking painkillers for his reconstructive scalp surgeries, administered due to the Pepsi commercial accident in 1984, and became dependent on them to cope with the stress of the sexual abuse allegations.[211] On November 12, 1993, Jackson canceled the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour due to health problems, stress from the allegations and painkiller addiction. He thanked his close friend Elizabeth Taylor for support, encouragement and counsel. The end of the tour concluded his sponsorship deal with Pepsi.[212]
In late 1993, Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone.[213] They were married in La Vega, Dominican Republic, in May 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez.[214] The tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a publicity stunt to deflect away from Jackson’s sexual abuse allegations and jump-start Presley’s career as a singer.[215][214] Their marriage ended little more than a year later, and they separated in December 1995.[216] Presley cited “irreconcilable differences” when filing for divorce the next month and only sought to reclaim her maiden name as her settlement.[215][217] After the divorce, Judge Pérez said, “They lasted longer than I thought they would. I gave them a year. They lasted a year and a half.”[214] Presley later said she and Jackson had attempted to reconcile intermittently for four years following their divorce, and that she had traveled the world to be with him.[218]
Jackson composed music for the Sega Genesis video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), but left the project around the time the sexual abuse allegations surfaced and went uncredited.[219][220] The Sega Technical Institute director Roger Hector and the Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima said that Jackson’s involvement was terminated and his music reworked following the allegations.[221][222] However, Jackson’s musical director Brad Buxer and other members of Jackson’s team said Jackson went uncredited because he was unhappy with how the Genesis replicated his music.[223]
HIStory, second marriage, fatherhood and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1995–1997)
In June 1995, Jackson released the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The first disc, HIStory Begins, is a greatest hits album (reissued in 2001 as Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I). The second disc, HIStory Continues, contains 13 original songs and two cover versions. The album debuted at number one on the charts and has been certified for eight million shipments in the US.[224] It is the bestselling multi-disc album of all time, with 20 million copies (40 million units) sold worldwide.[176][225]HIStory received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.[60] The New York Times reviewed it as “the testimony of a musician whose self-pity now equals his talent”.[226]
The first single from HIStory was “Scream/Childhood“. “Scream”, a duet with Jackson’s youngest sister Janet, protests the media’s treatment of Jackson during the 1993 child abuse allegations against him. The single reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100,[177] and received a Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals”.[60] The second single, “You Are Not Alone“, holds the Guinness world record for the first song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[227] It received a Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Vocal Performance” in 1995.[60]
In 1995 the Anti-Defamation League and other groups complained that “Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me, kike me, don’t you black or white me”, the original lyrics of “They Don’t Care About Us“, were antisemitic. Jackson released a revised version of the song.[228] In late 1995, Jackson was admitted to a hospital after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance, caused by a stress-related panic attack.[229] In November, Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony’s music publishing division, creating Sony/ATV Music Publishing. He retained ownership of half the company, earning $95 million up front (equivalent to $196 million in 2024) as well as the rights to more songs.[230][231]
“Earth Song” was the third single released from HIStory, and topped the UK Singles Chart for six weeks over Christmas 1995.[179] It became the 87th-bestselling single in the UK.[232] At the 1996 Brit Awards, Jackson’s performance of “Earth Song” was disrupted by Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker, who was protesting what Cocker saw as Jackson’s “Christ-like” persona. Jackson said the stage invasion was “disgusting and cowardly”.[233][234]
In 1996, Jackson won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form, for “Scream” and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist.[60][235] In July 1996, Jackson performed for Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah‘s fiftieth birthday at Jerudong Park Amphitheater, which was specifically built for that birthday concert.[236] Jackson was reportedly paid $17 million (equivalent to $34 million in 2024).[237] Jackson promoted HIStory with the HIStory World Tour, from September 7, 1996, to October 15, 1997. He performed 82 concerts in five continents, 35 countries and 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans, his most attended tour. It grossed $165 million (equivalent to $323 million in 2024).[139] During the tour, in Sydney, Australia, Jackson married Debbie Rowe, a dermatology assistant, who was six months pregnant with his first child.[238]
Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997. His sister Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was born on April 3, 1998.[239] Jackson and Rowe divorced in 2000, Rowe conceded custody of the children, with an $8 million settlement (equivalent to $15.1 million in 2024).[240] In 2004, after the second child abuse allegations against Jackson, she returned to court to reclaim custody. The suit was settled in 2006.[241]
The release of Invincible was preceded by a dispute between Jackson and his record label, Sony Music Entertainment. Jackson had expected the licenses to the masters of his albums to revert to him in the early 2000s, after which he would be able to promote the material however he pleased and keep the profits, but clauses in the contract set the revert date years into the future. Jackson sought an early exit from his contract.[256]Invincible was released on October 30, 2001. It was Jackson’s first full-length album in six years, and the last album of original material he released in his lifetime.[256] It debuted at number one in 13 countries, and went on to sell eight million copies worldwide, receiving double-platinum certification in the US.[174][257][258]
On January 9, 2002, Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century.[259][260] Later that year, an anonymous surrogate mother gave birth to his third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed “Blanket”[nb 2]), who had been conceived by artificial insemination.[261] On November 20, Jackson briefly held Blanket over the railing of his Berlin hotel room, four stories above ground level, prompting widespread criticism in the media. Jackson apologized for the incident, calling it “a terrible mistake”.[262] On January 22, promoter Marcel Avram filed a breach of contract complaint against Jackson for failing to perform two planned 1999 concerts.[263] In March, a Santa Maria jury ordered Jackson to pay Avram $5.3 million (equivalent to $9.3 million in 2024).[264][265] On December 18, 2003, Jackson’s attorneys dropped all appeals on the verdict and settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.[266]
On April 24, 2002, Jackson performed at Apollo Theater. The concert was a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee and former President Bill Clinton.[267] The money collected would be used to encourage citizens to vote. It raised $2.5 million (equivalent to $3.8 million in 2024).[268] The concert was called Michael Jackson: Live at the Apollo and was one of Jackson’s final on-stage performances.[269]
In July 2002, at Al Sharpton‘s National Action Network in Harlem, Jackson called the Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola “a racist, and very, very, very devilish”, and accused him of exploiting black artists for his own gain. The accusation prompted Sharpton to form a coalition investigating whether Mottola exploited black artists.[270] Jackson charged that Mottola had called his colleague Irv Gotti a “fat nigger“.[271] Sony issued a statement calling the accusations “ludicrous, spiteful, and hurtful” and said Mottola had championed Jackson’s career for years.[270] Sony refused to renew Jackson’s contract and said that a $25 million (equivalent to $43.7 million in 2024) promotional campaign had failed because Jackson refused to tour in the US for Invincible.[243]
Documentary, Number Ones, second child abuse allegations and acquittal (2002–2005)
Beginning in May 2002, a documentary film crew led by Martin Bashir followed Jackson for several months.[262] The documentary, broadcast in February 2003 as Living with Michael Jackson, showed Jackson holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a twelve-year-old boy.[18][272] He said that he saw nothing wrong with having sleepovers with minors and sharing his bed and bedroom with various people, which aroused controversy. He insisted that the sleepovers were not sexual and that his words had been misunderstood.[273][274]
On December 18, 2003, Santa Barbara authorities charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor with alcoholic drinks.[277] Jackson denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.[278] The People v. Jackson trial began on January 31, 2005, in Santa Maria, California, and lasted until the end of May. Jackson found the experience stressful and it affected his health. If convicted, he would have faced up to twenty years in prison.[279] On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.[280]FBI files on Jackson, released in 2009, revealed the FBI’s role in the 2005 trial and the 1993 allegations, and showed that the FBI found no evidence of criminal conduct on Jackson’s behalf.[281][282]
Final years, financial problems, Thriller 25 and This Is It (2005–2009)
After the trial, Jackson became reclusive.[283] In June 2005, he moved to Bahrain as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah.[284] In early 2006, it was announced that Jackson had signed a contract with a Bahrain startup, Two Seas Records. Nothing came of the deal, and the Two Seas CEO, Guy Holmes, later said it was never finalized.[285][286] Holmes also found that Jackson was on the verge of bankruptcy and was involved in 47 ongoing lawsuits.[284] By September 2006, Jackson was no longer affiliated with Two Seas.[286]
In April 2006, Jackson agreed to use a piece of his ATV catalog stake, then worth about $1 billion, as collateral against his $270 million worth of loans from Bank of America. Bank of America had sold the loans to Fortress Investments, an investment company that buys distressed loans, the year before. As part of the agreement, Fortress Investments provided Jackson a new loan of $300 million with reduced interest payments (equivalent to $470 million in 2024). Sony Music would have the option to buy half of his stake, or about 25% of the catalog, at a set price. Jackson’s financial managers had urged him to shed part of his stake to avoid bankruptcy.[231][287] The main house at Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure, while Jackson lived in Bahrain at the hospitality of Abdullah.[288] At least thirty of Jackson’s employees had not been paid on time and were owed $306,000 in back wages. Jackson was ordered to pay $100,000 in penalties.[231] Jackson never returned to Neverland after his acquittal.[289]
In mid-2006, Jackson moved to Grouse Lodge, a residential recording studio near Rosemount, County Westmeath, Ireland. There, he began work on a new album with the American producers will.i.am and Rodney Jenkins.[290] That November, Jackson invited an Access Hollywood camera crew into the studio in Westmeath.[176] On November 15, Jackson briefly joined in on a performance of “We Are the World” at the World Music Awards in London, his last public performance, and accepted the Diamond Award for sales of 100 million records.[176][291] He returned to the US in December, settling in Las Vegas. That month, he attended James Brown‘s funeral in Augusta, Georgia, where he gave a eulogy calling Brown his greatest inspiration.[292]
An aerial view of part of Jackson’s 2,800-acre (11 km2) Neverland Valley Ranch near Los Olivos, California, showing the rides
In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought another music publishing company, Famous Music LLC, formerly owned by Viacom. The deal gave Jackson the rights to songs by Eminem and Beck, among others.[293][294] In a brief interview, Jackson said he had no regrets about his career despite his problems and “deliberate attempts to hurt [him]”.[295] That March, Jackson visited a US Army post in Japan, Camp Zama, to greet more than 3,000 troops and their families.[296][297] As of September, Jackson was still working on his next album, which he never completed.[298]
In 2008, for the 25th anniversary of Thriller, Jackson and Sony released Thriller 25, with two remixes released as singles: “The Girl Is Mine 2008” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ 2008“.[299]Thriller 25 was the last recorded work released during his life which he was extensively involved with, with Jackson co-producing the album’s remix tracks. For his 50th birthday, Sony BMG released a series of greatest hits albums, King of Pop, with different tracklists for different regions.[300] That July, Fortress Investments threatened to foreclose on Neverland Ranch, which he had used as collateral for his loans. Fortress sold Jackson’s debts to Colony Capital LLC.[301] In November, Jackson transferred Neverland Ranch’s title to Sycamore Valley Ranch Company LLC, a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital LLC. The deal earned him $35 million.[302] In 2009, Jackson arranged to sell a collection of his memorabilia of more than 1,000 items through Julien’s Auction House, but canceled the auction in April.[303]
In March 2009, amid speculation about his finances and health, Jackson announced a series of comeback concerts, This Is It, at a press conference at the O2 Arena.[304] The shows were to be his first major concerts since the HIStory World Tour in 1997. Jackson suggested he would retire after the shows. The initial plan was for ten concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York City and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, the president and chief executive of AEG Live, predicted the first ten dates would earn Jackson £50 million.[305]
The London residency was increased to fifty dates after record-breaking ticket sales; more than one million were sold in less than two hours.[306] The concerts were to run from July 13, 2009, to March 6, 2010. Jackson moved to Los Angeles, where he rehearsed in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of the choreographer Kenny Ortega, whom he had worked with during his previous tours. Rehearsals took place at the Forum and the Staples Center owned by AEG.[307] By this point, Jackson’s debt had grown to almost $500 million. By the time of his death, he was three or four months behind payments on his home in San Fernando Valley.[308][309]The Independent reported that Jackson planned a string of further ventures designed to recoup his debts, including a world tour, a new album, films, a museum and a casino.[304]
Fans placed flowers and notes on Jackson’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the day of his death
On June 25, 2009, less than three weeks before his concert residency was due to begin in London, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died from cardiac arrest, caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose.[310][311]Conrad Murray, his personal physician, had given Jackson various medications to help him sleep at his rented mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles. Paramedics received a 911 call at 12:21 pm Pacific time (19:21 UTC) and arrived at the property four minutes later.[312] Jackson was not breathing and CPR was performed.[313] Resuscitation efforts continued en route to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for more than an hour after Jackson’s arrival there, but were unsuccessful,[314][315] and Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm Pacific time (21:26 UTC).[316][317] Murray had administered propofol, lorazepam, and midazolam;[318] Jackson’s death was caused by a propofol overdose.[311][315]
News of his death spread quickly online, causing websites to slow down and crash from user overload,[319] and it put unprecedented strain[320] on many services and websites including Google,[321]AOL Instant Messenger,[320] Twitter and Wikipedia.[321] Overall, web traffic rose by between 11% and 20%.[322][323] MTV and BET aired marathons of Jackson’s music videos,[324] and Jackson specials aired on television stations around the world.[325] MTV briefly returned to its original music video format,[6] and they aired hours of Jackson’s music videos, with live news specials featuring reactions from MTV personalities and other celebrities.[326]
Fans visiting the makeshift memorial set up outside the Neverland Ranch entrance shortly after Jackson’s death
Jackson’s memorial was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park’s Hall of Liberty. Over 1.6 million fans applied for tickets to the memorial; the 8,750 recipients were drawn at random, and each received two tickets.[327] The memorial service was one of the most watched events in streaming history,[328] with an estimated US audience of 31.1 million[329] and a worldwide audience of an estimated 2.5 to 3 billion.[330][331]
In August 2009, the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled that Jackson’s death was a homicide.[338][339] Law enforcement officials charged Murray with involuntary manslaughter on February 8, 2010.[340] In late 2011, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter[341] and held without bail to await sentencing.[342] Murray was sentenced to four years in prison, but was released after one year and eleven months.[343]
Posthumous sales
At the 2009 American Music Awards, Jackson won four posthumous awards, including two for his compilation album Number Ones, bringing his total American Music Awards to 26.[344][345] In the year after his death, more than 16.1 million copies of Jackson’s albums were sold in the US alone, and 35 million copies were sold worldwide, more than any other artist in 2009.[346][347] He became the first artist to sell one million music downloads in a week, with 2.6 million song downloads. Thriller, Number Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson became the first catalog albums to outsell any new album.[348] Jackson also became the first artist to have four of the top-20 bestselling albums in a single year in the US.[349] Within the year following his death, Jackson sold over 75 million records worldwide.[350] By the end of 2013, Jackson had sold over 50 million albums worldwide since his death.[351]
Following the surge in sales, in March 2010, Sony Music signed a $250 million deal (equivalent to $360 million in 2024) with the Jackson estate to extend their distribution rights to Jackson’s back catalog until at least 2017; it had been due to expire in 2015. It was the most expensive music contract for a single artist in history.[352][353] They agreed to release ten albums of previously unreleased material and new collections of released work.[352][354] The deal was extended in 2017.[355] That July, a Los Angeles court awarded Quincy Jones $9.4 million of disputed royalty payments for Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad.[52] In July 2018, Sony/ATV bought the estate’s stake in EMI for $287.5 million.[356]
In 2014, Jackson became the first artist to have a top-ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades.[357] The following year, Thriller became the first album to be certified for 30 million shipments by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[358] A year later, it was certified 33× platinum after Soundscan added streams and audio downloads to album certifications.[359][nb 3]
In February 2024, Sony Music acquired half of Jackson’s publishing rights and recording masters for an estimated $600 million. The deal includes assets from Jackson’s Mijac publishing catalog, but excludes royalties from several Jackson-related productions, including the MJ Broadway musical and the Michael biopic. The deal is possibly the largest transaction ever for a single musician’s work.[361][362]
Posthumous releases and productions
Jackson’s posthumous releases and productions are administered by the estate of Michael Jackson, which owns Jackson’s trademarks and rights to his name, image and likeness.[363] The first posthumous Jackson song, “This Is It“, co-written in the 1980s with Paul Anka, was released in October 2009. The surviving Jackson brothers reunited to record backing vocals.[364] It was followed by a documentary film about the rehearsals for the canceled This Is It tour, Michael Jackson’s This Is It,[365] and a compilation album.[366] Despite a limited two-week engagement, the film became the highest-grossing documentary or concert film ever, with earnings of more than $260 million worldwide.[367] Jackson’s estate received 90% of the profits.[368] In late 2010, Sony released the first posthumous album, Michael, and the lead single “Hold My Hand“, a duet with Akon. The Jackson collaborator will.i.am expressed disgust, saying that Jackson would not have approved the release.[369]
In 2012, in an attempt to end a family dispute, Jackson’s brother Jermaine retracted his signature on a public letter criticizing executors of Jackson’s estate and his mother’s advisors over the legitimacy of his brother’s will.[378] T.J. Jackson, the son of Tito Jackson, was given co-guardianship of Michael Jackson’s children after false reports of Katherine Jackson going missing.[379]Xscape, an album of unreleased material, was released on May 13, 2014.[380] The lead single, a duet between Jackson and Justin Timberlake, “Love Never Felt So Good“, reached number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making Jackson the first artist to have a top-10 single on the chart in five different decades.[381]
In 2013, choreographer Wade Robson filed a lawsuit alleging that Jackson had sexually abused him for seven years, beginning when he was seven years old (1989–1996).[390] In 2014, a case was filed by James Safechuck, alleging similar sexual abuse over a four-year period starting when Safechuck was ten (1988–1992).[391][392][393] Both had previously testified in Jackson’s defense during the 1993 allegations; Robson did so again in 2005.[394][395] In 2015, Robson’s case against Jackson’s estate was dismissed as it had been filed too late. Safechuck’s claim was also time-barred.[396]
In 2017, it was ruled that Jackson’s corporations could not be held accountable for his alleged past actions.[397][398] The rulings were appealed. On October 20, 2020, Safechuck’s lawsuit against Jackson’s corporations was again dismissed. The judge ruled that there was no evidence that Safechuck had had a relationship with Jackson’s corporation, nor was it proven that there was a special relationship between the two.[399][400][401][402] On April 26, 2021, Robson’s case was dismissed because of a lack of supporting evidence that the defendants exercised control over Jackson.[403]
Robson and Safechuck’s allegations were the subject of the documentary film Leaving Neverland, released in March 2019.[404] Radio stations in New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands removed Jackson’s music from their playlists.[405][406][407] Jackson’s family condemned the film as a “public lynching”,[408] and the Jackson estate released a statement calling the film a “tabloid character assassination [Jackson] endured in life, and now in death”.[409] Close associates of Jackson, such as Corey Feldman, Aaron Carter, Brett Barnes, and Macaulay Culkin, defended Jackson in the wake of the documentary’s release, saying that Jackson had never molested them.[410][411][412]
Documentaries such as Square One: Michael Jackson, Neverland Firsthand: Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary and Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth, presented information countering the claims suggested by Leaving Neverland.[413][414][415] Jackson’s album sales increased following the documentary screenings.[416]Billboard senior editor Gail Mitchell said she and a colleague interviewed about thirty music executives who believed Jackson’s legacy could withstand the controversy.[417] In late 2019, some New Zealand and Canadian radio stations re-added Jackson’s music to their playlists, citing “positive listener survey results”.[418][419]
On February 21, 2019, the Jackson estate sued HBO for breaching a non-disparagement clause from a 1992 contract. The suit sought to compel HBO to participate in a non-confidential arbitration that could result in $100 million or more in damages awarded to the estate.[420] HBO said they did not breach a contract and filed an anti-SLAPP motion against the estate. In September 2019, Judge George H. Wu denied HBO’s motion to dismiss the case, allowing the Jackson estate to arbitrate.[421] HBO appealed, but in December 2020 the appeals court affirmed Wu’s ruling.[422]
In 2020, a state law passed in California which granted plaintiffs in child sex abuse cases an additional period to file lawsuits. In October 2020 and again in April 2021, the Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled that MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc. employees were not legally obligated to protect the two men from Jackson. In August 2023, California’s Second District Court of Appeal overturned the ruling, and the case was approved to move forward to trial court.[423]
Jackson has been referred to as the “King of Pop” for having transformed the art of music videos and paving the way for modern pop music. For much of Jackson’s career, he had an unparalleled worldwide influence over the younger generation.[424] His influence extended beyond the music industry; he impacted dance, led fashion trends, and raised awareness for global affairs.[425] Jackson’s music and videos fostered racial diversity in MTV’s roster and steered its focus from rock to pop music and R&B, leading to the discontinuation of the album-oriented rock format previously dominant on the channel.[39][426] In songs such as “Black or White“, “Heal the World“, “Earth Song” and “They Don’t Care About Us“, Jackson’s music emphasized racial integration and environmentalism and protested injustice.[427][428] He is considered one of the most significant figures of the 20th century,[429] and his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.[430][431][432][433]
Jackson’s meteoric rise in the 1980s catapulted him to global stardom, and his influence transcended borders. In Africa, his influence was compared to Nelson Mandela for his ability to inspire and unite diverse audiences through his music.[434][435] Similarly, in India, Jackson was likened to Mahatma Gandhi, with his art championing themes of social justice and humanitarianism,[436] and his influence extending to Bollywood where it was said that anyone who danced well was compared to Jackson.[434] In Europe, Jackson’s impact was compared to that of the Pope, drawing huge crowds of people who gathered to see the singer in public and even more to his concerts, which spread messages of love and healing during rough economic and political times.[437] His presence in the Middle East was considered as widespread as Coca-Cola, symbolizing a shared global culture through his music.[438] Additionally, Jackson is considered the backbone of the K-Pop industry in South Korea, influencing countless artists and shaping the genre’s development.[439][440]
Trying to trace Michael Jackson’s influence on the pop stars that followed him is like trying to trace the influence of oxygen and gravity. So vast, far-reaching and was his impact—particularly in the wake of Thriller‘s colossal and heretofore unmatched commercial success—that there weren’t a whole lot of artists who weren’t trying to mimic some of the Jackson formula.
Jackson’s Bad era wax figure at Madame Tussauds, London in 1992
Danyel Smith, chief content officer of Vibe Media Group and the editor-in-chief of Vibe, described Jackson as “the greatest star”.[442] Steve Huey of AllMusic called him “an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the skills to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star power”.[5] BET said Jackson was “quite simply the greatest entertainer of all time” whose “sound, style, movement and legacy continues to inspire artists of all genres”.[443] In 1984, Time pop critic Jay Cocks wrote that “Jackson is the biggest thing since the Beatles. He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley. He just may be the most popular black singer ever.” He described Jackson as a “star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style, and color too.”[89] In 2003, The Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley described Jackson as “extremely important” and a “genius”.[444] At Jackson’s memorial service on July 7, 2009, Motown founder Berry Gordy called Jackson “the greatest entertainer that ever lived”.[445][446]Jackson is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records.[447][448] He has also appeared on Rolling Stone‘s lists of the Greatest Singers of All Time.[449][450]
Craig Glenday, the Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records, called Jackson the most famous person in the world in 2006. Following Jackson’s death, Glenday wrote in an obituary that Jackson had maintained this status up until his death,[451] later remarking that his fame had exceeded that of Confucius.[452]The Guardian wrote that he was in a league of his own in terms of fame, noting that Jackson had become so famous that the number of people who might not know who he was had become statistically insignificant.[453] Due to his unprecedented influence, Jackson is recognized today as one of the most globally renowned figures in history. Reports of his fame extend from the Middle East,[454][455] Africa,[434][456] India,[457][458] and China[459][460] to tribes in the Amazon.[461] His influence even reaches remote corners of the world such as São Tomé and Príncipe, or Tristan da Cunha, where tribute artists keep his legacy alive by celebrating his music. [462][463]
In 2018, the National Portrait Gallery named Jackson the most depicted cultural figure of the century,[464] later stating that Jackson’s influence on art rivaled that of Jesus Christ.[465]Nicholas Cullinan, director of the National Portrait Gallery and curator of the Michael Jackson: On the Wall exhibition, described Jackson’s impact on art as unprecedented and claimed in 2018 that Jackson was the most depicted figure in the history of contemporary art.[466] In 2014, a comprehensive study conducted by researcher Young-Ho Eom at the University of Toulouse identified Jackson as one of the most influential people of all time.[467] The study utilized advanced ranking methods, including 2D Rank and PageRank algorithms, to analyze the impact of historical figures. Jackson was prominently placed on the list of top influencers, alongside Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, Adolf Hitler, and Jesus Christ. An additional study conducted in 2013 also identified Jackson as one of the most influential people of all time. This study ranked Jackson at the top of the list, alongside Napoleon Bonaparte, highlighting the extraordinary influence and global recognition that Jackson achieved throughout his career.[468] Additionally, numerous publications and academic studies have recognized Michael Jackson as one of the most influential figures in history, noting his impact beyond music in fields such as psychology, law, chemistry, and engineering.[469][470][471]
Jackson is widely regarded as having been a prolific philanthropist and humanitarian.[472][473][474][475] Jackson’s early charitable work has been described by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as having “paved the way for the current surge in celebrity philanthropy”,[476] and by the Los Angeles Times as having “set the standard for generosity for other entertainers”.[472]
By some estimates, he donated over $500 million, not accounting for inflation, to various charities over the course of his life.[472] In 1992, Jackson established his Heal the World Foundation, to which he donated several million dollars in revenue from his Dangerous World Tour.[477]
Jackson’s philanthropic activities went beyond just monetary donations. He also performed at benefit concerts, some of which he arranged.[478] He gifted tickets for his regular concert performances to groups that assist underprivileged children.[479] He visited sick children in hospitals around the world.[480]
Jackson donated valuable, personal and professional paraphernalia for numerous charity auctions. He received various awards and accolades for his philanthropic work, including two bestowed by presidents of the United States. The vast breadth of Jackson’s philanthropic work has earned recognition in the Guinness World Records.[472][481][482]
On May 14, 1984, President Ronald Reagan gave Jackson an award recognizing his support of alcohol and drug abuse charities,[483] and in recognition of his support for the Ad Council‘s and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration‘s Drunk Driving Prevention campaign. Jackson allowed the campaign to use “Beat It” for its public service announcements.[484]
Artistry
Vocal style
Jackson was known as an expressive vocalist with absolute pitch.[485][486][487] Critics describe his vocal theatricality having a range from clear and soft to harsh and aggressive,[488][489][490][491] depending on the genre sung. Principally in history, Jackson is the sole recipient to receive Grammy Awards for three different genres of vocal performance (as a soloist), winning Pop Vocal for “Thriller“, Rock Vocal for “Beat It“, and Rhythm and Blues Vocal with both “Billie Jean” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough“. Bruce Swedien, his long-time sound engineer, emphasized that a critical element of their vocal recordings are of him and Jackson trying numerous approaches to rhythmic, emotional and technical distinctions to consummate a “sonic character”.[492] His stylings, such as common use of staccato, legato, falsetto as well as vocal hiccups,[493] adlibs, wailings and growls are all signature to his sound.[494][495]
Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed. Between 1971 and 1975, his voice descended from boy soprano to lyric tenor.[496] He was known for his intonation and vocal range.[449] Through each music release, his vocal development and changes were positively narrated by music journalists. With the arrival of Off the Wall in the late 1970s, Jackson’s abilities in his coming-of-age period had Rolling Stone comparing his vocals to the “breathless, dreamy stutter” of Stevie Wonder, and wrote that “Jackson’s feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a startling falsetto that’s used very daringly.”[497] By the time of 1982’s Thriller, Rolling Stone wrote that Jackson was singing in a “fully adult voice” that was “tinged by sadness”.[498] The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album Dangerous. The New York Times noted that on some tracks, “he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth” and he had a “wretched tone”. When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to “smooth” vocals.[499] Of Invincible, Rolling Stone wrote that, at 43, Jackson still performed “exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies”.[500]Joseph Vogel notes Jackson’s ability to use non-verbal sounds to express emotion.[501]Neil McCormick wrote that Jackson’s unorthodox singing style “was original and utterly distinctive”.[502]
Jackson’s vocal technique was influenced by Diana Ross; his use of the oooh interjection from a young age was something Ross had used on many of her songs with the Supremes.[507] She was a mother figure to him, and he often watched her rehearse.[508] He said he had learned a lot from watching how she moved and sang, and that she had encouraged him to have confidence in himself.[509]
Choreographer David Winters, who met Jackson while choreographing the 1971 Diana Ross TV special Diana!, said that Jackson watched the musical West Side Story almost every week, and it was his favorite film; he paid tribute to it in “Beat It” and the “Bad” video.[510][511][512]
Musicianship
Jackson had no formal music training and could not read or write music notation. He is credited for playing guitar, keyboard, and drums, but was not proficient in them.[513] When composing, he recorded ideas by beatboxing and imitating instruments vocally.[513] Describing the process, he said: “I’ll just sing the bass part into the tape recorder. I’ll take that bass lick and put the chords of the melody over the bass lick and that’s what inspires the melody.” These were shown in his demos for “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” where he vocalized the melody, bass instrumentals as well as lead and backing vocals by overlaying each component. The engineer Robert Hoffman recalled that after Jackson came in with a song he had written overnight, Jackson sang every note of every chord to a guitar player. Hoffman also remembered Jackson singing string arrangements part by part into a cassette recorder.[513]
Dance
Jackson danced from a young age as part of the Jackson 5,[514] and incorporated dance extensively in his performances and music videos.[514] According to Sanjoy Roy of The Guardian, Jackson would “flick and retract his limbs like switchblades, or snap out of a tornado spin into a perfectly poised toe-stand”.[514] The moonwalk, taught to him by Jeffrey Daniel,[77] was Jackson’s signature dance move and one of the most famous of the 20th century.[515] Jackson is credited for coining the name “moonwalk” for this street dance move, previously known as the “backslide”.[516][517] His other moves included the robot,[45][518] crotch grab, and the “anti-gravity” lean of the “Smooth Criminal” video.[514]
With Off the Wall, Jackson’s “vocabulary of grunts, squeals, hiccups, moans, and asides” vividly showed his maturation into an adult, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau’s Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981). The album’s title track suggested to the critic a parallel between Jackson and Stevie Wonder‘s “oddball” music personas: “Since childhood his main contact with the real world has been on stage and in bed.”[525] With Thriller, Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery.[498] AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted this on the songs “Billie Jean” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”.[523] In “Billie Jean”, Jackson depicts an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered her child,[5] and in “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” he argues against gossip and the media.[498] “Beat It” decried gang violence in a homage to West Side Story, and was Jackson’s first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey.[5][36] He observed that “Thriller” began Jackson’s interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem “We Are the World”; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona.[5]
In Bad, Jackson’s concept of the predatory lover is seen on the rock song “Dirty Diana”.[526] The lead single “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” is a traditional love ballad, and “Man in the Mirror” is a ballad of confession and resolution. “Smooth Criminal” is an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely murder.[136] AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Dangerous presents Jackson as a paradoxical person.[527] The first half of the record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like “Jam” and “Remember the Time”. It was the first Jackson album in which social ills became a primary theme; “Why You Wanna Trip on Me”, for example, protests world hunger, AIDS, homelessness and drugs. Dangerous contains sexually charged songs such as “In the Closet“. The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire. The second half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as “Will You Be There“, “Heal the World”, and “Keep the Faith”.[499] In the ballad “Gone Too Soon“, Jackson gives tribute to Ryan White and the plight of those with AIDS.[528]
HIStory creates an atmosphere of paranoia.[529] In the new jack swing-funk rock tracks “Scream” and “Tabloid Junkie”, and the R&B ballad “You Are Not Alone“, Jackson retaliates against the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs his anger at the media.[530] In the introspective ballad “Stranger in Moscow“, Jackson laments his “fall from grace”; “Earth Song”, “Childhood”, “Little Susie”, and “Smile” are operatic pop songs.[529][530] In “D.S.“, Jackson attacks lawyer Thomas W. Sneddon Jr., who had prosecuted him in both child sexual abuse cases; he describes Sneddon as a white supremacist who wanted to “get my ass, dead or alive”.[531]Invincible includes urban soul tracks such as “Cry” and “The Lost Children”, ballads such as “Speechless“, “Break of Dawn”, and “Butterflies”, and mixes hip hop, pop, and R&B in “2000 Watts”, “Heartbreaker”, and “Invincible”.[532][533]
Music videos and choreography
Jackson (center) performing a dance sequence of “The Way You Make Me Feel” at the Bad World Tour in 1988
Jackson released “Thriller“, a 14-minute music video directed by John Landis, in 1983.[534] The zombie-themed video “defined music videos and broke racial barriers” on MTV, which had launched two years earlier.[39] Before Thriller, Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American.[535] Pressure from CBS Records persuaded MTV to start showing “Billie Jean” and later “Beat It”, which led to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, and helped other black music artists gain recognition.[536] The popularity of his videos on MTV helped the relatively new channel’s viewing figures, and MTV’s focus shifted toward pop and R&B.[536][537] His performance on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever changed the scope of live stage shows, making it acceptable for artists to lip-sync to music video on stage.[538] The choreography in Thriller has been copied in Indian films and prisons in the Philippines.[539]Thriller marked an increase in scale for music videos, and was named the most successful music video ever by the Guinness World Records.[227]
In “Bad”‘s 19-minute video—directed by Martin Scorsese—Jackson used sexual imagery and choreography, and touched his chest, torso and crotch. When asked by Winfrey in the 1993 interview about why he grabbed his crotch, he said it was spontaneously compelled by the music. Time magazine described the “Bad” video as “infamous”. It featured Wesley Snipes; Jackson’s later videos often featured famous cameo roles.[540][541] For the “Smooth Criminal” video, Jackson experimented with leaning forward at a 45-degree angle, beyond the performer’s center of gravity. To accomplish this live, Jackson and designers developed a special shoe to lock the performer’s feet to the stage, allowing them to lean forward. They were granted U.S. patent 5,255,452 for the device.[542] The video for “Leave Me Alone” was not officially released in the US, but in 1989 was nominated for three Billboard Music Video Awards[543] and won a Golden Lion Award for its special effects. It won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form.[60]
He received the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 1988; in 2001 the award was renamed in his honor.[544] The “Black or White” video simultaneously premiered on November 14, 1991, in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest audience ever for a music video at the time.[176] Along with Jackson, it featured Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton, and George Wendt. It helped introduce morphing to music videos.[545] It was controversial for scenes in which Jackson rubs his crotch, vandalizes cars, and throws a garbage can through a storefront. He apologized and removed the final scene of the video.[164]
“In the Closet” featured Naomi Campbell in a courtship dance with Jackson.[546] “Remember the Time” was set in ancient Egypt, and featured Eddie Murphy, Iman, and Magic Johnson.[547] The video for “Scream”, directed by Mark Romanek and production designer Tom Foden, gained a record 11 MTV Video Music Award Nominations, and won “Best Dance Video”, “Best Choreography”, and “Best Art Direction”.[548] The song and its video are Jackson’s response to being accused of child molestation in 1993.[549] A year later, it won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form. It has been reported as the most expensive music video ever made, at $7 million;[550] Romanek has contradicted this.[551] The “Earth Song” video was nominated for the 1997 Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form.[552]
In December 2009, the Library of Congress selected “Thriller” as the only music video to be preserved in the National Film Registry, as a work of “enduring importance to American culture”.[556][557] Huey wrote that Jackson transformed the music video into an artform and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameos, while breaking down racial barriers.[5]
Jackson and President George H. W. Bush at the White House on April 5, 1990. It was the second time that Jackson had been honored by a president of the United States.
Jackson is one of the bestselling music artists in history,[558] with sales estimated around 500 million records worldwide.[559][560][561][Note 2] He had 13 number-one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era until Drake tied with Jackson with First Person Shooter.[562] He was invited and honored by a president of the United States at the White House three times. In 1984, he was honored with a “Presidential Public Safety Commendation” award by Ronald Reagan for his humanitarian endeavors.[563] In 1990, he was honored as the “Artist of the Decade” by George H. W. Bush.[564] In 1992, he was honored as a “Point of Light Ambassador” by Bush for inviting disadvantaged children to his Neverland Ranch.[565]
In 1988, Fisk University honored him with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.[576] In 1992, he was invested as a titular king of Sanwi, a traditional kingdom located in the south-east of Ivory Coast.[577] In July 2009, the Lunar Republic Society named a crater on the Moon after Jackson.[578] In August, for what would have been Jackson’s 51st birthday, Google dedicated their Google Doodle to him.[579] In 2012, the extinct hermit crab Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni was named in his honor.[580] In 2014, the British Council of Cultural Relations deemed Jackson’s life one of the 80 most important cultural moments of the 20th century.[581]World Vitiligo Day has been celebrated on June 25, the anniversary of Jackson’s death, to raise awareness of the auto-immune disorder that Jackson suffered from.[582]
In 1989, Jackson’s annual earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts were estimated at $125 million.[227]Forbes placed Jackson’s annual income at $35 million in 1996 and $20 million in 1997.[583] Jackson has been one of the wealthiest celebrities and musical artists; estimates of Jackson’s net worth during his life range from negative $285 million to positive $350 million for 2002, 2003 and 2007.[584][585]Forbes reported in August 2018 that Jackson’s total career pretax earnings in life and death were $4.2 billion.[586][587] Sales of his recordings through Sony’s music unit earned him an estimated $300 million in royalties. He may have earned another $400 million from concerts, music publishing (including his share of the Beatles catalog), endorsements, merchandising and music videos.[588]
In 2013, the executors of Jackson’s estate filed a petition in the United States Tax Court as a result of a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over estate taxes.[589] The executors claimed that it was worth about $7 million, while the IRS that it was worth over $1.1 billion. In February 2014, the IRS reported that Jackson’s estate owed $702 million; $505 million in taxes, and $197 million in penalties.[590] In 2021, the Tax Court issued a ruling in favor of the estate, ruling that the estate’s total combined value of the estate was $111.5 million and that the value of Jackson’s name and likeness was $4 million.[591]
In 2016, Forbes estimated annual gross earnings by the Jackson Estate at $825 million, the largest ever recorded for a celebrity, mostly due to the sale of the Sony/ATV catalog.[592] In 2018, the figure was $400 million,[593] bringing Jackson’s postmortem total to $2.4 billion.[594]Forbes has consistently recognized Jackson as one of the top-earning dead celebrities, and placed him at the top spot from 2013 to 2023.[595][596]
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