Facts about Michael Jackson

King: He received a royal title in the Ivory Coast in 1992. He is also nicknamed the ‘King of Pop’
Fan: In 1984, a French fan committed suicide because he couldn’t get plastic surgery to look like Michael Jackson
Ritual: Immediately before his concerts, he drank Ricola sweets dissolved in hot water
Bookbinder: A library once accused Michael Jackson of owing 1 million dollars for books that were not returned on time
Comeback: When Michael Jackson died, he was rehearsing for his biggest comeback, which included 50 shows in London
Food: He loved Mexican food and was also a vegetarian
Changes in appearance: He claimed that his changes in appearance were due to weight loss and a very strict vegetarian diet plan
Nose surgery: However, Michael Jackson admitted that he had 2 nose jobs
Skin disease: In 1993, Michael Jackson’s dermatologist announced that Michael had a rare skin disease called ‘vitiligo’, which causes the skin to lose pigmentation. The skin disease affects 1-2% of the population
Stamps: The island of Saint Vincent in the Caribbean once issued Michael Jackson stamps

Fact: Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 from a lethal amount of propofol administered by his personal physician

Facts about Michael Jackson’s background

Birth: Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, United States
Far: His father, Joseph Walter Jackson, worked in a steel mill and was in an R&B band called ‘The Falcons’. Joseph’s brother Luther was also a member of the band
Mother: Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, raised him as a Jehovah’s Witness
Siblings: Michael Jackson had 9 brothers and sisters
Childhood: In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson described his childhood as traumatic and lonely
Teasing stick: As a young boy, Michael put spiders in La Toyah’s (his sister) bed
Start: He was only 4 years old when he started singing with his brothers Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito in ‘the Jackson Five’
Public debut: He gave his first public performance at the age of 5 with the song ‘Climb Every Mountain’

Janet Jackson: Janet Damita Jo Jackson (singer – born May 16, 1966)
Randy Jackson: Steven Randall Jackson (singer and musician [originally one of The Jackson 5] – born October 29, 1961)
Marlon Jackson: Marlon David Jackson (singer and dancer [originally one of The Jackson 5] – born March 12, 1957)
La Toya Jackson: La Toya Yvonne Jackson (singer, actress and writer – born May 29, 1956)
Jermaine Jackson: Jermaine La Jaune Jacksun (singer and musician [originally one of The Jackson 5] – born December 11, 1954)
Tito Jackson: Toriano Adaryll Jackson (singer and musician [originally one of The Jackson 5] – born October 15, 1953)
Rebbie Jackson: Maureen Reillette Jackson (singer – born May 29, 1950)
Jackie Jackson: Sigmund Esco Jackson (singer and musician [originally one of The Jackson 5] – born May 4, 1951)
JohVonnie Jackson: Daughter of her father’s (Joe Jackson) mistress and thus Michael Jackson’s half-sister (born in 1974)
Brandon Howard: It is unknown if Brandon Howard is Joe Jackson’s son and thus one of Michael Jackson’s siblings (born in 1983)

Music video: ‘Billie Jean’ was the first video by a black artist on MTV
Hollywood Walk of Fame: He has 2 stars on the famous ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’: one for himself and one for his membership in the group ‘the Jackson five’
Grammyer: In 1984, he won 8 Grammys – the highest number ever won by a single person in one year. He won 13 Grammys in his entire career
Beatles: He bought the rights to all of The Beatles’ songs for 47 million dollars in 1985 and sold part of the rights to Sony in 1995 for 95 million dollars
Total earnings: Total earnings from his music (in his lifetime) are estimated at 500 million dollars
Most famous person: A 1997 study indicated that Michael Jackson was the most famous person in the world
Best-selling album: Michael Jackson’s album ‘Thriller’ is the world’s best-selling album (around 50 million copies sold). He has sold more than 300 million records worldwide
Most expensive music video: The video for the song ‘Scream’ was the most expensive ever, costing around £3.8 million
Dance steps: Michael Jackson popularized several dance moves such as the ‘moonwalk’ and the ‘robot’

Pinocchio: Michael Jackson’s favorite cartoon character was Pinocchio
Wristbands: Michael Jackson often wore a black bracelet to remind people of the suffering of children around the world
Video instruction: One of Michael Jackson’s videos is directed by Martin Scorcese
Marriage: His marriage to Lisa-Marie Presley (Elvis Presley’s daughter) lasted only 19 months
Kids: Michael Jackson had 2 children with his surrogate mother Deborah Jeanne Rowe. The children are Michael Joseph Jackson Junior (also known as Prince) and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. He had a third child, Prince Michael Jackson II, with an unknown surrogate mother
Godfather: Macauley Culkin (from the ‘Home Alone’ movies) is godfather to Michael Jackson’s 2 children. Michael Jackson is also godfather to Nicole Richie and Bee Gees singer Barry Gibbs’ son Michael
Neverland Ranch: In 1988, he bought Neverland Ranch for 17 million dollars. Neverland Ranch included an amusement park and a movie theater and was protected by more than 40 guards. In 2003, the ranch was valued at 100 million dollars
Dead: On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed in his house in Los Angeles. His personal physician attempted to revive him and he was also taken to a nearby hospital. The autopsy report found that Michael Jackson was killed by a lethal amount of propofol that his personal physician (Conrad Murray) had given him