The King after death: why Michael Jackson continues to be remembered

At the end of June 2009, the news that seemed impossible spread around the world: Michael Jackson died at the age of 50. A few weeks earlier, he was preparing for a large-scale series of This Is It concerts, which was supposed to be his return to the stage.

17 years after his death, the name of the king of pop music is still one of the most recognizable in world culture. His songs continue to break listening records, his dance moves are copied by new generations of artists, and the music industry still operates according to the rules he helped shape. About how a boy from the Jackson family became the main pop artist of the 20th century and why his legacy turned out to be stronger than time - in the material of Izvestia.

From child prodigy to global star

The story of Michael Jackson began long before he became the king of pop music. In the late 1960s, he performed as part of The Jackson 5 family band with his brothers. Even then, he amazed the audience with his vocals, plasticity and confidence on stage, which seemed incredible for a child.

The band quickly became a Motown Records sensation, and the songs I Want You Back, ABC, and I'll Be There topped the American charts. It was then that the world first saw the phenomenon of childhood fame, which later defined Jackson's entire life.

Childhood fame brought Jackson not only success, but also serious pressure. Later, the actor repeatedly said that his childhood was spent in constant rehearsals, tours and television filming. While his peers went to school and played in the yard, Michael spent his days in recording studios and concert halls. It was then that his phenomenal discipline and commitment to excellence were formed, which would later become his calling card.

Unlike many child stars who disappeared after growing up, Jackson managed to reinvent himself. In the late 1970s, he began a solo career and released the album Off the Wall, recorded with producer Quincy Jones. The record demonstrated that Jackson is capable of being not just a former member of a popular band, but an independent world-class artist.

For the music industry, the success of Off the Wall was also important because the album broke down the usual genre boundaries. Jackson freely mixed pop, soul, disco and funk, creating a sound that was equally understandable to a wide variety of audiences. Many music critics later called Off the Wall one of the records that paved the way for the future Thriller revolution.

The real revolution took place in 1982 with the release of Thriller. The album spawned seven hit singles, including Billie Jean and Beat It, and later became the best-selling music album in human history. After that, Jackson stopped being just a successful singer — he turned into a global cultural phenomenon, who was equally known in New York, Tokyo, London, Moscow and Cape Town.

In the mid-1980s, Michael Jackson was perhaps the most famous celebrity on the planet. His name sounded far beyond the music industry, and every new song or performance turned into a global event. It was then that he finally secured the title of King of Pop — the king of pop music.

The man who changed the rules of show business

Before Michael Jackson, music videos were more often perceived as commercials for songs. They rarely had a plot, a cinematic production, or a serious budget. Everything changed after the release of the Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller music videos. Jackson showed that a music video can be an independent work of art, capable of telling stories and becoming a cultural event.

Billie Jean has become not only a huge hit, but also an important milestone for MTV. The success of the song and video proved to the channel's management that the audience wants to see artists of various genres and backgrounds. After that, Jackson's role in the history of MTV became so significant that many cultural researchers talk about the existence of two eras — before and after him.

In the early 1980s, MTV was criticized for the extremely limited presence of black artists on the air. The success of Billie Jean changed the situation. After the clip became one of the most popular videos on the channel, MTV management was forced to expand its music policy. Many pop culture historians believe that it was Jackson who helped break down the barriers that had existed on music television for a long time.

If Billie Jean and Beat It changed music television, then Thriller literally turned it around. The almost 14-minute mini-movie with horror elements, complex choreography and a full-fledged plot has become one of the most influential music videos of all time. In 2009, the Library of Congress included Thriller in the National Film Registry — it was the first music video to receive such an honor.

For the filming of Thriller, Jackson invited director John Landis, who had previously directed the film "An American Werewolf in London." In fact, the musician was the first to treat a music video as a full-fledged film project. The budget of the video was huge at that time, and the clip itself was discussed as actively as Hollywood premieres.

It was during the era of Thriller that Jackson first performed the famous moonwalk. Performing on the Motown 25 TV show in 1983 instantly became part of the history of television and pop culture. For millions of viewers, it was one of those rare moments when they realized that they were witnessing the birth of a legend.

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His world tours had no less impact. The Bad World Tour and the Dangerous World Tour gathered thousands of stadiums around the world and set attendance records. Thanks to Jackson, pop music has finally become a universal international language, understandable to people regardless of country, culture or language.

Jackson's concert performances were also of particular importance. Today, viewers are used to giant screens, elaborate decorations, pyrotechnics, and carefully choreographed stadium shows. However, in many ways, it was Jackson who helped turn the pop artist's concert into a large-scale theatrical performance. Many elements of his performances later became the industry standard.

Going on stage, which never took place

In March 2009, Michael Jackson announced a series of This Is It concerts in London. Initially, it was planned to hold only a few shows, but the demand turned out to be so huge that the number of performances was increased to 50. Tickets sold out at an incredible rate, and fans from all over the world began planning trips to the UK.

The interest in the concerts turned out to be so high that the initial ten performances quickly turned into 50. According to the organizers, in just a few hours, fans sold out about a million tickets, and the demand was so high that even this amount was not enough for everyone. Many called This Is It the main musical event of the year and Jackson's long-awaited return to the stage after a hiatus of many years.

In the spring and summer of 2009, the singer actively rehearsed future concerts. Judging by the surviving videos, he continued to personally control many of the details of the production and still demonstrated impressive stage form. It was these rehearsals that later formed the basis of the documentary This Is It.

However, on June 25, 2009, the world was shocked by the news of Michael Jackson's death. He was only 50 years old. The information spread across the planet in just a few minutes and instantly became the main topic of the world's media. For many fans, what happened seemed impossible: the artist was preparing to return to the stage and was in the spotlight like never before.

The official cause of death was acute intoxication with propofol (a strong anesthetic) and other sedatives. Jackson's death was classified as manslaughter, of which Conrad Murray, the artist's personal physician, was found guilty.

The news of the singer's death instantly became one of the most discussed in the history of the Internet. According to Google, the number of search queries turned out to be so high that some services temporarily mistook them for a possible cyberattack. The world's largest TV channels have completely changed their broadcast schedule, switching to emergency coverage of events.

Jackson's farewell turned into one of the largest memorial events of the 21st century. Tens of millions of people around the world watched the telecast of the ceremony, and thousands of fans gathered near the Staples Center arena in Los Angeles. Newspapers were published with mourning headlines, and TV channels devoted days to the memory of the musician.

In the fall of the same year, the film Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. The painting allowed us to see the last weeks of the artist's life and became a kind of farewell to a man who for decades determined the face of world pop culture.

The Great Michael Jackson Controversy

Since the 1990s, Jackson's name has been in the news more and more often, not just because of the music. Over the years, he has been accused of sexual harassment, which has been the subject of investigations and widely discussed in the press. The musician himself has consistently denied all charges.

The most famous was the 2005 trial in California. After several months of trial, the jury found Jackson not guilty of all charges. For his fans, this decision was a confirmation of the artist's innocence, but public discussions around his personality have not completely stopped.

A new round of discussions arose in 2019 after the release of the documentary "Leaving Neverland". The painting once again drew attention to old accusations and sparked fierce debate about how the musician's legacy should be perceived. For some, his work remained the main thing, for others, the issues raised in the film.

Years later, it is obvious that the figure of Michael Jackson continues to cause difficult discussions. However, even the most heated debates have not been able to oust from cultural memory his influence on music, television, dance and the entertainment industry in general.

At the same time, even many researchers of popular culture note that the discussion of Jackson today rarely boils down to one position. His figure remains the subject of constant controversy precisely because the artist's influence on music turned out to be so large-scale. The question of how to separate creativity from the author's personality has largely become part of a broader public debate that continues years after his death.

Why Michael Jackson still lives in modern culture

More than 40 years later, Thriller remains the best-selling music album in history. According to estimates by various organizations, its worldwide sales exceeded 60 million copies. Few works of art at all can boast of such cultural longevity.

Jackson's influence is recognized by dozens of contemporary artists. The Weeknd performer has repeatedly said that it was the work of the king of pop that shaped his idea of vocals and stage image.

Bruno Mars borrowed many elements of dance plastics, and Beyoncé called Jackson one of the artists who inspired her career. Even decades after the peak of his popularity, new generations of stars continue to build their shows on the principles that he once formulated.

Jackson's music videos continue to set viewing records decades after their release. Billie Jean, Beat It, and Thriller remain part of global pop culture, and new generations are exposed to them through streaming services and social media.

Jackson's popularity is also reflected in the success of projects dedicated to his life. Thus, the musical MJ on Broadway has become one of the most successful musical performances in recent years, and interest in his work continues to bring billions of listeners annually. At the moment, the biopic "Michael" has become a resounding success around the world, showing the path of becoming a great artist. Jackson's role in the film was played by his nephew Jaafar.

It is also significant that interest in Jackson is not decreasing among the young audience, who did not see his live performances. His songs regularly return to the charts after appearing in films, TV series, and social media, and streaming platforms record hundreds of millions of new listeners every year. For many young listeners, the acquaintance with his music takes place years after the death of the artist.

It has been 17 years since Michael Jackson's death. During this time, new genres, new technologies, and new superstars have emerged. But many of the rules of the modern music industry — from large—scale stadium shows to cinematic music videos and global marketing of artists - appeared thanks to a man who once changed the idea of what a pop musician could be. Michael Jackson died in 2009, but the industry he helped create continues to live by his rules.