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Here in Los Angeles, as around the world, we celebrate the life of Michael Jackson in entertainment and humanitarian endeavors. He exploded onto the Pop and R&B charts, then after a lull in much of the 1970s, he blasted off to become the "World’s Greatest Entertainer." To provide some context for that sweeping proclamation by Berry Gordy and now others, begin with two facts and important insights that shaped his life and art from the 1980s onwards without over-hyping his achievements:

1. No artist is the “greatest” at every craft or skill
2. Every successful entertainer is a compilation of talent, artistic influences, life experience and dedication to craft.

To understand what drove much of his artistry and mystery without the tabloid lies and sensationalism, consider a series of unfortunate events that contributed to the tragedy of Michael's ever-changing looks. Much has already been said about the troubles of his childhood, so no need to re-hash those details here.

Only in his 40s was Michael confident enough to admit that severe acne, beginning as a teenager and for many years into adulthood, damaged his self-image. And in July 2009 Michael's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, confirmed that Michael's acne was so severe that it required medical treatment, surgeries and that he suffered from Lupus. Furthermore, while filming a Pepsi commercial with his brothers in January 1984, Michael suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his scalp. Michael also admitted that because of the intense pain from the burns, which required several surgeries, he developed an addiction to prescription painkillers. Never able re-grow hair in that large area, Michael wore wigs the rest of his life.


Sometime around the debut of Thriller in Fall 1982, Michael began evidencing the skin pigmentation disorder Vitiligo. At that time Cicely Tyson's fashion designer told her that Michael was showing white spots on one of his hands. In an effort to conceal it, Michael requested the design of what became his trademark - the sequined glove. Vitiligo often appears as spots or lesions on the hands and face, and there is scientific evidence suggesting that it is caused by a combination of autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors. The is no cure for it.

Vitiligo hyper-inflates how a White person feels about their body image. But it is devastating to a Black person who witnesses the skin disorder destroying part of their racial identity. Thus, Black people experiencing the early stages of Vitiligo often use heavy make-up to even out skin color. When depigmentation becomes a majority of the skin, Black patients face a traumatic decision:

* walk around in total body make-up
* walk around as a spotted human being
* begin bleaching to even out pale white pigmentation

With either choice, they become the subject of greater verbal and non-verbal abuse and often, discrimination.

For Michael, his color dramatically changed over 4 years between the Thriller and Bad albums, as the skin disorder spread. At times he wore masks to hide the signs of advancing Vitiligo on his face. Given the skin disorder was spreading across his entire body, it did not matter whether he finally used bleaching treatments. It did not matter that we was proud to call himself "Black" and to be called "Black." Nature decided that his skin would unalterably become pale white.


Many young people don't realize that nearly every day between 1983-1990, everything Michael Jackson did, said or didn't say no, matter how trivial was reported on TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines daily. In that decade, Michael endured more media scrutiny than the President. To quote one of his friends, Kenny Rogers, "I wouldn't wish that [Michael's] level of media attention on anyone." Isn't it likely, if not probable, that the lack of a normal childhood, severe acne, Vitiligo, Lupus, a burned scalp and painkiller addiction combined with unprecedented media scrutiny contributed to the Body Dismorphic Disorder that triggered excessive plastic surgeries? Complicating matters, people with Body Dismorphic Disorder are in denial about it and rarely seek psychiatric treatment for the disorder.

In summary, anyone suffering from all those troubles coupled with fame and fortune would manifest eccentricities. And given the trash tabloids who sold record numbers of magazines and the entertainment TV programs who attracted record viewership whenever they mentioned "Michael" as the lead story, even his normal behaviors were often misrepresented as out right lies. More often than not, hearsay and innuendo masqueraded as the truth. Things got so bad even so-called "accredited media" stooped to sound-bite sensationalism rather than investigative journalism to report and interpret his real problems as they were emerging.


Despite his troubles, Michael had a futuristic vision of a world where it should not matter whether you were Black, White or anything in between. That is why Michael in pale white pigmentation celebrated being African American without putting down other races. And yet he portrayed sexy women and men of all colors in his videos. To cite one example, he evoked a typical single Brotha's pride cruising for girlies with Chris Tucker and simultaneously gave props to long-time friend Marlon Brando in the same You Rock My World video. To cite another example, he used his depigmentation to far greater effect by denouncing racism in the video Black or White. No wonder a rainbow of people celebrate his life and music today. The "Wacko" tabloid media and millions of haters owe this troubled enlightened man of the 21st century a mega-apology concerning his changing looks and empathy for his pain-driven prescription drug addiction.

Michael Jackson's music genealogy and impact are unparalleled. But give props to Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, Little Richard and countless Gospel singers who set the stage for Michael’s mentors and inspirations: Joe Jackson (his dad and 1st manager), James Brown and Jackie Wilson. It is also well known that Berry Gordy, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and the Motown Family combined with Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, took him to finishing school as an entertainment artist. All of that acknowledged, no one could teach Michael's prodigy-level talent and internal drive to perfection that began at birth.




On his path to become the World's Greatest Entertainer, Michael Jackson’s only peer as a package of entertainment talent was Sammy Davis, Jr., the vocalist, tap dancer, comedian, impressionist, musician and actor. Sammy opened the Las Vegas Strip and Miami Beach nightclubs for all entertainers of color to perform. Similarly, Michael Jackson's package of entertainment talent was that of vocalist, innovative dancer, songwriter, producer, actor, and the main character in an animated TV series and at Disney theme parks.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two child-turned-adult stars was timeframe. Sammy started performing professionally in the 1940s and peaked in the 1960s. In contrast, Michael started in 1964, then became a major recording artist from 1968 onwards. Note that 1968 represented America’s biggest milestone date in the transition from the Segregation Era to its current Integration Era. Thus, Michael, as a member of the Jackson 5, benefited from commercial and artistic boundaries removed by the Civil Rights Movement, Motown, Stax, Atlantic, and many other record labels and artists in the Segregated years preceding him. And as it did for Elvis Presley and the Beatles earlier, The Ed Sullivan TV Show, when there were only 3 national TV channels, introduced millions of new fans to a precocious Michael Jackson and his brothers in 1969 and 1970.


The Jackson 5 recorded several modestly successful albums with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music and Me (1973), and Forever, Michael (1975). As lead singer in the Jacksons, Michael and his brothers (minus Jermaine who stayed with Motown) recorded 6 more albums with CBS/Philadelphia International Records from 1976-1984. For more information about those years, see this informative Jackson Five page at Soul-Patrol.com.

In 1979, Epic Records released Michael’s Off The Wall album to critical and commercial success. Though Off The Wall established Michael as a solo star, nothing could prepare him for the orbital success and fame to come next. Thriller was released by Epic Records in December 1982. Michael Jackson elevated to pop culture phenomenon at the Motown 25th Anniversary TV special at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. When he moonwalked to Billie Jean across stage in March 1983, 47 million viewers watched in rapt amazement. Afterwards, Fred Astaire called him as the world's best dancer. Then, the president of CBS Records (which owned Epic Records), Walter Yetnikoff pressured MTV to begin airing Billie Jean and Beat It or suffer the consequences. These and other media breakthroughs by Michael Jackson, such as the Rolling Stone covers, opened the door for future black music artists to gain mainstream recognition in America.

Michael's choreography has become a part of global pop culture from India's Bollywood, to prisons in the Philippines, to the ghettos and Middleclass of the world. Though often imitated, he has never been equaled as an entertainer who effortlessly merged stirring vocals with innovative dance routines, charismatic showmanship and milestone videos. As if you needed more proof, watch Michael Jackson kill it on this incomparable collage of dance routines highlighted by Billie Jean and Dangerous at the 1995 MTV Awards.


Much different than the days when he had to break down color barriers with his Thriller album, Michael Jackson’s Black or White music video simultaneously premiered in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million in 1991. With that groundbreaking foundation, Michael enjoyed a quantum leap in recording success as a solo artist, as measured by sold out world tours that filled stadiums and these millions of albums sold worldwide:

  20M  Off the Wall - 1979
109M  Thriller - 1982 (All-time highest)
  30M  Bad - 1987
  32M  Dangerous - 1991
  20M  HIStory - 1995
  10M  Invincible - 2001

Michael Jackson set the bar for humanitarian acts by an entertainer. He was a long-time contributor to UNCF. Along with Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson co-organized the landmark We Are The World record for African famine relief. That experience led him to organize his Heal The World Foundation. While making a comeback at age 42 in 2001, Michael cancelled his famous Madison Square Garden concerts to become a major contributor to the 9-11 victims concert in DC. Here's a memorable example of his kindness worldwide. On September 12, 1987, the Bad World Tour began. By the time it finished on January 14, 1989, Michael performed before 4.4 million people AND invited underprivileged children to watch for free, and gave donations to hospitals, orphanages, and other charities in each country. In fact, he is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for his support of 39 charities - more than any other entertainer. One of his greatest acts of charity is little known. The great Rock n' Roll innovator, Little Richard, was cheated out of royalties on most of his work. So Michael Jackson bought the publishing rights to Little Richard's music and actually GAVE it to him.


With such an impact on the world of entertainment and unprecedented humanitarian efforts, we should not be surprised by the response in Los Angeles immediately following his death on June 25, 2009. Fans built makeshift flower memorials in front of the $100,000 per month mansion he rented in Holmby Hills, in front of the Jackson Family estate in Encino, and on his Hollywood Walk of Fame star in front of the Chinese Theater. TV media from around the world sent satellite transmission buses to those impromptu historic sites. BET reshaped much of its annual awards show in tribute to Michael Jackson. Leimert Park Village organized a candlelight vigil and its Gallery Plus boutique was among the first to sell Michael Jackson Tribute T-shirts pictured. The GRAMMY Museum in downtown Los Angeles reopened an exhibit that features a collection of Michael Jackson’s iconic wardrobe pieces alongside a video of his GRAMMY performances.


Given the insurmountable logistical issues, Neverland Ranch did not host the Michael Jackson Memorial Service afterall. Instead, on July 7, 2009 his memorial service was held at the Staples Center in downtown LA. On September 3, 2009, his private funeral service was held at Holly Terrace in The Great Mausoleum at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA.

We can now appreciate Michael Jackson's artistry in the This Is It documentary of his last performance preparation that world premiered at LA LIVE on October 27, 2009 and on DVD/Blu-ray since January 26, 2010. We can also appreciate the Michael Jackson: A Musical Legacy exhibit at the Grammy Museum in LA LIVE, which includes his trademark fedora and gloves, 6 elaborately embellished jackets, original lyrics, a Jackson 5 stage costume, and more never before exhibited artifacts. Eight video monitors present footage of Michael Jackson’s appearances on the annual GRAMMY® Awards, as well as never-before-seen video of some of Michael Jackson’s famous friends sharing their memories of him. Another exhibit features an interactive experience that allow fans to dance on a floor of light-up tiles as they mimic his moves in the Billie Jean video. The exhibit will remain on display through Summer 2010, see http://www.grammymuseum.org