“Celebrating Michael Jackson: Remembering the King of Pop on What Would Have Been His 66th Birthday”[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbHI1yI1Ndk[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2bVIBwpCTA[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA[/embed]

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Today, August 29, Michael Jackson would be celebrating his 66th birthday, and if we still had the King of Pop, we might be recounting the story of how he was going to celebrate it.

Perhaps surrounded by his children at a special party with many celebrities invited or possibly with some tour. Maybe launching a new song that would become a top hit and trend on social media within minutes.

The truth is that, according to his daughter, Paris Jackson, Michael hated his birthday. “Today is my father’s birthday. When he was alive, he hated people reminding him of his birthday. He didn’t like being congratulated or any of that. In fact, he never wanted to tell us when his birthday was so we wouldn’t throw him any parties,” she commented.

All that is left is to remember the one and only, the irreplaceable Michael, with anecdotes he left for posterity.

In 1992, he recorded the music video for the song “Jam” from his album “Dangerous” in collaboration with Michael Jordan. At that time, the star of the Chicago Bulls hesitated a bit about collaborating with the singer, making a critical affirmative decision upon realizing it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The video was filmed in Chicago to accommodate Jordan‘s schedule, and the rehearsals became historic in a shoot where both the singer and athlete were seen teaching each other their crafts. On YouTube, it has surpassed 20 million views.

About their encounter, Jackson said: “I got to work with the greatest sports legend of all time, Michael Jordan. We had to play one-on-one, it was very embarrassing. He never missed; that was the goal, for him to teach me how to play basketball and for me to teach him how to dance.”

At just five years old, Michael debuted on stage alongside his brothers in “The Jackson Five”, and at 13, he recorded his first solo album.

“Thriller,” with over 70 million copies sold, is the most profitable album of the King of Pop. The music video, with its dance sequences and horror atmosphere, is part of pop culture that has transcended generational boundaries.

During his artistic career, he won 13 Grammy Awards and his songs reached the top 1 on 13 occasions, along with 26 American Music Awards. This is how the number 13 became the lucky number for the performer of “Thriller.”

The sounds heard at the beginning of the recording of “Smooth Criminal” from the album “Bad” are the heartbeats of Michael Jackson.

Jackson truly suffered from vitiligo, a skin disease that causes loss of melanocytes, the cells responsible for pigmentation. He was harshly criticized for supposedly undergoing treatment to lighten his skin. The autopsy ruled that this was not the case.

MJ bought the rights to songs by The Beatles, composed between 1964 and 1970, for USD $47 million, a move that caused a rift in his friendship with Paul McCartney.

The so-called G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) left an indelible mark on humanity.