Michael Jackson

1986–1987: Changing appearance, tabloids, and films

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 . Jackson's dermatologist, , said he observed in 1983 that Jackson had , in Jackson. He diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year, Vitiligo's drastic effects on the body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup, to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would have further lightened his skin, and, with the application of makeup, he could appear very pale. 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.". Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his first two children.[115]

In his autobiography and the 1993 interview with Winfrey, Jackson said he had had two surgeries and a 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. Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was suffering from . Periods of weight loss became a recurring problem later in his life. After his death, his mother Katherine told Winfrey that he first turned to to remedy his vitiligo, because he did not want to look like a "spotted cow." She said her son had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he was addicted to them.[118]

In 1986, reported that Jackson slept in a to slow aging, and pictured him lying in a glass box. The claim was untrue, and tabloids reported that he spread the story himself. and possibly had a shrine of her, and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. Jackson's manager 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."[120]

When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee Bubbles to tour in Japan, their public appearances caused a stir in the media. They portrayed Jackson as an aspiring Disney cartoon character who befriended various animals. (the "Elephant Man"). In June 1987, the reported Jackson's publicist bidding $1 million for the skeleton to the 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."[123]

These tabloid stories inspired the name "Wacko Jacko," which Jackson came to despise. According to music journalist , the demeaning name first appeared in British tabloid in 1985. The name's origins come from , the name of a famous monkey used in matches at the Westminster Pit in the early 1820s. "Jacko" was subsequently used in to refer to monkeys in general, hence a racist connotation behind the name.[125]

In 1987, Rolling Stone described Jackson as "the flighty-genius star-child, a celebrity virtually all his life, who dwells in a fairy-tale kingdom of fellow celebrities, animals, mannequins and cartoons, who provides endless fodder for the tabloids.... But it’s the same child in Michael who inspires the artistry that fuels all the subsidiary industries, who turns his primal fears and fantasies into wondrous, hyperkinetic and emotional music."[121]

Jackson worked with and on the 17-minute $30 million , which ran from 1986 at and , and later at and . In 1987, Jackson disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses. Jackson had denounced it in a Witness publication in 1984.[130]

1987–1990: Bad, autobiography, and Neverland

Jackson's first album in five years, (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting another major success.", "", "", "", and "". Another song, "", peaked at number seven., Short Form for "". 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. By 2012, it had sold between 30 and 45 million copies worldwide.

The world tour ran from September 12, 1987, to January 14, 1989. In Japan, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record for a single tour. set a new .[138]

In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, , with input from Stephen Davis and . and reached the top of the New York Times bestsellers list. In October, Jackson released a film, , which featured live footage and short films starring Jackson and . In the US it was released and became the best-selling video cassette. The RIAA certified it as Platinum.[146]

In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km2) of land near , to build a new home, , at a cost of $17 million., a , a movie theater and a zoo. Shortly afterwards, he appeared in the first Western television advertisement in the .[150]

Jackson became known as the "", a nickname that Jackson's publicists embraced. presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, she called him "the true king of pop, rock and soul." President designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade".,

1991–1993: Dangerous, Heal the World Foundation, and Super Bowl XXVII halftime show

− In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $65 million, a record-breaking deal,'s renewal contract with ., co-produced with .", 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." peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.. Jackson was also the best-selling artist of the 1980s. in a chair, saying he twisted his ankle during dance rehearsals." made No. 2 on the charts in 1992.[166]

Jackson founded the 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, , a collection of poetry. The ran between June 1992 and November 1993 and grossed $100 million; Jackson performed for 3.5 million people in 70 concerts, all of which were outside the US. Jackson sold the broadcast rights of the tour to for $20 million, a record-breaking deal that still stands.

Following the death of spokesperson and friend , Jackson pleaded with the Clinton administration at to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research and performed "", a song dedicated to White, and "Heal the World" at the gala. During his trip to Ivory Coast, Jackson was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief. He thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.[174]

In January 1993, Jackson performed at the halftime show in Pasadena, California. The NFL sought a big-name artist to keep ratings high during halftime following dwindling audience figures. It was the first Super Bowl whose half-time performance drew greater audience figures than the game. Jackson played "", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", and "Heal the World". Dangerous rose 90 places in the album chart after the performance.

Jackson gave a 90-minute interview to 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. Dangerous re-entered the album chart in the top 10, more than a year after its release.

In January 1993, Jackson won three : 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. In February, he won the "Living Legend Award" at the in Los Angeles..

1993–1995: First child sexual abuse accusations and first marriage

In August 1993, Jackson was accused of by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, and his father, Evan Chandler. and . Jordan's mother initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested her son; however, her position wavered a few days later. 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. The police never pressed criminal charges.

Jackson had been taking 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. for support, encouragement and counsel. The end of the tour concluded his relationship with Pepsi-Cola which sponsored the tour.[193]

In late 1993 Jackson proposed to , daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone. They married in in May 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Alvarez Perez.

1995–1997: HIStory, second marriage, and fatherhood

In June 1995, Jackson released the double album . The first disc, HIStory Begins, is a (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 seven million shipments in the US..

The first single from HIStory was "". "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 made number five on the Billboard Hot 100, The second single, "", holds the Guinness world record for the first song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 1995 the and other groups complained that "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me, me, don't you black or white me", the original lyrics of "", were . Jackson released a version with revised words.

In late 1995, Jackson was admitted to a hospital after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance, caused by a stress-related . In November, Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony's music publishing division, creating . He retained ownership of half the company, earning $95 million up front as well as the .

"" was the third single released from HIStory, and topped the for six weeks over Christmas 1995. At the , Jackson's performance of "Earth Song" was disrupted by a drunken and his band-mate Peter Mansell, who were protesting what Cocker saw as Jackson's "Christ-like" persona. Jackson said the stage invasion was "disgusting and cowardly".

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.