Looking back at Michael Jackson’s life on the 12th anniversary of his death

Michael was the 8th child of the Jackson family and made his debut in 1964 as a member of the Jackson 5 with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon. Unfortunately, these were dark days for Michael and the singer said his father physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals. There are even allegations that he forced Michael to undergo hormone treatment as a child to stop his voice from changing.

He started his solo career in 1971 and became a star with his 1979 album Off the Wall. His 1982 album Thriller is credited for breaking racial Barries with help of his unforgettable music videos for “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” and “Thriller.” The album became the best-selling album of all time. He went on to release Bad in 1987.

In the late 1980s, people were confused but enthralled by Jackson’s changing appearance, behavior, and lifestyle. In 1993 he was accused of sexually abusing the child of a family friend, and it was settled out of civil court due to lack of evidence. From then on, MJ’s life was filled with controversy, more allegations, and health problems.

Jackson purchased an estate that would become Neverland Ranch in 1988. He moved in in 1992 and turned it into his adult childhood fantasy home equipped with a private amusement park, orangutans, and elephants. It was named after the fantasy world in J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” about a boy who never grows up. The ranch, of course, has a dark side and he went to trial for allegations of abuse on the property. Following the allegations, he married his first wife Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, they divorced in 1996 and he married Debbie Rowe that year. Rowe gave Birth to their first child Michael Joseph known as “Prince” in February 1997. MJ raised Prince with the help of multiple nannies and nurses. She gave birth to his second child Paris Jackson, in 1998 and they divorced in 1999.

During this time MJ made headlines for not only his allegations, but bizarre antics like dangling Prince over a hotel balcony with a blanket over his head in 2002. The world followed his accusations during the People v. Jackson case that went to trial in 2005. If convicted he would have faced up to 2 years in prison. He was acquitted of all charges on June 13th and moved to Bahrain.

The following year on November 15 2006, Jackson briefly performed “We Are the World” at the World Music Awards in London and accepted the Diamond Award honoring the sale of over 100 million records, it would be the last performance of his lifetime. In 2007 Michael was working on his next album which was never completed.

By 2008 MJ was figuring out his finances and debts, transferring Neverland Ranch‘s title to Sycamore Valley Ranch which earned him $35 million. In 2009 amid speculation of troubles with his health and finances, Michael announced “This Is It,” a series of comeback concerts at the 02 arenas, the first since his HIStory World Tour in 1997. The London residency sold over one million tickets in less than two hours and 50 dates were added. MJ moved to Los Angeles to rehearse with director Kenny Ortega, and everything was filmed.

Less than three weeks before the first sold-out show was due to begin in London, Michael died from cardiac arrest. His physician Conrad Murray had given him a variety of medications to help him sleep and his death was caused by a propofol overdose. The documentary “Michael Jackson‘s This Is It” was released on October 28, 2009, and was directed by Ortega. The film included behind the scene footage of rehearsals and was a look into the fascinating mind of Michael. His family did not endorse the film, but despite some boycotting, the film ticket sales broke international records a month before its release. This Is It made $261 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing documentary/concert film of all time. Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 4 years in prison in 2011.