Remembering the ebb and flow of late King of Pop Michael Jackson’s career, the critics are busy jotting down facts that made the singer a legend.
And, now, a report shedding light on such facts reveals that Jackson’s Billie Jean made him the first black artist whose video to have his video broadcast on MTV.
Published by the China Daily, the report reveals that another reason behind why Jackson was so famous was the fact that he owned the rights to the South Carolina State Anthem South Carolina on My Mind, recorded by Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge.
Jackson was so popular that his waxwork features in five Madame Tussauds museums across the world. Only Elvis Presley and Madonna have more Tussaud figures—they have six each.
The report reckons that Jackson’s total lifetime earnings from royalties, solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements were about 500 million dollars.
Jackson was also famous for receiving a Presidential Humanitarian Award from Ronald Reagan in 1984, for his support of charities helping people overcome alcohol and drug abuse.
He was also know for losing a fight against fellow 50 year old Madonna on MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch.
Three of Jackson’s albums—Bad, Dangerous and Thriller—are among the bestsellers of all time. Thriller remains the biggest-selling album since records began.
To date, over 300 million copies of his records have been sold worldwide. Jackson was also known for wearing his trademark black armband to remind fans of the suffering of children around the world.
His favourite superhero was Morph from the X-Men. He picked up his iconic moonwalk moves, which he debuted at the Motown 25th Anniversary show in 1983, from streetdancers he had spotted performing outside a hotel.
Little Richard thought that Jackson would be the right choice to play him in a biopic. Jackson’s most famous pets were Bubbles the chimp and Ben the rat.
He, however, also befriended a ram called Mr Tibbs, a python called Crusher, and Louie the llama.
The fact that a French Jackson aficionado committed suicide in 1984 after his mother refused to allow him to undergo surgery to look like the star shows how popular he was among his fans.
In 1984, a U.S. library accused Jackson of owing it over one million dollars in overdue book fines. Officials said that they would scrap the fines if he returned the books autographed.
