Many people hail the late Michael Jackson as the greatest musician to have ever graced this earth. Many people loved his songs and dances. His effort towards climate change won over our hearts and his songs were inspiring to many people. He was talented with both vocals and dance moves like no other artist before.
He lived a life that many people would have loved to have. He had money, fame, and glory any musician would ever dream of. In this article, we are going to look at the fun facts about Michael Jackson that would surprise even diehard fans of the late singer. The singer had a career that spanned forty years and that for sure does not lack a lot of achievements and struggles. Here are some breathtaking facts about Michael Jackson that are going to surprise his fans.
1. He Holds A Guinness World Record
Michael Jackson achieved many things in his career as a singer, director, and producer. He holds the Guinness World Record for the most awarded singer ever. Michael won more than 80 awards with 40 billboard awards, 13 Grammys, 26 American Music Awards, and 40 Guinness World Records. That is one impressive tally.
2. He Had A Rare Skin Disease
While Michael Jackson was cementing his career as a solo artist, you could notice that Michael’s skin was becoming paler and was whitening off. Many people had accused Michael of bleaching his skin in order to look white since he was of the black race. Apparently, such people were wrong. They were very wrong indeed.
Michael was diagnosed with Vitiligo, which is a rare skin disease that causes white spots on your skin. Upon this, Michael started using male make up in order to even out his skin tone. Further medication led to his skin eventually turning white and pale which people assumed to be a result of skin bleaching.
3. He Used To Produce And Direct His Own Music Videos
Michael Jackson was a multitasking person. He used to write, produce, direct, and perform his songs. His music videos are epic and interesting to watch just as the songs were. This was because Michael Jackson used to put a lot of effort into his work in order to make his fans entertained and touched by his music. You can view the Thriller music video on YouTube and see for yourself
4. He Married Elvis Presley’s Daughter
Michael surprised many by marrying Elvis Presley’s daughter Jean Marie Presley. The late Elvis Presley introduced the two in 1974 and they later reconnected in 1992. They married two years later in 1994 at a private ceremony held in the Dominican Republic.
The marriage did not last long and they eventually divorced in 1996 although they continued to date for long after their divorce.
5. He Had Love For All Types of Pets
Michael Jackson loved pets so much. He had several unusual pets that he kept in his Neverland ranch. He had many kinds of pets with the likes of the python Crusher, two Ilamas Lola and Louis and his favorite pet, which was a chimpanzee, called Bubbles.
6. He Was Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse
Michael Jackson was accused and charged with seven accounts of child sexual abuse in 2003 against Gavin Arvizo. He was later acquitted of the charges in 2005 and invited to live in Bahrain in 2005 by the Sheikh of Bahrain after he felt betrayed by America.
7. He Slept In An Oxygen Tent
Michael Jackson preferred to sleep in an oxygen tent rather than in a bed. He did this in order to live longer and beauty. He later donated the tent to a Californian medical center as a therapeutical aid for burn victims.
8. He Patented The “Lean” Shoes
Do you remember the famous lean that Michael Jackson and his dancing crew famously performed in the music video “Smooth Criminal”? Special shoes that were invented and patented by Michael Jackson enabled the lean. These shoes made him look like he defied gravity while performing this famous lean.
9. He Made The Most Expensive Music Video
The music video titled Liberian Girl is the most expensive music video ever made. The project cost an entire 8 million dollars in its preparation. He made this video alongside his sister Janet Jackson and that record has not been broken since. The music video featured so many stars such as Donald Glover, John Travolta, Virginia Madsen, David Copperfield, Dan Akroyd, and Quincy Jones among others who were paid a lot of money
10. He Loved Theater
It is not uncommon for music stars to cherish theater and film. Michael Jackson wanted to buy Marvel Studios back in 1997 when it had filed for bankruptcy just to play Spiderman. However, this never went through. Marvel Studios was never sold and the Spiderman role went to Toby Maguire.
He, however, played as a scarecrow in The Wiz, which was a movie version of The Wizard of Oz
11. He Dangled His Son From A Hotel Balcony
Michael made international headlines in 2002 when he was filmed dangling his son Prince from a hotel balcony in Berlin. It is not clear what his intentions were while he was doing this.
12. He Loved Children
Michael was a great lover of children. He donated huge amounts to UNICEF because of this. He said that his love for children arose from his lack of a good childhood while he was growing up. It was evident in concerts where he would hold his child fans for long times.
