Michael Jackson is one of the most well-known singers in the world. During his years on stage, he had some problems because of the colour of his skin, and after he retired, he was in the news for doing strange things.
But what is so interesting about Michael Jackson, and why is his music so catchy? Here are 10 strange things you might not have known about Michael Jackson.
1. Born To Be a Boxer
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29th, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. His father, Joseph Jackson, was a boxer, a steelworker, and a guitarist. But to support his family, he worked as a crane operator. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah’s Witness and also worked part-time at a department store. He came from a big family with 3 sisters and 5 brothers.
2. Jackson’s Father Forced Him to Play Music
While Michael Jackson was growing up, his father, Joe Jackson, would make him and his siblings practise music. He would often hit or whip them if they played a wrong note or made a mistake.
Joe’s main goal was to keep Michael and his siblings off the streets and away from gangs. As a result of being raised this way, they never had many friends. Growing up in this environment pushed Michael to be the best at what he did musically and put a lot of mental pressure on him.
3. Michael’s Face Changed Because of Pepsi
After agreeing to work for Pepsi-Cola for $5 million, he was badly hurt while making a commercial for them. It burned his face and his head. As his injuries were being taken care of, he started to try out plastic surgery.
4. He Tried to Buy Marvel Comics Once
Jackson tried to buy the well-known comic book company Marvel in the late 1990s. Marvel Comics had gone bankrupt, and Michael Jackson was looking for a new home.
The main reason he wanted to buy Marvel was so that he could be a superhero himself. Jackson thought that he would make a good Spider-Man for Marvel.
It wasn’t the first time he tried to be a superhero. He put himself forward to play Professor X as soon as he heard there would be a new X-Men movie. Again, he wasn’t picked for this part.
5. Jackson Once Had a Chimpanzee Named Bubbles
Jackson went on tour to Japan with his pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. The stunt got the attention of the media, and before he knew it, people were comparing him to a Disney character who made friends with a chimpanzee.
Bubbles were hired to look like Jackson and went on tour with him. Bubbles gave up his job in 2005, which was four years before Jackson died. People say that Bubbles wasn’t mentioned in Jackson’s will, which is confusing because Jackson often called Bubbles his son.
After Jackson died, Bubbles moved to the Center for Great Apes in Florida to live out the rest of his days.
6. Police Found Pictures of Naked Children and Animal Torture
Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was raided in 2003 after he was accused of sexually abusing children. At Neverland, police found pornography for heterosexual adults, pictures of animals being hurt, and photography books with pictures of naked or half-clothed children. The most damning evidence was that Jackson’s pornography collection was full of fingerprints from both himself and his underage accusers. This supported the prosecution’s claim that Jackson had shown pornography to the underage accusers to try to get them to date him.
7. He Made Shoes That Defy Gravity
You may have heard of his famous “moonwalk” and how he can lean at a nearly impossible angle for humans. All of this was because of the shoes he was wearing.
Jackson was given US Patent No. 5,255,452 to use in his famous performance. Jackson didn’t come up with the “moonwalk,” but he was the best at it.
The shoes were made with slots that fit into the stage so that they could hold him in place while he did his trick against gravity. When Jackson didn’t pay for the patent in 2005, it ran out, so anyone could use the design.
8. He Loved Animals So Much That He Bought His Own Zoo
Jackson was a big animal lover as a child. He was especially fond of German Shepherds and a pet rat named Ben, about whom he wrote his first song. Jackson had his own private zoo at Neverland Ranch. It was home to orangutans, giraffes, llamas, flamingos, and an elephant.
9. He Was Getting a 5,000-pound Elephant as a Gift
Can you imagine getting an elephant as a gift? In 1991, Elizabeth Taylor gave Jackson an Asian elephant as a gift.
After Jackson let Taylor have her wedding on his ranch, she gave him the elephant as a thank you. The elephant was named Gypsy, and it weighed about 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg).
10. He Made $2 Billion During His Life but Spent It All.
Even though he made $1.1 billion in his lifetime, or $2 billion when adjusted for inflation, he spent it all because he was such a big spender. Even though Jackson made a lot of money, he was about $350 million in debt at the end of his life.
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