Little Known Facts About the King of Pop

He might be one of the greatest performers who ever lived. He could sing, he could dance, and he entertained the world with every video he released and every concert he performed. He was known all over the world as the King of Pop, and his death was extremely unexpected. He died too young, and was just in the midst of a comeback. I never had the chance to see him perform live, and that is something I will regret for the rest of my life. The man was a pure genius in every sense of the word.

Toward the end of his life, the man got quite a bit of negative press. He had been accused, yet proven innocent, of various assault and sexual harassment charges. But regardless of what the media said, people were going to believe what they wanted. But regardless, when Michael Jackson announced that he was coming back for one more series of shows, the world went into a frenzy to get tickets for his performance. Sadly, before the first show ever happened, Michael lost his life to an accidental drug overdose. The King of Pop left this world on June 25^th, 2009. Pop music will never be the same.

Looking back on his career, I bet there are some things you didn’t know about Michael. I wanted to remember him, just a year after his death, by taking a look at some facts about the man that you might not be aware of. I loved him from the time I first heard him, I own every disc he ever released, and will continue to listen until the day I die. Get to know Michael a little more than you used to.

• Did you know that Billie Jean was the first video aired by MTV that included a black artist?
• Did you know that the infamous moonwalk was performed during the hit song Billie Jean on the Motown 25 television special? That special aired before I was even born, way back on March 25^th, 1983.
• Did you know that Michael was a Hoosier? He was born in Gary, Indiana. The childhood home where he grew up still exists. I consider it more of a memorial now than anything.
• Did you know that Michael has sold more than 300 million records? His 1982 release, Thriller, is the bestselling album of all time, with over 110 million records sold. The closest album to that is the Eagles Greatest Hits disc, with a mere 42 million sold.
• Did you know that Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice? He was first inducted with the Jackson 5 in 1997, and again as a solo artist in 2001.
• Did you know that MJ owned the entire Beatles catalog of music? In 1985 he outbid Paul McCartney and paid a whopping $47 million for the published rights to the entire catalog. He then resold the catalog to Sony in 1995 for $95 million.
• Did you know that Michael loved animals? He had a pet chimp named Bubbles. He also had a boa constrictor named Muscles, two llamas named Louis and Lola, a python named Crushers, and a ram named Mr. Tibbs.
• Michael had two different surgeries on his nose alone. In his lifetime he forty-five surgeries that cost him around $1 million. He also had numerous eyelid surgery and cheek implants.
• Did you know that Batesville Casket Company produced the casket that would be Michael’s final resting place? They are located in southern Indiana.
• Did you know that Michael Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina state anthem? The song is titled South Carolina on My Mind.

That is just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of facts out there surrounding one of the most famous men in the history of entertainment. Michael is a hero to a lot of people here in the United States, and all over the world. I was sad to see him go, and I will never forget the music that he produced. I will miss him like many others out there.

What is your favorite memory of the King of Pop?