Michael Jackson fans continue to grieve the loss of the "King of Pop." Claims of child molestation have marred the singer's legacy and raise questions about how to remember him.
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It has been 10 years since the death of pop superstar Michael Jackson and fans worldwide continue to mourn their loss, with tributes planned for the anniversary on Tuesday.
The "King of Pop," famous for his unique dance moves and hits such as "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," would now have been 60 years old.
Fans planned to gather at Jackson's last home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, where the singer died after receiving a fatal dose of the anaesthetic propofol on the afternoon of June 25 in 2009.
His death devastated music lovers worldwide, with some going as far as to sue Conrad Murray, his doctor at the time of his death, for causing them emotional distress. Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter in November 2011 and served two years of a four-year sentence.
Of the 34 fans involved in the court case, five received symbolic damages of one euro after a French court agreed they had suffered "emotional damage" from Jackson's death.
For the 10th anniversary of his death, Jackson's estate asked fans to remember him with charitable acts.
"Whether it's planting a tree, volunteering at a shelter, cleaning up a public space or helping someone who is lost find their way. ... This is how we honor Michael," an official statement read.
Revisiting Michael Jackson's legacy
He left his glove print on an entire generation. As a troubling documentary on Jackson's alleged sex abuse of children revives the debate on the "King of Pop," who died in 2009, we take a look at his legacy.
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Tremors around the world
On June 25, 2009, news broke that Michael Jackson — the "King of Pop" — was dead. He had just announced his global farewell tour, "This Is It." Jackson was one of the most successful entertainers of all time. Nearly every album he released set some sort of record, and he received 13 Grammy Awards, the music industry's highest honor.
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Not a happy childhood
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in a ghetto in Gary, Indiana. At first, he grew up with his five brothers and three sisters in poverty. Later, he would bitterly complain that his childhood was sacrificed to show business. His manager and father, Joe Jackson, who died on June 28, was particularly hard on his children.
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The Jackson Five
Joe Jackson didn't waste any time training his children for stardom. At age five, Michael took the stage for the first time with his brothers Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Randy. The boy group won one talent show after the other, thanks in no small part to Michael's performances. In 1969, the group got a record contract with the legendary soul label Motown. Michael turned 11 that year.
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Breakthrough
In 1982, Michael Jackson released the solo album that would take his stardom to practically unknown heights. "Thriller" became one of the biggest hits in music history, selling more than 108 million copies and solidifying the 24-year-old's reputation as the "King of Pop." Follow-up releases "Bad" and "Dangerous" sold 30 million and 15 million copies, respectively.
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The 'new' Michael
Meanwhile, the "King of Pop" was visibly changing. He had his first cosmetic surgery in 1979 after breaking his nose in an accident. His skin tone grew lighter and lighter. He insisted he was proud to be black and suffered from a pigment disorder. The singer also appeared in public more and more frequently with a surgery mask on, claiming he was afraid of infectious diseases.
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Refuge at Neverland
In 1988, Jackson bought a ranch in California, naming it after the home of Peter Pan where children never grew up. He had an amusement park, a zoo and a movie theater built on the site. It offered a place for children suffering from illness or social problems to come stay and play. His beloved chimpanzee Bubbles was always in attendance.
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True love or just an act?
In 1994, the "King of Pop" married the daughter of the "King of Rock": Lisa Marie Presley. Their marriage lasted just 20 months, and speculation mounted that it was just a show for the media. Presley later said she was completely in love with him but didn't want to be part of his "PR machine." Their first public kiss, she said, was arranged by Jackson's manager.
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Finally a father
After his divorce to Presley, Michael Jackson married Debbie Rowe, a nurse. Their nuptials were reportedly arranged based on the singer's wish for children. Rowe gave birth to Prince Michael I and Paris. Jackson said a third child, Prince Michael II, was born to a surrogate mother. He had sole custody of all three children.
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Success on tour
In 1996-97, Michael Jackson went on his final world tour as a solo artist. With "HIStory," he performed 82 concerts in 58 cities for more than 4.5 million fans. It took him back to his big successes from the 1980s, and his legendary moonwalk remained in top form.
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Serious accusations
Allegations of child abuse against the superstar began as early as 1994. One case didn't go to trial following a multi-million settlement with a family. In 2003, new allegations emerged. Although Jackson was acquitted in 2005, his reputation was ruined. When he left the courthouse with his mother, Katherine, onlookers saw a physically and psychologically broken man.
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Planned comeback
In March 2009, Michael Jackson made the surprise announcements of his comeback. Pre-sales for the tour "This Is It" exceeded all expectations, but there were major doubts that Jackson was physically capable of going through with the 40 planned concerts. On June 25, 2009, 18 days before the first show in Los Angeles, the world learned he had died.
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In the hot seat
Forensic doctors determined that the "King of Pop" had died of an overdose of the narcotic Propofol that his personal physician, Conrad Murray, had prescribed due to Jackson's serious sleep problems. Murray was charged in 2010 with negligent homicide. In November 2011, he was sentenced to four years in prison without parole but was released in 2013 for good behavior.
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Media spectacle
On July 7, 2009, Michael Jackson's funeral was held in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Alongside countless famous friends, around 18,000 fans and 2,000 reporters were on hand. Nearly 1 billion people watched the service live at home. The "King of Pop" was buried in a golden coffin.
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The heirs
His children, Prince Michael I (l), Paris (r) and Prince Michael II (not pictured), inherited a fortune running into the billions. Twenty percent of his estate was willed to go to charity. Jackson donated over $300 million during his lifetime and established his own foundation called "Heal the World." His activism even earned him two Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
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Posthumous career
Two more albums by Jackson came out after his death. According to the US magazine Forbes, Michael Jackson's estate is said to have grown to about a billion dollars. But following the release of a bombshell documentary, "Leaving Neverland," in which two men allege the King of Pop sexually abused them, will fans still continue to make pilgrimages to his grave?
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A tainted legacy
To fans, it may feel as if Jackson's passing happened just yesterday, but the decade since his death has seen his legacy come under scrutiny following child molestation allegations.
The recent HBO documentary "Leaving Neverland" has once again brought these allegations under the spotlight.
The film details allegations from two adult men who claim Jackson molested them when they were children. Jackson's estate and family have vehemently denied the claims.
The documentary led some fans to announce they were suing Jackson's alleged victims in the documentary for "sullying his memory."
Remembering Jackson
When it comes to remembering one of the most significant figures in modern music, many have been left wondering: how do we remember someone who has been accused of such serious, harmful crimes?
In response to the allegations, some radio stations made the decision to stop playing his music, while cultural institutions were left asking whether they should cancel Jackson-related exhibitions. Under the Hashtag #MuteMichaelJackson critics on Twitter called for people to stop listening to his songs.
"Especially now, when new abuse accusations have come to light, it's important to reassess the 'King of Pop,'" Rein Wolfs, director at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, told DW.
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Censorship 'frightening'
In an interview with DW, Maria-Sibylla Lotter, a philosopher and ethics professor at Ruhr University Bochum, called the reactions of radio stations "frightening" and appealed for art to be viewed separately from the artist's character.
Lotter compared Jackson's case to someone who had won a Nobel Prize for economics.
"Imagine someone has just been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics and it turns out that the person molested young boys," she said. "No one would think of declaring their books on economics unfit."
Another reason for preserving Jackson's memory is to equip society to recognize and handle child abuse as it occurs today, according to Rachel Hope Cleves, a Professor of History at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
"A culture that is caught up in narratives that identify pedophiles as monsters has a hard time recognizing when beloved figures, like Michael Jackson, are molesting children right before its eyes," Cleves wrote in an article for academic news site The Conversation.
Regardless of whether someone is a Michael Jackson fan or not, preserving his memory may serve a greater purpose than keeping his music alive. As Cleves wrote, "if Jackson’s memory is preserved, maybe it will be easier to see the present more clearly."
