Born on August 29, 1958 into a family of performers, Michael Jackson began performing with his siblings in the Jackson 5, and became well known during his life as the “King of Pop” and one of the most successful performers in the world (according to Guinness World Records). In addition to the popularity of his music, Jackson’s personal life became well publicised due to his apparently eccentric lifestyle and controversial legal scandals. Jackson died on June 25, 2009 following a reported accidental overdose of medications taken for sleep (lorazepram, propofol, midazolam).
The death of Michael Jackson incited a flood of internet traffic related to the late performer. A reported 5,000 Tweets per minute, that’s fifteen percent of Twitter usage 1 were posted following Jackson’s death, news websites, Twitter, Wikipedia, and AOL instant messenger all experienced system crashes as a result of increased web traffic 2,3.
Posthumously, Michael Jackson outsold all other artists in 2009. People around the world, including celebrities, political figures, and the general public mourned Jackson’s death. Vigils were held and memorials erected at sites that were significant during his life, as well as outside the hospital where Jackson was pronounced dead. Fans left immense quantities of flowers, cards, and other gifts for Jackson at these memorial sites.
A public memorial was held for Jackson on July 7, 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event was highly publicized and globally televised. Celebrities and public figures were in attendance, and performances and speeches were heard by a number of popular musicians and entertainers. Additionally, nearly 20,000 tickets were given away to members of the public by lottery. Public security for the event cost a reported $1.4 million 4.
After Michael Jackson’s death, a film and a record were released under his name. Michael Jackson’s This is It is a documentary chronicle of developments, preparations, and rehearsals for a series of sold-out shows that Jackson was set to perform at London’s O2 Arena. The film broke advanced ticket sales and became the highest grossing concert documentary film of all time. In addition to the film, an album of previously unreleased recordings, Michael, was released in 2011 and sold millions of records worldwide.
Sources
1. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/michael-jackson-tops-the-charts-on-twitter/
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8120324.stm
3. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-06-26/tech/michael.jackson.internet_1_google-trends-search-results-michael-jackson?_s=PM:TECH
4. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-07-08/entertainment/michael.jackson.cost_1_city-attorney-cash-strapped-city-los-angeles-police-force?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ
By Melia Parker
By Melia Parker
