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121-519: The origin of the Big Life Foundation began in photographer Nick Brandt 's expeditions to take studio-like portraits of the animals of the Amboseli region. Discovering that the elephant subjects of his photographs were being killed by rampant poaching , Brandt established a locally-based conservation effort focused on preserving the wildlife of the ecosystem. This undertaking led to the formation of

242-450: A country-and-western performer, and worked part-time at Sears . She was a Jehovah's Witness . His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson , a former boxer, was a crane operator at US Steel and played guitar with a local rhythm and blues band, the Falcons, to supplement the family's income. Joe's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a US Army scout ; family lore held that he was also

363-460: A "fat nose", and physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals. He recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, ready to punish any mistakes. Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Michael. Katherine said that although whipping came to be considered abuse, it was a common way to discipline children when Michael was growing up. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon denied that their father

484-449: A CNN feature in October 2024 about the work, CNN journalist Alaa Elassar writes: “Brandt strikes a flawless balance when bringing together harsh and soft elements, in this case the delicate reunion between the roughness of the desert - and the refugees stories - with the warmth of family. The refugees come alive through his photos; the physical connection to emanate affection, and in the eyes of

605-518: A Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". In 1981, Jackson was the American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in

726-582: A Native American medicine man . Michael grew up with three sisters ( Rebbie , La Toya , and Janet ) and five brothers ( Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , Marlon , and Randy ). A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly after birth. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father which included Jackie, Tito and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine . Michael said his father told him he had

847-592: A broader commitment to wildlife and habitat conservation . Nick Brandt Nick Brandt (born 1964) is an English photographer . Nick Brandt's photographs focus on the impact of environmental destruction and climate breakdown, for both some of the most vulnerable people across the planet and for the animal and natural world. Born in 1964 and raised in London, England, Brandt studied painting, and then Film at Saint Martin's School of Art . He moved to California in 1992 and directed many award-winning music videos for

968-444: A bygone era". Using a Pentax 67II with two fixed lenses, Brandt photographed on medium-format black and white film without telephoto or zoom lenses. He writes: "You wouldn't take a portrait of a human being from a hundred feet away and expect to capture their spirit; you'd move in close." A book of the resulting photography, On This Earth , was released in 2005 and constituted 66 photos taken from 2000 to 2004 with introductions by

1089-503: A chamber. DiLeo added "I don't know if he sleeps in it. I'm not for it. But Michael thinks it's something that's probably healthy for him. He's a bit of a health fanatic." When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee Bubbles to tour in Japan, the media portrayed Jackson as an aspiring Disney cartoon character who befriended animals. It was also reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "Elephant Man"). In June 1987,

1210-523: A cover of " It's Your Thing ". Rolling Stone later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer". In January 1970, " I Want You Back " became the first Jackson 5 song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 ; it stayed there for four weeks. Three more singles with Motown topped the chart: " ABC ", " The Love You Save ", and " I'll Be There ". In May 1971,

1331-465: A crop in 10 minutes. This year we have had four people killed by them. We try to scare them. We have guys out at night. We use bangers and paintball guns to shoot chilly [sic] bombs. When one hits an elephant, they get a whiff and a sore nose. But they realize that big bangs are not dangerous. They learn.” Human-wildlife conflict remains one of the greatest challenges with initiatives such as elephant-proof fencing as one possible solution. Big Life supports

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1452-463: A film, Moonwalker , which featured live footage and short films starring Jackson and Joe Pesci . In the US it was released direct-to-video and became the bestselling video cassette in the country. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as eight times Platinum in the US. In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km ) of land near Santa Ynez, California , to build

1573-585: A four decade career, his world record music achievements and publicized personal life made him a global figure. Jackson's songs, stages and fashion proliferated visual performance for singers in pop music. His innovations changed the music video as an art form and popularized street dance moves including the moonwalk , which he named, the robot , and the anti-gravity lean . As part of the Jackson family , Michael at age six made his public debut in 1964 with his older brothers Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , and Marlon as

1694-533: A joint purchase, McCartney did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs, and did not pursue an offer on his own. Jackson's agents were unable to come to a deal, and in May 1985 left talks after having spent more than $ 1   million and four months of due diligence work on the negotiations. In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman 's and Marty Bandier 's The Entertainment Company had made

1815-559: A lack of evidence without Jordan's testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994. Jackson had been taking painkillers for his reconstructive scalp surgeries, administered due to the Pepsi commercial accident in 1984, and became dependent on them to cope with the stress of the sexual abuse allegations. On November 12, 1993, Jackson canceled the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour due to health problems, stress from

1936-752: A life size panel of one of his animal portrait photographs, setting the panels within a world of urban development, factories, wasteland and quarries. A book of the work, Inherit the Dust , was published in 2016. In the book, Brandt writes, "We are living through the antithesis of genesis right now. It took billions of years to reach a place of such wondrous diversity, and then in just a few shockingly short years, an infinitesimal pinprick of time, to annihilate that." Writing in LensCulture , editor Jim Casper stated: "The resulting wall-size prints are impeccably beautiful and stunning, as well as profoundly disturbing. They convey

2057-608: A member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons). The Jackson 5 signed with Motown in 1968 and achieved worldwide success with Michael as lead singer. Jackson began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown and recorded multiple successful singles. He became a global solo star with his 1979 album Off the Wall . His music videos , including those for " Beat It ", " Billie Jean ", and " Thriller " from his 1982 album Thriller , are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming

2178-476: A new Guinness World Record . In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, Moonwalk , with input from Stephen Davis and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis . It sold 200,000 copies, and reached the top of the New York Times bestsellers list. Jackson discussed his childhood, the Jackson 5, and the abuse from his father. He attributed his changing facial appearance to three plastic surgeries, puberty, weight loss,

2299-523: A new home, Neverland Ranch , at a cost of $ 17   million (equivalent to $ 44 million in 2023). He installed a Ferris wheel , a carousel , a movie theater and a zoo. A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds. Shortly afterwards, he appeared in the first Western television advertisement in the Soviet Union . Jackson became known as the " King of Pop ", a nickname that Jackson's publicists embraced. When Elizabeth Taylor presented him with

2420-429: A prime portraitist’s intuition of character...as elegant as any arranged by Arnold Newman for his human high achievers." In additional introductions, philosopher Peter Singer , author of Animal Liberation , explains why Brandt's photographs speak to an increasing human moral conscience about our treatment of animals: "The photographs tell us, in a way that is beyond words, that we do not own this planet, and are not

2541-618: A profoundly original body of work, one that represents an entirely new approach to climate-conscious photography…although they are several meters below the surface, the subjects of Brandt’s mesmerizing photographs do not float or swim. Incredibly, they sit on sofas, stand on chairs, use seesaws, and pose in ways they might on land. The effect is otherworldly, as though the familiar laws of physics have stalled in this strange, liminal zone between land and sea." The first large institutional exhibition featuring all three chapters of The Day May Break simultaneously took place at Newlands House Gallery in

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2662-463: A project titled The Day May Break , the first chapter in a global series of photographs portraying people and animals that have been impacted by environmental degradation and destruction. The photographs for this series were taken by Brandt in Kenya and Zimbabwe late in 2020. Each photo captures threatened animals living in wildlife sanctuaries alongside people in those countries who have suffered from

2783-432: A recurring problem later in his life. After his death, Jackson's mother said that he first turned to cosmetic procedures to remedy his vitiligo, because he did not want to look like a "spotted cow". She said he had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he had become addicted to them. In 1986, it was reported that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow aging. He denied

2904-588: A song dedicated to White, and "Heal the World" at the gala. Jackson visited Africa in early 1992; on his first stop in Gabon he was greeted by more than 100,000 people, some of them carrying signs that read "Welcome Home Michael", and was awarded an Officer of the National Order of Merit from President Omar Bongo . During his trip to Ivory Coast, Jackson drew larger crowds than Pope John Paul II on his previous visits. He

3025-576: A strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and stage lighting. In June, Jackson was honored with the Grand Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris by the then Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac during his stay in the city as part of the Bad World Tour . On July 20, he became the first commoner in history to enter London's Guildhall through the building's Royal Entrance. In October, Jackson released

3146-580: A tentative offer to buy ATV Music for $ 50   million; in early August, Holmes à Court contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson's increased bid of $ 47.5   million (equivalent to $ 135 million in 2023) was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence. Jackson agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon . His purchase of ATV Music

3267-498: A version of " Who's Lovin' You ". After signing with Motown, the Jackson family relocated to Los Angeles. In 1969, Motown executives decided Diana Ross should introduce the Jackson 5 to the public — partly to bolster her career in television — sending off what was considered Motown's last product of its "production line". The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance in 1969 in the Miss Black America pageant, performing

3388-562: A year. They lasted a year and a half." Presley later said she and Jackson had attempted to reconcile intermittently for four years following their divorce, and that she had traveled the world to be with him. Jackson composed music for the Sega Genesis video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), but left the project around the time the sexual abuse allegations surfaced and went uncredited. The Sega Technical Institute director Roger Hector and

3509-426: Is an artist and witness who seizes bleak and desperate fates, and by some mystery and alchemy, transmutes these into a gesture of poignant and painful beauty. It has been an eon, and then some, since I experienced contemporary photographs of people of African roots created by a person of Euro-American origin, that were this tender, human and gorgeous." In October 2021, LA Weekly art critic Shany Nys Dambrot said of

3630-445: Is steadily, tragically vanishing before our eyes." Returning to Africa repeatedly from 2005 to 2008, Brandt continued the project. The second book in the trilogy, A Shadow Falls , was released in 2009 and featured 58 photographs taken during the preceding years. Writing in the introduction, Goldberg states: "Many pictures convey a rare sense of intimacy, as if Brandt knew the animals, had invited them to sit for his camera, and had

3751-635: Is to prevent wildlife poaching within 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem. This wildlife protection effort currently employs local Maasai rangers— who utilize permanent outposts and tent-based field units, Land Cruiser patrol vehicles, tracker dogs, and planes for aerial surveillance. In addition to preventive measures, Big Life partners with local communities to track and apprehend poachers and collaborates with local prosecutors to ensure that wildlife criminals are punished. Big Life works in partnership with

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3872-531: Is turn funded by Banco Intesa Sanpaolo). In September 2010, in urgent response to the escalation of poaching in Africa due to increased demand from the Far East, Nick Brandt and Richard Bonham co-founded the non-profit organization Big Life Foundation , dedicated to the conservation of Africa's wildlife and ecosystems. With one of the most spectacular elephant populations in Africa being rapidly diminished by poachers,

3993-582: The Chicago Tribune reported Jackson's publicist bidding $ 1   million for the skeleton to the London Hospital Medical College on his behalf. The college maintained the skeleton was not for sale. DiLeo said Jackson had an "absorbing interest" in Merrick, "purely based on his awareness of the ethical, medical and historical significance." In September 1986, using the oxygen chamber story,

4114-489: The ATV Music Publishing catalog comprising the publishing rights to nearly 4,000 songs, including most of the Beatles' material. In 1981, McCartney had been offered the catalog for £20   million ($ 40   million) (equivalent to $ 134 million in 2023). Jackson submitted a bid of $ 46   million (equivalent to $ 135 million in 2023) on November 20, 1984. When Jackson and McCartney were unable to make

4235-554: The Amboseli ecosystem —which straddles both Kenya and Tanzania—became the foundation's large-scale pilot project. Headed up in Kenya by conservationist Richard Bonham, multiple fully equipped teams of anti-poaching rangers have been placed in newly built outposts in the critical areas throughout the more than 2-million-acre (8,100 km ) area. This effort has resulted in a dramatically reduced incidence of killing and poaching of wildlife in

4356-663: The East Coast , they won a weekly amateur night concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem . The Jackson 5 recorded several songs for a Gary record label, Steeltown Records ; their first single, " Big Boy ", was released in 1968. Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers brought the Jackson 5 to Motown after they opened for Taylor at Chicago's Regal Theater in 1968. Taylor produced some of their early Motown recordings, including

4477-708: The Heal the World Foundation in 1992. The charity brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch to use the theme park rides, and sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war, poverty, and disease. That July, Jackson published his second book, Dancing the Dream , a collection of poetry. The Dangerous World Tour ran between June 1992 and November 1993 and grossed $ 100 million (equivalent to $ 210 million in 2023); Jackson performed for over 3.5 million people in 70 concerts, all of which were outside

4598-586: The Kenya Wildlife Service to protect the Eastern black rhino in the Chyulu Hills area. Together, the two organizations conduct extensive foot patrols, aerial surveillance, monitoring via camera traps, and engage in direct confrontation with rhino poachers when necessary. To discourage herders from retaliating with spears or poisoned carcasses, Big Life and local communities developed a compensation program,

4719-781: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice), the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame , the Vocal Group Hall of Fame , the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame (making him the only recording artist to be inducted). His honors include 15 Grammy Awards including the Grammy Legend Award , six Brit Awards , 24 American Music Awards , a Golden Globe Award and 39 Guinness World Records , including " Youngest artist to top

4840-629: The Staples Center in Los Angeles, was estimated to have been viewed by more than 2.5 billion people. Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time , with estimated sales of over 500 million records worldwide. He had 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles ( the chart's fourth-highest of any artist ) and was the first artist to have a top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. Jackson's inductions include

4961-461: The Studio 54 nightclub, where he heard early hip hop ; this influenced his beatboxing on future tracks such as " Working Day and Night ". In 1978, Jackson unsatisfied with his nose, decided to have a rhinoplasty . He was referred to Steven Hoefflin , who performed Jackson's operations. Jackson's fifth solo album, Off the Wall (1979), established him as a solo performer and helped him move from

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5082-481: The Thriller video, which Michael denounced in a Witness publication in 1984. In 2001, Jackson told an interviewer he was still a Jehovah's Witness. Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting another major success. It became the first album to produce five US number-one singles: " I Just Can't Stop Loving You ", " Bad ", " The Way You Make Me Feel ", " Man in

5203-662: The bubblegum pop of his youth to more complex sounds. It produced four top 10 entries in the US: " Off the Wall ", " She's Out of My Life ", and the chart-topping singles " Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough " and " Rock with You ". The album reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and sold over 20   million copies worldwide. In 1980, Jackson won three American Music Awards for his solo work: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". He also won

5324-495: The robot dance . The Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, signing with Epic Records and renaming themselves the Jacksons. Their younger brother Randy joined the band around this time; Jermaine stayed with Motown and pursued a solo career. The Jacksons continued to tour internationally, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's main songwriter during this time, wrote songs such as " Shake Your Body (Down to

5445-557: The 17-minute $ 30   million 3D film Captain EO , which ran from 1986 at Disneyland and Epcot , and later at Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland . After having been removed in the late 1990s, it returned to the theme park for several years after Jackson's death. In 1987, Ebony reported that Jackson had disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses. Katherine Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed

5566-720: The Big Life Foundation, co-founded in September 2010 by Brandt, conservationist Richard Bonham, and entrepreneur Tom Hill. Bonham and Hill had been engaged in conservation work in the region with the Maasailand Preservation Trust for the last two decades; this effort was expanded and became the Big Life Foundation. Big Life's conservation approach focuses on three key areas: wildlife protection (including elephants, rhinos, and predators), human-wildlife conflict abatement, and community enrichment through employment, education, and health initiatives. Big Life's conservation mission

5687-586: The British tabloid The Sun branded Jackson "Wacko Jacko", a name Jackson came to despise. The Atlantic noted that the name "Jacko" has racist connotations, as it originates from Jacko Macacco , a monkey used in monkey-baiting matches at the Westminster Pit in the early 1820s, and "Jacko" was used in Cockney slang to refer to monkeys in general. Jackson worked with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on

5808-462: The Grammy for Best Engineered – Non Classical. In August 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, and his father, Evan Chandler. Jordan said he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex . While Jordan's mother initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested him, her position wavered a few days later. Evan

5929-646: The Ground) " (1978), " This Place Hotel " (1980), and " Can You Feel It " (1980). In 1977, Jackson moved to New York City to star as the Scarecrow in The Wiz , a musical film directed by Sidney Lumet , alongside Diana Ross , Nipsey Russell , and Ted Ross. The film was a box-office failure. Its score was arranged by Quincy Jones , who later produced three of Jackson's solo albums. During his time in New York, Jackson frequented

6050-552: The Hands of Man, Amboseli, Kenya 2011. This photograph features a ranger employed by Big Life Foundation, a foundation started by Brandt in 2010 to help preserve critical ecosystems in Kenya and Tanzania. The ranger holds the tusks of an elephant of the Amboseli region killed by poachers. Across the Ravaged Land includes a series of photographs entitled The Petrified in which he collected animal carcasses petrified after drowning in

6171-555: The Hot 100 ", "Longest span of number ones for a male act", and the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time", among other awards . Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana , on August 29, 1958. He was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family , a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street. His mother, Katherine Esther Jackson ( née Scruse), played clarinet and piano, had aspired to be

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6292-457: The Jackson family moved into a large house at Hayvenhurst , a 2-acre (0.81 ha) estate in Encino, California . During this period, Michael developed from a child performer into a teen idol . Between 1972 and 1975, he released four solo studio albums with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973) and Forever, Michael (1975). " Got to Be There " and " Ben ",

6413-440: The Jacksons and other Motown stars. Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first Emmy Award nomination. Wearing a glove decorated with rhinestones , he debuted his moonwalk dance , which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier, and it became his signature dance in his repertoire. Jackson had originally turned down the invitation to the show, believing he had been doing too much television. But at

6534-511: The Jacksons and showcased Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. It was the last tour he did with his brothers. Following controversy over the concert's ticket sales , Jackson donated his share of the proceeds, an estimated $ 3 to 5 million , to charity. During the last concert of the Victory Tour at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Jackson announced his split from

6655-405: The Jacksons during "Shake Your Body". With Lionel Richie , Jackson co-wrote the charity single " We Are the World " (1985), which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa. It earned $ 63   million (equivalent to $ 178 million in 2023), and became one of the best-selling singles of all time , with 20   million copies sold. It won four Grammy Awards in 1985, including Song of

6776-566: The Lake Natron in Tanzania, as if their frozen carcasses were still perched in real life. The collection was featured in the Smithsonian Magazine . In 2014, Brandt returned to East Africa to photograph the escalating changes to the continent's natural world. In a series of panoramic photographs, he recorded the impact of man in places where animals used to roam. In each location, he erected

6897-452: The Mirror ", and " Dirty Diana ". Another song, " Smooth Criminal ", peaked at number seven. Bad won the 1988 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Music Video , Short Form for " Leave Me Alone ". Jackson won an Award of Achievement at the American Music Awards in 1989 after Bad generated five number-one singles, became the first album to top

7018-508: The Mirror" went to charity. His rendition of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr. 's 60th birthday celebration won Jackson a second Emmy nomination. Jackson was the bestselling artist of the 1980s. In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $ 65   million (equivalent to $ 145 million in 2023), a record-breaking deal , beating Neil Diamond 's renewal contract with Columbia Records . In 1991, he released his eighth album, Dangerous , co-produced with Teddy Riley . It

7139-517: The Predator Compensation Fund. This fund protects lions, and other carnivores in the ecosystem, by partially compensating local Maasai for economic losses due to predation. In return, communities agree not to kill predators in retaliation. Big Life works in partnership with the local Maasai to reduce the negative impact of human-wildlife interactions, such as crop-raiding by hungry elephants. Co-founder Bonham notes, “An elephant can trample

7260-659: The Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, she called him "the true king of pop, rock and soul." President George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade". At the 38th BMI Awards in 1990, Jackson was the first person to be honored with an award named after its recipient. From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $ 455,000 to the United Negro College Fund , and all profits from his single "Man in

7381-480: The Syrians photographed are forced to move their homes up to several times a year, moving to where there is available agricultural work, to wherever there has been sufficient rainfall to enable crops to grow. The stacks of boxes that the families sit and stand together on aim skyward - a verticality implying a strength or defiance - and provide pedestals for those that in our society are typically unseen and unheard. In

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7502-607: The Temptations ' " My Girl ". From 1966 to 1968, the Jacksons 5 toured the Midwest ; they frequently played at a string of black clubs known as the Chitlin' Circuit as the opening act for artists such as Sam & Dave , the O'Jays , Gladys Knight and Etta James . The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and cocktail lounges, where striptease shows were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school dances. In August 1967, while touring

7623-422: The Time"), and was the first to win the International Artist Award of Excellence. In February, he won the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. He attended the award ceremony with Brooke Shields . Dangerous was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (for "Black or White"), Best R&B Vocal Performance ("Jam") and Best R&B Song ("Jam"), and Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley won

7744-434: The US. Part of the proceeds went to Heal the World Foundation. Jackson sold the broadcast rights of the tour to HBO for $ 20   million, a record-breaking deal that still stands. Following the death of HIV/AIDS spokesperson and friend Ryan White , Jackson pleaded with the Clinton administration at Bill Clinton's inaugural gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research and performed " Gone Too Soon ",

7865-470: The United Kingdom. The Echo of Our Voices is the fourth chapter in the ongoing series The Day May Break .  This latest chapter was released in September 2024, and ties in with an exhibition at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles. The photographs feature rural families, who fled the war in Syria, now living in Jordan. Jordan is considered the second most water-scarce country in the world. Living lives of continuous displacement due to climate change,

7986-400: The Year for Jackson and Richie. Jackson, Jones, and the promoter Ken Kragen received special awards for their roles in the song's creation. Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was making $ 40   million a year from owning the rights to other artists' songs. By 1983, Jackson had begun buying publishing rights to others' songs, but he

8107-545: The advertisement, and suggested using his song "Billie Jean", with revised lyrics, as its jingle . On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial overseen by Phil Dusenberry , a BBDO ad agency executive, and Alan Pottasch , Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. During a simulated concert before a full house of fans, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide

8228-466: The album's artist and Jones as its co-producer), and the single won Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) award for Jackson. "Beat It" won Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male). "Billie Jean" won two Grammy awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male), with Jackson as songwriter and singer respectively. Thriller won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording (Non Classical), acknowledging Bruce Swedien for his work on

8349-450: The album. At the 11th Annual American Music Awards , Jackson won another eight awards and became the youngest artist to win the Award of Merit. He also won Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Artist, and Favorite Pop/Rock Artist. "Beat It" won Favorite Soul/R&B Video, Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Pop/Rock Single. The album won Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album. Thriller ' s sales doubled after

8470-442: The allegations and painkiller addiction. He thanked his close friend Elizabeth Taylor for support, encouragement and counsel. The end of the tour concluded his sponsorship deal with Pepsi. In late 1993, Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie Presley , the daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone. They were married in La Vega, Dominican Republic , in May 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez. The tabloid media speculated that

8591-490: The animals simply in the state of Being. In the state of Being before they are no longer are. Before, in the wild at least, they cease to exist. This world is under terrible threat, all of it caused by us. To me, every creature, human or nonhuman, has an equal right to live, and this feeling, this belief that every animal and I are equal, affects me every time I frame an animal in my camera. The photos are my elegy to these beautiful creatures, to this wrenchingly beautiful world that

8712-662: The bestselling album of all time in the US and the best-selling album of all time worldwide , selling an estimated 70 million copies. It topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to produce seven Billboard Hot 100 top-10 singles, including " Billie Jean ", " Beat It ", and " Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ". On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever , an NBC television special. The show aired on May 16 to an estimated audience of 47 million , and featured

8833-582: The body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup, and possibly skin-bleaching prescription creams, to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would depigment the blotches, and, with the application of makeup, he could appear very pale. Jackson said he had not purposely bleached his skin and could not control his vitiligo, adding, "When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me." He became friends with Klein and Klein's assistant, Debbie Rowe . Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and

8954-649: The bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, and stated for the first time that he had vitiligo. After the interview, Dangerous re-entered the US albums chart in the top 10, more than a year after its release. The interview itself became the most-watched television interview in United States history to date, with more than 90 million viewers. In January 1993, Jackson won three American Music Awards : Favorite Pop/Rock Album ( Dangerous ), Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Remember

9075-477: The books' content and claimed if they were there, someone had to have sent them to him and he did not open them. Jordan Chandler gave police a description of Jackson's genitals. A strip search was made, and the jurors felt the description was not a match. In January 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for a reported total sum of $ 23   million. The police never pressed criminal charges. Citing

9196-424: The charts in 25 countries and the bestselling album worldwide in 1987 and 1988. By 2012, it had sold between 30 and 45   million copies worldwide. The Bad World Tour ran from September 12, 1987, to January 27, 1989. In Japan, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record for a single tour. The 504,000 people who attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium set

9317-496: The children are crystal-clear dreams. Some of the women look straight into the camera with expressions that scream resilience...In a world that so frequently dehumanizes Arabs, especially Arab woman who fall victim to stereotypical depictions of oppressed voiceless beings, Brandt has made an effort to give these women a platform to reclaim their power.” The Echo of Our Voices was partially funded by Gallerie d’Italia Museum in Turin (that

9438-477: The coming decades as the water rises.   Spread across the planet, there is a common link between the countries in which each chapter of The Day May Break is photographed : They are among the countries that are the least responsible for climate breakdown. Their global carbon emissions are tiny compared to industrial nations. Yet they are disproportionately harmed by its effects. In an article by CNN's Catherine Shoichet, Brandt describes

9559-403: The conservationist and primatologist Jane Goodall , author Alice Sebold , and photography critic Vicki Goldberg . In the afterword, Brandt explained the reasons for the methods he used at the time: "I'm not interested in creating work that is simply documentary or filled with action and drama, which has been the norm in the photography of animals in the wild. What I am interested in is showing

9680-530: The dance. Gordy described being "mesmerized" by the performance. At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards , Thriller won eight awards, and Jackson won an award for the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook. Winning eight Grammys in one ceremony is a record he holds with the band Santana . Jackson and Quincy Jones won the award for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical). Thriller won Album of the Year (with Jackson as

9801-401: The ecosystem. Big Life Foundation now employs several hundred rangers protecting approximately 2 million acres of ecosystem. Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop ", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century . Over

9922-406: The effects of climate change such as farmers displaced and impoverished by years-long severe droughts. The people and animals were photographed together in the same frame at the same time, and were taken at five sanctuaries and conservancies. In the foreword to the book The Day May Break, published in the same year the project was released, author Yvonne Adhiambo Owour writes, " Nick Brandt

10043-622: The end of 1992, Dangerous was the bestselling album of the year worldwide and "Black or White" the bestselling single of the year worldwide at the Billboard Music Awards . In 1993, he performed "Remember the Time" at the Soul Train Music Awards in a chair, saying he twisted his ankle during dance rehearsals. In the UK, " Heal the World " made No. 2 on the charts in 1992. Jackson founded

10164-472: The future of communities in East Africa by funding teachers’ salaries, providing scholarship funds for local students, and conducting conservation workshops. “...if we are to save these endangered species from extinction, we're going to have to save the humans first. For far too long now, right across the continent, wildlife is being wiped out because poverty is shoved into the unsolvable box.” In 2008, Big Life

10285-420: The hands of humans, showing a world where, overwhelmed by runaway development, there is no longer space for animals to survive. The people in the photos also often helplessly swept along by the relentless tide of 'progress.'” Representing a thematic and technical evolution, the series required Brandt to develop and perfect a demanding new process. The Brooklyn Rail described it as: An ambitious undertaking,

10406-531: The late 1980s, Jackson became a figure of controversy and speculation due to his changing appearance , relationships , behavior, and lifestyle. In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing the child of a family friend. The lawsuit was settled out of civil court; Jackson was not indicted due to lack of evidence. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found no evidence of criminal conduct by Jackson. In 2009, while he

10527-512: The likes of Michael Jackson (" Earth Song ", " Stranger in Moscow "), Moby (" Porcelain "), Jewel (" Hands "), XTC (" Dear God ") among others. It was in 1995 while directing "Earth Song" in Tanzania that Brandt fell in love with the animals and land of East Africa . In 2001, frustrated that he could not capture on film his feelings about the destruction of the natural world, he realized there

10648-523: The looming apocalypse for animals habitats in Africa... The resulting images are simultaneously beautiful and horrifying, because they illustrate the irreconcilable clash of past and present". Brandt's next project, This Empty World , was released in February 2019. The series was published in book form by Thames & Hudson. This new project, "addresses the escalating destruction of the African natural world at

10769-401: The medium into an art form and promotional tool. He helped popularize MTV and continued to innovate with videos for his albums Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and Invincible (2001). Thriller is the best-selling album of all time , while Bad was the first album to produce five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. From

10890-420: The mother of his first two children. In his 1988 autobiography and a 1993 interview, Jackson said he had had two rhinoplasty surgeries and a cleft chin surgery but no more than that. He said he lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet to achieve a dancer's body. Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was suffering from anorexia nervosa . Periods of weight loss became

11011-429: The music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit. Jackson recorded with Queen 's lead singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, recording demos of " State of Shock ", "Victory" and " There Must Be More to Life Than This ". The recordings were intended for an album of duets but, according to Queen's manager Jim Beach , the relationship soured when Jackson brought a llama into the recording studio, and Jackson

11132-448: The natural world and humans themselves. This third chapter was released in September 2023. This third chapter focuses on South Pacific Islanders impacted by rising oceans from climate change.  The local people in these photos, photographed underwater in the ocean off the coast of the Fijian islands, are representatives of the many people whose homes, land and livelihoods will be lost in

11253-705: The next, and at the end back into the supply chain. Says Brandt, "People still think the major issue with the destruction of wildlife in Africa is poaching , but especially in East Africa it's no longer the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the population explosion that is happening. With that comes an invasion of humanity and development into what was not so long ago wildlife habitat." The resulting large-scale prints (up to 60x130 in / 140x300 cm) were exhibited in near-simultaneous exhibitions in London (Waddington Custot), New York (Edwynn Houk Gallery), and Los Angeles (Fahey/Klein Gallery). In September 2021, Brandt released

11374-481: The only beings living on it who matter". In 2013, Brandt completed the trilogy On This Earth, A Shadow Falls, Across the Ravaged Land (the titles designed to form one consecutive sentence) with Across the Ravaged Land . A book of the photography was released the same year. Across the Ravaged Land introduced humans in Brandt's photography for the first time. One such example is Ranger with Tusks of Elephant Killed at

11495-580: The photographs were found across Bolivia, and like in Chapter One, had all been negatively impacted by the effects of climate change, from extreme droughts to flooding. The animals were all rescues as a result of habitat destruction and wildlife trafficking, and live at Senda Verde Animal Sanctuary in the Yungas Mountains where the photographs were taken. As in Chapter One, the people and animals, largely habituated to humans, were photographed together in

11616-468: The project required six months to complete, and necessitated the building of large sets and night shoots amid relentless dust-storms. Initially, partial sets were constructed on Maasai land—one of the few places where animals and humans still coexist—and motion-activated cameras hidden from view. After many weeks, the animals became comfortable enough to enter these strange domains, triggering the camera as they did so. The requisite next-step involved completing

11737-520: The question the project poses “​is whether the day will break like sunrise, or like glass. For as gorgeous, rich and operatic as the images are, this is not an Edenic vision of coexistence, it’s an urgent plea for taking action.” In the book The Day May Break , curator, author and photo historian Phillip Prodger wrote, "A landmark body of work by one of photography’s great environmental champions. Showing how deeply our fates are intertwined, Brandt portrays people and animals together, causing us to reflect on

11858-674: The real-life consequences of climate change. Channeling his outrage into quiet determination, the result is a portrait of us all, at a critical moment in the Anthropocene." Photos from the project were featured in public exhibits worldwide. The second chapter of Brandt's global series, The Day May Break, was photographed in Bolivia in February and March 2022. This body of work was released in September 2022, and first exhibited at Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York and at Polka Galerie in Paris. The people in

11979-463: The release of an extended music video, Michael Jackson's Thriller , which sees Jackson dancing with a horde of zombies. The success transformed Jackson into a dominant force in global pop culture. Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, with about $ 2 for every album sold (equivalent to $ 6 in 2023), and was making record-breaking profits. Dolls modeled after Jackson appeared in stores in May 1984 for $ 12 each. In

12100-411: The request of Motown founder Berry Gordy , he performed in exchange for an opportunity to do a solo performance. Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore called the performance "extraordinary". Jackson's performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley 's and the Beatles ' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show . Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times praised the perfect timing and technique involved in

12221-520: The same frame. The book of the work was published in spring 2023 by Hatje Cantz Verlag in Germany. SINK / RISE is the third chapter of The Day May Break , the ongoing global series portraying people and animals that have been impacted by environmental degradation and destruction.  The themes in Nick Brandt's work always relate to the destructive environmental impact that humankind is having on both

12342-478: The same year, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller , a documentary about the music video, won a Grammy for Best Music Video (Longform). Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too." The New York Times wrote "in

12463-891: The scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $ 1.5   million (equivalent to $ 4.4 million in 2023) settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California ; its now-closed Michael Jackson Burn Center was named in his honor. Jackson signed a second agreement with Pepsi in the late 1980s for $ 10   million (equivalent to $ 26.8 million in 2023). The second campaign covered 20 countries and provided financial support for Jackson's Bad album and 1987–88 world tour. Jackson had endorsements and advertising deals with other companies, such as LA Gear , Suzuki , and Sony , but none were as significant as his deals with Pepsi. The Victory Tour of 1984 headlined

12584-409: The set—a petrol station for example or a highway—and enlisting a cast of local residents to populate each scene, before taking the second image, almost always from the same position as the first. The final photograph is created from a composite of both images; producing scenes in which large mammals appear lost within a human-dominated milieu. All the elements of the sets were recycled from one set into

12705-518: The story, although it was alleged that Jackson leaked an image of him sleeping in a glass chamber (according to Jackson, this was a promotional shot from an upcoming space opera featuring himself ) to The National Enquirer . It was also reported that Jackson took female hormone shots to keep his voice high and facial hair wispy, proposed to Elizabeth Taylor and possibly had a shrine of her, and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo denied all of them, except for Jackson having

12826-430: The title tracks from his first two solo albums, sold well as singles, as did a cover of Bobby Day 's " Rockin' Robin ". Michael maintained ties to the Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists ". They were frustrated by Motown's refusal to allow them creative input. Jackson's performance of their top five single " Dancing Machine " on Soul Train popularized

12947-427: The vast spaces and light of contemporary Africa with a cinematic immersion and incredible detail. When standing in front of his images, the viewer is transported into the scenes – sometimes with wonder and awe and joy, and other times with overwhelming sadness, despair and disgust." Photography critic Michelle Bogre further noted: "Nick Brandt’s new photographic work, Inherit the Dust , is his visual cry of anguish about

13068-519: The wedding was a publicity stunt to deflect away from Jackson's sexual abuse allegations and jump-start Presley's career as a singer. Their marriage ended little more than a year later, and they separated in December 1995. Presley cited "irreconcilable differences" when filing for divorce the next month and only sought to reclaim her maiden name as her settlement. After the divorce, Judge Pérez said, "They lasted longer than I thought they would. I gave them

13189-404: The work as “pre-apocalyptic”. Everything is shot in-camera underwater.   It's the first series that Brandt has photographed exclusively with people as his subjects, without any animals. In March 2024, SINK / RISE, the book, was published by Hatje Cantz Verlag.   In the book's Foreword, author Zoe Lescaze writes, " Faced with a seemingly impossible task, Nick Brandt has created

13310-485: The world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else". In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with PepsiCo in a $ 5   million promotional deal that broke records for a celebrity endorsement (equivalent to $ 15.3 million in 2023). The first Pepsi campaign, which ran in the US from 1983 to 1984 and launched its "New Generation" theme, included tour sponsorship, public relations events, and in-store displays. Jackson helped to create

13431-506: Was a way to achieve this through photography. In 2001, Brandt embarked upon his first photographic project: a trilogy of work to memorialize the vanishing natural grandeur of East Africa. This work bore little relation to the typical, color, documentary-style wildlife photography. Brandt's images were mainly graphic portraits more akin to studio portraiture of human subjects from a much earlier era, as if these animals were already long dead. "The resulting photographs feel like artifacts from

13552-450: Was abusive and said that the whippings, which had a deeper impact on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and out of trouble. Michael said that during his youth he was lonely and isolated. Later in 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to the Jackson 5 . In 1965, the group won a talent show; Michael performed the dance to Robert Parker 's 1965 song " Barefootin' " and sang

13673-565: Was approached by Maasai elders for assistance in ending lion hunting within the Maasai warrior culture. This event marked the beginning of a collaboration that would eventually lead to the first-ever Maasai Olympics, “an organized Maasai sports competition based upon traditional warrior skills.” Now a biennial event, the Maasai Olympics aims to create a shift in the cultural attitudes of the Maasai, away from competitive and ritual lion-killing towards

13794-453: Was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson's early acquisitions of music catalogs and song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included "Everyday People" (1968), Len Barry 's " 1-2-3 " (1965), and Dion DiMucci 's " The Wanderer " (1961) and " Runaround Sue " (1961). In 1984, Robert Holmes à Court announced he was selling

13915-415: Was certified eight times platinum in the US, and by 2018 had sold 32   million copies worldwide. In the US, the first single, " Black or White ", was the album's highest-charting song; it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and achieved similar chart performances worldwide. The second single, " Remember the Time " peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. At

14036-700: Was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief in the Ivorian village of Krindjabo , where he thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances. In January 1993, Jackson performed at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in Pasadena, California. The NFL sought a big-name artist to keep ratings high during halftime following dwindling audience figures. With 133.4 million viewers, it

14157-568: Was finalized on August 10, 1985. Jackson's skin had been medium-brown during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually grew paler. The change drew widespread media coverage, including speculation that he had been bleaching his skin . His dermatologist, Arnold Klein , said he observed in 1983 that Jackson had vitiligo , a condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment. He also identified discoid lupus erythematosus in Jackson. He diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year, and with vitiligo in 1986. Vitiligo's drastic effects on

14278-444: Was preparing for a series of comeback concerts, This Is It , Jackson died from an overdose of propofol administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray , who was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter for his involvement in Jackson's death. His death triggered reactions around the world, creating unprecedented surges of internet traffic and a spike in sales of his music. Jackson's televised memorial service , held at

14399-545: Was recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, which Jackson used to argue that he was the victim of a jealous father trying to extort money. Jackson's older sister La Toya accused him of being a pedophile; she later retracted this, saying she had been forced into it by her abusive husband. Police raided Jackson's home in August and found two legal large-format art books featuring young boys playing, running and swimming in various states of undress. Jackson denied knowing of

14520-531: Was the first Super Bowl whose halftime show drew greater audience figures than the game. Jackson played " Jam ", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", and "Heal the World". Dangerous rose 90 places in the US albums chart after the performance. Jackson gave a 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey on February 10, 1993. He spoke of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood, and said that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought

14641-489: Was upset by Mercury's drug use. "There Must Be More to Life Than This" was released in 2014. Jackson went on to record "State of Shock" with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' album Victory (1984). In 1982, Jackson contributed "Someone in the Dark" to the audiobook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . Jackson's sixth album, Thriller , was released in late 1982. It was the bestselling album worldwide in 1983, and became

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