By Audra D.S. Burch and Howard Cohen
McClatchy Newspapers
In the year without Michael Joseph Jackson, the pop star’s legacy has come into sharper focus, his art, music, magic liberally extracted from his dizzying celebrity and troubled private life.
PDF: The king of pop PDF: Jackson obituary
The year of astounding craziness since his death on June 25, 2009 – his cardiologist’s involuntary manslaughter trial, family feuds, the epic yet futile discussion about the paternity of his three children – has not dimmed the light that was Michael Jackson.
Instead, Jackson’s gift may never have been more powerful. The 13 Grammy Award-winning King of Pop is still celebrated by his original fans and has been discovered by generations of new fans.
The first anniversary of his death will be marked by music specials, concerts, museum exhibits, candlelight vigils, a memorial in London, even a Japanese lottery for the chance to spend the night with Jackson’s possessions in the Neverland Collection in Tokyo.
“In our celebrity-obsessed world, the legacy of Michael Jackson will always have little blips of sensationalism,” said pop culture expert Bob Batchelor. “But much of the talk about the creepy behavior has diminished, the things he was criticized for have gone away and people now celebrate his music, the ‘Thriller,’ moonwalking Michael.”
Billboard.com estimates that Jackson’s estate has earned nearly $1 billion since his death, due in part to a new Sony Music record deal and the posthumous documentary “This Is It,” which has generated $260 million in worldwide box office sales. The companion DVD has earned $43 million in U.S. sales and $25 million in rental revenue. Jackson’s catalog earned about $383 million and about $34 million in digital sales over the past year.
“The bottom line is Michael Jackson’s popularity is based on the music, the way he married R&B and pop and rock,” said Gail Mitchell, Billboard Magazine’s senior editor of R&B & hip-hop. “Like other pop culture icons, Elvis, Frank, the Rolling Stones who are still able to tour, it starts with the music. This just shows how timeless his music is.”
He came to the stage as part of the Jackson Five in 1964, but it was his solo career that shot him to his own orbit of superstardom more than three decades ago. Jackson’s sudden death, at age 50 and 18 days before a spectacular comeback concert in London, cemented his place in the ephemeral world of pop culture.
“We are in a tanking global economy and yet you have this great talent, who in some ways had sunk into mediocrity, was no longer on the stage but in death generated this incredible amount of money. It speaks to his enduring popularity,” said Batchelor, a Kent State University assistant professor and author of “The 1980s: American Pop Culture Through History.”
Seemingly, Jackson’s musical greatness allows forgiveness from the unending accusations of pedophilia.
The manic rush for Jackson-related merchandise began as soon as television, radio, but mostly the Internet delivered the news of his death.
“Thriller,” his 1982 bestselling album, once again became dominant among Jackson’s eight studio albums, including “Off the Wall” (1979), “Bad” (1987), “Dangerous” (1991) and even “Invincible,” a 2001 album that didn’t live up to its hyped title with critics or consumers upon its original release.
“Thriller” had been vying against the “Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” compilation for the title of all-time top seller from the Recording Industry Association of America. Today, the titles are tied with 29 million shipments each.
A year after his death, four of Jackson’s albums are ranked on the Billboard 200 chart: “Number Ones” (No. 105), “Thriller” (181), “The Essential Michael Jackson” (185) and “This Is It” (198).
Jackson returned to the spotlight beyond music sales.
Jackson’s parents are planning to honor the late star with a $300 million Graceland-like project that will include a family museum, hotel, restaurants, performing arts center, residential units and golf course. It would be built on a 300-acre lot in Gary, Ind., where Jackson’s story began.