June
25, 2009
Farrah
Fawcett died at approximately 9:28 a.m. on June 25, 2009, in the
intensive care unit of Saint
John's Health Center in Santa
Monica, California. She
was 62 years old.
News
of the death was significantly overshadowed by the death of pop culture icon Michael Jackson who died later on the same day. News coverage
was heavily focused on Jackson's death, leading to significantly less coverage
focused on that of Fawcett.
June 25, 2009
“King of Pop” Michael Jackson dies at age 50 after suffering from cardiac arrest caused by a fatal combination of drugs given to him by his personal doctor.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of Katherine and Joe Jackson’s nine children. At the age of 5, Jackson began performing with his older brothers in a music group coached by their steelworker father. In 1968, Motown Records signed the group, which became known as the Jackson 5, and Michael Jackson, a natural showman, emerged as the lead singer and star. The Jackson 5’s first album, released in 1969, featured the hit "I Want You Back," and the group’s brand of pop-soul-R&B music made them an immediate success. Their musical popularity even led to their starring in their own TV cartoon series in the early 1970s.
Jackson released his first solo album, "Got to Be There," in 1972,
while continuing to sing with his brothers. Six years later, in 1978, he made
his big-screen debut as the Scarecrow in "The Wiz," an adaptation of
the Broadway musical of the same name. Directed by Quincy Jones, the film
starred an all-black cast that included singer Diana Ross as Dorothy. Jones
collaborated with Jackson on his 1979 album “Off the Wall,” which sold some 7
million copies worldwide. The pair teamed up again for Jackson’s now-iconic
1982 album, "Thriller," which went on to sell 50 million copies
around the globe, making it the best-selling studio album of all time.
"Thriller" is credited with jump-starting the era of music videos and
playing a key role in the rise of then-fledging cable TV network MTV, which
launched in 1981.
In 1983, Jackson created a massive sensation on a live Motown anniversary TV
special when he performed his now-signature Moonwalk dance step while wearing a
black fedora and a single white glove covered with rhinestones. According to
The Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hillburn, the performance served as
Jackson’s "unofficial coronation as the King of Pop. Within months, he
changed the way people would hear and see pop music, unleashing an influence
that rivaled that of Elvis Presley and the Beatles."
Jackson’s next solo effort, "Bad," debuted in 1987. It sold 8
million copies and featured a music video from acclaimed movie director Martin
Scorsese. By this time, however, Jackson had paid a high price for his massive
success. According to The Los Angeles Times: "He became so accustomed to
bodyguards and assistants that he once admitted that he trembled if he had to
open his own front door."
By the 1990s, Jackson’s life was near-constant tabloid fodder. In 1993, he
was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy who had been a sleepover guest at
his home. Jackson denied the allegations and the criminal investigation was
dropped; however, the singer later settled a civil lawsuit with the boy’s
family for a reported $20 million. In 2003, Jackson was accused of molesting
another boy. Following a highly publicized trial in 2005, he was acquitted of
all charges. During these years, Jackson also faced intense media
scrutiny over his radically altered physical appearance, which included an
ever-lighter complexion (which he attributed to a skin condition) and multiple
plastic surgeries. Although Jackson himself was mostly close-mouthed on the
topic, media sources alleged that Jackson developed an obsession with cosmetic
surgery, in part, following an accident he suffered in January 1984 while
shooting a Pepsi commercial. During filming, a pyrotechnics mishap set the
singer’s hair on fire, and he suffered burns on his head and face that required
reconstructive surgery. In the aftermath of the surgery, Jackson reportedly
suffered from an addiction to prescription painkillers.
Jackson also made headlines with his brief marriage (1994-1994) to Lisa
Marie Presley, the daughter of singer Elvis Presley. From 1996 to 1999, he was
wed to Debbie Rowe, the former assistant of his dermatologist and the mother of
two of his three children. (Jackson’s youngest child, a boy, was reportedly
born via a surrogate.)
On June 25, 2009, Jackson, who after a lengthy time away from the public
spotlight was preparing for a series of summer concerts in London, was
discovered unconscious in his Los Angeles mansion. The Los Angeles coroner’s
officer later ruled the pop star’s death a homicide after lethal levels of the
powerful sedative propofol, as well other drugs, were found in his system.
Jackson’s personal physician, who was at the singer’s home when he died, had
been giving him propofol as a sleep aid for a period of weeks.
On July 7, 2009, more than 20,000 fans attended a public memorial for Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Over 30 million viewers tuned in watch the event on cable TV, while millions more viewed it online.
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