47 Fun Facts About Michael Jackson

Which album marked Michael Jackson's debut as a solo artist?

Michael Jackson's debut solo studio album, 'Got to Be There,' was released by Motown on January 24, 1972, while he was still a member of The Jackson 5.

Which character did Michael Jackson play in the 1978 film musical The Wiz?

Michael Jackson played the Scarecrow in The Wiz (1978) opposite Diana Ross as Dorothy; the film's music supervisor, Quincy Jones, went on to produce Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad.

Which dance move did Michael Jackson debut during his 'Billie Jean' performance on Motown 25 in 1983?

Jackson unveiled the Moonwalk during 'Billie Jean' on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, taped March 25, 1983; Jeffrey Daniel of Shalamar had shown him the backslide step behind it.

In what U.S. state was Michael Jackson born?

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana.

With whom did Michael Jackson co-write the 1985 charity single 'We Are the World'?

Jackson wrote 'We Are the World' with Lionel Richie in January 1985 for USA for Africa; Quincy Jones produced the all-star recording, which raised money for Ethiopian famine relief.

In what year did Michael Jackson release his seventh studio album, the first with five US number-one singles?

Bad, Jackson's seventh studio album, was released on August 31, 1987; its five US number ones ran from 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You' to 'Dirty Diana'.

Which Michael Jackson song features a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen?

Eddie Van Halen played the 'Beat It' solo for free as a favour to Quincy Jones in 1982; Toto's Steve Lukather played the song's rhythm guitar and bass.

What was the title of Michael Jackson's final studio album released during his lifetime?

'Invincible,' released on October 30, 2001, was Michael Jackson's tenth and final studio album released during his lifetime.

Which song from Dangerous shares its name with the charity foundation Jackson launched in 1992?

Jackson founded the Heal the World Foundation in 1992, named after the Dangerous ballad he performed with a children's choir at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in January 1993.

Which Michael Jackson album, released in 1991, was his first without longtime collaborator Quincy Jones?

Dangerous (November 1991) was Jackson's first album made without Quincy Jones; new jack swing producer Teddy Riley co-produced tracks such as 'Remember the Time' and 'Jam'.

Which of these songs did Michael Jackson record in 2001 for his tenth studio album?

'Butterflies', from Invincible (2001), was written by Andre Harris and Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry; it reached the US top 20 on airplay alone, never getting a commercial single release.

The song 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' is a hit from which Michael Jackson album?

'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' is a prominent hit single from Michael Jackson's 1979 album, 'Off the Wall.'

Which Michael Jackson video, featuring zombies and werewolves, is known for its groundbreaking choreography?

The music video for 'Thriller' is famous for its elaborate choreography, special effects, and horror-movie theme featuring zombies and werewolves.

What was the name of the pet chimpanzee Michael Jackson took on tour in Japan?

Bubbles the chimpanzee went on tour in Japan, and the media portrayed Jackson as an aspiring Disney cartoon character who befriended animals, feeding the 'Wacko Jacko' image he later said he loathed.

Which director, hired after Jackson saw An American Werewolf in London, made the 1983 Thriller video?

John Landis, director of An American Werewolf in London, shot the 14-minute Thriller film in October 1983 with co-star Ola Ray; his werewolf-movie make-up artist Rick Baker did the effects.

Which Beatle duetted with Jackson on 'The Girl Is Mine' and 'Say Say Say'?

Paul McCartney sang 'The Girl Is Mine' with Jackson as Thriller's first single in October 1982, then 'Say Say Say' on his own 1983 album Pipes of Peace.

How many weeks did 'Black or White' spend at number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

'Black or White' spent seven weeks at number one on the Hot 100 from December 1991, reaching the top in its third week, the fastest climb since the Beatles' 'Get Back' in 1969.

The 'Smooth Criminal' white suit and fedora pay tribute to which dancer in 1953's The Band Wagon?

The look mirrors Fred Astaire's white suit and fedora in The Band Wagon's 'Girl Hunt' ballet; the 'Smooth Criminal' video anchors the 1988 film Moonwalker and shows the anti-gravity lean.

Michael Jackson renamed his California ranch Neverland in 1988 after the fantasy island in which story?

Peter Pan's Neverland, home of the boy who never grows up, gave the ranch its name; Jackson first saw the Santa Ynez Valley property in 1983 while the 'Say Say Say' video was shot there.

Which Jackson 5 single became the group's first Billboard Hot 100 number one in January 1970?

'I Want You Back', the Jackson 5's Motown debut, hit number one on January 31, 1970; their next three singles, 'ABC', 'The Love You Save' and 'I'll Be There', also topped the chart.

Which director made Captain EO, the 1986 3D short film starring Michael Jackson at Disney theme parks?

Francis Ford Coppola directed, George Lucas executive-produced and James Horner scored it; the attraction returned to the parks in 2010 as a tribute.

Which sketch show's counterprogramming of the 1992 halftime led the NFL to book Jackson for Super Bowl 1993?

Fox's live In Living Color special siphoned millions of viewers from the Super Bowl XXVI halftime in 1992, so the NFL booked Jackson for Super Bowl XXVII, where viewership rose between halves for the first time.

Jackson died in 2009 of acute intoxication from which drug?

The coroner ruled the June 25, 2009 death a homicide from acute propofol intoxication, with sedatives as contributing factors; physician Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in November 2011.

'Scream', the lead single from Michael Jackson's HIStory, was a duet with which of his siblings?

Janet Jackson joined him on the track, produced with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as a retort to tabloid coverage and released as a double A-side with 'Childhood'.

Which Michael Jackson single was the UK Christmas number one of 1995?

'Earth Song' was his first to overtly address the environment and animal welfare, with a Nick Brandt video shot in four regions of the world.

Who directed the 2009 documentary This Is It, assembled from rehearsal footage for Jackson's cancelled residency?

Ortega was the show director of the concerts, and none of the footage had originally been intended for release.

Which singer wrote 'You Are Not Alone' for Jackson in 1995?

R. Kelly wrote 'You Are Not Alone' and sent Jackson a demo; the pair co-produced it, and in September 1995 it became the first single ever to debut at number one on the Hot 100.

Which producer led the team that reworked eight vault tracks for the posthumous 2014 album Xscape?

Timbaland led the producers who reworked the eight Xscape tracks chosen by Epic chairman L.A. Reid; the lead single 'Love Never Felt So Good' came from a 1983 session with Paul Anka.

Michael Jackson's 1996 short film Ghosts, in which he plays five roles, was co-written by which horror novelist?

Stephen King wrote it with Mick Garris; Stan Winston directed, and it screened at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.

'Rock with You' was first offered to which singer, who turned it down for her solo album?

Rod Temperton's 'Rock with You' was first offered to Karen Carpenter for her 1979–80 solo album; after she passed, Jackson's version topped the Hot 100 for four weeks in January 1980.

Jackson's first solo US number one, 'Ben' (1972), was the theme to a film about what kind of animal?

Ben (1972), a sequel to Willard, follows a lonely boy befriended by a rat who leads a killer pack; the title song won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination.

Michael Jackson's hair caught fire from pyrotechnics during a simulated concert in 1984 while filming a commercial for which brand?

Pepsi's shoot left him with second-degree burns to his scalp; he donated the $1.5 million settlement to a Culver City hospital, which named its burn centre after him.

In 1985 Michael Jackson bought the ATV Music catalogue of nearly 4,000 songs, including most of the material by which band?

The Beatles' songs were the prize in the catalogue, which Robert Holmes à Court put up for sale in 1984; the purchase was finalized on August 10, 1985.

Which skin condition was Jackson diagnosed with in 1986?

Vitiligo, diagnosed in 1986, was something Jackson publicly confirmed in his 1993 Oprah Winfrey interview while denying rumours that he bleached his skin.

How many Grammy Awards did Jackson win at the 1984 ceremony, then a single-night record?

Jackson took home eight Grammys on February 28, 1984, from 12 nominations, seven tied to Thriller plus one for narrating the E.T. storybook album; Santana tied the eight-win record in 2000.

Jackson set a Guinness World Record on the Bad tour with seven sold-out shows at which London venue?

Some 504,000 people attended the run, and Jacques Chirac awarded him a Paris medal during the same tour.

In 1993 Jackson proposed over the phone to which daughter of a rock legend?

Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis's only child, accepted Jackson's phone proposal in autumn 1993 and married him in the Dominican Republic in May 1994; the marriage ended in 1996.

Between 1981 and 1983 Jackson recorded duet demos including 'State of Shock' with which band's frontman?

Queen's Freddie Mercury recorded demos with Jackson in 1983, among them 'State of Shock' and 'There Must Be More to Life Than This'; the Jacksons later released 'State of Shock' with Mick Jagger in 1984.

Which star did executives choose in 1969 to introduce the Jackson 5 to the public?

Motown billed Diana Ross as the group's discoverer, titling their 1969 debut album Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, although Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers had actually brought the boys to the label.

Jackson's Soul Train performance of which Jackson 5 hit helped popularize the robot dance?

The brothers left for Epic Records in 1975 and were forced to rename themselves the Jacksons.

In which city was Motown 25, the special featuring Jackson's 'Billie Jean', taped in 1983?

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was taped at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on March 25, 1983; NBC's broadcast that May drew about 47 million viewers.

Who directed the 1987 short film made for Jackson's 'Bad' single?

Martin Scorsese directed the 'Bad' short film in 1987 from a Richard Price script, shooting partly in a Brooklyn subway station with Wesley Snipes as Jackson's rival.

Jackson was invested in 1992 as titular king of Sanwi, a traditional kingdom in which country?

The Sanwi kingdom, centred on Krindjabo in south-eastern Ivory Coast, crowned Jackson its honorary king in February 1992 during a visit to Africa; the kingdom held a mourning ceremony for him in 2009.

Which Bahraini royal hosted Jackson when he moved to the kingdom in June 2005 after his trial?

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, a son of Bahrain's King Hamad, hosted Jackson from June 2005 and signed him to his Two Seas Records label; the sheikh later sued him over an alleged $7 million advance.

Neverland's narrow-gauge steam locomotive was named after which member of Jackson's family?

The 1973-built Crown 4-4-0 hauled two coaches on the Neverland Valley Railroad.

Which billionaire friend of the Jackson family bought the former Neverland for $22m in December 2020?

Ron Burkle, the Yucaipa Companies billionaire, paid about $22 million for the 2,700-acre ranch in December 2020, calling it a 'land banking opportunity'; it had been listed at $100 million in 2015.

How much did Jackson's 1991 contract renewal with Sony, then a record deal, reportedly pay?

Jackson's March 1991 Sony renewal was reported at $65 million, beating Neil Diamond's Columbia deal as the biggest recording contract then signed; Dangerous followed that November.