Michael Jackson Memorial (2009) - full transcript

Michael!

Michael, we love you!

-Look at that.

-Michael!

Go, go, go!

So much has been said about the life

and career of Michael Jackson.

That it has become almost impossible

to disentangle the man from the myth.

Recent revelations

are only the latest instalments

of a saga that began decades ago.

From his drilling as a child star

with the Jackson Five

to his rise as the King of Pop,

and public scrut,

we'll be examining the real story

and fame phenomena

of an African-American icon

who was destined to be the most talk about

and examined figure in the world.

Born in Gary, Indiana in 1958,

Michael Joseph Jackson was seventh

of nine brothers and sisters.

His father Joseph Jackson,

who had a reputation

as a strick disciplinarian,

organised the family band,

made up of his children Jackie, Jermaine,

Tito and Marlon.

In 1963, at the tender age of 5,

Michael joined the group.

Joseph scheduled a strict regime

for Michael and his brothers.

Relentless hours of practice

left very little time

for normal childhood activities.

In 1966, the brothers won

a talent contest

at the renowned Apollo Theatre

in New York's Harlem district.

And within a year, had supported

Gladys Knight and The Pips.

Gladys recommended the group

to Motown Records

and The Jackson Five were born.

Although Diana Ross was widely credited

for their discovery,

Michael Jackson first entered a recording

studio in 1967,

just three months after his 9th birthday.

By the age of 10,

he became lead vocalist.

A year later, he and his older brothers

released their first single

I Want You Back.

It became more than just a hit,

it was an oral steamroller.

It shot to number one in America,

selling 2 million copies.

Michael was just 11 years old.

Jackson mania had arrived.

Over a 10th month period,

the quintet from Gary Indiana,

created pop history with an incredible

four consecutive number one hits:

I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save

and I'll Be There.

With the release of the horror movie

Willard in 1971,

Michael Jackson's career

took on a whole new dimension.

The title song Ben

became a worldwide smash,

giving Michael his first taste

of solo success.

By 1975, after 13 albums

and countless Top 10 hits,

Motown and The Jackson

were to part company.

With a fresh start at Epic Records

and renamed simply The Jacksons,

the journey was far from over.

The hits just kept on coming.

In 1977, Michael Jackson starred

in a feature film, The Wiz,

a remake of the Wizard of Oz,

featuring an all African-American cast.

Michael played a scarecrow,

and his leading lady, Diana Ross,

played Dorothy.

Michael was introduced to Quincy Jones

on the set,

which led to Jones producing Jackson's

first electrifying solo album,

Off The Wall.

The Album went platinum,

selling over 7 million copies,

and catapulted Michael Jackson's solo

career into orbit around the globe.

Quincy Jones worked with Michael

to produce his second solo album,

the 1982 masterpiece Thriller.

It became a hit of colossal proportions,

reaching number one in the United States

and the United Kingdom simultaneously.

It remained in the Top 10

on the Billboard Chart

for an entire year.

With an astonishing 65 million copies

sold worldwide,

the album cemented

Michael Jackson's career

as an American icon

and universal superstar.

An incredible seven of the nine songs

on the album

went on to be Top 10 singles.

Today, Thriller retains it's title

as the biggest selling album of all time.

He been in the business 24 years now

and he was 14 when we first got together.

He's, he's squarely is the man

of '80s definitely.

Maybe, the '90s too.

During the 1980's, Michael Jackson's fame

had surpassed many

of the world's leading political

and religious figures.

By the age of only 25,

the New York Times summed him up

as a musical phenomenon,

stating that in the world of pop music,

there is Michael Jackson

and then there is everybody else.

Four songs on the album Thriller

were penned by Michael,

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin',

The Girl is Mine, with Paul McCartney,

Beat It and Billie Jean.

Unlike many artists, Michael

did not write down his songs.

Instead, he dictated the words

into a tape machine

and when recording would sing it

from memory, rather than read the words.

Michael Jackson

was to revolutionise music videos.

The unique video for Thriller

was unprecedented for its time

with a duration of over 14 minutes,

a huge cast and massive budget.

Director John Landis of Blues Brothers

and An American Werewolf in London fame

teamed up with visual effects artist

Rick Baker,

who created prosthetics that rivalled

those of the cinema.

This combined with choreography

as dazzling as Broadway

resulted in a music video

which became so popular

that a documentary The Making

of Michael Jackson's Thriller,

became the world's largest selling

home video.

Songs from Thriller, along

with Michael Jackson's narrative,

The ET Story Book, earned him a phenomenal

eight Grammy Awards in a single night,

another pop music industry record.

It was during the televised

25th Anniversary of Motown in 1982

that Michael Jackson, wearing

his signature white sequinned glove,

unveiled the now famous moonwalk

for the first time.

It sent the crowd wild and received

phenomenal worldwide media coverage.

The popular music channel MTV,

who in the past had been reluctant

to give air time to African-American artists,

were now broadcasting Michael's videos

on heavy rotation.

By 1983, Michael Jackson

was the most celebrated

and influential pop star on the planet.

He is one of the few artists

to have been inducted

into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

twice.

His awards include

eight Guinness World Records,

including one for Thriller

as the world's best selling album,

13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles

in his solo career

and the sale of over 750 million

albums worldwide.

Michael was consequently honoured

with a star on Hollywood Boulevard.

Michael received further accolade

when he was presented

with a Greatest Artist of the Decade Award

by President Bush of the Whitehouse.

Michael was looking

for three males and a female

and so four of us went in together

and the four of us had worked together

in studio situations before.

We had auditioned for him

and we were video taped and he liked us.

And he was completely tuned

into what he was doing

as well as being tuned in to

what you're doing behind him,

and that's nice for a singer

because he can appreciate

what we do because it's what he does.

And he has an ear for that.

And, and if you do something

that he likes,

then he comments on it

and you don't always get that

and you don't always get that

with really big people, you know.

He could be just tuned

into what he's doing and then split.

But he's not, you know, he knows exactly

what's going on,

and he appreciates what's making

his shows exactly

what he saw in the very beginning.

He doesn't want us to feel intimidated

by him, you know,

as musicians or dancers or singers.

It's once we hit the stage or once

we all hit the stage, the stage is ours.

And we, he wants us to make it our own.

There are times when we all get

to go ahead and feel it,

whatever we're feeling inside,

we need to portray it,

whatever it is, individually.

The one thing that's so neat about him.

He's got such an originality

and does things that nobody does

and it's his own style.

On January the 27th 1984,

Michael and his four brothers

were performing Billie Jean

for a Pepsi Cola commercial

when a bizarre firework accident

during filming resulted in Michael

suffering second degree burns to the head.

Plastic surgery was required to restore

his appearance.

By 1988, Michael was taking a hiatus

between albums

and living at his legendary vast estate,

a 2,600-acre ranch in Santa Barbra,

California.

He called it Neverland

after the magical kingdom

featured in JM Barrie's novel Peter Pan.

The ranch was maintained

by 54 fulltime staff.

Neverland contained

a private amusement park,

plus a small zoo stocked

with exotic animals.

Michael's favourite pet

was the famous Bubbles, his chimpanzee,

who travelled everywhere with him

and appeared in several of his videos.

Michael was never short of visitors

to his fairytale theme park.

Children, especially sick children,

would be invited to spend the day there.

Hi, mate.

How do you spell your name?

-B...

-B.

This is for you.

Thank you.

I sign a picture for you.

In 1987, the album Bad was released

and along with it, came a significantly

different looking Michael Jackson.

The 1988 Bad tour was attended

by Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Prior to taking the stage,

Michael presented the Prince and Princess

with a 300,000 pounds cheque

from the proceeds of his Wembley concerts

for The Prince's Trust,

a charity supporting

disadvantaged children.

Michael presented Princess Diana

with two custom made Bad world tour

jackets,

one each for her young sons,

Prince William and Prince Harry.

Michael, pose.

-Michael, this way.

-Michael.

-Michael.

-Michael, this way.

-Michael.

-Hold up, hold up.

-Michael, this way.

-Michael, yeah.

-Yes.

-Michael, last.

Over here.

Michael, we don't see you on the left.

Over here.

Over here please, Mr Jackson

and Mr Marceau.

-To your left.

-Over here please.

-Come on.

-Michael.

I have suffered and dealt

with the same kind of medical problem

now afflicting my friend Michael Jackson.

Because of that and because

of our friendship,

when Michael's doctor called to ask

if I could help, I was glad to intervene.

I travelled to Mexico City where I saw

for myself

that Michael was in desperate need

of specialised medical attention.

Because of my own experience

with addiction to prescription medicines,

I was able to make a number of calls

in search of the best

and most appropriate treatment for Michael

and he is now undergoing

such treatment in Europe.

I will only repeat that I am a friend

of Michael Jackson's

and I love him like a son

and I support him with all my heart.

During the 1980's,

at the peak of his career,

Michael Jackson was the most famous man

on the planet,

the sex symbol known

for wearing fetish outfits

and grabbing his crotch on stage.

By the end of the 1980's, Michael

was crowned Artist of the Decade.

Post millennium, he became the object

of ridicule and scrutiny.

Hounded by the press and by the courts,

the victim of as many as 50 new lawsuits

a year.

The bizarre tabloid rumours became rampant

as Michael's fame grew.

It was alleged that he had paid a vast sum

for the bones of John Merrick,

the elephant man,

and that to maintain

his high pitched voice,

he was taking hormone treatments.

Increasingly outlandish headlines claimed

that to keep his youthful appearance,

he slept in a hyperbaric chamber.

When it was reported that Michael

bleached his skin

to make him appear whiter,

some felt that he was denying

his ancestral past.

-Michael!

-Michael later revealed

that he suffered

from the skin disorder vitiligo,

which affects the skin's pigmentation

resulting in the appearance

of large white blotches.

With the release of the album Dangerous

in 1991,

and even with its estimated global sales

of 30 million copies,

rumours became rife that Sony

were dissatisfied with record sales

and Michael was not living up

to the record company's high expectations.

Dangerous featured

the song Heal the World,

which in 1995 would become

the title of Michael's Charity.

By 1995, Michael had finished

his latest album History,

which controversially

contained new material

mixed with old and also featured

a duet with his sister Janet.

History is supposed to be a greatest hits.

But that doesn't necessarily mean

that it will be so...

So I don't know if it will be

on the album or not,

that's why I don't talk about it

that much.

But I like the song.

-Okay.

-It was fun.

Singles from History

received great acclaim.

The album was never really welcomed

with the enthusiasm

of Michael's previous records

and Michael was criticised

for being unable to come up

with anything new.

It's Michael.

Hey.

Just back up. You gotta get all you want.

-Hi, Michael.

-Michael.

1993 brought the first bombshell.

Rumours about Michael

and his unusual relationship with children

began to surface.

The world held its breath

as the King of Pop

denied accusations of child abuse

at his Neverland ranch in Santa Barbra.

Michael went public with his denial

of inappropriate relationships

with any child

and settled out of court with a family

for a reputed 20 millions dollars.

This was the start of a chain of events

that would ultimately damage Michael's

career in a profound way.

Now, if this really went on, do you think

a father would accept money,

that that would make it okay,

that that would make everything all right.

I mean, it's, it's, it doesn't make

any sense.

I know that if that were my son,

I'm sorry,

I don't care if you gave me

a billion dollars.

I wanna see you either behind bars or dead

for the rest of your life

for doing that to my son or my daughter.

It, it's crazy, the guy was after money,

that's what he wanted.

It was during this time

that a highly scrutinised marriage

took place to Lisa Marie Presley,

whose father was one of the few men

who could rival Michael's worldwide fame.

Despite media speculation

about the credibility

of the relationship,

Lisa Marie and Michael

publically denounced rumours

and declared their love was genuine.

The marriage was short lived and ended

on amicable terms in 1996.

Within a year of the separation,

Michael's association

with his dermatologist's assistant

Deborah Rowe

led to an announcement

that she was pregnant

with his first child.

Soon after this, the couple

were married in Australia.

Deborah gave birth to a son,

Prince Michael Jackson Jr.,

followed by a daughter,

Paris Michael Catherine.

Despite having two children together,

the relationship was not to last.

By autumn 1999, the couple announced

their intention to divorce

with full custody of the children

going to Michael.

In 2002, Michael announced the birth

of another son, Prince Michael II.

To this day, the mother's name remains

a mystery.

In 2002, Michael Jackson released

the album Invincible.

It was a financial disaster, selling only

2 million copies in the US.

And after an association that spanned

over 20 years,

Sony failed to renew

its contract with Michael.

The King of Pop was losing popularity.

We were already off the wall

and we're coming off our seats

to stand up for justice

in the music industry.

This is very important

because throughout the years,

black artists have been taken advantage

of, completely.

And it's time now that we have to put

a stop

to this incredible, incredible injustice,

and like Mr Sharpton was saying,

people from James Brown

to Sammy Davis Jr.,

some of the real pioneers that,

the, that inspired me to be

the entertainer that I am,

these artists are always on tour

because if they stop touring,

they would totally go broken.

And it's been, the record companies

really, really do conspire

against their artists, they steal,

they cheat.

They do whatever they can,

especially the black artists.

Yeah.

Now, let me say this.

Sony Tommy Matola, Tommy Matola's

the President of the Record Division,

he's a mean, he's a racist,

and he's very, very, very devilish.

There has been much speculation regarding

Michael's treatment of his children.

An incident in 2002,

which was circulated around the world,

showed Michael holding his baby

over a Berlin hotel balcony

for his chanting fans to see.

It created uproar.

Fix family. Hey, Michael, fix family.

Those close to Michael

have always insisted

that he was a responsible parent

and highly protective of his children.

Claims of Michael sharing his bed

with his pet chimp Bubbles

fuelled hysteria.

More outrageous tales began to surface

when Michael's sister La Toya

launched her own musical career

and claims circulated of Michael

and La Toya being one and the same person.

Michael's dramatic change

in appearance prompted speculation

that he was attempting to look like

his friend Diana Ross.

It's been said that Michael Jackson

underwent plastic surgery

-to make himself look more like you.

-I don't think so.

-Is that true.

-No, I don't think he has, no-one's ever...

He's never told me that.

I don't think so.

Well, is it unnerving for you to have

a young man

that's undergone plastic surgery

to make himself look like you?

Well, I don't think he's trying

to look like me, I really don't.

I think he wants to look like

what he perceives

as makes him feel happy about himself,

you know.

I don't think he's trying to look like me.

I do think he's quite beautiful though,

by the way.

You know what media's like,

how propaganda,

they take anything and they blow it out.

We're a family, you saw the way we grew up

in a two bedroom house.

Family is more important

than all the success and anything

and we're always gonna hold on to that.

Their whole thing is to divide and conquer

and to separate us.

We're a family, we're family.

We have children.

We hurt just like everyone else.

I'm constantly upset by what people say

and there are many things said about me

that are unkind,

that I don't find pleasurable.

But people, so many people

really don't know him

and they don't give him a chance

and they're so ready to criticise.

And I think what happens

is when you see genius,

and when you see a talent

that is just unstoppable and untouchable,

the first reaction people have

is to criticise it

because it scares them, it threatens them

and it sort of, it...

In order to augment their own self worth,

they feel that they have to belittle him.

Throughout all of this, Michael continued

to be adored by his legions of fans.

Thank you. I'm honoured

that the world appreciates my art.

I'm very honoured.

Michael. How great is Michael as a man?

You know him well as a person.

How great is he as a man?

Well, he's my closest,

one of my closest friends.

And we know more about each other,

probably than any two people

and I love him and he loves me.

2003 brought headlines that shook

the world and stunned his fans.

Nine separate charges of child molestation

were brought against Michael.

And this time, he was to appear in court

under the scrutiny of the world press.

A furious flurry of claims and denials

and counter allegations followed.

Everyone had opinions about the testimony

and the witnesses

as the drama was played out

in the small town of Santa Maria

in California.

Please keep an open mind

and let me have my day in court.

I deserve a fair trial

like every other American citizen.

I will be acquitted and vindicated

when the truth is told.

I'd like to let the world know

that I'm behind my son.

I don't believe any of this stuff

that's been written about him

because I raised him and I know him

and that's just a statement people

are making.

We support our brother whole-heartedly

and we stand by, by his side

and there is, we're in the process

of planning trip

for the whole family to visit him.

The case was dubbed The Trial

of the Century

and gained global notoriety,

not only because of Jackson's fame

but also because of the antics outside

of the courtroom.

When the trial began, hoards

of Michael's supporters

held vigil for their hero

outside the courthouse.

When Michael arrived at court,

he jumped on top of his SUV

and began dancing.

Hello!

After two months, 85 witnesses

and 500 pieces of evidence,

the prosecution rested its case

against Michael Jackson.

On June the 13th 2005,

Michael was found not guilty

and completely cleared of all charges.

His fans wildly celebrated his acquittal.

I would like to thank the fans

around the world.

Can you speak up. Please.

I would like to thank the fans around

the world for your love and your support,

from every corner of the Earth,

my family who has been very supportive,

my brother Randy who has been incredible.

I want to thank the community

of Santa Maria.

I want you to know that I, I love

the community of Santa Maria very much.

It's my community. I love the people.

I will always love the people.

My children were born in this community.

My home is in this community.

I will always love this community

from the bottom of my heart,

that's why I moved here.

Thank you very much.

Long after the headlines died,

thousands of celebrity watchers

and pop music fans

continued their obsession

with this charismatic star.

After restless but reclusive wanderings

in Bahrain, Ireland, England and France,

where would Michael go next?

It's my pleasure. It is my honour

to be here in South Africa.

I love you, people, very much.

I've had the time of my life here.

I've had so much fun I hate to leave

and I'm definitely looking

for a home here to buy,

because I would love to spend the rest

of my life here.

And I'm definitely coming in January.

And this is a wonderful, lovely man,

and I love Nelson Mandela very much.

And thank you for all your hospitality

and all your love. Thank you very much.

Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome Michael Jackson and Uri Geller,

to the pitch of Exeter City Football Club.

Michael, why did you want to come to...

-Pardon?

-Why did you want to come...

To visit my wonderful fans...

-That's a good answer.

-Yeah.

He's a politician as well.

And to educate me about

this whole internal thing.

Granted he knows more

about Guy Fawkes than...

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Yeah.

Guy Fawkes, the guy that blew up

the Houses of Parliament.

He certainly did.

But why is that a celebration?

Well, we celebrate the fact

that he didn't succeed.

Well, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Okay.

We'll see you.Thank you.

-Pardon?

-What are you hoping to see here?

Gee, I don't know. I haven't been in yet.

Michael, do you like football?

Are you looking forward

to seeing Exeter's game?

I know nothing about it.

But he's doing it for me.

-You mean soccer?

-Yes.

I'm sorry,

I don't know anything about it.

Michael.

Throughout his life, Michael Jackson

always found time to dedicate himself

to a vast array

of charitable organisations.

Are we blind to the fact that our children

are raging against the indifference,

crying out against the abandonment,

of thundering against the neglect.

Heal the kids is about doing something,

about making a difference and trying

to help adults and parents

realise that it is our power to change

the world that our children live in.

Michael, it's now my great pleasure

to present you with a cheque

for 1 million dollars.

This represents the money

that took all the pledges

to raise in Europe this summer,

with our best wishes for Heal the World.

Michael!

Michael!

Michael!

Michael!

Michael!

Michael!

Michael.

Michael! Michael! Michael!

Michael Jackson's announcement

of 10 concerts here

is certainly a coup for the O2 Arena.

And if those concerts go well,

the expectation is that he'll add

many more dates.

But questions still remain about whether

the Michael Jackson of today

can still cut it live on such a big stage?

It's a staggering show,

that's what Michael Jackson does.

And so therefore, you're talking

about absolute

the, the top of our, of energy.

He has to be, you know, almost plugged

into glucose,

because that's the only way

he's gonna get through it.

I pulled him aside

and said, "Mikey, why now?"

Okay. And he said to me, he said,

"Because, you know what?"

"My kids are old enough

and I'm still young enough to do what I do"

"and want them to see me, you know,

in my pride and what I do"

"and whatever

because they've never seen me."

He's about to announce all these we think.

Do you think he's gonna be able to cope

with this?

Do you think he's past it

or he'll still be able

to give a good performance?

If Tina Turner can do it at 70,

Michael Jackson can do it at 50.

Everyone's just gonna be glad to see him

back on stage

and more so than anything else.

I mean, is he gonna be as great

as he was back then?

Who knows but he's gonna be. He's still

Michael Jackson at the end of the day.

I don't think he has to prove anything to

pull it off. I mean, he's the legend he is.

I mean, Michael Jackson's gonna turn up

and do his shows

and everybody will see that, you know,

the next chapter.

He is the single greatest entertainer

of all time.

And if he's back

and if he's as, anywhere as near

as good as he used to be, it'll be great.

I know he can pull it off.

I've got so much faith in him.

I know, me and the fans we've got,

you know, so much energy

and I know he can do it, most definitely.

It was definitely worth it.

Front row. I'm so happy.

When you're looking forward

to something you don't really suffer.

That we had rain, our tent got flooded.

But just because we knew

that we were gonna see Michael,

none of that stuff matters.

We're here for Michael. We'll do anything.

As soon as I could get here, I got here.

And even though I came here, there

was still about 16 people in front of me

and I've been here since Tuesday.

We came from the West of Ireland

yesterday, on Wednesday morning,

and we've been queuing since.

It was so hard to get the tickets

so I just thought oh just the rest of us

come down here for the night

and I just don't care.

Absolutely love him.

There's nothing on this earth

that would stop me

getting to this concert.

-He's really good, yeah.

-Just really tidy.

He's the best singer in the world.

-I love Michael Jackson. Yes.

-He's my future husband as well.

I'm gonna marry him one day.

We're about to see him in a couple

of hours.

-Are you gong to be able to cope?

-I can't. I'll be on the floor.

-Michael, Michael, Michael!

-Michael, Michael, Michael!

Michael!

The singer Michael Jackson is reported

to have died from a heart attack.

He collapsed at his home in Los Angeles

about three hours ago.

He was not breathing

when paramedics arrived.

They performed heart massage.

And then they took him

to the UCLA Medical Centre in the city

where he's said to have gone

into a deep coma.

His family are at the hospital.

The Los Angeles Times say "he was

pronounced dead a short time ago,"

"quoting law enforcement sources."

The man was in pain

and there was no question about it.

He needed to have certain medications.

But the problem becomes the overuse

of medications

and that's something which people,

I think all people,

find very difficult to control.

He simply wasn't able to control it.

It was later learned

that he died cardiac arrest.

Just the night before he died,

Jackson was here at the Staples Centre

in LA,

rehearsing for his upcoming London shows.

And by all accounts,

it was a pretty energetic performance,

running through 10 or 11 songs and dances.

After which Jackson's manager says

the singer came up and put his around him

and told him "I am so happy.

This is really our time."

At these rather less glamorous studios,

Jackson had a tough schedule

of the last few months.

People here who watched him rehearse

said he was thin and frail,

but he seemed fit.

He was, you know, up to par.

He was at his best and he was ready to,

to come back and just wow us all the way.

This has been the Jackson family home

ever since they moved to Los Angeles

from small town Indiana

back in the spring of 1971.

It's here that plans were made

and successes were celebrated.

Now, of course, it's a place of mourning

for his immediate family,

all of whom survive him.

Unless you are a fan of Michael Jackson

in a way,

that so many millions of people are

and the way that I am,

you can't begin to understand the loss

that we're feeling.

I'm just in shock.

There is no more King of Pop

and just want to live through his music.

Yeah.

I've just been like shaking

and my heart's still pounding

and I can't like comprehend

that he's actually gone

and it's a huge loss.

I grew up with him, you know.

That's why he's such a huge part

of my life.

It's because, you know,

he's always been there.

He meant a lot to me.

I've been a Michael Jackson fan since 1969.

Record was so good.

And they will live with me

for the rest of my life.

Let's remember the silver glove.

Let's remember those video clips.

Let's remember that this guy,

although troubled in his private life,

really did inspire two generations

of young performers.

On the 7th of July 2009, a pubic memorial

service in honour of Michael Jackson

was held at the Staples Centre,

Los Angeles, California.

I definitely feel like it honoured

his life and what he stood for

and what he meant to everyone.

To me, he's a Renaissance artist

because he did so many things

so brilliantly well.

Not just about a singer and a dancer

but a song writer and a producer.

His vision, the videos,

all of those things just made him

the unique individual that he was.

I'm still in shock.

I cried throughout the ceremony.

That's why I'm wearing my glasses.

But everybody was crying anyway

but I'm still in shock.

Even in death, Michael Jackson,

perhaps more than any other icon

in the history of popular music,

remains a subject of heated debate.

But one fact will forever remain

undisputed,

his extraordinary talent for creating

truly original music loved by millions.

Despite setbacks that would have ended

careers of lesser men,

Michael Jackson's legions of fans remain

as loyal today as they have ever been.

His accomplishments as the King of Pop

will forever remain

some of the most impressive

in music history.

I love you people very much

and I've had the time of my life.