The music world lost a unique legend when singer Michael Jackson suddenly died of cardiac arrest Thursday in Los Angeles.
Jackson was a true superstar who revolutionized music, MTV, fashion and dance. He also swept the 1984 Grammy awards, winning eight awards including album of the year, Thriller, and record of the year, ‘Beat It.’
When it came to music, Jackson was revolutionary, breaking race barriers with his sound. He transformed the R&B genre with songs such as ‘Billie Jean.’ This forced MTV, which did not play black artists initially, to broadcast Jackson’s music.
‘Billie Jean’ also broke the racial segregation that existed on broadcast radio, while bringing in a new pop-friendly form of R&B that combined both rock and pop elements. This song helped push Thriller sales to more than 47 million, making it the best-selling album of all time.
Michael Jackson put then-fledgling MTV on the map by making outstanding music videos with excellent choreography. Songs such as ‘Thriller’ and ‘Beat It’ are perfect examples. The video for ‘Thriller’ has since inspired numerous Internet imitators, and was featured in the movie 13 Going On 30.
Jackson appealaed to both children and adults. In 1986, Jackson starred in Captain EO, a short science-fiction 3-D movie made for Disney’s theme parks. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the 17-minute movie cost more than $1 million per minute to make.
When Epcot Center and Disneyland began showing the film, it was one of the most popular attractions in Orlando, Fla., and Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. The ride closed at Epcot in 1994. Less than four years later, Disneyland closed the attraction.
A Captain EO fan page on Facebook has a petition to bring back the film in Jackson’s honor.
Jackson’s impact on music and pop culture is undeniable. He has inspired many artists, from Justin Timberlake and the Backstreet Boys, to Rihanna, Kanye West and C’eacute;line Dion.
Jackson also helped jumpstart the career of Sheryl Crow, who served as a backup singer for Jackson during his ‘Bad World Tour’ tour in the ’80s.
Jackson was also a dedicated philanthropist. In 1985, he and Lionel Ritchie gathered artists as diverse as Lindsay Buckingham, Bette Midler and Stevie Wonder to form the group USA for Africa.
Together, the group recorded the hit ‘We Are the World.’ The charity single reached No. 1 in many countries and raised more than $70 million to aid famine relief in Africa.
The world has truly lost its King of Pop. There will never be another like Michael Jackson. Farewell Captain EO. You will be greatly missed.
