The Jekyll and Hyde of Michael Jackson – Lydia Torrington
You may have seen on the news in the last week that it was the 9-year anniversary of the death of the vocal legend Michael Jackson on Monday. Michael Jackson was known as the King of Pop and the whole world was in shock and mourning when he died at the age of 50. He left behind 3 children, 8 siblings and an apparent net worth of $500 million. He also left both a legendary and scandalous legacy.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Jackson essentially died of a drug overdose in his own home. However, there is more to the story as his personal physician served two years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. Conrad Murray administered a fatal cocktail of medications including an excessive dosage of propofol and enough sleeping pills to put six people to sleep. Murray was then negligent both in his lack of checking on the heavily drugged Jackson and in the 30 minutes between finding the dying Jackson and calling the police.
During his life, Jackson won a staggering 13 Grammys (8 in one year!), 23 American Music Awards and released ‘Thriller’ which is the best-selling album of all time. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once, but twice, he sold more than 300 million records in total and had 13 number one hits. Therefore, it is needless to say that Michael Jackson was, and still is, a legend not just in the music industry but in all of popular culture. Though his musical legacy remains secure, what is less commonly known is the dark side to Jackson’s character.
In 1993, Jackson allegedly paid $23 million to the father of a 13-year old boy that accused Jackson of child molestation. Although no trial ever found him guilty of this crime, the paying off of the victim does not portray him to be innocent. In 2005, Jackson was again accused of sexually abusing another 13-year-old boy. Although Jackson found not-guilty on all charges related to this case, he admitted in an interview that he slept with young boys in his bed and that he viewed nothing wrong with this. Documents of evidence on Jackson that were leaked by the police, including nude pictures of teenagers, were described to expose him as a “manipulative, drug-and-sex-crazed predator who used blood, gore, sexually explicit images and perverse adult sex acts to bend children to his will”. Not quite the cheerful and iconic singer and dancer that many idolise.
Jackson is not the only singer glorified in his death. Elvis Presley may have been another charming legend in the music industry, but in reality, he was a severe drug addict who allegedly physically abused and frequently cheated on his wife Priscilla and other girlfriend Linda Thompson. In addition, the rapper XXXTentacion who was shot dead recently, allegedly committed many accounts of harrowing domestic abuse including on his pregnant girlfriend. Even when he was facing these charges while alive, fans and record companies turned a blind eye in order to make his music. Tupac Shakur also famously went to prison for sexual assault mid-career but this had no effect on his music career and he is remembered for being a ground-breaking and accomplished artist.
It leaves the question of whether you can separate a bad person from their good music. Should we punish the music of a talented musician such as Michael Jackson because of matters in his personal life or should we simply support and appreciate music we enjoy, regardless of the maker? Arguably, the talents of musicians do not detach them from the rest of the public and they should therefore be punished and viewed just the same as was done with the infamous Jimmy Saville. However, it is the decision of each individual whether their conscience can survive with obliviously lining the pockets of the legacies of these talented wrongdoers like Michael Jackson.
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