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The rise and fall of Michael Jackson and ultimately his death last week, is all too familiar. We like our celebrities to fulfill our hopes about the American dream. They have to rise from the ashes of poverty or child abuse to capture the heart of the entertainment world. It’s a magical fairy tale told over and over again, but it has another darker side. We almost enjoy their fall from grace as much as we loved their success. It’s another part of the American dream to see the successful star brought low by their own self-indulgence in booze, drugs or kinky habits. Finally, it’s the ultimate TV Movie of the Week to chronicle the comeback from the ashes. We want them to rise like a phoenix to once again capture our hearts.
Jackson was planning the ultimate comeback before he died. Even his success with the Jackson 5 could not have prepared us for the superstar he would become. The King of Pop was not just a nickname given to him by a fanciful promoter. In every way, Michael Jackson towered over popular music in the 1980s as the unquestioned king. His impact on American music in that decade rivaled that of Elvis Presley. In the ultimate irony of ironies, he later married Presley’s daughter, which proved not a sign of stability in his personal life, but another phase of his decline.
Jackson like the Beatles had an affect not only on music, but style. His dancing and fashion spawned the usual raft of impersonators. He bridged the racial divide in a field where a firm dividing line separated black and white music. At the pinnacle of his performance powers, it all began to change. There were always the hints of offbeat behavior. But then it became simply bizarre, and it all was chronicled on the pages of America’s supermarket tabloids. The stories about his strange diet and use of oxygen, his many phobias, all became fodder for the scandal sheets. His change in appearance stunned even his most loyal fans. It was assumed that it was a case of cosmetic surgery run wild, even as Michael steadfastly denied most of the reports.
The theory goes that when he was injured filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984, he began experimenting with plastic surgery. His obsession with childhood was manifested in the theme park he built and reports of children’s parties he hosted there. When the first reports of child molestation occurred in ’93, Michael had become for most of the American public, the King of Strange.
The downhill slide began. Within six years, he wed and divorced twice, his second wife bearing him two children through artificial insemination. At the turn of the new century, Michael was now wearing a surgical mask in public. He insisted his children wear veils. His records no longer sold. He lived as a recluse, and when he was seen in public, it was as a pathetic neurotic who dangled his own child over a balcony in Germany. The cries of molestation grew louder. Michael appeared not to understand the growing danger. He even admitted he still has sleepovers at his ranch, even after the ’93 allegations. He was finally arrested in 2004 and charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy. Although he was acquitted of all charges, there a suspicion lingered in the public’s mind that he was able to buy his way out of trouble with financial settlements. Rumors grew that he was broke and sold his Neverland Ranch last year.
It seemed all that was left for Michael to complete his quintessential celebrity journey was to mount a comeback. A series of concerts were planned in London this year. It would be a dramatic effort to recapture his success. His death ruined what seemed destined as the final chapter, the triumphant comeback.
A story surfaced on MSNBC during the coverage of Michael’s death. It seems that he wanted to use a public restroom and as was his habit, his people cleared it out so he could use it in private. Soon, a line formed outside the of men waiting to use it. The first one in line was Michael’s father. On the night of Michael’s death, it took Rev. Al Sharpton to put the life and death of Michael Jackson in perspective. "Five years ago, they hated him, tonight, these same people love him."
Michael was now a legend. All that remains is for them to figure out who can possibly play him in a TV movie.
