In early 2009, Michael Jackson was rehearsing for what was shaping up to be one of the largest comebacks in music history. This Is It, his planned London residency, would have been the King of Pop’s first extensive series of performances since his HIStory world tour 12 years earlier.
But on June 25, less than three weeks before the first show, Jackson was found unconscious in a bedroom of his Los Angeles mansion. Paramedics arrived within minutes, news coverage interrupted regularly scheduled TV programming around the world and fans flocked to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where their idol was transported. Within the hour, Jackson was pronounced dead at the age of 50.
The 13-time Grammy winner’s death was ruled a homicide after it came to light that his personal physician, Conrad Murray, had administered a lethal dose of propofol, an anesthetic intended only for major surgeries. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 and spent two years in jail.
Since Jackson’s death, his family members have kept his legacy alive through his favorite art form: music. His estate has grossed more than $1.3 billion since the end of 2016, one of the most recent tallies, and he has “out-earned pretty much every living entertainer since his death,” as Forbes senior editor of media and entertainment Zack O’Malley Greenburg recently noted.
The estate has reissued some of the entertainer’s most popular releases, including 1987’s Bad, in addition to compiling two posthumous albums, 2010’s Michael and 2014’s Xscape. Jackson’s music has also been featured in two Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, countless commercials and TV specials, and the upcoming Broadway jukebox musical, Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.
There has been a scandal or two along the way as well, most recently surrounding the film Leaving Neverland, which premiered on HBO in March and alleged that Jackson had sexually abused two underage boys. (He was acquitted of molestation charges in a 2005 trial and maintained his innocence until his death.) The Jackson estate has also fiercely denied the accusations against the late performer and has tried to keep his reputation from being tarnished.
“His legacy will live on and never be torn down,” nephew Siggy Jackson recently told the Associated Press.
On the 10th anniversary of Michael’s death, take a look back at how his family has honored him over the past decade.
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Public Memorial Service
The “Thriller” singer’s memorial was held at Staples Center in L.A. on July 7, 2009, and televised across the globe. In addition to his family members, the participants included Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Al Sharpton and Lionel Richie. Michael’s daughter, Paris, then 11, addressed the crowd in tears, calling him “the best father you could ever imagine.”
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La Toya Jackson’s Charity Single
Michael’s older sister La Toya Jackson released a tribute song titled “Home” on July 28, 2009. The proceeds went to APLA Health, one of the many charities that Michael supported during his life.
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Janet Jackson’s VMA Performance
Michael’s younger sister Janet Jackson opened the MTV Video Music Awards on September 13, 2009, with a performance of their duet “Scream.” She danced in unison alongside his image on the video screen.
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‘This Is It’
Director Kenny Ortega compiled footage of the former Jackson 5 member rehearsing for his This Is It shows for a documentary titled Michael Jackson’s This Is It, which hit theaters on October 26, 2009. It brought in $261.2 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing concert film and music documentary of all time.
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Prince and Paris’ Grammy Tribute
Michael’s eldest son, Prince, and Paris accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award on their father’s behalf at the Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. “We will continue to spread his message and help the world,” Prince, then 12, vowed on stage, while Paris, then 11, said, “We love you, Daddy.”
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‘Michael’ Posthumous Album
Michael’s first album of all-new material since 2001’s Invincible hit stores on December 10, 2010. His father, Joe Jackson, said he “would never have wanted his unfinished material to be released,” and fans later questioned the legitimacy of the vocals on several tracks, claiming it seemed more like a sound-alike, which the label denied.
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Paris’ ‘Thriller’ Jacket
Paris wore a replica of the red jacket that her late dad famously wore in his 1983 “Thriller” music video to the Michael Forever tribute concert in Cardiff, Wales, on October 8, 2011.
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Handprint Ceremony
Prince, Paris and Michael’s youngest son, Blanket, immortalized his handprints and footprints in the cement outside the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood during a ceremony on January 26, 2012.
Credit: Epic Records
‘Xscape’ Posthumous Album
Michael’s second posthumous album, released on May 13, 2014, was more well-received than his first, thanks in part to L.A. Reid and Timbaland overseeing the reworking of its eight tracks. The first single, “Love Never Felt So Good,” featured Justin Timberlake and made Michael the first artist in history to have a Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in five different decades.
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Paris’ ‘Rolling Stone’ Interview
In her February 9, 2017, cover story for Rolling Stone, Paris remembered her late dad as a “kick-ass cook” who was not as shy as he seemed in public. She also revealed that he had been “exhausted” from This Is It rehearsals and said she “absolutely” believes he was murdered.
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Prince’s ‘Good Morning America’ Interview
Prince, then 20, paid tribute to his father on Good Morning America on March 6, 2017. “I was born as Prince and that was the name my dad had given to me, but my dad had earned the epithet King of Pop and that’s through hard work and years of training and everything that he worked so hard to get,” he said.
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60th Birthday Celebration
Prince, Paris and Michael’s brothers Tito and Jackie Jackson came together to celebrate what would have been Michael’s 60th birthday during a party in Las Vegas on August 29, 2018. “He led by example. He obviously had a much larger platform than everyday people have,” Prince, then 21, told reporters, while Paris, then 20, added, “There is a lot of love here tonight. We just want to make him proud.”
