Michael Jackson

:For other people with the same name, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation)

Controversies

Skin color

Although Jackson's skin color was a medium brown color for the entire duration of his youth, his skin has lightened gradually since 1982, and is today a pale cream color. Jackson has attributed his changing skin color to vitiligo, a skin disease in which the body develops antibodies against its own melanin, a body pigment, resulting in light patches and an eventual loss of all pigment. The public finally got to know of Jackson's condition when he first revealed it in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993. Several members of the media refused to believe Jackson has vitiligo and believe that Jackson bleaches his skin, an allegation which Jackson denies. Jackson's family members backed up his claim, with Joseph Jackson stating that his own father (Michael Jackson's grandfather) had also suffered from vitiligo. During court depositions in 1994, both Jackson's dermatologist and his nurse (later his wife) confirmed the diagnosis. However, tubes of skin bleaching cream were found by police when they raided Neverland.

Related Topics:
1982 - Vitiligo - Melanin - Oprah Winfrey - 1993

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Jackson claims he finally received the news when his doctor diagnosed him with the disease in 1981. Ever since then, Jackson has regularly worn long-sleeved shirts and pants under an umbrella while in public to hide from the sun, which he says he's allergic to because of his condition.

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Plastic surgery

Jackson has allegedly used extensive plastic surgery to modify his appearance, although he claims to have had only three operations: two rhinoplastic surgeries – the first of which he claims was to repair a broken nose resulting from a dancing accident in 1978, and the second to correct imperfections in the first surgery – and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin. When listing his cosmetic surgery, Jackson often omits mentioning the cleft; however, he confirmed this surgery in his 1988 autobiography, Moon Walk.

Related Topics:
Plastic surgery - Rhinoplastic surgeries - 1978 - 1988 - Moon Walk

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Jackson's use of plastic surgery has caused increased concerns of a possible cartilage and nose collapse. Surgeons interviewed for various tabloid articles agree that Jackson's nose structure could easily collapse during an altercation.

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In 2000, Jackson reportedly had his collapsed nose corrected by a new plastic surgeon, who used cartilage taken from one of his ears to rebuild the nose's structure. This tabloid report was never confirmed.

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Finances

Michael Jackson purchased ownership in Sony/ATV Publishing in 1986, which administers the publishing rights to songs written by The Beatles, Sly Stone, and several others. Jackson's 50% interest in the company (Sony Records owns the other half) is estimated to be worth USD 1.5 billion. In October 2002, various international banks claimed that Jackson was tens of millions of dollars in debt. That same month, concert promoter, Marcel Avram, sued Jackson in a court in Santa Maria, California, claiming that he reneged on a deal to perform on a series of millennium concerts crossing the International Date Line on the evening of December 31 1999–January 1 2000. Jackson lost the case, and is appealing.

Related Topics:
1986 - The Beatles - Sly Stone - October - 2002 - Santa Maria, California - Millennium - December 31 - 1999 - January 1 - 2000

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Jackson has been involved in a legal dispute with his former financial adviser, Union Finance and Investment Corporation of South Korea, who claim that Jackson owes the firm twelve million dollars in fees and expenses, and that Jackson's extravagant spending may lead to his bankruptcy. See also .

Related Topics:
South Korea - Bankruptcy

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Alleged child sexual abuse

:Main articles: Allegations of child sexual abuse by Michael Jackson in the early 1990s and 2005 trial of Michael Jackson

Related Topics:
Allegations of child sexual abuse by Michael Jackson in the early 1990s - 2005 trial of Michael Jackson

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Michael Jackson has also repeatedly been accused of child sexual abuse. In 1993, Jordan Chandler, the son of former Beverly Hills dentist Evan Chandler, accused Jackson of sexual molestation, represented by civil lawyer Larry Feldman. Jackson was served a search warrant to have the Santa Barbara Police Department, headed by District Attorney Tom Sneddon, view his body. Jackson later complained in a December 22, 1993 press conference that the officers violated his privacy, by photographing his body in order to look for some marks allegedly described by the young accuser. Jackson settled out of court with the accuser for at least USD 25 millionhttp://www.courttv.com/news/jackson/061504_ctv.html. Jackson's settling out of court brought suspicion among the media, some of whom claimed that Jackson avoided a trial because he was afraid he would have been proven guilty. The victim's parents were criticised for not filing criminal charges against Jackson, making it appear that they were simply attempting to extract money from him. Others debated whether Jackson chose to settle or was forced to by his insurance provider. When interviewed by Bashir, Michael Jackson confirmed that the 1993/1994 settlement was his own personal decision http://www.mjshouse.com/stories/living_with_mj_transcript.wm.

Related Topics:
Child sexual abuse - 1993 - December 22

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In 2003, Jackson was accused of sexual molestation by a second young accuser, Gavin Arvizo, who appeared with Jackson on the Living with Michael Jackson television documentary. Like Chandler, Arvizo was represented by civil lawyer Larry Feldman, and an investigation was once again launched by Sneddon. Jackson was served a search warrant for Neverland, and the singer was arrested in November 2003. In the prelude to the trial, Jackson allowed a high profile visit of children to Neverland in December 2004. Michael Jackson's spokesperson provided the press with a list of non-profit children's organizations which had sent the children. According to Court TV, most of these organizations turned out to be either non-existent or were upset that they were falsely associated with the visit.

Related Topics:
2003 - Gavin Arvizo - Living with Michael Jackson - 2004

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http://www.courttv.com/news/jackson/010405_dimond_ctv.html

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The criminal case was tried in Santa Maria, California during the spring of 2005. On June 13, Jackson was acquitted of all charges. CNN later reported that two of the jurors, Ray Hultman and Eleanor Cook, claimed to regret their decision to acquit Jackson, and announced impending books on their experiences in the trial. http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/08/08/jackson.jurors.ap/index.html

Related Topics:
Santa Maria, California - 2005 - June 13 - CNN

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A civil (non-criminal) suit filed by Joseph Bartucci over allegations of abduction and sexual assault is currently pending in Louisiana. http://today.reuters.co.uk/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2005-07-21T015607Z_01_HAR058177_RTRUKOC_0_PEOPLE-JACKSON2.xml Jackson did not appear for the August 17, 2005 court date, and was fined USD 10,000 as a result. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4160796.stm The next court hearing was scheduled for September 7, 2005 but was cancelled as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Related Topics:
Louisiana - August 17 - 2005 - September 7 - Hurricane Katrina

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In his first interview since the acquittal, Michael Jackson told the Associated Press, the trial was "the hardest thing I've ever done in my life". He also spoke briefly about the charity single and added that he and his children were still in Bahrain "resting and recovering" from the ordeal.

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