97 Fun Facts About Michael Jackson

Which album was Michael Jackson's solo debut, released at age 13?

Got to Be There came out on Motown while he was still the Jackson 5's lead singer, and it did not end the group: he went on recording and touring with his brothers until 1984.

Which character did Michael Jackson play in the film musical The Wiz?

The Scarecrow part put Jackson on set with the film's music supervisor, Quincy Jones, who offered during the shoot to produce his next solo album and went on to make three with him.

Which dance move did Michael Jackson debut during his 'Billie Jean' performance on Motown 25 in 1983?

The Moonwalk was a street-dance step known as the backslide long before Jackson performed it during 'Billie Jean' on Motown 25; that one routine gave the move its new name and worldwide fame.

In what U.S. state was Michael Jackson born?

Indiana was home until fame arrived: the large family shared a two-bedroom house in Gary, their father a crane operator, before the Jackson 5's Motown deal took them to Los Angeles.

With whom did Michael Jackson co-write the 1985 charity single 'We Are the World'?

Jackson wrote 'We Are the World' with Lionel Richie in January 1985 for USA for Africa; Quincy Jones produced the all-star recording, which raised money for Ethiopian famine relief.

Which Jackson single, sung with a gospel choir, did Siedah Garrett co-write?

Man in the Mirror came from a songwriters' meeting where Quincy Jones asked for hits; Garrett took the brief to co-writer Glen Ballard, and it became the fourth of Bad's record five US number ones.

Which Michael Jackson song features a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen?

'Beat It' got its solo for free: Eddie Van Halen recorded it as a favour to producer Quincy Jones and took no payment for the session.

What was the title of Michael Jackson's final studio album released during his lifetime?

Invincible reportedly cost $30 million to make, the most expensive album on record, and its release was soured by Jackson's public feud with his own record company.

Which Michael Jackson ballad shares its name with the charity foundation he launched in 1992?

Heal the World gave its name to the foundation he set up in 1992, and he sang it with a children's choir at the Super Bowl halftime show the following January to promote the cause.

Which 1991 Michael Jackson album was his first since the 1970s made without producer Quincy Jones?

Dangerous ended a three-album run with Quincy Jones as Jackson turned to new jack swing producer Teddy Riley; in January 1992 Nirvana's Nevermind knocked it off the top of the US album chart.

Which of these Michael Jackson songs comes from his tenth studio album, released in 2001?

Butterflies was written by Marsha Ambrosius of the British duo Floetry, whom Jackson's manager introduced to him; the ballad reached number 14 in the US.

The song 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' is a hit from which Michael Jackson album?

Off the Wall opens with the song, the first chart-topper Jackson wrote himself; it won his first Grammy, but he was so upset the album earned no more that he vowed to outdo it.

What colour was the leather jacket Michael Jackson wore in the Thriller video?

Red leather with black stripes, it was designed by the director's wife, Deborah Nadoolman, who had dressed the hero of Raiders of the Lost Ark; it sold for $1.8 million at auction in 2011.

What was the name of the pet chimpanzee Michael Jackson took on tour in Japan?

Bubbles shared Jackson's Tokyo hotel suite on the 1987 Bad tour and took tea with the mayor of Osaka; grown too strong to keep as a pet, he was later moved to an ape sanctuary in Florida.

Which director, hired after Jackson saw An American Werewolf in London, made the 1983 Thriller video?

John Landis got the nearly 14-minute film made by selling a making-of documentary to MTV and Showtime, after Jackson's label, sure the album had peaked, offered only a fraction of the cost.

Which star duetted with Michael Jackson on both 'The Girl Is Mine' and 'Say Say Say'?

Paul McCartney recorded 'Say Say Say' with Jackson first, though it came out a year after 'The Girl Is Mine', the duet chosen to launch Thriller in 1982.

Which Jackson single hit US number one in three weeks in 1991?

Black or White stayed at number one for seven weeks, while its video caused a storm: after complaints about the violent final four minutes, Jackson had them cut from later broadcasts.

The 'Smooth Criminal' white suit and fedora pay tribute to which dancer in 1953's The Band Wagon?

Fred Astaire wore the white suit and fedora in The Band Wagon's 'Girl Hunt' ballet; Jackson, who dedicated his 1988 memoir to him, restaged the look as a 1930s gangster number.

Michael Jackson named his California ranch after the magical land in which children's story?

Peter Pan's Neverland, home of the boy who never grows up, gave the ranch its name; Jackson first saw the property in 1983, when the 'Say Say Say' video was filmed there, and bought it in 1988.

Which Jackson 5 single became the group's first Billboard Hot 100 number one in January 1970?

'I Want You Back' began as a song written for Gladys Knight & the Pips; Motown boss Berry Gordy had it reworked for the Jackson 5, and it reached number one on January 31, 1970.

Which director made Captain EO, the 1986 Disney 3D film starring Michael Jackson and produced by George Lucas?

Francis Ford Coppola directed the 17-minute space fantasy for the theme parks; Disney brought the attraction back in 2010 as a tribute after Jackson's death.

Which sketch show lured viewers away from the 1992 Super Bowl halftime, prompting the NFL to book Jackson for 1993?

In Living Color's live Fox special pulled millions of viewers from the 1992 halftime; Jackson's show the next year made the audience grow between halves for the first time.

Jackson died in 2009 of acute intoxication from which drug?

Propofol is a surgical anaesthetic that Jackson was being given at home to help him sleep; the Los Angeles coroner ruled his death on June 25, 2009 a homicide.

'Scream', the lead single from Michael Jackson's HIStory, was a duet with which of his siblings?

Janet Jackson joined him on the track, produced with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as a retort to tabloid coverage and released as a double A-side with 'Childhood'.

Which Michael Jackson single was the UK Christmas number one of 1995?

Earth Song spent six weeks at number one in Britain over Christmas 1995 and sold over a million copies there, yet it was never released as a commercial single in the United States.

Who directed the 2009 documentary This Is It, assembled from rehearsal footage for Jackson's cancelled residency?

Kenny Ortega was directing the stage show itself, and the rehearsal tapes had been shot for Jackson's private library; he turned them into a film after fans wrote asking to see the concerts.

Which singer wrote 'You Are Not Alone' for Jackson in 1995?

R. Kelly wrote 'You Are Not Alone' and sent Jackson a demo; the pair co-produced it, and in September 1995 it became the first single ever to debut at number one on the Hot 100.

Which producer led the team that reworked eight vault tracks for the posthumous 2014 album Xscape?

Timbaland led the producers who 'contemporized' the vault recordings chosen by Epic chairman L.A. Reid; the title comes from one of the songs because that was Jackson's own way of naming an album.

Michael Jackson's 1996 short film Ghosts was co-written by which horror novelist?

Stephen King worked on the story with Jackson and Mick Garris when it began in 1993 as a tie-in to the film Addams Family Values; that deal fell through, and the film emerged three years later.

'Rock with You' was first offered to which singer, who turned it down for her solo album?

Karen Carpenter passed on 'Rock with You' for a solo album that was then shelved; the album came out only in 1996, thirteen years after her death, while Jackson's version went to number one.

Jackson's first solo US number one, 'Ben' (1972), was the theme to a film about what kind of animal?

A rat named Ben leads a killer pack in the 1972 sequel to Willard; the tender theme was first meant for Donny Osmond, who was away on tour, so it went to Jackson.

Michael Jackson's hair caught fire from pyrotechnics during a simulated concert in 1984 while filming a commercial for which brand?

Pepsi's shoot left him with burns to his scalp; he gave the $1.5 million settlement to the Culver City hospital that treated him, which named its burn centre after him.

In 1985 Michael Jackson bought the ATV Music catalogue, which included most of the songs of which band?

The Beatles' songs were the prize: Jackson outbid rivals for the catalogue in 1985, then merged it with another publisher's ten years later and kept half of the new company.

Which skin condition did Michael Jackson reveal in a 1993 television interview?

Vitiligo destroys the skin's pigment in patches; Jackson said it, not bleaching, had changed his colour, and his 2009 autopsy confirmed the diagnosis.

Jackson's 1984 record of eight Grammys in one night was matched in 2000 by which veteran band?

Santana, without a record label in the mid-1990s, came back with Supernatural and won eight Grammys in February 2000, equalling the single-night record Jackson set in 1984.

Jackson set a Guinness World Record on the Bad tour with seven sold-out shows at which London venue?

Wembley Stadium drew 504,000 people over the seven nights in 1988, a Guinness record; five dates had been planned, but more than 1.5 million people applied for tickets.

In 1993 Jackson proposed over the phone to which daughter of a rock legend?

Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis's only child, married him in the Dominican Republic just 20 days after her divorce came through, and the couple kept the wedding secret for about two months.

Jackson first recorded 'State of Shock' as a duet demo with the frontman of which band?

Queen's Freddie Mercury recorded the demo at Jackson's home studio, but the duet was never finished; the Jacksons released 'State of Shock' with Mick Jagger in 1984 instead.

Which star did executives choose in 1969 to introduce the Jackson 5 to the public?

Motown billed Diana Ross as the group's discoverer, titling their 1969 debut album Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, although Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers had actually brought the boys to the label.

Michael Jackson popularized the robot by performing 'Dancing Machine' on which TV show in 1973?

Soul Train showed the 15-year-old's mechanical routine to a national audience; 'Dancing Machine' then gave the Jackson 5 their first top-ten hit in over two years, reaching number two.

Which Michael Jackson song borrows its 'mama-say mama-sa' chant from Manu Dibango's 'Soul Makossa'?

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' used the Cameroonian saxophonist's hook without permission, and Jackson settled with him out of court; Dibango sued again in 2009 after Rihanna sampled the chant.

Who directed the 1987 short film made for Jackson's 'Bad' single?

Martin Scorsese shot the short film in Brooklyn from a script by novelist Richard Price, with his Raging Bull cinematographer Michael Chapman; its subway dance scenes borrow heavily from West Side Story.

Which New York nightclub did Michael Jackson frequent while he was in the city filming The Wiz?

Studio 54 became his haunt during the shoot, when he shared a Manhattan apartment with his sister La Toya and was living away from the family home for the first time.

After his 2005 acquittal, Michael Jackson left Neverland to live in which Gulf country as a royal guest?

Bahrain's Sheikh Abdullah, a son of the king, hosted Jackson from June 2005 and planned a comeback record with him; when none appeared, the sheikh sued him in London's High Court in 2008.

Neverland's narrow-gauge steam locomotive was named after which member of Jackson's family?

Katherine, his mother, gave her name to the engine of the Neverland Valley Railroad, one of the rides, with a zoo and a Ferris wheel, that Jackson built and opened to groups of underprivileged children.

Which company made the 1990 arcade game in which Michael Jackson fights crime with dance moves?

Sega built the game around him rescuing kidnapped children with a 'Dance Magic' attack; a fan of the company, he later appeared in its Space Channel 5 as Space Michael.

Michael Jackson's 1991 contract renewal, reported then as a record-breaking deal, was with which company?

Sony had bought his label's parent company three years earlier; its March 1991 renewal with him came the same month his sister signed what was then billed as pop's richest contract, with Virgin.

Which film star hailed Michael Jackson as the true king of pop, rock and soul at a 1989 awards show?

Elizabeth Taylor said it as she handed him the Soul Train Heritage Award, and his publicists embraced the shortened title, King of Pop.

Credited as John Jay Smith, Michael Jackson voiced a psychiatric patient in a 1991 episode of which cartoon?

The Simpsons cast him as Leon Kompowsky, a patient convinced he is Michael Jackson, but his record contract meant a soundalike sang the character's songs.

Michael Jackson's team patented shoes that hook onto stage pegs for which Smooth Criminal move?

The anti-gravity lean tips the dancers 45 degrees forward with their feet flat on the floor; the video version relied on cables and a harness instead.

Tabloids claimed Michael Jackson had offered to buy the bones of which medical curiosity, a story he called a lie?

The Elephant Man was Joseph Merrick, whose skeleton the Royal London Hospital still keeps. Jackson later spoofed the rumour by dancing with the bones in his Leave Me Alone video.

Which US president gave Michael Jackson a White House award for supporting a campaign against drunk driving?

Ronald Reagan presented the commendation in May 1984, after Jackson backed the government's Drunk Driving Prevention adverts and gave to alcohol and drug abuse charities.

Which horror actor performs the spoken-word passage on the title track of Michael Jackson's 1982 album?

Vincent Price was suggested by producer Quincy Jones's wife, Peggy Lipton, and his words were written in a taxi on the way to the studio on recording day.

Which talk show host's 1993 interview with Michael Jackson at Neverland drew more than 90 million viewers?

Oprah Winfrey's ABC special had the largest audience of any television interview in American history, and he used it to deny a string of tabloid rumours.

What nickname did Michael Jackson give his youngest child, Prince Michael Jackson II, born in 2002?

Blanket was the name the public knew him by throughout his childhood, though as an adult the youngest of the three Jackson children goes by Bigi.

In which 2002 sequel does Michael Jackson make a cameo pleading to be hired as a secret agent?

Men in Black II director Barry Sonnenfeld first offered him an alien role, but Jackson insisted on appearing in the famous black suit as a would-be Agent M.

Which child actor from the Black or White video did Michael Jackson choose as a godfather for his children?

Macaulay Culkin became his friend around the time of Home Alone, and in 2005 he took the stand in the singer's defence at his criminal trial.

Which personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 over the death of Michael Jackson?

Conrad Murray had been hired as his exclusive doctor ahead of the London comeback shows; he served just under two years of a four-year sentence.

Which London venue was booked for This Is It, the run of 50 comeback concerts Michael Jackson announced in 2009?

The O2 Arena was to host just ten shows at first, but forty more were added after nearly a million people registered for pre-sale tickets within a day.

Which comedian plays the pharaoh in the ancient Egypt video for Michael Jackson's 1992 single Remember the Time?

Eddie Murphy plays Ramses the Great, whose bored wife sends for entertainers until a hooded wizard, Jackson, appears and dances for her.

Which basketball star trades shooting tips for dance lessons in the video for Jackson's 1992 single Jam?

Michael Jordan teaches him to shoot on an abandoned indoor court and gets a dance lesson back; the track also featured on the Chicago Bulls' 1992 championship video.

Which pop star duets with Michael Jackson on Love Never Felt So Good, a posthumous top ten hit in 2014?

Justin Timberlake was added to a demo Jackson had recorded decades earlier, and its chart run made Jackson the first artist with a US top ten single in five different decades.

Which circus company staged Michael Jackson: One, the tribute show that opened at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in 2013?

Cirque du Soleil made it the second of its Jackson productions, after The Immortal World Tour, and stages it to his recorded tracks with no live orchestra.

In which faith was Michael Jackson raised, going door to door in disguise even after he became famous?

Jehovah's Witnesses counted him as a member into his late twenties, when he left the faith his mother had raised him in.

Which Jackson 5 ballad, later a number one for Mariah Carey, was the group's fourth chart-topper in a row?

I'll Be There made the brothers the first group whose first four Motown singles all reached number one, and it became the label's most successful single of its Detroit era.

At which Harlem venue did the young Jackson 5 win a talent competition in August 1967?

Apollo Theater's contest fell to them on August 13, in the same year the brothers also won the talent show at Chicago's Regal Theater.

Which 1993 family film used Michael Jackson's ballad Will You Be There as its main theme?

Free Willy got the song only after an early test screening went well and the music budget grew; it went on to win Best Song From a Movie at the MTV Movie Awards.

Which future action star plays the gang leader opposite Michael Jackson in the subway-set video for his single Bad?

Wesley Snipes was mostly unknown when he played Mini Max, leader of the old gang that welcomes Jackson's character home from an expensive private school.

Which supermodel dances with Michael Jackson in the sepia-toned video for his 1992 single In the Closet?

Naomi Campbell stars in the clip, shot by the photographer Herb Ritts; the song's female vocal, credited only to Mystery Girl, was Princess Stéphanie of Monaco.

Which rock guitarist plays lead on Give In to Me and made surprise appearances on Michael Jackson's 1992 tour?

Slash, of Guns N' Roses, also plays in the opening skit of the Black or White video and joined him on stage at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards.

To promote HIStory, ten 30-foot statues of Michael Jackson went up around the world, including one on which river?

The Thames in London got one of the steel and fibreglass giants, each weighing around 20,000 pounds; another stood on the plinth of Prague's demolished Stalin Monument.

Michael Jackson won a Grammy for narrating a storybook album based on which Steven Spielberg film?

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was retold by Jackson over John Williams's score, on a 1982 set produced by Quincy Jones that won Best Recording for Children.

Which actress was Michael Jackson's date at the 1993 Grammy Awards, where he received the Grammy Legend Award?

Brooke Shields had been his friend since her teens, and in a 2001 interview he called her one of the loves of his life.

Which silent film star composed Smile, a favourite song of Michael Jackson that he covered on HIStory?

Charlie Chaplin wrote it as the theme of his 1936 film Modern Times, with words added in 1954; at Jackson's memorial service his brother Jermaine sang it.

In which German city did Michael Jackson hold his baby son over a hotel balcony railing in front of fans in 2002?

Berlin fans were gathered four storeys below his hotel room when he briefly held the infant over the railing, and the stunt drew widespread criticism in the media.

Which nephew of Michael Jackson plays the singer as an adult in the 2026 biopic Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua?

Jaafar, a son of his brother Jermaine, made his film debut in the role, and the biopic went on to gross more than a billion dollars worldwide.

Which Motown great, co-writer of I Can't Help It, duets with Michael Jackson on Just Good Friends from the album Bad?

Stevie Wonder shares the lead vocal on the track, which is one of only two songs on the album that Jackson did not write himself.

Which assistant from his dermatologist's office married Michael Jackson in 1996 and had his two eldest children?

Debbie Rowe was pregnant with their first child when they wed in Sydney, and she gave him full custody of both children when they divorced.

Which British journalist made the 2003 documentary Living with Michael Jackson after eight months of interviews?

Martin Bashir toured Neverland with him for the film, and the controversy it stirred was followed before the year was out by criminal charges against the singer.

Which film director shot two videos for Michael Jackson's They Don't Care About Us, one in Brazil and one in a prison?

Spike Lee filmed the first in Salvador and a Rio de Janeiro favela, despite officials who tried to ban the shoot, then made a second version set behind bars.

At which New York venue did Michael Jackson stage his two 30th Anniversary Celebration concerts in September 2001?

Madison Square Garden hosted the shows on September 7 and 10, and they proved to be his last reunion on stage with his brothers.

At which Los Angeles venue, where he had been rehearsing, was Michael Jackson's public memorial held in July 2009?

Staples Center hosted the service twelve days after his death, and free tickets went to fans through an online lottery that drew more than 1.2 million applicants in 24 hours.

Which 1984 tour was Michael Jackson's last with his brothers, with his share of the earnings going to charity?

Victory ended with a rain-soaked finale at which he announced from the stage that it was the last time they would all perform together, to his brothers' surprise.

Which comedian co-stars with Michael Jackson in the 13-minute video for the 2001 single You Rock My World?

Chris Tucker also voices the song's spoken introduction, and the video finds room for appearances by Marlon Brando and Michael Madsen.

Which singer duets with Michael Jackson on Hold My Hand, the first single from the 2010 posthumous album Michael?

Akon recorded it with him in Las Vegas in late 2007, and a handwritten note kept by the estate showed Jackson wanted it as the first single of his next project.

From which Eastern European capital did HBO broadcast a 1992 Michael Jackson concert to record cable ratings?

Bucharest staged the show on October 1, and the broadcast gave HBO the highest rating cable television had seen, plus a CableACE Award for Jackson.

Michael Jackson sang the uncredited chorus of Somebody's Watching Me, a 1984 hit for which Motown artist?

Rockwell had Jermaine Jackson on backing vocals too, and it was the famous voice on the chorus that won over his unenthusiastic father, the head of the label.

Which English songwriter, formerly of the funk band Heatwave, wrote the title tracks of two Michael Jackson albums?

Rod Temperton was recruited by producer Quincy Jones, and his other songs for Jackson include the 1979 hit Rock with You.

Members of which rock band played on Michael Jackson's best-selling album and co-wrote its ballad Human Nature?

Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro co-wrote the ballad, his brother Jeff drummed on several tracks, and Steve Lukather supplied rhythm guitar parts.

In which California city was the 2005 trial at which a jury acquitted Michael Jackson on all counts?

Santa Maria has a courthouse of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court, and the trial there ran from late February until the verdicts on June 13.

In which Los Angeles-area cemetery was Michael Jackson laid to rest in September 2009, over two months after his death?

Forest Lawn in Glendale holds him in the Holly Terrace section of its Great Mausoleum, where the family held the service and burial on September 3.

Which 1984 hit did Michael Jackson write and produce for Rebbie, the eldest of the Jackson siblings?

Centipede was his first writing and producing job after his record-breaking 1982 album, and he sang backing vocals on it alongside The Weather Girls.

Which actress and former Playboy Playmate plays Michael Jackson's date in his 1983 horror-themed short film?

Ola Ray won the part because the director thought she was crazy about Michael and had a great smile.

Which small local label released Big Boy, the Jackson 5's first single, before the group signed to Motown?

Steeltown's Gordon Keith, then the group's manager and producer, recorded the brothers at a studio in South Chicago in 1967.

Which Canadian singer-songwriter turned out to be co-writer of This Is It, Michael Jackson's posthumous 2009 single?

Paul Anka had recorded the demo with him in the early 1980s as a planned duet for an Anka album, back when the song was called I Never Heard.

Which Britpop frontman invaded the stage in protest during Michael Jackson's performance at the 1996 Brit Awards?

Jarvis Cocker of Pulp objected to the star, surrounded by children, presenting himself as a Christ-like healer; Cocker was questioned by police and released without charge.

Outside which London football club's ground did a statue of Michael Jackson stand from 2011 until 2013?

Fulham chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed had it made for Harrods, but after he sold the store its new owners did not want it, so it went up outside Craven Cottage instead.