Things We've Learned About Michael Jackson Since His Death

Source: Tim Whitby / Getty

Today marks 10 years since the world stopped and everyone tuned in to their television to watch an unconscious Michael Jackson be carried into an ambulance. So much has happened in this last decade since the King Of Pop was laid to rest — so we must address the elephant of the day. With all the great music and moments MJ gave us throughout his 40 year career, it’s natural to want to celebrate today by blasting some of his greatest hits.

But with the January 2019 release of Leaving Neverland (a two-part documentary centering on two accusers who recount in graphic detail how they were sexually abused by Jackson starting at very young ages), it’s also natural to feel conflicted about how you want to approach this day.

As USA Today put it:

“We may never resolve our conflicted feelings about Michael Jackson. It’s the challenge of holding two opposing ideas in your head at the same time”

It’s totally a personal decision to decide how and if you want to honor Michael Jackson on his day. Some people are still Team MJ and want his legacy to be left alone. As sister Janet Jackson told told the UK newspaper The Sunday Times:

“[Michael’s legacy] will continue. I love it when I see kids imitating him, when adults still listen to his music. It just lets you know the impact that my family has had on the world.”

Then there are others whose entire idea of Michael Jackson changed after watching the documentary.

Nevertheless, both people can agree that we’ve probably learned more about MJ since his passing than we did when he was alive. Check it out when you hit the flip.

There Were More Sexual Abuse Allegations Following His Death 

In May 2013, nearly four years after Jackson died, Wade Robson sued the Jackson estate, alleging that Jackson had molested him over a seven-year period, starting when he was 7 years old. In 2014, James Safechuck filed a similar claim against Jackson’s estate in 2014, claiming Jackson sexually abused him when he was a child actor for several years after he appeared in Jackson’s Pepsi commercial at age 10.

Drug Use

Source: Tim Whitby / Getty

Four years after Michael Jackson’s death, his former security chief testified that he worried at times that the singer might overdose on drugs, but he didn’t think he was an addict. As a part of MJ’s wrongful death lawsuit, a drug expert testified that the was a “quite extensive” drug addict during the last 15 years of his life.

Fans Didn’t Believe That Michael Performed Vocals On Posthumous Records

Back in 2014, Michael Jackson’s record label Sony was caught up in a legal battle over whether the singer really performed the lead vocals on three songs that were released after his death. However, in 2018, the Judge ruled in favor of Sony Music and MJ’s estate who claimed that”No one has conceded that Michael Jackson did not sing on the songs.”

More Controversy Means More Album Sales 

The same week that Leaving Neverland debuted, Michael Jackson’s “Number Ones” album, a compilation record showcasing some of his biggest hits, spent its landmark 400th week in the UK Top 100.

Incredibly Lonely

Two bodyguards, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard, who were with MJ 24/7 during the last two-and-a-half years of his life, wrote a book in 2014, describing Jackson’s lifestyle was isolated and lonely and described it as full of “stress, paranoia and pain.”