Michael Jackson’s estate paid tribute to his artistry and charity, in Los Angeles on Tuesday, as fans made final preparations for gatherings to celebrate his memory, on the 10th anniversary of the King of Pop’s death
“Ten years ago today, the world lost a gifted artist and extraordinary humanitarian,” the Jackson estate said.
The estate called on fans to honour Jackson’s memory by engaging in charitable acts “whether it’s planting a tree, volunteering at a shelter, cleaning up a public space or helping someone who is lost find their way. …This is how we honor Michael,” the statement read.
Fans plan to gather at Jackson’s last home in the Holmby Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles, where the singer received a fatal dose of the anaesthetic propofol.
They also plan a vigil at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, where Jackson was laid to rest two months later.
The anniversary comes a few months after the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland brought back child molestation allegations against Jackson and threatened to upend an image that had been largely rehabilitated since his death
Jackson’s estate and his family have vehemently denied the stories told by two men in the documentary.
One group of fans planned a Hollywood rally on Tuesday to declare his innocence. He was acquitted of the s-e-xual abuse of a different boy in a 2005 trial. Jackson left everything to his mother, his children and charity in his will.
The singer’s father, Joe, died last year and is buried in the same cemetery as his son, but Michael’s 89-year-old mother, five brothers, three sisters and three kids remain.
The death of Jackson was a massive cultural phenomenon, bringing an outpouring of public affection, a revival of his songs, and largely erasing the taint that remained after his criminal trial, despite his acquittal
It was one of the earliest instances of the mass mourning on social media that would soon become common, and a massive worldwide audience both on TV and online watched his July 27, 2009 public memorial that included touching tributes from family members, including his daughter Paris, and performances from Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Lionel Richie.
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Source: ALL4Women
