Today we will tell you how Michael Jackson became white. There are many versions about the change in appearance of this legendary singer. But before moving on to this topic, let's try to plunge into the history of his emergence as the king of pop music. Michael Jackson remains a popular performer even after his death. This fame did not come so easily to him, and his life will not seem simple to anyone.

Unusuality

Michael Jackson stood out among his peers as a child and was a talented and active child. Family life was not sweet, because he had to endure humiliation from his own father and endure his harsh temper. But, despite this, he was able to achieve significant success in the world of show business, becoming Perhaps it was precisely this kind of upbringing that gave him stability in his views and his own life position, different from his social environment.

Five

Michael Jackson had already become a famous international performer as a child. He performed as a soloist in a family musical group. Their singles topped the American music charts. Indeed, becoming famous at the age of 12 is a huge test that not everyone can endure.

Talent

To understand why Michael Jackson is white, you need to understand the peculiarities of his creative path. Throughout his life, he did not miss a single opportunity to demonstrate himself as a talented dancer, musician, singer, and songwriter. He was able to invest his unique creative potential into a huge number of original works that could not help but become hits. After all, Michael’s voice captivates listeners to this day. The glory of the true king of music will live on for centuries to come. But every famous person always has his own envious people and enemies. This is an invariable attribute of fame and success.

Let's move directly to the question of how Michael Jackson became white and why this happened. Many are mistaken in claiming that he was influenced by public opinion. Stereotypes and rumors spread at incredible speed. For example, some are convinced that Michael consciously decided to change his personality for the sake of more successful career advancement, that due to his mental inferiority and complexities, he more than once went under the surgical knife and had many plastic surgeries.

But these rumors cannot be believed. After all, the official truth about this has long been known. These and other myths associated with Michael's change in appearance are the result of the work of the scandalous yellow press. Indeed, in reality, he was constantly under the supervision of doctors and often went to the surgical department. But the reason was not personal desire or public opinion, as many people think.

Michael Jackson: vitiligo

Already in the early 1990s, the reason for such a striking change in the skin color of this famous singer became known. Michael suffered from a very rare autoimmune disease, the medical name of which is vitiligo. At first, the color change was not very noticeable due to the inherent light brown tint, but over time, pathological changes in favor of white color became much stronger. It was at this time that the final diagnosis was made, and it was indeed this unique disease.

White spots began to appear on the skin due to the increased sensitivity of the epidermis to ultraviolet rays. Not only these symptoms were decisive in the emergence of an incredible amount of gossip and rumors regarding Michael’s personal life. He was also severely underweight. This was a manifestation of a lack of nutrients that were prohibited by strict diets. Constant fasting led to even greater complications, he became dizzy and irritable.

Unfortunately, this was beneficial to his ill-wishers, who spread information in every possible way about his psychological disorders and deliberate changes in facial skin color. The color and pigmentation changed regardless of Michael's wishes. He repeatedly had to resort to facial plastic surgery in order to maintain a normal appearance in any way.

Over time, the color and even the shape deteriorate. Before each performance on stage, he had to wait for hours while specialists applied tons of makeup to his face. This was necessary, because the color of the skin changed unevenly, and this was truly an incredible test for the musical genius that he undoubtedly was.

As it turned out, the Jackson family endured a lot of suffering and torment, the cause of which was this terrible disease. Vitiligo was passed on genetically through the paternal line for several generations. Michael himself admitted this fact in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. his son has also been suffering from this complex disease for many years now.

How Michael Jackson Became White: Conclusion

In order to completely eradicate the incredible spread of rumors, the musician proudly stated that he has always been incredibly glad to be part of the African-American culture. This is the very truth that needs to be remembered as much as the fact that Michael Jackson is a great man and a musical genius. He lived a difficult life and at the same time faced the difficulties that fate presented to him. His memory will remain for many years in the hearts of millions of fans and connoisseurs of his creative works of musical art. Now you know how Michael Jackson became white and why it happened.

Michael Jackson lived the life of a true show business legend, which included success, personal tragedies, and high-profile scandals. But it is still difficult to understand why the singer changed his appearance with such persistence, already being at the top of the musical Olympus. How many operations did Michael Jackson have and how did it all end?

Childhood, or the perceived source of problems

Michael Jackson became one of the first public people to get hooked on plastic surgery and change his appearance beyond recognition. Psychologists say that such a craving for plastic surgery can only be explained by the strong. But where did the King of Pop, the public’s favorite, get these complexes?

Before the operation, Michael Jackson lived some part of his life, and it was not the best, according to him. Since childhood, he and his brothers knew no rest, because their father loaded them with work to the maximum. When things didn’t work out, he resorted to assault and insults. Favorite curse word for Michael is “big nose.” It’s easy to guess why the singer subsequently underwent several rhinoplasty operations.

However, it was impossible to explain Jackson’s craving for self-flagellation and operations for a long time, because the king of pop admitted to his childhood hardships only at the age of 29.

Health problems

Before and after the operation, Michael Jackson had serious health problems. From around the age of 20, his skin began to lighten and the media announced that he was bleaching his skin. But according to some reports, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo.

Vitiligo is a skin disease that causes color pigment to disappear from some areas of the skin. In addition, the singer fell ill with lupus, so tons of cosmetics on his face were designed to hide skin defects. It is the presence of these diseases that some biographers of the King of Pop explain the “magical” lightening of the singer’s skin.

However, this statement can be questioned. Vitiligo partially lightens the skin, and Jackson's skin looked unusually monochromatic. Journalists continued to insist that before the operation, Michael Jackson also lightened his skin. The truth was revealed after his death - an autopsy showed that Michael really had vitiligo.

Michael Jackson: plastic surgery

But if the fact is not confirmed, then denying multiple plastic surgeries on the face would be at least stupid. The King of Pop actively performed in public and was photographed by journalists before and after the operation. Michael Jackson actually had plastic surgery more than once - photographs from different years speak volumes about this.

One of Jackson's biographers, Taraborrelli, claims that Michael had to go under the plastic surgeon's knife for the first time at the age of 15: during a rehearsal, he had to restore it. But the operation was unsuccessful, and the singer again resorted to plastic surgery. Jackson himself admitted this in his memoirs. But the singer claimed that this was the end of his experiments with plastic surgery.

But his mother, in an interview, innocently shared her experiences about Michael’s addiction to plastic surgery. According to relatives, the singer underwent about 10 such operations.

Drug addiction

Before and after the operation, Michael Jackson continued to improve his body, but by the age of 20, the singer had lost 9 kilograms, and his work colleagues suspected that he had anorexia nervosa, since he suffered from constant dizziness.

Stress played a cruel joke on the singer - by the age of 30, his liver and kidney function were impaired, and he had attacks of panic attacks. Once, after such an attack, he was hospitalized. Contrary to rumors, no drugs were found in the King of Pop’s blood during hospitalization.

However, I still had to get hooked on painkillers and antidepressants, especially after the child molestation scandal. Against the backdrop of these events, Michael developed not only problems with sleep, but also with memory - he forgot the simplest things.

Addiction to painkillers ultimately became the cause of the singer’s death. He himself (or someone at his request) administered a lethal dose of Propofol. Since the autopsy confirmed that the king of pop’s heart and other organs were in perfect order, an overdose of a dangerous drug remained the official cause of the singer’s death.

It turns out that before and after the operation, Michael Jackson was equally unhappy. He underwent a lot of surgical procedures, but, unfortunately, he remained hostage to his childhood fears and celebrity lifestyle.

Mental health experts claimed that he had the mind of a ten-year-old child, while other doctors believed that he suffered from body dysmorphic disorder. Deepak Chopra, Jackson's doctor and friend for 20 years, said: "The reason he underwent plastic surgery was because of self-mutilation and a complete lack of respect for himself."

At some point in the 1990s, it became clear that Jackson had become dependent on prescription drugs, mainly painkillers and powerful sedatives, and his health began to deteriorate rapidly. He entered rehab in 1993 with the help of Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John, but the addiction remained. Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009.

Although it has been reported many times that Jackson had a difficult childhood, he first spoke openly about it in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He believed that he missed much of his childhood, admitting that he often cried from loneliness. In the same interview, speaking about his father, Jackson, very emotional, said: “There were times when my father would come to me, and I would immediately feel sick, I would start throwing up... Please don’t think I’m crazy... But I really love him.” . In another candid interview, "Living with Michael Jackson" (English)(2003) the singer covered his face with his hand and cried while talking about his childhood. Jackson recalled how Joseph sat on a chair during rehearsal, holding his belt in his hand. And if the children did something wrong, he beat them with this belt. In 2003, the father admitted that he beat his children. In November 2010, he confirmed this, but stated the following: “I don’t think Michael was afraid of me. If he was afraid, it was that he might do something wrong and I would reprimand him, but not that I would beat him. I never beat him, as many media wrote."

In 2003, Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation and acquitted two years later. During the investigation, Jackson's background was studied by Stan Katz, a professional psychologist who also spent several hours with the accuser. According to the biography of John Randy Taraborrelli (English), Katz concluded that Jackson was stuck at the level of mental development of a ten-year-old child. Some doctors have publicly expressed the opinion that the singer had body dysmorphic disorder, a psychological disorder in which a person is overly concerned and preoccupied with a minor defect or feature of their body.

Jackson two years after he was diagnosed with vitiligo

Jackson's skin was dark in his youth, but became increasingly paler starting in the mid-1980s; this was, as many believed, due to the fact that Michael deliberately bleached his skin (English) and changed his facial features to look like a European. All this was widely covered in the media. According to Taraborrelli, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus in 1986. Vitiligo partially lightened his skin and made him sensitive to sunlight. Lupus was in remission, but sunlight may have flared it up. To combat these diseases, Jackson used Solaquin (hydroquinone), tretinoin and benoquine. He also used hydroxychloroquine, which was regularly injected directly into the scalp. Because of his illnesses, the medications he used to fight those illnesses, and the makeup he used to hide the blemishes on his skin, Jackson appeared very pale.

In February 1993, Jackson gave an unusually candid 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey, his first televised interview since 1979. During this interview, he stated that he had never deliberately bleached his skin, publicly announcing for the first time that he suffered from the disease vitiligo and had to use powerful cosmetics to even out his skin tone. The interview was watched by 62 million Americans. After this, active public discussions began on the topic of a disease unknown at that time. An autopsy performed after Jackson's death confirmed that he suffered from vitiligo.

During the Australian leg of the album's worldwide tour HIStory Jackson married Debbie Rowe, his dermatologist's nurse. They first met in the mid-1980s when Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo. Over the years, she treated his illness and provided emotional support, and they became close friends before their relationship became romantic. The couple divorced in 1999, but they remained friends.

The contours of his face also changed; some surgeons believe that he underwent many operations to reshape his nose, forehead, lips and cheekbones. According to Taraborrelli, Jackson had his first rhinoplasty in 1979 after breaking his nose while performing a difficult dance routine. The operation was not entirely successful, and Michael complained of difficulty breathing. He was sent to Steven Hoefflin (English), who performed his second rhinoplasty in 1980. In his 1988 autobiography, Moonwalk, Jackson wrote that in addition to the nose job, he also had his chin dimpled and did not have any other surgeries. However, his mother said that Michael had more than two plastic surgeries, but he was very embarrassed about it: “I heard that plastic surgery can cause addiction. It seems to me that this is exactly what happened to him. One time I told him: “Enough already. Why can't you stop? I even talked to his plastic surgeon and asked that when Michael comes, he only pretends to change something in his face.” Also, starting in 1986, Jackson was a regular client of Arnold Klein (English), a dermatologist who specializes in dermal injections and non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

In his book, Jackson attributed his facial changes to puberty, a strict vegetarian diet, weight loss, changes in hairstyle, and stage lighting. He refuted the opinions of many that he had eyelid surgery. By 1990, the changes taking place in Michael were already widely discussed by the public; the singer's relatives reported that by that time he had undergone about ten operations on his face. June 1992 edition The Daily Mirror ran a front-page image of what was believed to be Michael Jackson's face, which was described as "horribly disfigured" by plastic surgery. Jackson sued the tabloid, and they reached a settlement in 1998. In the high court, the former editor of the publication stated that there were no signs of plastic surgery on Jackson’s face and publicly apologized to him.

Part of the reason for his facial changes was periods of significant weight loss. Jackson lost weight in the early 1980s due to a change in diet and a desire to have a "dancer's body". By 1984, Jackson had lost 9 kilograms, bringing his weight to 48 kilograms with a height of 175 cm - at that time he had the lowest weight of his entire adult life. Witnesses reported that Jackson often felt dizzy; there have been suggestions that he suffers from anorexia nervosa. In subsequent years, the musician gained some weight, but after being accused of child molestation in 1993, Jackson stopped eating, again losing significant weight. In late 1995, he was rushed to hospital after collapsing during a rehearsal for a television appearance that was subsequently cancelled; an independent author claims that the incident was caused by a stress-related panic attack, while doctors cited abnormal heart rhythms, gastrointestinal inflammation, dehydration and abnormal kidney and liver function; In none of the hospitalizations, including this one, were any drugs found in Jackson's body. The BBC reported that at the time of his 2005 trial, the singer was also suffering from stress-related illnesses and severe weight loss.

The biographer claims that in 1993, the artist agreed to use the analgesics, diazepam, alprazolam and lorazepam, to combat the stress caused by the child molestation charge brought against him. Several months after this, news reports stated that Jackson had lost approximately 10 pounds of weight and stopped eating. During the taking of written testimony in court, Jackson was very drowsy, could not concentrate, and spoke slurred. He couldn't remember the release dates of his previous albums or the names of the people he worked with. He took a few minutes to name some of his recent albums.

Jackson's health deteriorated to such an extent that he canceled the last leg of his world tour and flew with his friend Elizabeth Taylor and her husband to London. At the airport, two friends supported him to prevent him from falling; he was rushed to manager Elton John's house and then to a clinic. At the entrance he was searched for drugs; bottles of medicine were found in the suitcase. He was placed on the fourth floor of the hospital in a ward with an intravenous infusion to reduce his dependence on painkillers. The singer's rep told reporters at the time that Jackson could barely move or speak. At the clinic, Jackson underwent group and single therapy sessions. According to Taraborrelli, in January 2004, when the trial ended, Jackson became addicted to morphine and Demerol.

After Jackson's death, a police investigation focused primarily on Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, revealed that Jackson's doctors used 19 different aliases, including "Omar Arnold", "Josephine Baker", "Fernand Diaz", "Paul Farance", "Peter" Madonie", "Faheem Muhammad", "Roselyn Muhammad", "Blanca Nicholas", "Jimmy Nicholas", "Bryan Singleton" and "Frank Tyson", prescribing medications for Jackson. He, in turn, received prescriptions from doctors under the aliases "Prince", "Michael Amir" and "Kai Chase" - the names of one of his sons, representative and former personal chef, respectively. Police, during a search of Conrad Murray's home and office in Las Vegas, found a CD that mentioned the alias "Omar Arnold" of carbon dioxide in the body, which in turn can lead to arrhythmia and cardiac arrest. According to Lee, on June 21, 2009, Jackson's assistant called her and said that he was feeling very ill (according to the assistant, one side of his body was hot and the other cold). She suggested that someone had given him a drug that affected the central nervous system, and advised the assistant to take Michael to the hospital.

On the morning of June 25, 2009, Conrad Murray injected Michael with propofol and left the singer alone. About 2 hours later, Murray returned to find his patient lying on the bed with his eyes and mouth open. The doctor tried to resuscitate the singer, but the attempts were unsuccessful. At 12:21 local Pacific time at 13:14. Jackson's most serious health problem was his chronically inflamed lungs, but this was not serious enough to cause death. Also, no serious physical problems were identified that could prevent Jackson from performing on stage during his lifetime. "His overall health was in good condition," said University of California Dr. Ze'ev Kane, who reviewed the autopsy report but was not involved in the autopsy itself: "The results are within normal limits."

The good condition of the singer on the eve of his death was also noted by the head of the group of forensic experts, Christopher Rogers. He called Michael Jackson a "murder victim." Based on the results of the work of forensic experts, it became known that the singer died from an overdose of a powerful drug for insomnia - propofol, which was prescribed to him by Conrad Murray. The doctor also gave Jackson several injections in the days before his death. Following preliminary hearings, a Los Angeles court decided to try Murray for manslaughter. Murray himself does not admit his guilt

Jackson and some of his siblings stated that they were subjected to physical and psychological abuse from an early age by their father Joseph, which included constant rehearsals, insults, and the use of derogatory names such as "big nose" for Michael; This treatment influenced the rest of Jackson's life.

During one of the trials, Jackson's brother Marlon recalled how Joseph held Michael upside down by one leg and struck numerous blows to his back and buttocks. Joseph often tripped and pushed the boys. One night, while Michael was sleeping, Joseph climbed into his room through the window. He put on a scary mask, entered the room and screamed. Joseph explained that he taught the children not to leave the windows open at night. For years to come, Jackson had nightmares about being kidnapped from his bedroom. By the early 1980s he was deeply unhappy; Jackson said: “Even at home I’m lonely. I sometimes sit in my room and cry. It's so hard to find friends... I sometimes leave the house at night just to find someone to talk to. But it all ends with me returning home.”

QUOTE
Michael Jackson's Secret Childhood (English). VH1. Retrieved June 20, 2008. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011.

Although it has been reported many times that Jackson had a difficult childhood, he first spoke openly about it in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He believed that he missed much of his childhood, admitting that he often cried from loneliness. In the same interview, speaking about his father, Jackson, very emotional, said: “There were times when my father would come to me, and I would immediately feel sick, I would start throwing up... Please don’t think I’m crazy... But I really love him." In another candid interview, Life with Michael Jackson (2003), the singer covered his face with his hand and cried while talking about his childhood. Jackson recalled how Joseph sat on a chair during rehearsal, holding his belt in his hand. And if the children did something wrong, he beat them with this belt. In 2003, the father admitted that he beat his children. In November 2010, he confirmed this, but stated the following: “I don’t think Michael was afraid of me. If he was afraid, it was that he might do something wrong and I would reprimand him, but not that I would beat him. I never beat him, as many media reported."

In 2003, Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation and acquitted two years later. During the investigation, Jackson's background was studied by Stan Katz, a professional psychologist who also spent several hours with the accuser. According to Randy Taraborrelli's biography of John, Katz concluded that Jackson was stuck at the mental development level of a ten-year-old child. Some doctors have publicly expressed the opinion that the singer had body dysmorphic disorder, a psychological disorder in which a person is overly concerned and preoccupied with a minor defect or feature of his body.

In his last days, Michael Jackson was strong and active. Or alarmingly thin and weak. He begged for access to powerful prescription drugs. Or showing no signs that he ever used them. It all depends on who is talking about it.

A confusing collection of puzzle pieces about Michael Jackson's health has emerged since his death on June 25. Since it will take a month to get the results of toxicological tests, new myths on this topic are likely to appear.

Each story provokes a trail of further speculation. No one is ready to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Some of those who knew him seem to contradict themselves. Here's what we know so far:

1. During his final rehearsal at the Staples Center, Michael Jackson was filmed doing his signature moonwalk and dance spins. Randy Phillips, CEO of promoter AEG Live, told CNN that Jackson's Michael looked like a "healthy, vibrant man."

2. Phillips later told ABC that concert organizers feared Michael Jackson was losing weight and showing signs of fatigue. He said that he hired a special person whose job was to remind Michael to eat.

3. Dr. Arnold Klein, Michael Jackson's dermatologist who said he last saw the late King of Pop a week before his death, told Larry King that the singer was in very good physical shape, in very good spirits, and was very satisfied.

4. Klein also told CNN that he gave Jackson the painkiller Demerol, but warned him against using the powerful sedative Diprivan. He also stated that Jackson had a history of drug addiction and had been treated for drug addiction in England.

5. "The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferigno, who helped Michael Jackson prepare for a planned series of concerts in London, told the Associated Press that he never saw Jackson use any drugs. feeling aloof or fussy. Lou Ferigno also noted that the singer was not weak when he last saw him at the end of May. “I’ve never seen him look better,” he said.

6. Two of Michael Jackson's close friends, psychic medium Uri Geller and former bodyguard Matt Fiddes, said they tried in vain to stop the late singer from abusing prescription drugs. Geller said he had a terrible conflict with Jackson over this, and even had to yell at Michael to try to seize his drug supplies during his trips to England.

7. The drug Diprivan, a painkiller commonly used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness, was found in Michael Jackson's home, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Also known as Propofol, the medication is administered intravenously and is extremely rarely found as a medication for home use.

8. Sherilyn Lee, a nurse, told The Associated Press that she refused to inject Michael Jackson with Diprivan several times. But a terrifying phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death gave her reason to fear that he had obtained the drug, or another, to use as a sleeping pill.

9. Akon, a Senegalese-born r'n'b artist and producer with whom Michael Jackson recently recorded songs, told Billboard.com: "Michael is one of the healthiest people I know. He encouraged me to lead a healthy lifestyle, saying: “Akon, eat healthy food. What are you doing there on tour? Are you eating? Are you working out? Do you drink a lot of water?

10. Dr. Klein said Michael Jackson suffered from lupus, a chronic disease in which the immune system fights the body's own tissues, as well as a skin disease known as vitiligo.

11. Michael Jackson's personal therapist, Dr. Conrad Murray, attempted to perform CPR on a bed rather than on a hard surface, placing his hand under his back to provide the necessary support because the singer was so weak. Dr. Murray's lawyer Edward Chernoff spoke about this.

12. Edward Chernoff also admitted to the Associated Press that Murray never gave or prescribed painkillers such as Demerol or OxyContin to Michael Jackson, and that he did not give him any drugs that could have caused his death.

13. Among other things, Murray's lawyers admitted that it took about 30 minutes to call an ambulance after Michael Jackson was found unconscious.

14. The Jackson family requested an independent autopsy, in part because of questions about Dr. Murray's role, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said.

15. Kevin Mazur, a photographer who photographed the Staples Center for a book about the tour, told The Associated Press that Jackson looked completely healthy. “He was in very high spirits, very happy and having fun with the dancers,” Mazur said.

16. Spiritual teacher Dr. Deepak Chopra admitted to The Associated Press that he had been concerned since 2005 that Michael Jackson was abusing painkillers and spoke with the pop icon about his alleged drug use just six months ago. Chopra said Jackson, a longtime friend, personally asked him for painkillers in 2005 and Chopra refused.

17. LAPD Chief William Bratton said investigators are looking into Michael Jackson's history of prescription drug use and are trying to talk to his many former doctors. He also said police are awaiting results from the medical examiner before ruling out any possibilities in the comprehensive and far-reaching investigation that has involved the Drug Enforcement Agency and the state attorney's office.