Michael Jackson Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! PreviewAdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text=== Increased tabloid speculation (1986–1987) === {{See also|Health and appearance of Michael Jackson}} Jackson's skin had been medium-brown during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually grew paler. The change drew widespread media coverage, including speculation that he had been [[Skin whitening|bleaching his skin]].{{sfn|Campbell|1995|pp=14–16}}{{sfn|Parameswaran|2011|pp=75–77}}{{sfn|DeMello|2012|p=152}} His dermatologist, [[Arnold Klein]], said he observed in 1983 that Jackson had [[vitiligo]],<!-- NOTE: With respect to the RfC on using Taraborrelli (check the archives), the "Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo in 1984" aspect is only supported by Taraborrelli. Other sources cite Taraborrelli when stating this with regard to 1984. So we either leave the Taraborrelli/"1984" piece out and instead cite an Arnold Klein aspect in its place, like the text currently does, or we retain the Taraborrelli piece. --><ref name="Rosenberg">{{cite news |first=Alyssa |last=Rosenberg |title=To understand Michael Jackson and his skin, you have to go beyond race |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 2, 2016 |access-date=September 17, 2019 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/02/02/to-understand-michael-jackson-and-his-skin-you-have-to-go-beyond-race |archive-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613065219/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/02/02/to-understand-michael-jackson-and-his-skin-you-have-to-go-beyond-race/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment. He also identified [[discoid lupus erythematosus]] in Jackson. He diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year,<ref name="Rosenberg" /> and with vitiligo in 1986.<ref>{{cite press release |first=Jeff |last=Wilson |title=The Aftermath of Michael Jackson and Oprah: What About His Face? |work=Associated Press News |date=February 12, 1993 |access-date=September 17, 2019 |url=https://www.apnews.com/420d71be3ec15171644bfbceb41da62f |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803223252/https://apnews.com/420d71be3ec15171644bfbceb41da62f |url-status=dead }}</ref> Vitiligo's drastic effects on the body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup,<ref>{{cite news |first=Gina |last=Kolata |title=Doctor Says Michael Jackson Has a Skin Disease |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 13, 1993 |access-date=September 17, 2019 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/13/us/doctor-says-michael-jackson-has-a-skin-disease.html |archive-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508142233/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/13/us/doctor-says-michael-jackson-has-a-skin-disease.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and possibly skin-bleaching prescription creams,<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Daniel |last=Kreps |title=Search of Michael Jackson's Home Revealed Skin-Whitening Creams |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=March 29, 2010 |access-date=September 17, 2019 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/search-of-michael-jacksons-home-revealed-skin-whitening-creams-65450/ |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726181245/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/search-of-michael-jacksons-home-revealed-skin-whitening-creams-65450/ |url-status=live }}</ref> to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would depigment the blotches, and, with the application of makeup, he could appear very pale.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=434–436}} Jackson said he had not purposely bleached his skin and could not control his vitiligo, adding, "When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me."<ref name="Oprah-Jackson">{{cite news |title=The Michael Jackson Interview: Oprah Reflects |newspaper=Oprah.com |publisher=[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]] |page=3 |date=September 16, 2009 |access-date=April 24, 2017 |url=https://www.oprah.com/entertainment/oprah-reflects-on-her-interview-with-michael-jackson/3 |archive-date=April 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427103353/https://www.oprah.com/entertainment/oprah-reflects-on-her-interview-with-michael-jackson/3 |url-status=live }}</ref> He became friends with Klein and Klein's assistant, [[Debbie Rowe]]. Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his first two children.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arnold Klein, Dermatologist Who Smoothed Stars' Wrinkles, Dies at 70 |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |date=October 10, 2015 |access-date=July 18, 2019 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/24/us/arnold-klein-dermatologist-who-smoothed-stars-wrinkles-dies-at-70.html |archive-date=July 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718195246/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/24/us/arnold-klein-dermatologist-who-smoothed-stars-wrinkles-dies-at-70.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In his 1988 autobiography and a 1993 interview, Jackson said he had had two [[rhinoplasty]] surgeries and a [[cleft chin]] surgery but no more than that. He said he lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet to achieve a dancer's body.{{sfn|Jackson|2009|pp=229–230}} Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was suffering from [[anorexia nervosa]]. Periods of weight loss became a recurring problem later in his life.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=312–313}} After his death, Jackson's mother said that he first turned to [[Plastic surgery#Cosmetic surgery procedures|cosmetic procedures]] to remedy his vitiligo, because he did not want to look like a "spotted cow". She said he had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he had become addicted to them.<ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Jackson was addicted to plastic surgery, his mother says |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=November 10, 2010 |access-date=July 21, 2019 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/michael-jackson-was-addicted-to-plastic-surgery-his-mother-says-20101110-17mg1.html |archive-date=July 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718195246/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/michael-jackson-was-addicted-to-plastic-surgery-his-mother-says-20101110-17mg1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1986, it was reported that Jackson slept in a [[hyperbaric medicine|hyperbaric oxygen chamber]] to slow aging. He denied the story,<ref name="Image">{{cite news |title=Music's misunderstood superstar |agency=[[BBC News]] |date=June 13, 2005 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4584367.stm |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716021655/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4584367.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> although it was alleged that Jackson leaked an image of him sleeping in a glass chamber (according to Jackson, this was a promotional shot from an [[Captain EO|upcoming space opera featuring himself]]) to ''[[The National Enquirer]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Taylor |first1=Trey |title=Hollyweird: Michael Jackson and the Making of Disney's 'Captain EO' |url=https://www.papermag.com/hollyweird-captain-eo |access-date=October 1, 2023 |magazine=[[Paper (magazine)|Paper]] |date=September 27, 2018 |archive-date=October 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007022441/https://www.papermag.com/hollyweird-captain-eo |url-status=live }}</ref> It was also reported that Jackson took female hormone shots to keep his voice high and facial hair wispy, proposed to [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and possibly had a shrine of her, and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. Jackson's manager [[Frank DiLeo]] denied all of them, except for Jackson having a chamber. DiLeo added "I don't know if he sleeps in it. I'm not for it. But Michael thinks it's something that's probably healthy for him. He's a bit of a health fanatic."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Cutler |last=Durkee |title=Unlike Anyone, Even Himself |magazine=People |volume=28 |issue=11 |date=September 14, 1987 |access-date=June 29, 2019 |url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-unlike-anyone-even-himself-vol-28-no-11/ |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629202953/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-unlike-anyone-even-himself-vol-28-no-11/ |url-status=live }}</ref> When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee [[Bubbles (chimpanzee)|Bubbles]] to tour in Japan, the media portrayed Jackson as an aspiring [[Disney]] cartoon character who befriended animals.<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=Michael |last1=Goldberg |first2=David |last2=Handelman |title=Is Michael Jackson for Real? |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=September 24, 1987 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/is-michael-jackson-for-real-19870924 |access-date= September 4, 2017 |archive-date= May 9, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160509044804/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/is-michael-jackson-for-real-19870924 |url-status= dead}}</ref> It was also reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of [[Joseph Merrick]] (the "Elephant Man").{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=355–361}} In June 1987, the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reported Jackson's publicist bidding $1{{nbsp}}million for the skeleton to the [[London Hospital Medical College]] on his behalf. The college maintained the skeleton was not for sale. DiLeo said Jackson had an "absorbing interest" in Merrick, "purely based on his awareness of the ethical, medical and historical significance."<ref>{{cite news |title=Jackson Ups Bid for Skeleton of 'Elephant Man' |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |agency=United Press International |date=June 17, 1987 |access-date=June 20, 2019 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-06-17-8702140689-story.html |archive-date=June 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621090736/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-06-17-8702140689-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In September 1986, using the oxygen chamber story, the British tabloid ''The Sun'' branded Jackson "Wacko Jacko", a name Jackson came to despise.<ref name="allmusic" /><ref>{{cite interview |last=Jackson |first=Michael |interviewer=Barbara Walters |title=Jackson interview with Barbara Walters |work=20/20 |publisher=ABC |date=September 12, 1997}}</ref> ''[[The Atlantic]]'' noted that the name "Jacko" has racist connotations, as it originates from [[Jacco Macacco|Jacko Macacco]], a monkey used in [[monkey-baiting]] matches at the [[Westminster Pit]] in the early 1820s, and "Jacko" was used in [[Cockney slang]] to refer to monkeys in general.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Vogel |first=Joseph |date=September 9, 2012 |title=How Michael Jackson Made 'Bad' |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/how-michael-jackson-made-bad/262162/ |magazine=[[The Atlantic]] |access-date=July 20, 2019 |ref=none |archive-date=December 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218073140/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/how-michael-jackson-made-bad/262162/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Jackson worked with [[George Lucas]] and [[Francis Ford Coppola]] on the 17-minute $30{{nbsp}}million [[3D film]] ''[[Captain EO]]'', which ran from 1986 at [[Disneyland]] and [[Epcot]], and later at [[Tokyo Disneyland]] and [[Disneyland Park (Paris)|Euro Disneyland]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Dewayne |last=Bevil |title=What's old is new again as 'Captain EO' returns to Epcot |newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |date=June 30, 2010 |access-date=April 6, 2019 |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-xpm-2010-06-30-os-tdd-tips-captain-eo-returns-063010-story.html |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920142825/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-xpm-2010-06-30-os-tdd-tips-captain-eo-returns-063010-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After having been removed in the late 1990s, it returned to the theme park for several years after Jackson's death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Captain EO is Back to Change the World |publisher=IGN |date=February 23, 2010 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/02/23/captain-eo-is-back-to-change-the-world |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917171107/https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/02/23/captain-eo-is-back-to-change-the-world |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1987, ''[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]'' reported that Jackson had disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Robert E. |last=Johnson |title=Michael Jackson Comes Back! |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |volume=42 |issue=11 |date=September 1987 |pages=143, 148–9 |issn=0012-9011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Li0JBWU6E0C&pg=PA143}}</ref> Katherine Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed the ''Thriller'' video,<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Katherine |last=Jackson |title=Mother of Jackson Family Tells All |magazine=Ebony |volume=45 |issue=12 |date=October 1990 |page=66 |issn=0012-9011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9MDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66 |quote=In 1987, he left the Jehovah's Witnesses. There was strong opposition to his "Thriller" video on the part of some Witnesses. Perhaps the controversy figured into his decision to leave. But I don't know that for a fact because I didn't talk to him about what he'd done. I couldn't. Witnesses do not discuss spiritual matters with a person who has disassociated himself from the Witnesses, including family members. But I want to stress that, contrary to published reports, I was not required to "shun" my son. Our relationship is as loving today as it was when he was a Witness. I just can't ask him, "Why, Michael?"}}</ref> which Michael denounced in a Witness publication in 1984.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=I Would Never Do It Again! |magazine=Awake |publisher=Jehovah's Witnesses |page=20 |date=May 22, 1984 |access-date=September 11, 2018 |url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101984368#h=18-20 |archive-date=September 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911191406/https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101984368#h=18-20 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2001, Jackson told an interviewer he was still a Jehovah's Witness.<ref name="tvg">{{cite magazine |date=November 10–16, 2001 |title=The Man in the Mirror |url= |magazine=[[TV Guide (magazine)|TV Guide]] |page=20 |quote=TVG: How did you avoid self-destruction? MJ [Michael Jackson]: I think religion entered in? TVG: Are you still a Jehovah's Witness? MJ: Yeah.}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page