Michael Jackson - The King of Pop or Wacko Jacko? (Part 2)

Jackson continued to work on new albums and in a big move Jackson left Quincy Jones and went with Sony to produce his 1991 album, Dangerous, which sold close to 28 million copies. Rumors about Jackson and his unusual relationship with children began to surface.

In 1993 Jackson was interviewed inside his home by Oprah Winfrey. Michael Jackson described his child fame as lonely and sad. He told Oprah, "Well, you don't get to do things that other children get to do, you know, having friends and slumber parties and buddies. There was none of that for me. I didn't have any friends when I was little. My brothers were my friends."

It was during this same year that official allegations were made against Michael for the molestation of a 13-year-old boy. Although Michael went public with his denial of any unlawful relationships with any child, he also decided to settle with the family for close to $20 million. It was also during this time that Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, married but were divorced less than two years later.

By 1995 Michael Jackson had a fortune of an estimated $750 million. Within his financial portfolio was a catalog of 300,000 songs including songs of Elvis Presley and the Beatles that he bought at auction, ultimately outbidding Paul McCartney, an act that severed their friendship.

In 1996 Debbie Rowe and Jackson married and they had a son, Prince Michael, and daughter Paris Katherine. The marriage lasted until 1999, when they divorced and custody of the children went to Jackson.

In 2001 Jackson invested $30 million into his next album, "Invincible" which was a financial loser. Sony failed to renew its contract with Jackson and the self-named "King of Pop" was losing popularity. His appearance was becoming more outlandish than before with what appeared to be extreme surgeries trying to fix other extreme surgeries, making this once attractive vibrant entertainer look like an aged vampire.

In February 2002 Jackson and a surrogate mother parented another son, Prince Michael II. In 2002 pictures of Michael dangling the baby over the railing of a balcony at a hotel in Berlin circulated around the world causing much criticism and skepticism toward Michael being a responsible parent. This event mixed with photographs of Michael walking with his other children covered in veils drew questions about his eccentric behavior and the welfare of his children.

Martin Bashir, a UK journalist did a rare, up-close documentary on Michael Jackson which was aired in February 2003. In the documentary, Jackson talked about his traumatic childhood. He also shared his thoughts about children and of Neverland Ranch and defended his practice of sharing his bed with children.

In the film 12-year-old Gavin Atvizo sat by his side. When the documentary was aired Jackson felt betrayed and manipulated by Bashir and claimed that he only showed moments taken out of context that displayed an unfavorable side of Jackson. Gavin's mother also complained that no consent was given for Gavin to appear on the film. As a counter attack Jackson put together a film of material omitted from the Bashir production including the part when Bashir commended Jackson's fathering skills.

On November 18, 2003 Jackson's Neverland Ranch was searched by 70 investigators in hopes of finding evidence that would corroborate the charges of 13-year-old boy, who told police that Jackson sexually molested him. A warrant for Jackson's arrest was also issued and on November 20, Jackson, who had been out of town during the search, surrendered himself to police. He was charged with "lewd or lascivious acts" with a child younger than 14 under section 288(a) of the California Penal Code.

Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent to commit that felony, in February and March 2003, all regarding the same boy under 14.

On June 13, 2005, Michael Jackson was found not guilty of all charges.

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^{Sources:
Michael Jackson Biography - VH1.com
Michael Jackson - MTV.com
60 Minutes - Jackson Interview Transcript
Is Michael Jackson Turning Black Again?
Michael Jackson: In a Class by Himself
Felony Complaint - The People of the State of California v. Michael Jackson
Indictment - The People of the State of California vs. Michael Jackson}