The late singer’s children Prince, 14, Paris, 13 and Blanket, 9, imprinted their father’s hand and footmarks using his famous sequin glove for the hand-print and his historic dancing shoes for the footprints.

“My dad won the lifetime achievement award. It was an award he strived and worked the hardest to get but for me, and I think for him as well, this right here is his lifetime achievement award,” Prince told the crowd. “This is what he strived to get and this is what we are giving him now today.”

Also in attendance on Thursday was Jackson’s mother Katherine and his brothers Tito and Jackie, as well as soul legend Smokey Robinson.

PHOTO: Prince Jackson, Blanket Jackson and Paris Jackson appear at the Michael Jackson Hand and Footprint ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. (Photo by Shola Orol/Royalty Images)

Jackson saw the anesthetic known as propofol as his salvation. On June 25, 2009, it became the King of Pop’s death potion.

How he overdosed in his mansion on a drug intended for hospital use is at the center of the manslaughter trial this week of the doctor he hired to be his highly paid personal physician for the “This is It” tour.

Testimony about the drug is expected to dominate the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, a Houston cardiologist who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The prosecution claims Murray was grossly negligent in giving Jackson propofol at home without proper lifesaving equipment available and then left the room long enough to find his patient not breathing when he returned.

His defense team claims the singer, desperate for sleep, swallowed an additional dose of the drug when his doctor was out of the room.

Getting to the truth of it will come down to sometimes technical testimony from an array of medical experts, pathologists and even the police officers and paramedics who inspected Murray’s equipment in the bedroom where Jackson went into cardiac arrest.

The defense theory, based on evidence that a trace amount of propofol _ .13 milligrams _ was found in Jackson’s stomach, may be a hard sell.

The drug is administered intravenously, usually during surgery. Scientific witnesses may be asked to explain how it could have gotten into his stomach. Some doctors say ingesting it orally is almost unheard of.

“It’s an odd, on-the-edge defense theory,” said Dr. Gil Tepper, chief of staff at Miracle Mile Medical Center in Los Angeles. “It would not put you to sleep and it would move through the system very rapidly, causing awful diarrhea.”

There are few authoritative studies and few statistics on deaths caused by the drug. It remains uncertain if the judge will allow a Chilean doctor’s study of students who voluntarily drank the drug or a study of pigs who received it rectally.

The prosecution has a key expert witness, as well as forensic experts from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office who are considered at the top of the field.

The defense boasts an advantage in one of its lawyers, J. Michael Flanagan, who says he is the only California attorney ever to try a propofol death case.

Flanagan represented one of a pair of nurses charged with killing a cancer patient who died after propofol was allegedly given without proper authorization by an anesthesiologist. Flanagan’s client was acquitted and the other nurse pleaded no contest to a lesser charge.

Abuse of the drug is said to occur among medical professionals but rarely among patients.

In anesthesia, propofol is known as something of a wonder drug. Tepper said it’s ideal for short term procedures such as colonoscopies or cataract surgery. Patients report feeling energized when they come out of it and there is no grogginess.

“But it’s absolutely not recommended as a sleep aid,” said Tepper. “You would never reach restful sleep and you would have to have constant monitoring.”

In a hospital setting, Tepper said the doctor would have heart and blood oxygenation monitors as well as surgical equipment to do intubation if the patient stops breathing. Witnesses have said no such equipment was in Jackson’s bedroom.

“It’s a very dangerous drug,” said Dr. Mark Schlesinger, head of anesthesiology at Hackensack University Medical Hospital in New Jersey, who said he has administered it thousands of times in his 25-year career. “The difference between unconsciousness and no longer breathing is a very slim margin of safety.”

In the hands of a trained anesthesiologist, he added: “It’s a wonderful drug and a very safe drug. It’s not the drug that kills somebody. It’s the way it is used.”

Murray was not the first doctor to give Jackson the drug as a sleep aid, although others have not been publicly named.

Jackson’s reliance on propofol was first disclosed to The Associated Press days after Jackson’s death. Cherilyn Lee, a nurse nutritionist who treated Jackson with vitamins, said he pleaded unsuccessfully with her to get the drug he knew as Diprivan. He said his doctor told him it was safe and he described falling asleep as soon as the drug dripped from an IV into his vein.

“I said, `Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication,’ and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes … , “`You’re going to take it and you’re not going to wake up.”’

Lee, who said she treated him from January to April 2009, is on the trial witness list. She said she never saw Jackson use other drugs.

“He wasn’t looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs,” she said. “This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest.”

Murray, who had been consulted by Jackson in his Las Vegas office, was promised $150,000 a month when he signed on as Jackson’s personal physician six weeks before he died. He closed the doors of his offices there and in Houston to devote himself to the singer.

An autopsy report showed that Jackson was generally healthy, indicating his key problem was insomnia. Murray has told police he administered other drugs known as benzodiazepines, which are also used as sleep aids. But when they did not work, Jackson demanded propofol.

Murray told police he was trying to wean him from the drug and gave him a minimal dosage, then left the room for five minutes to use the bathroom. However, cell phone records suggest he was making phone calls for a longer time. His actions after he found Jackson not breathing are also central to the case.

In the two years since Jackson died, doctors have been known to refer to propofol as “The Michael Jackson drug.” Some fear a backlash for its use.

Dr. Lawrence Koblinksy, head of forensic science at John Jay College in New York, said the situation of a famous man demanding propofol is an anomaly and should not cast doubt on its effectiveness in hospitals.

“If you have a drug that is wonderful, just because a celebrity dies doesn’t mean you take it off the market,” he said.

The executors said in documents filed Tuesday that since Jackson’s death in June 2009, the estate has generated more than $310 million, enabling them to pay off dozens of debtor claims and refinance loans at lower interest rates.

They also disclosed that Katherine Jackson wants to sell the family’s famous compound in Encino and find a new residence for her and the children.

The family has been living in a temporary home in Calabasas while the Encino property was being refurbished. A hearing for a judge’s approval of the plan is set for Sept. 28.

Attorneys Edward Chernoff and J. Michael Flanagan argued that the new evidence against Dr. Conrad Murray should be barred from the trial because it arrived too late.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said that would be absurd and called the situation the defense team’s own fault for refusing to delay the trial when he and the judge suggested it.

Among the new expert opinions proposed by prosecutors is that Jackson could not have caused his own death by swallowing the powerful anesthetic propofol because it is not absorbed through the intestines.

At a preliminary hearing earlier this year, the defense posed the idea that Jackson, desperate for sleep, swallowed the drug while his doctor was out of the room.  Propofol is normally is administered intravenously for surgery.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said he would not exclude the expert testimony and declared he prosecution was not trying to “sandbag” the defense by disclosing the witness so close to the possible end of jury selection next week.

“This case involves sophisticated scientific issues,” Pastor said, adding it was likely that new theories would arise during discovery of evidence.

“I’m not surprised by the situation,” the judge said. “I anticipated these problems when I was advised that this case was going to proceed within 60 days after the preliminary hearing.”

Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop superstar, has insisted on moving forward quickly.

Walgren said the prosecution, which originally listed 11 anticipated expert witnesses, has cut that down to four, most of them new.

“When the first experts got into this, it was not anticipated the defense would go with the theory that Michael killed himself,” the prosecutor said. “This is a situation they created … It was always our theory that Dr. Murray was incompetent, untruthful and caused the death of Michael Jackson.”

With the new defense theory in play, prosecutors had to seek new scientific experts, he said.

Flanagan said he and Chernoff now need additional experts to respond to the newly added prosecution witnesses.

Chernoff was scheduled to report back to the judge later Friday. He said he would consult with Murray to determine whether to request a delay.

Jury selection, which began with a panel filling out written questionnaires, is set to continue May 4, with opening statements the following week.

An entertainment industry veteran, she began her career with Motown Records discovering Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, Lionel Richie and the Commodores, and is the Co-Chair of de Passe Jones Entertainment.

At the 14th Annual Legacy Awards Gala to be held on Wednesday, January 26, in New York City, she will receive the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) highest honor — the Bob Marley Award, an accolade presented to individuals who have achieved high levels of achievement within their respective fields of industry.

“We are thrilled to celebrate Ms. de Passe for her trailblazing and groundbreaking achievements in entertainment. She embodies the spirit in which the award was created, and is an example of the positive contribution the arts can make to our world”, said Gala Chair, Janet Rollé of BET Networks and AFUWI Board Chair Michael Flanigan.

The Bob Marley Award is a recognition granted to individuals whose contribution to arts and culture transcends boundaries of race, and unites people throughout in a manner which embodies the essence, lyrics and music of the Hon. Robert Nesta Marley.

An Emmy Award winner, her productions have earned numerous award nominations. Suzanne’s illustrious career include an Oscar Nomination for co-writing “Lady Sings the Blues.” Currently, Suzanne along with her business partner, Madison Jones, are producing with Steven Spielberg, a film on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The AFUWI Legacy Awards Gala is a prestigious annual event which seeks to raise funds to support scholarship programs at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Is that you, R. Kelly?

That may be a fair question to ask after listening to “Love Letter,” the brilliant new album from the self-proclaimed Pied Piper of R&B.

“Love Letter” is a gorgeous, 15-track ode to the various stages of love, drawing from a retro soul style and delivered with romantic grace. While there’s no doubt Kelly is capable of musical greatness, the grace part might throw off some.

Kelly has produced some of R&B’s most poignant and moving songs but he’s better known for his salacious sexual grooves. Over the last few years, those songs appeared to be Kelly’s only specialty, turning the multidimensional singer-songwriter-producer into a one-note, tired act.

But the genius of R. Kelly has been resurrected and is on full display on “Love Letter,” which echoes Sam Cooke, Teddy Pendergrass and even a bit of Luther Vandross for a grown-folks love album that won’t shock the parents or scare the children. The first single, the epic “When a Women Loves,” is a tour de force that not only puts Kelly’s wondrous songwriting on display, but also showcases a voice that has little competition when it comes to pure power and passion.

That song represents the album’s masterpiece, but there are plenty of masterful moments throughout. “How Do I Tell Her” is a moving tearjerker about a leaving a loved one, while “Music Must Be a Lady” is a sensual missive to what may be Kelly’s greatest love. The percussive “Taxi Cab” is the album’s raciest track, but after hearing about Kelly’s sexual exploits in the kitchen, cars and elsewhere, a song about making love in a taxi sounds downright quaint.

The album ends on a bittersweet note with the bonus track “You Are Not Alone,” the No. 1 hit he wrote for Michael Jackson. As Kelly sings it, it becomes less of a love song and more of a mournful, beautiful remembrance of a departed loved one.

“Love Letter,” reminiscent of Kelly’s 2004 CD, “Happy People,” is one of the best albums of his career, and may be among the best of the year. Here’s hoping that those turned off by his crass material of late will pay attention to this classy, and classic, gem.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: “Radio Message” is an old-school sounding plea for forgiveness disguised as a radio request; if only all radio requests sounded this good.

The video, previewed by The Associated Press, debuts at midnight Thursday Eastern time on worldwide websites, including MichaelJackson.com, said Jackson estate co-administrator John Branca.

It showcases Jackson’s duet with Akon, “Hold My Hand,” recorded before the superstar’s 2009 death. It’s the first single release from the 10-song CD, “Michael,” launching Dec. 14.

The hyperkinetic, four-and-a-half-minute video shows Jackson in concert, Akon singing and dancing, sentimental scenes of children, families and old people holding hands and a woman weeping.

The song opens with the prescient line, “This life don’t last forever…So tell me what we’re waiting for…Hold my hand. “

Joe Jackson’s visit to a federal courtroom in Los Angeles, while thousands of people were filing through the gates of a nearby cemetery to mourn the man they call the King of Pop, highlighted once again just how brilliantly the star that was Michael Jackson’s life had burned, and how suddenly it had been extinguished.

“The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Gone Too Soon,” proclaimed a 100-foot banner spread out near the entrance to Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale on Friday to mark the first anniversary of Jackson’s death.

“He’s been my idol all my life since I can remember. I feel like I haven’t had closure,” said Erick Dominguez, who traveled more than 80 miles (130 kilometers) from his home in Victorville to the Los Angeles suburb to pay his respects. As he spoke, the 37-year-old sales representative, his eyes hidden by sunglasses, began to weep. He was joined by mourners from Italy, France, Spain, Norway and numerous other parts of the world.

Several of Jackson’s relatives also visited the cemetery, going to its mausoleum, where Jackson’s body is entombed and which is off limits to the public. Brother Tito shook hands with fans as he arrived, and brother Jermaine rolled down a window and waved as the family left in a fleet of luxury vehicles. As they departed, fans released a flock of white doves.

“It was a beautiful sight,” said one of the mourners, Courtland Llauger.

In Jackson’s hometown of Gary, Indiana, hundreds cheered as the entertainer’s mother, Katherine Jackson, unveiled a memorial to her son in the front yard of the modest home where he grew up.

“This past year has been very hard on the family,” she told the crowd. “If it wasn’t for the help of all of you, we wouldn’t have made it through.”

Jackson died June 25, 2009 at age 50, just before he was to begin a comeback tour. Dr. Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter. Authorities say Murray provided the entertainer with a mix of sedatives _ including the powerful anesthetic propofol _ that killed him.

Jackson’s father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the physician Friday, seeking more than $75,000. The complaint accuses Murray of professional negligence and contends he tried to conceal his administration of propofol after Jackson’s death. Propofol is normally administered only in hospital settings. Murray had been providing it in the bedroom of Jackson’s rented mansion in Los Angeles to help him sleep after the physically grueling rehearsals the performer had been putting himself through to get in shape for his comeback.

Murray attorney Charles Peckham said in a statement he expected his client’s innocence to be “proven in a court of law.”

Away from the courtroom, numerous tributes to Jackson, both poignant and joyful, unfolded throughout the day.

In Japan, hundreds met at Tokyo Tower to honor Jackson with a candlelight vigil, a gospel concert and more. Some got a chance to see some of his possessions, including costumes from his tours and even a 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom that he used to drive around Los Angeles.

“I don’t know what to say. Seeing all his things makes it all come back to me,” said Yumiko Sasaki, a 48-year-old Tokyo office worker who said she has been a Jackson fan since she was 12. “It makes me so sad to think that he is gone. He was wonderful.”

In New York City, crowds gathered at Harlem’s fabled Apollo Theater, where Jackson and his brothers rocketed to fame as the Jackson 5, winning amateur night in the late 1960s. His pictures were hung outside and a sidewalk plaque honored the singer alongside such other Apollo legends as James Brown and Smokey Robinson.

In Santa Barbara’s wine country, people showed up throughout the day at Neverland, the playland home where Jackson once lived with his own zoo and amusement park. There, by the front gates, they danced, listened to music and exchanged hugs and tears.

In cyberspace, people also paused to remember Jackson. Among them was Mariah Carey who said via Twitter that she was marking the day by watching the video “You Are Not Alone.”

“Love and prayers to MJ ‘King of Pop,”’ she tweeted. “You will be remembered forever. We miss you.”

LOS ANGELES  _ Michael Jackson’s doctor is “hanging on by a thread” and must be allowed to continue practicing medicine in order to pay for his defense on a manslaughter charge in the pop star’s death, the physician’s lawyers said in court papers filed Thursday.

Responding to a bid by the California attorney general to suspend Dr. Conrad Murray’s medical license pending trial, attorneys Ed Chernoff and Joseph Low said that the effect would be devastating to the doctor who already faces a slew of financial problems.

“He is, without fear of overstatement, hanging on by a thread,” the attorneys wrote. “His ability to pay for his own defense depends almost entirely on his ability to continue to treat patients.”

Murray, who was working as Jackson’s personal physician, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the singer’s death from the anesthetic propofol and other drugs. He has pleaded not guilty.

Murray is scheduled for a court appearance Monday at which a judge may be assigned to his case and a preliminary hearing date selected.

The attorney general’s office said a representative of the Medical Board of California will appear to challenge Murray’s license. Murray has already been told not to use anesthetics.

Murray’s lawyers said there is no need to revoke his California license since he does not practice in the state and cautioned that a suspension would have a “domino effect” leading to his inability to practice at his clinics in Nevada and Texas.

“If Dr. Murray is unable to practice medicine in Texas, and especially Nevada, he will likely be faced with the inability to adequately defend himself of the charges facing him in the Superior Court of California,” his lawyers wrote. “The case with which he is charged will require intensive attorney work and fees. In light of the fact that much of his defense will be scientifically based and involves the death of an internationally famous decedent, expenses for his defense will be considerable.”

The attorneys also argued that the state is unfairly trying to curtail Murray’s right to a full hearing by the medical board.

They said a suspension would affect his ability to pay child support and to pay his employees and would negatively impact the patients he is treating in Nevada and Texas.

Court records show Murray had serious financial problems when he signed on in May at $150,000 per month to keep Jackson healthy through a series of comeback shows planned in London.

The cardiologist owed at least $780,000 for settlements against his business, outstanding mortgage payments on his house, delinquent student loans, child support and credit cards. He faced near foreclosure on his Las Vegas country club home.

In January, he made a payment of $1,003 on a $15,500 child support debt involving a California woman and her 11-year-old son.

In another development Thursday, Nevada state medical officials filed a formal complaint against Murray, saying he twice failed to mention delinquent child support payments on applications to renew his medical license. Miranda Sevcik, spokeswoman for Murray and his attorney Edward Chernoff says Murray’s legal team received the complaint weeks ago and hopes to resolve it in a way that allows the doctor to keep his medical license.

The next month, he failed to appear at a Las Vegas court proceeding and was found in default on a $132,000 debt related to office and medical equipment and services.

The attorney general’s office said Murray exercised “poor professional judgment” in Jackson’s treatment and “ultimately took the life of his patient.”

“Defendant’s behavior shows an utter disregard for the care and well-being of the persons entrusted to his care. His conduct is unprofessional and reckless,” the motion to revoke his license said. “This is conduct from which the public should be protected.”

Instead of the promised appearance by Dr. Conrad Murray and his lawyers, a crowd of reporters and photographers gathered outside a branch courthouse only got a drenching from a rainstorm.

Murray, working as Jackson’s personal physician during the singer’s preparation for comeback concerts, has been under investigation since the 50-year-old pop star died June 25 after being administered the hospital-strength anesthetic propofol and sedatives at his rented mansion to help him sleep.

It’s not clear what would have happened had the cardiologist shown up without a case being filed.

District attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the events had no bearing on when the case would be filed. She released a terse statement saying prosecutors will be filing a case involving Jackson’s death on Monday, but it did not name Murray or specify the charges.

“The main thing is there’s some paperwork that needs to be done. We’re doing it and (the case) will be filed on Monday,” Gibbons said.

The doctor’s legal team has said Murray will be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

“We’ll make bail, we’ll plead not guilty and we’ll fight like hell,” said lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff.

The strange chain of events _ which at one point saw reporters scramble from the courthouse to nearby recreational grounds called Polliwog Park for a news conference that never happened _ fueled intense speculation about what was going on behind the scenes.

The developments occurred against a background of reports that police wanted to arrest and handcuff Murray, but that his attorneys were negotiating with the prosecution to avoid that.

Chernoff said he spoke with prosecutors Thursday about how Murray should be taken to court on Friday. Discussions broke down after the district attorney’s office insisted Murray turn himself in at a police station, but not post bail and agree to be taken to court by police while in handcuffs.

A defense spokeswoman also earlier had said the prosecution had told Murray and his lawyers to be at court Friday afternoon.

Gibbons said that was “an absolute lie.”

“We made no deal with them,” Gibbons said.

Gibbons also said the district attorney’s office and the Los Angeles Police Department were not at odds.

A law enforcement official close to the case has told The Associated Press that police wanted to arrest Murray at a home where he was staying and take him to a police station for booking. Top brass at the Los Angeles Police Department were unhappy with a surrender because it could appear Murray was being given special treatment, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

Various factors weighed in the desire of the LAPD to arrest Murray, including the possibility he might flee before arraignment, the law enforcement official said.

Jackson fans flooded phone lines at the district attorney’s office and at the LAPD’s robbery-homicide unit demanding that Murray be brought to court in handcuffs.

“When Michael Jackson was arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, he was handcuffed and publicly humiliated,” said Samantha DeGossen, a fan who organized the protest via Internet sites. “We’re outraged that Dr. Murray is not being subjected to the same treatment.”

Jackson was tried and acquitted on child molestation charges in Santa Maria, California, in 2005. He flew to Santa Maria on a private plane and surrendered to law enforcement authorities who handcuffed him and drove him to a jail to be fingerprinted and photographed.

DeGossen said a group of fans plans to be on hand Monday to protest outside the courthouse if Murray is allowed to surrender on his own.

“All we want is justice for Michael Jackson,” she said.

Murray became the focus of the probe into Jackson’s death shortly after an emergency call from Jackson’s home last summer reported that the singer wasn’t breathing despite efforts by the doctor to perform CPR. Murray told police he gave Jackson a powerful anesthetic and other sedatives that an autopsy blamed for his death.

The doctor maintains nothing he gave Jackson should have killed him.

New York-based attorney William Moran, who has represented high-profile clients, said it is not unusual for there to be friction between police and prosecutors in cases in the media limelight. Any attorney would push back against the prospect of a client being photographed in police custody.

“If you are either a patient of the doctor or considering becoming a patient of the doctor, it’s hard to get past the image of your doctor in handcuffs,” Moran said, adding that such an image could impact potential jurors.

Michael Jackson is bigger in death than he was in life...

Michael Jackson is one of the most sampled artists in the world.

From reggae, soul, pop to rock his music has been sampled in numerous songs. Whether it’s Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” which sampled “Wanna Be Startin’ Something or SWV’s “Right There,” a reworking of “Human Nature,” or even Wayne Wonder’s reggae rendition of “The Girl is Mine,” there’s no dispute that his influence in music is simply staggering.

Born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana at the height of the first full decade of post segregation, Michael was the seventh of nine siblings (Marlon’s twin Brandon died at birth). His father Joseph Walter worked as a crane operator at U.S. Steel and played guitar in a band called the Falcons whilst his mother Katherine worked part time at a retail store. As early as five years old, family members recall hearing Michael’s amazing display of vocal abilities and by 1965, a family act featuring Michael and his brothers Jermaine (on bass and vocals), Tito (on guitar), Jackie and Marlon were performing at local talent shows. Throughout the late 60s, the Jackson clan would spend weekends piled into their father’s station wagon (Joseph was highly influential in their musical development) to perform in various cities from Indiana to Chicago and as far east as Harlem’s Apollo club where they won over the legendary tough crowds. The sight of a pint sized Michael belting out the hits of James Brown and other R&B stars of that era electrified audiences and drew public attention. It wasn’t long before Motown founder Berry Gordy signed the group to his Detroit label releasing their first album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5, through Motown Records in December, 1969.

Dubbed The First Family of Soul, The Jackson Five became the undisputed Kings of Motown and were the first black teen idols of that era with their skilful steps, trendy afros and sequin-studded gloves. Their first four singles rocketed to the top of the charts, four albums went platinum, and the band of brothers sold over 50 million records while pioneering a multimedia empire that spanned magazines, cartoons and television. Michael, however, with his high voice and infectious energy always stood out in the group and in the late 70s he finally parted ways with his brothers to pursue a solo career.

His first classic solo effort “Off The Wall” was a commercial success. Then there was the movie musical “The Wiz” with Diane Ross and album “Thriller” which became an undisputed, groundbreaking musical volcano and a pop culture phenomenon. During his extraordinary career, Michael sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No.1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even the Guinness Book of World Records recognized Michael as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and album “Thriller” as the Biggest Selling Album. Michael won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award. Five of his solo albums — “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Dangerous” and “HIStory,” all with Epic Records, a Sony Music label — are among the top-sellers of all time. The dancing, the silver glove and the scope of his cinematic music videos paved the way for artists from Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo to Chris Brown and his videos were among the first by a black artist to be played on MTV.

Since his premature death, Michael Jackson has become the center of a million obsessions with speculations running rampant about his life and cause of death, but there’s certainly no disagreement on the impact he had in all genres of the music industry. Jackson, who once shared a stage with reggae great Lucky Dube released memorable jams and songs that have been played tirelessly in the last month. Hip-hop acts sampled him, electronica artists remixed him whilst reggae artists interpreted his songs with eclectic twist. Whether it’s the reggae rendition of “The Girl Is Mine” by Yellowman & Peter Metro, Shinehead’s “Billie Jean” or Sanchez’s “Ben,” threads of his influence can be heard in many genres even if some references haven’t always been flattering. At a recent award ceremony shortly after his death, numerous artists spoke of his influence. Artists from Melody Thornton, Alicia Keys, Bounty Killer to Jeremy Priven all remembered the trend setting musical icon. “Without the gloved one,” actor Jeremy Piven joked, “Justin Timberlake would probably be selling curly fries.” “The way his life ended was tragic, but his music is definitely magic!” Bounty Killer told Fuse Magazine.

Embracing funk, disco, pop, soul, soft rock and jazz, Michael Jackson made music and plenty of it, but despite his musical success, his legacy will always remain marred by his eccentricities; allegations of child molestation, a prescription drug problem, his numerous plastic surgeries, his financial woes, and childlike idiosyncrasies such as his comparisons to Peter Pan and a refusal to mature to an age where he would have to confront the pain of his past, including an allegedly abusive childhood documented in a book by older sister Latoya Jackson and also discussed in his autobiography “Moon Walk.”

According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, Jackson was almost $500-million at the time of his death — the result of bad business decisions, associated lawsuits, and a desire to keep living the lavish, often whimsical lifestyle he enjoyed in the mid-1980s, but without the vibrant musical career that had sustained it. At the time of his death, he was on the verge of trying to revive his musical career, via a series of performances at London’s O2 arena with dates running until early March 2010.

Michael Jackson is bigger in death than he was in life. He went from being a fresh-faced kid who made his stage debut at the age of six years old to the dizzying heights of becoming one of the word’s most iconic pop super-stars with a recording legacy that will live forever through all genres.

Samantha Ofole-Prince is a contributer to Carib Press

Photo from Wikipedia