Abstract: This issue of MJ Studies Today continues the story of false narratives and alternative histories generated or regurgitated about Michael Jackson. Picking up where Part 1 (August 2024) left off, this month columnist Kerry Hennigan looks at some of the stories about Jackson that circulated following his death. Some of these defied not only credibility, but also the evidence readily available in public records. Finally, Kerry considers the impact such stories can have on Jackson’s artistic and personal legacy as well as his family.
Column by Kerry Hennigan, editor of the free monthly newsletter A Candle for Michael, administrator of the fan group “Michael Jackson’s Short Film Ghosts” on Facebook, and an MJ blogger on WordPress. Kerry is a life-long student, has Certificates in the Archaeology of the Ancient World and the Archaeology of Ancient Britain from Cambridge University in the UK and is currently focused on the Viking Age and the Silk Roads.
REFERENCE AS:
Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today CVI: The return and its aftermath. ‘Damned Lies’ and Conspiracies in the life and afterlife of Michael Jackson, Part 2.” (14-10-2024). The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies Vol 11, No. 2 (2024). https://michaeljacksonstudies.org/mj-studies-today-cvi/
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The return and its aftermath. “Damned Lies” and Conspiracies in the life and afterlife of Michael Jackson, Part 2. By Kerry Hennigan
Photo montage © Kerry Hennigan
On 5 March 2009, Michael Jackson returned to the spotlight for a brief press conference inside London’s O2 arena complex. The King of Pop was bringing a new show to the O2; the series of concerts would be his final live performances in the UK, he said. His proclamation of “This is it” became the obvious choice for the name of the residency. [1] While Jackson’s fans were ecstatic, for his critics and other social commentators, the event was an opportunity to trivialise the most eagerly awaited come back in pop music history. Perhaps it was because he had spent many years avoiding the press, wearing disguises or hiding behind a mask, and even, at times, using a double as a decoy – for whatever reason, no sooner had Jackson left the stage than rumours began to circulate that it had been a look-alike, not Michael Jackson himself, who had made the announcement. [2]
“I’ll see you in July,” he promised the crowd in attendance. However, Michael would die during the rehearsal period for his “This Is It” shows, inside his rented Beverley Hills home in Los Angeles, on 25th June 2009. As the news began filtering out through the media and the fan network, people jumped on the internet in an attempt to find out “the truth.” So many people Googled “Michael Jackson” that the internet crashed. This first posthumous piece of Michael’s media legacy is true. Many other things subsequently said about him weren’t. Some of them were purely ridiculous, such as the “false tip” of his nose being missing when his body was taken to the morgue. [3] The derisive narrative of Jackson as a physical “freak” would continue long after it should have been dispelled by the details of the coroner’s report on his autopsy, particularly subsequent to its extensive examination in court.
Once the news of his death had received blanket media coverage, various stories began to circulate online and on air that Jackson was, in fact, still alive. These occurred even as the authorities were investigating the culpability of Jackson’s personal doctor who was meant to monitor Michael while he slept. Dr Conrad Murray was eventually found guilty of 2nd degree manslaughter in a trial that was televised. Yet stories of conspiracies continued to circulate about Michael – including that he had faked his own death. This invented narrative might have initially been born of wishful thinking, but it evolved far beyond that, generating something of a cottage industry (complete with price tags). Of course, whether or not one believed the death hoax conspiracy, the tabloid media still attempted to give fans hope, publishing stories like the one about Michael having himself cloned or cryogenically frozen! (If you thought you couldn’t make this stuff up, think again. Someone did exactly that!) [4] If Jackson’s family were aware of what was going on, in particular his young children, it must have been extremely painful for them. [5][6]
Michael’s three children obviously adored their dad, and continue to honour him online and in interviews. Fatherhood was Jackson’s proudest achievement. Yet, there are social media commentors who vehemently insist that Jackson didn’t father his own children – with some of his “friends” having claimed in the media to be the biological fathers of his children. Mark Lester, former child star turned dentist said he believed Paris was his daughter. Matt Fiddes, who worked briefly as a bodyguard for Jackson in the UK, claimed to be Blanket/Bigi’s father, and none other than Arnold Klein, Jackson’s long-time dermatologist, claimed to be Prince Jackson’s dad – and later denied it. (As did Jackson’s ex-wife, Prince and Paris’ mother, Debbie Rowe, who had worked for Klein for many years when the latter was treating Michael’s vitiligo.)
Another of Jackson’s friends, the late Carrie Fisher, put the whole paternity issue into a sensible perspective when she commented about these “wannabe” daddies in her online blog, “Why would he [Michael] do that? He might as well just adopt 3 kids, rather than arrange a situation where he was not the father… Michael was eccentric, no doubt. But he was no fool.” [7] Indeed, why would someone who suffered so much litigation during his life risk possible legal challenges to his paternity of his own children – much less risk their emotional wellbeing if he were no longer around? It makes no sense, like most of the conspiracies about Jackson. [8]
While the tabloids lapped all this up (the pseudo-fathers, that is, not the rebuttals), other opportunists were claiming to be the unacknowledged offspring of the King of Pop. Family members, and the courts, were not amused, much less convinced. Even a fake DNA test was quickly debunked. [9] The sick hilarity is that on the one hand, Jackson is presumed not to be able to father his own children, on the other, he’s said to have fathered children he never acknowledged! The fact that these stories cancel each other out doesn’t appear to have occurred to the media outlets that gleefully peddle both angles long after they should have been laughed into oblivion.
Another constant in the alternative histories of Michael Jackson is that he did not want to be black, that he bleached his skin so he could be white. Centuries of racist ideology fuel such claims, which, in Jackson’s case, requires ignorance/denial of that previously mentioned coroner’s report which confirmed his vitiligo, as well as the belief that Jackson himself, and various family members, lied about his condition. The often-mentioned cream (Benoquin) he used to even out the tone of his skin is prescribed for exactly the condition that plagued Jackson most of his adult life, in particular from his mid-20s onwards. The fallacy of this “wish to be white” merely continues the marginalisation of Jackson as “the Other” – someone so different from the currently acceptable norms as to defy understanding.
One of the legacies Michael Jackson left behind is the truth about human life that we all are black, we all are white, we all are connected, and we all are one.
– Unite for Vitiligo [10]
The reality of the myths and conspiracies about Michael Jackson say little about Michael himself, but a lot about the individuals and agencies who perpetuate them, and about those who choose to believe them despite evidence to the contrary. Is it our own immortality we are hoping for if we believe he is still alive, had himself cloned, or perhaps cryogenically frozen with the hope of future resurrection? [11]
One thing is obvious, when it comes to lies, distortions and conspiracy theories, the afterlife contrived for Jackson by those responsible for these stories threatens to obscure and trivialise not just his artistic genius, but the true nature of an exceptional human being.
Kerry Hennigan
14 October 2024
NB: Diligent authors are faced with a problem when preparing an essay about the blatant errors and fabrications of various media outlets, on any subject – but particularly when it’s Michael Jackson who has been so maligned by these publications. Providing the sources for examples of such offending articles is the only way to prove their existence. Those listed below are therefore provided purely as evidence that, no matter how farfetched they seem, I didn’t make them up. I would otherwise never choose to share them in an academic publication like the Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies – or anywhere else.
Sources:
[1] Michael Jackson press conference – Live from the O2 Arena London 05/mar/09 https://youtu.be/c1znYaU0oeo?si=87q_nhc7MEagrhj5
[2] Daily Mail. “The square chin. The deep voice. But was it really Michael Jackson?” 14 March 2009. Retrieved 27 Sep 2024 from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1161879/The-square-chin-The-deep-voice-But-really-Michael-Jackson.html
[3] New Zealand Herald. “The curious case of Jackson’s missing schnoz.” 27 July 2009. Retrieved 25 Sep 2024 from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-curious-case-of-jacksons-missing-schnoz/PZLMOFUWSWCNIQFAPWCKMWFOWE/
[4] Bank Showbiz. “Michael Jackson cloned himself before death.” Updated 30 Oct 2014. Retrieved 25 Sep 2024 from https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/michael-jackson-cloned-himself-death-070000661.html
[5] Snopes. “Fact Check. No, Michael Jackson isn’t alive.” https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/no-michael-jackson-isnt-alive/
[6] Hennigan, Kerry. “Michael Jackson: death hoax conspiracies and the death denial phenomenon – ten years on. MJ Studies Today, June 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2024 via Michael Jackson: death hoax conspiracies and the death denial phenomenon – ten years on – MJ Studies Today, June 2019
[7] Heilbron, Alexandra. “Carrie Fisher blogs about Michael Jackson.” Tribute. 8 July 2009. Retrieved 25 Sep 2024 from https://www.tribute.ca/news/carrie-fisher-blogs-about-michael-jackson/2009/07/08/
[8] Newman, Vicki. “Is Michael Jackson his kids’ biological father? All the conspiracy theories.” Mirror. Updated 13 Jul 2021. Retrieved 25 Sep 2024 from https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/michael-jackson-biological-father-children-14099819
[9] Tonks, Owen & Bucktin, Christopher, United States Editor. “Was the Brandon Howard DNA test faked? Michael Jackson may not have fathered secret son.” Mirror. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 25 Sep 2024 from https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/micheal-jackson-secret-son-fake-3218839
[10] Unite for Vitiligo. “Michael Jackson and his Vitiligo Story.” Undated. Retrieved 26 Sep 2024 from https://uniteforvitiligo.com/michael-jackson-and-his-vitiligo-story/
[11] Sun Online. “Jackson planned to clone himself and have his body frozen before death.” 4 April 2019. Retrieved 25 Sep 2024. https://www.thesun.co.uk/video/uncategorized/8793685/michael-jackson-planned-to-be-cloned-and-frozen-in-cryogenic-chamber-before-death/