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迈克尔·杰克逊 一个备受争议的成功者

2009-07-08来源:和谐英语


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Well, as the youngest member of the family troupe--The Jackson Five, Michael Jackson became a child star and later claimed he had never had a childhood while also accusing his father of abuse. As a self-proclaimed Peter Pan, Jackson bought his infamous Neverland ranch in 1987. It was the height of his solo stardom and his private life became a subject of much speculation, amid rumors that he slept in an oxygen tent, and adopted a chimp  called 'Bubbles' with whom he allegedly shared a bed. In the early 90s with his skin noticeably paler, Jackson admitted having undergone plastic surgery, but he claimed it was due to a rare skin condition.

In 1993, 13-year-old Jordan Chandler claimed Jackson sexually abused him at Neverland. Jacko paid out 10.6 million pounds in a settlement although he always denied the claims.

Many saw his 1994 marriage to Elvis' only child Lisa Marie Presley as a publicity stunt. It lasted just 19 months. He swiftly married the Australian nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996. Their marriage was to last three years and produced two children, Prince Michael and Paris Michael Jackson. Well, following  that divorce, Jackson took on sole custody of the children but his parenting skills came into question when he dangled baby 'Blanket', his third child born to a mystery surrogate mother, out of a hotel balcony. Remember the outcry of those pictures. And a year later Jackson invited Martin Bashir to interview him, a now infamous documentary in which Michael Jackson described sharing a bed with a young boy as 'a beautiful thing'. A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of sexually molesting a 12-year-old boy. He pleaded not guilty and in 2005 he was cleared of all charges. But his fortune had all but disappeared. A year later Neverland officially closed and Jackson sought a reclusive life out of the public glare.

With record-breaking sales a distant memory now, Jackson arrived in London in March of this year to unveil a string of dates, his first live tour in a decade. He described the gigs as his 'final curtain call', but the king of pop would never take to the stage again.