Michael Jackson remains one of the biggest stars in pop music. He began his career as a child, dazzling on stage with his voice and youthful energy. Few viewers realized that behind the closed doors of his home, things were not as rosy as they seemed. Years later, Jackson revealed that he had been a victim of violence at the hands of his father.

Michael Jackson (thumbnail photo: Getty Images/Mick Hutson)

Michael Jackson in The Jacksons 5 (1970)
Michael Jackson with his father (circa 1971)
Michael Jackson in The Jacksons 5 (1970)

Michael Jackson remains the undisputed star of pop music. His great success cost him the loss of his childhood and many mental problems. All because of his father, who was strict towards his son and tortured him
“I took more than all my brothers put together,” Jackson summed up in his autobiography. He had the support of his mother, who discovered his talent
Jackson began his career in the band The Jacksons 5. In 1972, he released his first solo album and immediately charmed listeners. In the following years, he launched a lot of hits and made history in world pop music.
The “King of Pop” died in 2009. He excluded his siblings and father from his will.
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Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the seventh of nine children to Joseph “Joe” and Katherine Jackson . His father was a retired boxer and steelworker, and his mother worked in a store. Both had a penchant for music— Joseph was an amateur singer and guitarist in the Falcons, and Katherine was a pianist in a country band .

Michael Jackson with his parents (1973)
Fotos International/Getty Images
Michael Jackson with his parents (1973)

Michael Jackson often emphasized that his mother was an extremely important person in his life. In his 1988 autobiography, Moonwalk, he wrote :Every child thinks their mother is the best mother in the world, but we Jacksons believed it deeply.

He described his father, who had always been an “enigma” to him, much more coldly. In the book, he added that his father ” surrounded himself with a kind of armor and when he stopped talking about family matters, it was difficult to establish contact with him .” They all lived in a cramped apartment, so the parents had to sleep in one bedroom with the children. Katherine looked after the house, Joseph worked to support the family .

Michael Jackson and his difficult childhood

1/9 Michael Jackson in The Jacksons 5 (1970)

Michael Jackson in The Jacksons 5 (1970)
Bettmann / Getty Images

Michael Jackson was passionate about music from his earliest childhood. His talent was discovered by his mother, who one day heard her son singing . His father was reportedly not convinced of the boy’s abilities, but eventually gave him a chance. When the boy was five, he joined the family band The Jackson 5 , which consisted of his older siblings — Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon Jackson . Michael initially played congas and tambourine, later becoming the group’s vocalist. He took part in grueling rehearsals under the watchful eye of his strict father, with whom — as he himself said — he had a “very stormy” relationship .

2/9 Michael Jackson with his father (circa 1971)

Michael Jackson with his father (circa 1971)
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Joseph Jackson would provoke and humiliate his sons during rehearsals, and when the youngest of them tried to fight back, he would get a beating . “Sometimes I would throw a shoe at him or throw my fists at him. That’s why I got hit more than all my brothers put together. I would resist him, and he would just beat me up ,” Michael Jackson recalled.

3/9 Michael Jackson in The Jacksons 5 (1970)

Michael Jackson in The Jacksons 5 (1970)
Picasa / Getty Images

Michael Jackson paid for his success not only with a lack of childhood, but also with a sense of loneliness . After school, he could not play with his peers, but had to go to dance and singing rehearsals, which sometimes lasted until late at night. Because of this, he had nightmares and suffered from insomnia since childhood . Also because of his father, he supposedly did not have good relations with the rest of his siblings, who distanced themselves from their brother, blaming him for their father’s outbursts of aggression.

5/9 Michael Jackson (1971)

Michael Jackson (1971)
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Michael Jackson once revealed that his father also had a strong influence on his low self-esteem. The “King of Pop” suffered from acne as a teenager, and he always had a big nose, which was a great subject for Joseph to joke about. Michael Jackson, because of his father’s ridicule, did not like to look in the mirror, and only performing on stage gave him self-confidence . In adulthood, because of his father’s ridicule, he began experimenting with visits to plastic surgeons…

6/9 Michael Jackson (1971)

Michael Jackson (1971)
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In 2003, Joseph Jackson confirmed in an interview that he actually beat his children when they didn’t listen to him. Through strict discipline, he wanted to make his children successful. And so it happened – The Jacksons 5, thanks to performances in local clubs and participation in numerous competitions, were noticed by the prestigious music label Motown Records . Soon they recorded their first album and began to promote more hits. Michael Jackson – as the youngest and therefore most charming vocalist in the band – of course immediately made listeners fall in love with him. Finally, he began a solo career, which he started with the release of the album ” Got to Be There ” in 1972. Later came the explosion of the greatest popularity, which – although enviable – was built on painful foundations.

7/9 Michael Jackson (1972)

Michael Jackson (1972)
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

“Somehow I feel old. I really feel like an old man. Someone who has seen a lot and experienced a lot . After all the years I’ve worked, it’s hard to believe I’m not ’30’ yet,” Michael Jackson wrote in his 1988 autobiography.

8/9 Michael Jackson (1972)

Michael Jackson (1972)
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles at the age of 50. Seven years before his death, he made a will from which he excluded his siblings and father . He left his entire estate to his associates and children, specifying that the money should go to the Michael Jackson Family Trust Fund.

9/9 Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson