Michael Jackson: Legend: 1958-2009 [Hardcover]

Chas Newkey-Burden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009

When the world heard the news on June 25, 2009, that Michael Jackson had died, it was both a shocking end to a cruelly curtailed and extraordinary life, and a not-quite-unexpected finale to a story full of tragedy and darkness since its beginning. From his early success in the Jackson 5 to becoming the self-styled "King of Pop," Jackson lived his whole life in the limelight. Yet he once described himself as "one of the loneliest people in the world," and his personal life was a constant source of controversy, culminating in his very public fall from grace with his trial for sexual abuse and astonishing debts of $300 million. Millions of fans were looking forward to the 50 planned comeback concerts which were to be the triumphant happy ending to his story, but he died just weeks before they were due to take place. In this fascinating and eye-opening biography, Chas Newkey-Burden separates the man from the myth, unflinchingly examining the more contentious areas of his life while also celebrating the undeniable achievements of this undisputed musical genius. Michael Jackson: Legend will honor the memory of a man who gave so much joy to so many millions around the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chas Newkey-Burden's other celebrity biographies include Amy Winehouse and Paris Hilton: Life on the Edge.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Michael O'Mara (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843174405
• ISBN-13: 978-1843174400
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,074,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, September 26, 2010

By 

jswan "jswan" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Michael Jackson: Legend: 1958-2009 (Hardcover)

This book has no heart. It is written as a compilation of every news tidbit ever published about Michael Jackson with no flow towards the heart of the man. It not only reports the facts, but repeats fiction as well, with no attempt to distinguish between the two. Some accolades are given for his best performances and records and yet even then there is no heart to the praise. I would not recommend this book unless you are just interested in stringing together a bunch of events and accusations in a timeline.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mismarked by Society, August 1, 2010

By 

Trisha Koerner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Michael Jackson: Legend: 1958-2009 (Hardcover)

Michael Jackson Legend by Chas Newkey-Burden was in my opinion a good but very sad book. It was about the life of Michael but was brief. It starts where he was born in Gary Indiana. They lived in a very small house. All of the boys slept in one room. The home they lived in still stands.

It talks about how his brothers started singing and formed a group.One day Michael got up and just playing around sang a song and his mother thought he sounded like an angel. When his father Joe came home from work that night Katherine had Michael sing for him. It was decided he had to be a part of the group.

The Jackson 5 was formed and what their father did to them was deplorable! They were children! When Michael and his brothers came home from school they immediately had to start practicing their singing and dancing. Their father pushed them so hard their childhood was gone. If they did something wrong such as sing out of key as Michael often did (he was very young) his dad would lock him up in a cupboard.

When they started to go on the road to play in strip clubs and dives their father would bring women back to their room and sleep with them in front of the boys. This traumatized Michael. He knew it was wrong and he felt so sorry for his Mom.

As Michael grew his brothers would tease him and tell him he was looking more like their father every day. Michael hated his father! This is when he started getting plastic surgery done. He swore he would never be anything like his father.

As he grew older however he also started to have strange relationships with older women such as Diana Ross and Elizabeth Taylor and with younger boys such as Jordan Chandler and Macaualy Culkin. There really was never anything said of the relatonships with Diana or Eilzabeth but with the boys?

Macaualy states nothing inappropriate ever happened between him and Michael. He admits he even slept with him. However Jordan states that Michael did things to him. There was a huge court case that ruined Michaels life over this (instigated by his Mom)and probably for the most part his career. Jordan's Mom is a person that files different lawsuits against different companies and people to get money. How sad!

This took such a toll on Michael. Was this fact ever made public? No!! People to this day think he was a pervert.

It also talks about his marriages to Lisa Marie Presley(quick, secret) and Debbie Rowe(mother of two of his children) and his three children. Lisa Marie and Debbie remained friends with Michael until his death. His children were protected and well cared for. Michael was a great father.

I think Michal Jackson was an entertanier that will never be surpassed. He was marked by society as a pervert by a family that is known for filing lawsuits. This caused undue stress and depression that eventually killed the greatest entertainer of our time.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite, July 13, 2010

By 

Mary Singer (SAINT PETERSBURG, FL, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Michael Jackson: Legend: 1958-2009 (Hardcover)

I have ordered and read many many books about Michael Jackson and this one is by far my favorite.