Michael Jackson Dies at Age 50

I'm sure everyone has heard by now that Michael Jackson is dead. He was found unconsious in his Los Angeles home on the morning of June 25th and went into a coma on the way to UCLA Hospital. There, at 4:36 p.m. he was pronounced dead by attending doctors.

Michael Jackson rose to stardom by starting out in The Jackson Five with four of his brothers, Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Jermaine. He began his solo career in 1971 and became known as the "King Of Pop".

He made several records, including "Thriller", which stayed at the top of Billboard charts for 80 consecutive weeks. He had the highest paying royalty at $2.00 for every album sold.

By 1988 Jackson had made enough money to build his own amusement park, which he deemed "Neverland Ranch". It was complete with a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, zipper, roller coaster, bumper cars and several other attractions. He named the ranch after the fantasy island of Peter Pan, where children never grow up.

You would think all of this fame and material objects could buy anyone happiness, but it could not. Michael was constantly plagued by childhood abuse. It caused him to suffer from anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder. He was never happy when he looked in the mirror and underwent several cosmetic surgeries to change his outward appearance. The public could not understand why he was doing such horrible things to his body, but to him he was erasing the abused child inside and creating a new man.

Michael's fall came in 1993 when he was accused of sexual abuse by a 13 year old boy named Jordan Chandler. Of course he denied the accusations, but it didn't help matters when his sister, LaToya, also called him a pedophile.

He was still looking to change his life when he married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994. The public mostly saw this as a ploy to prove he was innocent of the sexual charges. They divorced after only two years.

In 1997, Jackson was married again. This time to a dermatologist named Deborah Jeanne Rowe. He fathered two children, one boy and one girl. They divorced in 1999 and he was granted full custody of both children. He also fathered a third child in 2002, a second son.

Still Jackson wasn't happy with himself and continued to try to change his face.

I guess by now you are seeing a pattern with this man and realize that no matter what he had, he could never be happy. This is the case with most adults that have suffered childhood abuse. It becomes their goal to completely destroy that abused child and make themselves into a new person.

It was unfortunate that Michael passed away at such a young age, but I do believe he will finally find peace with himself and be happy.