My favourite memory of all was when I was driving with Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston in his car, in the mid-1980s, singing Dionne Warwick’s greatest hits.
Michael would sing one song, then Whitney would sing the next and, when it came to my turn, they both sang together and told me to not sing.
How mortifying to be the world’s worst singer trying to keep up with two of the greatest talents I’ve ever known”
- David Gest

photo edited by me

♥Thank You Michael♥
for the work you have done helping special needs at risk,
and sick children across the world

The following is a list of charities he publicly helped in his life:

(photo edited by me )


AIDS Project L.A.
American Cancer Society
Angel Food
Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles
BMI Foundation, Inc.
Brotherhood Crusade
Brothman Burn Center
Camp Ronald McDonald
Childhelp U.S.A.
Children's Institute International
Cities and Schools Scholarship Fund
Community Youth Sports & Arts Foundation
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)
Dakar Foundation
Dreamstreet Kids
Dreams Come True Charity
Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
Love Match
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Minority Aids Project
Motown Museum
NAACP
National Rainbow Coalition
Rotary Club of Australia
Society of Singers
Starlight Foundation
The Carter Center's Atlanta Project
The Sickle Cell Research Foundation
Transafrica
United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
United Negro College Fund Ladder's of Hope
Volunteers of America
Watts Summer Festival
Wish Granting
YMCA - 28th Street/Crenshaw

REV. AL SARPTON'S powerful  speech in Michael's memorial service

                                                                                                                        

photo edited by me

"All over the world today people are gathered in love visuals to celebrate the life of a man that taught the world how to love. People may be wondering why there is such an emotional outburst.

But you would have to understand the journey of Michael to understand what he meant to all of us.
For these that sit here as the Jackson family,a mother and father with 9 children, who rose from a working class family in Gary, Indiana. They had nothing but a dream; no one believed in those days that these kinds of dreams could come true. But they keep on believing and Michael never let the world turn him around from his dreams. I first met Michael around 1970 Black Expo, Chicago, Illinois. Reverend Jesse Jackson who stood by this family till now. And from that day as a cute kid to this moment he never gave up dreaming. It was that dream that changed culture all over the world. When Michael started, it was a different. But because Michael kept going, because he didn’t accept limitations, because he refused to let people decide his boundaries, he opened up the whole world. In the music he put on one glove, pulled his pants up and broke down the color curtain. When now our videos were shown and magazines put us on the cover, it was Michael Jackson that brought blacks and whites and Asians and Latinos together. It was Michael Jackson that made us sing 'we are the world,' to feed the hungry long before Live Aid. Because Michael Jackson kept going, he created a comfort level where people that felt they were separate became interconnected with his music.And It was that comfort level that kids from Japan and Ghana and France and Iowa and Pennsylvania got comfortable enough with each other so later it wasn't strange to us to watch Oprah on television.It wasn’t strange to watch Tiger Woods' golf.Those young kids grew up from being teenage comfortable fans of Michael to being 40 years old and being comfortable to vote for a person of color to be the president of the United States of America.Michael did that! Michael made us love each other. Michael taught us to stand with each other.There are those that like to dig around mess,but millions around the world we’re going to uphold his message. It’s not about mess; it’s about his love message.As you climb up steep mountains sometimes you scar your knee.Sometimes you break the skin but don’t focus on the scars, focus on the journey. Michael beat them.Michael rose to the top. He out sang his cynics.He out danced his doubters. He outperformed the pessimists.Every time he got knocked down he got back up.Every time you counted him out he came back in.

 Michael never stopped!
Michael never stopped!
Michael never stopped!

I want to say to Mrs. Jackson and Joe Jackson, his sisters and brothers; we thank you for giving us someone that taught us love, someone that taught us hope. We want to thank you because we know he was your dream too. We know that your heart is broken; I know you have some comforts from a letter from the President of the United States and Nelson Mandela but this was your child, this was your brother, this was your cousin. Nothing will fill your heats loss but I hope the love that people have shown will make you know he didn’t live in vain.I want his children to know: wasn't anything strange about your Daddy. It was strange what your Daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it anyway. He dealt with it for us.So some came today, Mrs. Jackson, to say good bye to Michael;

I came to say thank you.

Thank you because you never stopped.

Thank you because you never gave up.

Thank you because you never gave out.

Thank you because you tore down our divisions.

Thank you because you irradiated barriers.

Thank you because you gave us hope.

Thank you Michael!

Thank you Michael!

Thank you Michael!”

"Whatever it took to get the song done right, he was willing to go the distance. And that was impressive, since he was still just a little kid."

Hal Davis

“I’m not gay, I’m not bisexual, I’m not curious. But I respect and love all those people nontheless.”

Source :http://itsjustdesire.tumblr.com/post/13884641335/im-not-gay-im-not-bisexual-im-not-curious

MJ once called me in the middle of the night and asked:

“What’s the one thing that every man,woman and child in the world knows?”
Mickey Mouse was the first thing that came to my mind.
But eating utensils were what MJ was thinking.
He said: “How are you going to make that into clothing for me?”’
The result was a jacket with knives,forks and spoons hanging from the front.
Michael calls it his dinner jacket,that’s the humour,the human side that no one knows”

Michael Bush -Michael's costume designer

(photo edited by me )

Lady Gaga talking about Michael at the Howard Stern show

"You know I'm a massive Michael Jackson fan. The reasons go beyond his magical talent and abilities and I don't need to constantly explain it beyond saying his music and his imagination were a saviour to me when I was hurting as a child. He was my first hero. He reminded me constantly that you didn't have to look a certain way or act in a certain manner or fit in to be special. When I was being bullied at school I'd go home and find so much inspiration from Michael's extraordinary spirit. When I was 15 his posters were like a big brother, a father, best friend and hero all wrapped up in one. When he died, like many people, I was in shock and I broke down when I watched his funeral."

MAXIMILIAN SCHELL's letter to Michael



Transcript

MAXIMILIAN SCHELL NOV, 19 1993
TO: MICHAEL JACKSON (SOMEWHERE ON THIS PLANET)

DEAR MICHAEL, I AM DEEPLY ASHAMED --
FOR THE PRESS, FOR THE MEDIA, FOR THE WORLD -
I don't know you - we met only ONCE on one of those Award-Dinners ("ENTERTAINER of the DECADE") - We shook hands - you were kind and polite - I don't think you knew who I was - HOW SHOULD YOU? OUR WORLDS ARE TOO FAR APART -
(I am more, "CLASSICAL" - minded -) but I looked into your eyes -- THEY WERE KIND -- You are a great artist and I admire you - my little daughter (she is 9½) LOVES YOU! DEEPLY - SHE EVEN WANTS TO MARRY YOU! (-"BUT HE NEVER CALLS ME!") SHE IMITATES YOU ALL THE TIME - and quite well - WE ALL LOVE YOU I would like her more to listen to MOZART - but she loves YOU! AND I RESPECT HER TASTE! -- THAT YOU SURVIVE THIS AVALANCHE OF DIRT THROWN AT YOU - I ADMIRE TREMENDOUSLY - THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE!
GOD BLESS YOU
Maximilian Schell


P.S. "ONE CAN ONLY SEE GOOD WITH THE HEART - THE ESSENTIAL IS INVISIBLE FOR THE EYES" - ("THE LITTLE PRINCE")


A VIEW OF THE LETTER : http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4...


MAXIMILIAN SCHELL
Born 8 December 1930 in Vienna, Austria
Died 1 February 2014 (aged 83)

"You know how you either grow up in a Michael Jackson house or a Prince house? For me it was Michael Jackson.
I could never decide whether I wanted to be Michael Jackson or marry him. I don’t care what people say about him now because he’s a fucking genius. That’s it - the end!
He was robbed of his childhood, which is why he surrounds himself with children. When you’re around kids you can be a little kid yourself and pretend that life is magic and you don’t have to be one of those sweaty people going to work every day.
I completely see what he’s doing."

Amy Winehouse

(photo edited by me )