June 25, 2009: Michael Jackson Dies

June 25, 2009: Michael Jackson dies of a drug overdose, at a mansion he'd rented in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles. "The King of Pop" was 50 years old, and had been preparing for a new tour.

He became a child star with his brothers in The Jackson 5 in 1969, and had been a solo superstar since the release of his album Off the Wall in 1979. Thriller was released in 1982, and in 1983 and 1984, he was the biggest star in the world, as big as Elvis Presley was in 1956, and as big as The Beatles were in 1964.

But, like so many big stars before and after, he couldn't handle it. Prescription drug use and the desire to maintain his youthful appearance through plastic surgery took their toll. Odd details from his personal life reached the public, and while he still maintained an obsessive core of near-worshipful support, he had been tagged "Wacko Jacko." Investigations of child abuse put a cloud over him, which persisted even after an acquittal in court.

Michael Jackson was one of a few celebrities to reach the absolute heights of fame. But he fell as hard as anyone ever has, and he couldn't get up.

At the depth of his reputation, during his 2005 trial, I began to think that, sooner or later, he would fake his death, or perhaps just willingly "disappear," to get away from it all. I wish he had: He might have lived longer. He seemed not to have found peace in life. I hope he's found it in death.

Somehow, Michael Jackson was outlived by Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, Lou Reed and Keith Richards, all of whom were older, and seemed to have abused themselves more with booze and/or drugs.

Joe Jackson, the siblings' abusive father and manager, died in 2018. As of June 25, 2022, the remaining siblings and their mother, Katherine Jackson, are still alive.

UPDATE: Toriano "Tito" Jackson died in 2024.

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June 25, 2009 was a Thursday. Actress Farrah Fawcett died earlier in the day, but Jackson's death was announced 3 hours after hers, so she didn't get the attention she deserved. And this was also the day of the revelation of the sex scandal of Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina, who had explained his multi-day disappearance with his ridiculous excuse that he was away "hiking on the Old Appalachian Trail." I have a separate entry for that event.

This was the off-season for the NFL. The NBA season had wrapped up a few days earlier, with the Los Angeles Lakers beating the Orlando Magic for the title. The NHL season had also recently concluded, as the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup, reversing the result of the previous year's Finals by beating the Detroit Red Wings.

There were 13 Major League Baseball games played: 

* The New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves, 11-7 at Turner Field in Atlanta. Alex Rodriguez, in the middle of a big hot streak, hit a home run, to help Alfredo Aceves be the winning pitcher in relief of Andy Pettitte, who did not have good stuff.

* The New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2 at the new Citi Field in Queens.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-3 at Nationals Park in Washington.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-5 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-4 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Baltimore Orioles, 11-3 at what's now called Hard Rock Stadium in the Miami suburb of Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cleveland Indians, 3-2 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-5 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5 in 13 innings at U.S. Cellular (now Rate) Field in Chicago.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-4 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.

* The Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-4 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-8 in 12 innings at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres, 9-3 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.

* The Colorado Rockies, the Los Angeles Angels, the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants were not scheduled for that day.