Childstar

Michael Jackson was born on August 29th, 1958 in Gary, Indiana and joins the throng of child stars beginning his musical career at the age of 5.

Unlike most child stars, Jackson’s entry was alongside siblings Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Jermaine in 1964 as the lead frontman for the Jackson 5.

Fame brought many opportunities to the Jackson family and it was not long before sisters Latoya and Janet shared some of the fame through music and entertainment.

The Jackson family is one of the most recognised families in the world.


As an adult Michael’s first solo album “Off The Wall” was produced with Quincy Jones and released in August 1979.

The success of this release transformed his childhood popularity into a new generation and he continued to prove his stardom until and following his death on the 25th June 2009 at the age of 50.

What sets Michael apart from other childhood stars like Brittany Spears and Drew Barrymore is his family ties, international recognition and impact on style, music, video, fashion and dance.

No other child star has made such a significant impact on so many aspects of life internationally.

Controversy surrounding his childlike behaviour, infatuation with Peter Pan reflected through his home at Neverland and plastic surgery contribute heavily to the divide with other child stars.

What is similar is the difficulty to transition from a child to an adult, loneliness, identity challenges, extreme pressure on family and emotional development as well as other factors such as paparazzi distress, exploitation, security issues, drug abuse and health fears.

Michael’s father Joe Jackson has been accused of exploiting the star and other ambitious parent(s) include former girlfriend Brooke Shields and friend Macaulay Caulkin.


Many of these child stars have publicly battled with their parents and peers and Jackson is not different, stating the distress caused by his father but also attributing this to the man he became, driven and always aiming for perfection.

Child actress Lindsay Lohan is one among many who have endured public scandals, for Michael one that pierced his journey was claims of child abuse in 1993 from the father of Jordie Chandler.

Michael always preferred the company of children over the company of adults.

This penchant, paired with his somewhat asexual manner and childish demeanor, made him seem odd in the eyes of the public.

In 2005 Gavin Avizo was an alleged victim of child molestation and Jackson's arrest and investigation brought international attention of a negative kind to the pop star.

No criminal charges were filed and the matter was settled out of court - Jackson paid the boy’s family between US$18 and $20 million dollars.

Michael refers to the impact of child stardom in an interview Oprah Winfrey in 1993, “I think every child star suffers through this period because you're not the cute and charming child that you were. You start to grow, and they want to keep you little forever”.