Michael Jackson To Be Inducted Into Apollo Theater's Legends Hall of Fame
By: Eddie Varley Aug. 25, 2009
The Apollo Theater Foundation today announced plans to honor the late Michael Jackson by dedicating a place for him in its Legends Hall of Fame.
Jackson won't officially be inducted until next spring, at a gala. Previous Apollo inductees include James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald and Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Jackson will also have a plaque on the Apollo's Walk of Fame, set for construction this fall.
The theater's 100-foot-long tribute wall has served as an ongoing memorial for Jackson since his death. The wall will eventually become part of the theater's archives.
The late King of Pop performed at the world-famous Apollo several times in his career - first, in 1969 when he was just a young boy, and, most recently, in 2002 at the invitation of former President Bill Clinton at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.
Michael Jackson, pop music superstar, passed away on June 25th. He was 50 years old.
On Tuesday June 30th Harlem's Apollo Theater held a public memorial to Michael Jackson . The theater admitted 600 people at a time for a series of tribute videos and eulogies. DJs played Jackson's music throughout the day and fans left flowers and other tokens. Celebrities such as Spike Lee and Reverend Al Sharpton paid their respects during the day, cheering on the memory of the late 'King of Pop'.
In 1967, a young Michael Jackson, almost nine years old, huddled in a beat-up old Volkswagen with his father and brothers, and set off from their home in Indiana for New York City. The journey led the Jackson family to Harlem's famed Apollo Theater, where the Jackson 5 won the amateur night contest. The rest is pop music history.
In a phenomenal, unparalleled career, Michael Jackson sold more than 750 million records, had 13 number one singles - more than any other male artist - and is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. His numerous other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records, including one for "Thriller" as the world's best-selling album of all time - 100 million copies and counting.
Photo by RD / Dziekan / Retna Digital
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