When His Philanthropy Made The Guinness Book of World Records
Towards the latter part of his career, Jackson’s over-the-top spending and rumored financial woes were peddled by the tabloids in a calculated effort to tarnish both his image and his legacy, with certain publications turning a blind eye to his mission to spread love and change the world.
Despite his success, Michael Jackson never forgot his humble roots and throughout his career, dedicated a significant portion of both his time and money giving back. His charitable offerings included a benefit concert at the Omni Auditorium in Atlanta, GA. The benefit raised $100,000 for the Atlanta Children’s Foundation following a spate of kidnappings and murders in the state’s capital. In 1984, he equipped a 19-bed unit at the Mount Sinai New York Medical Center as part of the T.J. Martell-Foundation for leukemia and cancer research and the same year he performed at the Texas Stadium in Dallas and donated twelve-hundred tickets valued at $39,000 to disadvantaged children.
He was listed in the 2000 edition of the Guinness Book Of World Records for breaking the world record for the Most Charities Supported By a Pop Star at 39 charities. But those are the ones that were made public knowledge. Many think that Jackson’s contributions are estimated to be much higher.
Jackson wasn’t content with just talking and throwing out well-meaning gestures mid-acceptance speech, instead he backed up his words with action, teaching the kids by leading by example.
