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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives and State Representative Monique D. Davis are
4 saddened to learn of the death of Michael Jackson, who passed
5 away on June 25, 2009; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958
7 in Gary, Indiana to Joseph and Katherine Jackson; at the age of
8 4, he began singing with his brothers, Marlon, Jermaine,
9 Jackie, and Tito, as the Jackson 5; and
 
10     WHEREAS, By 1968, the Jacksons had cut singles for a local
11 Indiana label called Steeltown; at an engagement that year at
12 Harlem's famed Apollo Theater, singer Gladys Knight and pianist
13 Billy Taylor saw their act and recommended them to Motown
14 founder Berry Gordy; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Motown moved the Jacksons to California, and in
16 August 1968 they gave a breakthrough performance at a Beverly
17 Hills club called The Daisy; their first album, "Diana Ross
18 Presents the Jackson 5," was released in December 1969, and it
19 yielded the No. 1 hit "I Want You Back," with 11-year-old
20 Michael on the lead vocals; "ABC," "I’ll Be There," and other
21 hits followed, and the group soon had their own television
22 series, a Saturday morning cartoon, and an array of licensed

 

 

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1 merchandise aimed at youngsters; and
 
2     WHEREAS, By 1972, Michael Jackson had his first solo album,
3 "Got to Be There," which included the title hit as well as
4 "Rockin' Robin"; his first solo No. 1 single came the same
5 year, the theme song from the movie "Ben"; and
 
6     WHEREAS, In 1978, Michael made his film debut as the
7 Scarecrow in "The Wiz," a black-cast adaptation of "The Wizard
8 of Oz"; the movie launched a creative and commercial
9 partnership with "Wiz" music director Quincy Jones; "Off the
10 Wall" was released in 1979, his debut album on the Epic label;
11 it sold 5 million copies in the United States and 2 million
12 abroad and generated four Top 10 singles; and
 
13     WHEREAS, "Thriller," was released near the end of 1982 and
14 became the best-selling studio album in history and a cultural
15 landmark; not only did "Thriller" smash sales records as the
16 bestselling album of 1983, but it made Michael Jackson the
17 first artist to top four charts simultaneously: "Thriller" was
18 the No. 1 pop single, pop album, R & B single, and R & B album;
19 and
 
20     WHEREAS, In a Motown TV special in 1983, Michael Jackson,
21 then 24, electrified the nation with his Moonwalk, a dance step
22 that created the illusion of levitation; he took the stage in a

 

 

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1 black sequined jacket, silver shirt, black fedora, and black
2 trousers that skimmed the tops of his white socks; the final
3 touch was a single white glove, studded with rhinestones; and
 
4     WHEREAS, In 1985, Michael Jackson co-wrote "We Are The
5 World" with Lionel Richie; he and Lionel Richie recorded the
6 album under the name USA for Africa, along with popular
7 recording artists of the time; the song became one the
8 best-selling singles of all time, with 20 million copies sold
9 and millions of dollars raised to help fight famine in Africa;
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, He was preparing for what would be a series of 50
12 concerts starting on July 13, 2009 at London's famed 02 arena;
13 and
 
14     WHEREAS, Michael Jackson is survived by his children,
15 Prince Michael Jr., Paris Michael Katherine, and Prince Michael
16 II; his parents; and his siblings Maureen, Jackie, Tito,
17 Jermaine, Marlon, Randy, LaToya, and Janet; therefore, be it
 
18     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
19 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
20 mourn, along with his family, friends, and legion of fans
21 worldwide, the passing of musical icon Michael Jackson; and be
22 it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to the family of Michael Jackson as an expression of
3 our sympathy.