Michael Jackson was a star who cheered millions of his fans and left a billion people in tears. His departure on 25th June 2009 was a heartbreaking event for the entire entertainment industry of the whole world. Artists and celebrities from all around the world paid their tributes to legend. We have made a list of the tributes paid to MJ by other artists.
Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars is a gifted singer, we know that. But it is most shocking to see how he can perform Michael’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” seamlessly. Mars’s impersonation skills and respect for MJ have given the cover such a height that sometimes people say “he is the closest singer to MJ’s talent”. Whether he is or not is debatable, but Bruno’s respect for Jackson diminishes these debates, in one interview he said “…Any artist, I don’t care what genre you do, you should always aspire to be like Michael Jackson..”. Also, there is an electric guitar version of “I Want You Back”, equally beautiful.
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber, One of the most popular singers of today, is a MJ fan too. This is surprising to see how MJ has inspired generations after generations, to create songs and make the Earth a more beautiful place. When given a chance at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Bieber spoke about his admiration for MJ “… Michael meant so much to me…he was more than an entertainer, he was an inspiration…”. Bieber once said he follows the approach of MJ towards pop music while describing the genre, “He always took something very relevant at the time, like funk and techno”.
Madonna
Long Live The King! – Madonna ended her speech with the hail. MTV’s VMA show was crying, applauding, cheering, and silently listening to each word from The Queen of Pop. She mentioned the similarities between them, both were born in August of 1958, both of them had 8 siblings. Madonna went on speaking about their relationship, how they first time went to dinner. In the end, she also expressed the sense of abandonment that he faced. Her speech touched the souls and at some points, it struck us even harder- did Michael Jackson deserve that chaos in his life? He is a King, dammit.
Chris Brown
Chris Brown is from those singers who have a deep influence on MJ in them. And this influence doesn’t just end in words, Brown has paid his tribute to Jackson on stage more than once. In the World Music Awards, he performed the famous “Thriller” and there is no doubt that it was one of the best covers ever. MJ himself once praised Brown for his talent and said “Chris is a bright and shining star whom I enjoy watching perform. I am happy to have had a positive influence on him.” Read More.
André Rieu & Jermaine Jackson
One of the sweetest melodies, I have ever heard. “Smile” was an instrumental composition by Charlie Chaplin himself for his 1936 film, “Modern Time”. The reason for saying this is, according to Brooke Shields, it was the favorite song of Michael Jackson. His brother Jermaine and the famous Dutch Violinist Andre Rieu recreated the song in his memory. Jermain’s voice filled the auditorium with melancholy, such a heartbreaking moment to see one brother saying goodbye to another and yet “Smile, though your heart is aching”.
Shaheen Jafargholi
At that moment, he was 12-years old- performing live to a global audience of a Billion. It was a boy, who had impressed MJ previously from Britain’s Got Talent. Shaheen sang the Jackson 5 hit “Who’s Lovin’ You,” and it seemed he had nailed it. At the end after the sound of the claps slowly disappeared, he said “I just want to thank him so much for blessing me and every single individual on this Earth with his amazing music.” Read More.
Usher
Usher has always been an admirer of MJ and his works, they had strong connections, and even they performed together. Usher dedicated the performance to MJ as a tribute and imitated the dance steps from Billie Jean and another song. While Usher did his best, it’s not worthwhile to criticize his performance. On the contrary, we should cherish the moments of seeing today’s stars talking about MJ, admiring him, and paying their tribute.
Neyo
Neyo performed in the African American Museum of History and Culture in Washington D.C in 2011. He paid his tribute to Michael Jackson and sang “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin”, and “Earth Song”. The show was introduced by Chris Tucker, who mimicked MJ as he used to say “Chris, we have to make history”. With the legendary Will Smith in the audience, Neyo performed.
Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake is a huge artist today, but his roots were bound to MJ. They always had a special connection and that’s why even today, Timberlake pays his tribute to Jackson. On a tour to Vegas, he paid another tribute to MJ. In Oprah Masterclass, he told the story of the song “Gone” where Jackson wanted to make a duet with him, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. He said MJ was the man who inspired him to build his solo career. Read More.
Chris Tucker
The friendship between Chris and Michael was wonderful. On one side Michael, a gentle and soft man, and Chris are completely opposite and yet they were great friends. In Netflix’s “Chris Tucker Live” part, Chris tells the funny incidents with him and Michael. How Michael rap along with the 50 cent song “In da Club” and his love for Rick Ross. Also, Chris shared the story of Michael Jackson and Barry Gibbs singing together. It’s a real gold mine of memories.
Celine Dion
Celine Dion has always given Michael the place of her idol. While paying him the tribute, she told the story of how Michael inspired her to sing in English. And we all know that later they had a beautiful relationship. In his memory, Celine performed “Ben” and “The Man in The Mirror” and it was undoubtedly something that would make Michael proud.
Beyonce
This performance is somehow the most special to me, partly because Michael performed the very last week on that stage and Beyonce’s magical performance. She started with footage and the memories of watching her hero for the first time on stage. And then she performed “Halo”. There was something magical that happened while she was singing as if it was the manifestation of Michael himself through Beyonce. The energy and passion that Beyonce bestowed to MJ is spellbinding.