Jackson at the World Music Awards (2006)
On November 16, 2006, American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson made an appearance at the 18th Annual World Music Awards. At the show, he won the Diamond Award (award for artists who have sold over 100 million albums during their career) for Thriller, which sold over 50 million copies worldwide since its release.
Similarly to the 2003 Radio Music Awards, Jackson was introduced and awarded by Beyoncé. As he arrived on the stage, the crowds went wild. During his speech, Jackson thanked his fans, family, and children, later saying "i love you" to the ex-Destiny's Child member.
Afterwards, alongside a choir, Jackson went on to perform "We Are the World". This would be not only the last televised but also the public live performance Jackson gave during his lifetime. The next time Jackson would be on stage would be during the This Is It rehearsals, which were cancelled due to his passing.
Criticism[]
After the award ceremony, Jackson received backlash, as people felt disappointed with his long-awaited live stage comeback. According to articles at the time, people felt as though the performance was done with very low effort, since Jackson had barely sung or danced at all. Some of them even began calling him a "flop", claiming Jackson was a thing of the past.[1]
For a long time, it was also rumored that Jackson was "booed off stage", although this was debunked, and it was Rihanna getting booed at instead, as many in the audience waited for hours to see Jackson only.[2]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Before Jackson received his award, Chris Brown performed "Thriller" in the classic red leather outfit.[3]