In an era of pop stars clamoring for political clout, Michael Jackson’s early visits to Washington were almost always about the music.
The Jackson 5 in their earliest days brought their act to D.C. as they worked the black nightclub circuit in the 1960s, according to Jackson 5 fan Web sites.
In 1979 the star siblings returned as part of a summer Destiny Tour, singing to crowds at the now-demolished Capital Centre.
And in 1984, when Michael Jackson posters hung in the bedrooms of millions of adoring fans, and his popped-collar profile was pinned to the collar of countless denim jackets, he sold out RFK Stadium twice for his Victory Tour. The dancing rhythms of “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” reverberated across the Anacostia River.
Jackson’s white glove and the shoes he wore for his signature “moonwalk” can be found at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum. Also in 1984, the musician visited then first lady Nancy Reagan and President Ronald Reagan at the White House.
President Reagan wrote him a letter that same year expressing relief that he was all right after having his hair aflame during the shooting of a Pepsi commercial.
“All over America, millions of people look up to you as an example,” the letter said. “Your deep faith in God and adherence to traditional values are an inspiration to all of us, especially young people searching for something real to believe in.”
During the George H. W. Bush presidency, Jackson was awarded the White House’s special “Artist of the Decade” award.
When the music became secondary to his personal failings, Jackson came to D.C. to meet with his lawyers at Venable LLP, and publicist and manager Raymone Bain.
Bain is “just completely devastated,” a receptionist at her office said Thursday. In May, Bain filed a lawsuit against Jackson claiming he didn’t honor financial obligations of their contract.
“It is with deep regret that I find myself at this place,” she wrote in a statement May 5, adding that the “King of Pop” remained someone she “greatly admired and respected.”
