In honour of the 10th anniversary of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson’s passing, a local fanclub in Zhengzhou, China raised money to commission a new Michael Jackson statue inspired by history originally built by Diana Walczak. The 1.8 metre all-gold-looking statue was unveiled on June 15 at a fan event and placed in a shopping mall in Zhengzhou.
Next Tuesday, June 25 will make it 10 years the critically acclaimed entertainer of all time passed from an overdose of Propofol. Prior to his death, the singer announced a series of comeback concerts titled ‘This Is It’. Ten concerts were initially slated for London, Mumbai, Paris and New York City but a spike in ticket sales increased the London residency to 50 dates. The concerts were to run from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010.
It is not the first time the famous musician is receiving a posthumous statue. In April 2011, Mohamed Al-Fayed, chairman of Fulham Football Club, unveiled a statue of Jackson outside the club stadium, Craven Cottage.
The significance of the statue was lost on Fulham fans but Al-Fayed defended it and told the fans to “go to hell” if they did not appreciate it. It was moved to the National Football Museum in Manchester in May 2014, but was later removed from display in March 2019 following the scathing documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’ that renewed sexual allegations against Jackson.
