June 25th Is An Important Day
Today is June 25th – and when it comes to ’80s & ’90s music, it’s a very important day!
George Michael was born on this day in 1963.
Prince released his album ‘Purple Rain’ on this day in 1984, 40 years ago!
And on this day in 2009, Michael Jackson died.
What do these musicians have in common, besides June 25th being a significant day in their lives? We found several things, so read on!
- All three musicians were in their 50s when they passed away. George Michael was 53 when he died of heart disease in 2016. Prince was 57 when he died in 2016 of an accidental fentanyl overdose. Michael Jackson was 50 when he died in 2009 of acute propofol intoxication.
- Michael Jackson and Prince both headlined Super Bowl halftime shows – Jackson in 1993, and Prince in 2007.
- Michael Jackson and George Michael both weathered some difficult allegations. Jackson was accused of child sex abuse, and Michael was arrested for public lewdness in 1998.
- Jackson and Michael both collaborated with Paul McCartney. Jackson and McCartney did songs together like “Say Say Say” and “Ebony and Ivory.” Michael and McCartney performed the Beatles classic “Drive My Car” in 2005 in London.
- All three pushed boundaries with their music videos. Jackson grabbed attention and criticism for his videos “Thriller,” “Bad,” and “Black or White.” Prince released a music video in 2004 for “Cinnamon Girl” depicting an Arab-American teenage girl imagining herself as a suicide bomber. Michael famously refused to be in the video for “Freedom,” instead asking supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, and Cindy Crawford to appear. His video for “I Want Your Sex” was considered so racy that MTV would only air it during late night.
There you have it, things you probably didn’t realize these musicians had in common. All three are music icons and their music lives on even today.