Full Text of SR0344 96th General Assembly
SR0344 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
SR0344 |
|
LRB096 13377 GRL 28095 r |
|
| 1 |
| SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of
Michael Jackson, who passed away on June | 4 |
| 25, 2009; and
| 5 |
| WHEREAS, Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 | 6 |
| in Gary, Indiana; at the age of 4, he began singing with his | 7 |
| brothers, Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie, and Tito, in the Jackson 5; | 8 |
| the brothers cranked out numerous number 1 hits, including "I | 9 |
| Want You Back", "ABC", and "I'll Be There"; and
| 10 |
| WHEREAS, After his early success with the Jackson 5, | 11 |
| Michael Jackson struck out on his own; his 1982 album | 12 |
| "Thriller", which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It", | 13 |
| "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", became the best-selling album of | 14 |
| all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide; | 15 |
| in 1983, when Motown celebrated its 25th anniversary with an | 16 |
| all-star televised concert, Jackson moonwalked on stage and | 17 |
| joined his brothers for a medley of old hits in a moment that | 18 |
| has been described as the peak of Jackson's career; and
| 19 |
| WHEREAS, In 1985, Michael Jackson co-wrote "We Are The | 20 |
| World" with Lionel Richie; recording the single with a slew of | 21 |
| popular singers and recording artists under the name USA for | 22 |
| Africa, the song became one the best-selling singles of all |
|
|
|
SR0344 |
- 2 - |
LRB096 13377 GRL 28095 r |
|
| 1 |
| time, with 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars | 2 |
| raised to help fight famine in Africa; and
| 3 |
| WHEREAS, In addition to his numerous albums, Michael | 4 |
| Jackson also delighted audiences throughout the world on his | 5 |
| many tours; in the course of his touring career, he made many | 6 |
| stops in the City of Chicago, beginning with his first stop | 7 |
| with the Jackson 5 on October 18, 1970 at the Amphitheatre; in | 8 |
| September of 1972, the Jackson 5 played at the Black Push | 9 |
| Expo's "Save The Children" Concert; later, during his solo | 10 |
| career, he returned to Chicago on August 28, 1981 during his | 11 |
| Triumph Tour; he performed at Comiskey Park on October 12, 1984 | 12 |
| during his Victory Tour; he also performed for an audience of | 13 |
| 20,000 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago on April 19, 1988 | 14 |
| during his Bad Tour; and
| 15 |
| WHEREAS, In 1994, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie | 16 |
| Presley, the daughter of music legend Elvis Presley; the couple | 17 |
| divorced in 1996; later that year, he married Deborah Rowe, the | 18 |
| former nurse of his dermatologist; Jackson and Rowe had two | 19 |
| children together, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince | 20 |
| Michael, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson; Rowe filed for | 21 |
| divorce in 1999; he also had a third child, Prince Michael II; | 22 |
| and
| 23 |
| WHEREAS, Michael Jackson, in an attempt to pull off one of |
|
|
|
SR0344 |
- 3 - |
LRB096 13377 GRL 28095 r |
|
| 1 |
| the greatest comebacks of all time, was preparing for what | 2 |
| would be a series of 50 concerts starting on July 13, 2009 at | 3 |
| London's famed 02 arena when he suddenly passed away; as an | 4 |
| outpouring of grief in reaction to his passing, the MTV | 5 |
| television network switched its programming to play videos from | 6 |
| Jackson's heyday, radio stations began playing marathons of his | 7 |
| hits, and hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital | 8 |
| where he went prior to his passing; and
| 9 |
| WHEREAS, Michael Jackson was considered by many to be the | 10 |
| most exciting performer of his generation; known for his | 11 |
| backward-gliding moonwalk, feverish dance moves, and his | 12 |
| distinctive dress, he ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the | 13 |
| Beatles as one of the biggest pop sensations of all time; in | 14 |
| the course of his career, he produced 13 number 1 one hits on | 15 |
| the Billboard charts, making him the 4th most prodigious | 16 |
| hit-maker in music history; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, Michael Jackson's legacy of number 1 hits and | 18 |
| legendary dance moves will be remembered fondly by the | 19 |
| countless musicians who have learned from Mr. Jackson's work, | 20 |
| as well as the millions of adoring fans who loved him and his | 21 |
| music; therefore, be it
| 22 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 23 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with |
|
|
|
SR0344 |
- 4 - |
LRB096 13377 GRL 28095 r |
|
| 1 |
| his family and friends, the passing of Michael Jackson; and be | 2 |
| it further
| 3 |
| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 4 |
| presented to the family of Michael Jackson as an expression of | 5 |
| our sympathy.
|
|