Today (August 29), famed director Spike Lee is leading one of many worldwide birthday celebrations in honor of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson.
Lee, who worked with Jackson for the video “They Don’t Care About Us,” had originally scheduled his event for Brooklyn’s Fort Green Park. However, due to an estimated minimum of 10,000 attending, the celebration had to be moved to the larger Prospect Park.
Lee has promised to deliver an old-school styled block party with an exclusive MJ soundtrack spanning his career in the Jackson 5 through his last studio album Invincible.
Also appearing at the tribute will be Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz to officially declare August 29 Michael Jackson Day, and the Reverend Al Sharpton.
For Lee, the passing of Jackson was akin to losing a brother.
“I was born in 1957; he was born in 1958. And so I grew up, literally, with Michael Jackson,” Lee told Time Magazine. “We both reached adolescence at the same time. And I had a big Afro like he did, and I hoped that the girls would like me the way they liked Michael, but that wasn’t happening.”
On TV, fans can catch tributes throughout the day on BET, TVOne, and E!.
In Mexico, over 10,000 fans have signed up for a record-breaking dance-off to “Thriller.”
Michael Jackson’s body was scheduled to be buried today; however the process has been postponed until next Thursday (September 3) due to disagreements amongst the family.
Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson Birthday Tribute will continue until 5PM.
If he had lived, Michael Jackson would be celebrating his 51st birthday.
“And when the groove is dead and gone/Yeah, you know that love survives/ So we can rock forever…” “Rock With You”