In 1995, Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony's publishing division creating
Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Jackson retained half-ownership of the company, earned
$95 million upfront as well as the rights to even more songs. He then released the double
album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a 15
track greatest hits album, and was later reissued as Greatest Hits – HIStory Vol. I in 2001,
while the second disc, HIStory Continues, contained 15 new songs. The album debuted at
number one on the charts and has been certified for seven million shipments in the US. It
is the best-selling multiple-disc album of all-time, with 20 million copies (40 million units
sold worldwide. HIStory received a Grammy nomination for best album.
One of many identical statues, positioned throughout Europe to promote HIStory. The
statue illustrates the singer's flamboyant clothing and hair style, influenced by military im-
agery. The first single released from the album was the double
A-side "Scream/Childhood". "Scream" was a duet, performed
with Jackson's youngest sister Janet. The single had the highes
debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number five, and received a
Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals"
"You Are Not Alone" was the second single released from HIS
tory; it holds the Guinness World Record for the first song ever
to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart It was
seen as a major artistic and commercial success, receiving a
Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Performance". In late
1995, Jackson was rushed to a hospital after collapsing during
rehearsals for a televised performance; the incident was caused
by a stress related panic attack. "Earth Song" was the third sin-
gle released from HIStory, and topped the UK singles chart for six weeks over Christmas
1995; it sold a million copies, making it Jackson's most successful single in the UK. The
HIStory World Tour began on September 7, 1996, and finished on October 15, 1997. Jack-
son performed 82 concerts in 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans. The show, which visited
five continents and 35 countries, became Jackson's most successful in terms of audience
figures.
During the Australian leg of the HIStory World Tour, Jackson married dermatology nurse
Deborah Jeanne Rowe on November 14, 1996 in an impromptu ceremony close to his Syd
ney hotel room. She bore him two children: a son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., and a
daughter, Paris Katherine Michael Jackson. Rowe and Jackson first met in the mid-1980s,
when Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo. She spent many years treating his illness as
well as providing emotional support. They built a strong friendship, and then became ro-
mantically involved. Originally there were no plans to marry, but following Rowe's first
pregnancy, Jackson's mother intervened and persuaded them to do so. Jackson later
claimed that he was in such a rush to leave the hospital with daughter Paris in 1998 be-
cause he was worried to hear any bad news like the time of Prince's birth when he was told
that the baby isn't breathing correctly. The couple divorced in 1999, and remained friends,
with Rowe giving full custody of the children to Jackson.


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