"Earth Song" was accompanied by an expensive and well-received music video that
gained a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video, Short Form in 1997. The video had
an environmental theme, showing images of animal cruelty, deforestation, pollution and
war. Using special effects, time is reversed so that life returns, wars ends, and the forests
re-grow. Released in 1997 and premiering at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, Ghosts was
a short film written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston. The
video for Ghosts is over 38 minutes long and holds the Guin-
ness World Record as the world's longest music video.
Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, set in 1984
Jackson had a notable impact on music and culture through-
out the world. He broke down racial barriers, transformed the
art of the music video and paved the way for modern pop
music in his own country. Jackson's work, distinctive musical
sound and vocal style have influenced scores of hip hop, pop
and R&B artists, including Mariah Carey, Usher, Britney
Spears, Timberlake and R. Kelly. For much of his career, he
had an "unparalleled" level of worldwide influence over the
younger generation through his musical and humanitarian con-
tributions.
Michael Jackson was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk of
Fame in 1984. Throughout his career he received numerous honors and awards, includ-
ing the World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the Ameri-
can Music Award's Artist of the Century Award and the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millen-
nium Award He was a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a
member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. Jackson was also an
inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.

His awards include multiple Guinness
World Records (eight in 2006 alone), 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his
solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sale of over
750 million records worldwide, making him the world's best selling male solo pop artist.
He was characterized as "an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to domi-
nate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance
moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star power" In the mid-1980s,
Time described Jackson as "the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley." By 1990,
Vanity Fair had already cited Jackson as the most popular artist in the history of show
business.

Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley called him an "extremely important figure in
the history of popular culture" and a "genius" In late 2007, Jackson said the following of
his work and future influence, "Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in
this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever.
His total lifetime earnings from royalties on his solo recordings and music videos, reve-
nue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at $500 million; some analysts
have speculated that his music catalog holdings could be worth billions of dollars. In ad-
dition, The Heal The World Foundation, which Michael founded in 1992, will continue
operation as a means of preserving Michael's legacy as a humanitarian.
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