It’s June 25th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 2009, Michael Jackson was found unresponsive in his rented L.A. mansion. Paramedics performed CPR but the self-proclaimed King of Pop was pronounced dead at the hospital. Jackson died of cardiac arrest brought on by an overdose of prescription drugs.
- In 1984, Prince released Purple Rain, his sixth studio album and the first to include his band The Revolution. The soundtrack to the film of the same name, it featured hits like “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy.”
- In 2014, Beyoncé and Jay-Z kicked off their On The Run tour in Miami Gardens. The 21-date trek included stops in Toronto and Winnipeg.
- In 1963, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou was born in England. In his youth he busked on the London subway, worked as a DJ, and performed in a ska band called The Executive. In 1981, as George Michael, he formed Wham! With Andrew Ridgeley and went on to have hits like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Everything She Wants.” Michael died on Christmas Day in 2016 at 53.
- In 2016, rapper 50 Cent was arrested in St. Kitts and Nevis for using “indecent language” during a performance. He was granted bail and later paid a fine.
- In 1988, Debbie Gibson’s “Foolish Beat” topped the Billboard Hot 100, making her – at 17 years old – the youngest artist to write, produce and perform a No. 1 song by herself. Gibson held the record until 2007.
And that’s what popped on this day.