Michael Jackson Nearly Died While Writing Billie Jean, and 5+ Secrets About Legendary Musicians

Music is the universal language that brings us all together, whether you’re blasting your favorite tunes or vibing with a new hit. But behind the glitz and glam, there are some seriously crazy facts about music superstars that you probably didn’t know. Get ready for some jaw-dropping tidbits about the legends you thought you knew!

Michael Jackson

“Billie Jean,” one of Michael Jackson’s darker hits, has a morbid origin story. While recording the song in 1982, Jackson nearly died.

As he recalled: “One day, during a break in a recording session, I was riding down the Ventura Freeway with Nelson Hayes, who was working with me at the time. ‘Billie Jean’ was going around in my head and that’s all I was thinking about. We were getting off the freeway when a kid on a motorcycle pulls up to us and says, ‘Your car’s on fire.’ But I was so absorbed by this tune floating in my head that I didn’t even focus on the awful possibilities until later.”

Madonna

Before Madonna was the Queen of Pop, she had a brief stint working at Dunkin’ Donuts. In a 2015 interview with Howard Stern, she revealed that she was fired for a rather sticky reason: “I was playing with the jelly squirter machine,” Madonna admitted.

While she was having fun with the jelly, her bosses weren’t amused and felt she wasn’t taking the job seriously. Needless to say, that was the end of her donut-making career—but it was the start of a much bigger journey to superstardom.

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury’s iconic smile was largely shaped by a unique dental condition: mesiodens, which caused him to have supernumerary teeth. Essentially, he had four extra incisors tucked behind his regular ones. These additional teeth led to overcrowding, pushing his upper teeth forward and giving them a protruding appearance. To make matters more noticeable, his front teeth were much larger than average, drawing even more attention to his smile.

The combination of extra teeth, overcrowding, and an overbite meant that Freddie’s teeth often took center stage in his appearance. Despite this, Freddie’s smile became one of his most beloved characteristics, further cementing his legendary status.

Nirvana

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana—now with over 1 billion YouTube views—became a grunge anthem. But it’s actually about deodorant for teenage girls.

The phrase was a joke from Katherine Hanna, lead singer of Bikini Kill and Kurt Cobain’s girlfriend’s bandmate, who wrote it on his wall, mocking his scent. Cobain, thinking it sounded rebellious, turned it into a song. The result? Nirvana’s Nevermind album sold 30 million copies and changed music forever.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga got her stage name from a mix of love for Queen and a little nickname fun. She’s always been a fan of Queen’s 1984 hit “Radio Ga Ga,” which inspired her to adopt the name “Gaga.”

In an interview with Oprah, Gaga explained that “Gaga” was a nickname her friends and producer gave her in New York, and it just stuck. At the time, she told Oprah to call her “Gaga,” saying she found it “weird” when people used “Lady.”

Ed Sheeran

Before Ed Sheeran became one of the highest-paid musicians, he went to LA, where nobody knew him. At that time, Jamie Foxx was doing a radio show, helping various artists. And Ed asked him to listen to his songs.

In addition to arranging a performance for him at a club, Jamie took the singer into his home for 6 weeks, gave him food, and supported him.

Cher

Cher has been fighting for many years to save an elephant named Kaavan. He lived in terrible conditions for 35 years in a zoo in Pakistan, was overweight, and was used for entertainment and collecting money from visitors.

After his partner died in 2012, he was left alone and was even called the loneliest elephant in the world. And due to the singer’s efforts, Kaavan will live among other elephants in a sanctuary in Cambodia. If you want to read more about the elephant’s journey, go to our other article.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande began her charity work at just 10 years old and has since supported numerous campaigns and organizations.

But her love for animals has always been a priority. She currently has 10 rescue dogs living with her and has also covered the adoption fees for 15 puppies, offering her fans the chance to adopt them at her concerts.

Michael Jackson’s vitiligo

Michael Jackson’s vitiligo wasn’t exactly a secret, but many believed he was bleaching
his skin to appear white. He publicly revealed his condition in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, explaining that vitiligo caused his skin to lose pigment, and he used makeup to even out his complexion.

There are claims that he wore his iconic glove to hide vitiligo on one hand, but this was never confirmed. His condition was later verified by his dermatologist and during his autopsy. The accusations that he was trying to “be white” were incorrect—he was simply managing a medical condition beyond his control.

Celebs holds many secrets and little-known facts, and undoubtedly, Michael Jackson is one of the most controversial figures, with many relevant revelations, especially about his costumes that not everyone is aware of.