''The Jackson Family Honors'' is a 1994 Jackson family reunion television special, starring Michael Jackson, tribute honorees

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

and Berry Gordy, and celebrity guests performers. It was billed as a humanitarian event to raise money for charities. The musical benefit was filmed on February 19, 1994 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was broadcast on February 22, 1994 on NBC.

Description

The show was intended as a charity event with proceeds going to Los Angeles earthquake relief charities and the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

, amongst others. It was the hope of the Jackson family and Gary Smith, the producer, that NBC would make the event a yearly television special. The show was Michael's first stage appearance since he cancelled the remainder of his worldwide tour in November. The show was initially scheduled for December 11, 1993 in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

. It was rescheduled by NBC for February in Las Vegas. Over 20 members of the Jackson family sang "Goin' back to Indiana". Celine Dion,

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

, Gladys Knight, Paul Rodriguez, and Bruce Hornsby were among the performers. The musical benefit was filmed on February 19, 1994 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While ticket prices were reduced after the show was rescheduled, of the twelve thousand tickets sold, fans paid as high as $1,000 each. 250 reporters showed up. After two hours of live performances and videos of Michael Jackson, Michael appeared and was given a standing ovation which lasted five minutes. He presented lifetime achievement awards to Berry Gordy, founder of

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

, and Elizabeth Taylor, for her work for on behalf of AIDS patients. He notably said to the audience "I love you. Love, loyalty and friendship." Michael joined the Jackson family and celebrity guests for the finale song " If You'd Only Believe".

Litigation

After the show ended up losing money, producers Smith-Hemion filed a breach of contract lawsuit against members of the Jackson family, claiming that they were promised Michael Jackson would perform solo, saying the problems began when Michael cancelled his performance for the original 1993 date, and unpaid bills. Michael testified he only agreed to appear onstage, not to perform. In 1996, after confusion amongst the jurors, U.S. District Judge Laughlin Waters declared a mistrial.

Cast

* Michael Jackson * Quincy Jones *

* Berry Gordy * 3T *

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*Cindera Che *Celine Dion *

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

* Louis Gossett Jr. *Bruce Hornsby *Brandi Jackson * Jackie Jackson *

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

* Jermaine Jackson * Joe Jackson * Katherine Jackson * Marlon Jackson *

Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...

* Rebbie Jackson * Taj Jackson *Taryll Jackson * Tito Jackson *TJ Jackson *The Jacksons *Gladys Knight *

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

* Lisa Marie Presley *Smokey Robinson *Paul Rodriguez *Dionne Warwick

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson Family Honors 1994 in American television 1994 television specials 1990s American television specials Michael Jackson Elizabeth Taylor Quincy Jones NBC television specials Music television specials