Ian Halperin
Born (1964-08-17) August 17, 1964 (age 59)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Websiteianundercover.com

Ian Halperin (born August 17, 1964)[1] is a Canadian investigative journalist, writer and documentary filmmaker. His 2009 book, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson was a #1 best-seller on the New York Times list on July 24, 2009.[2] He is the author or coauthor of nine books including Celine Dion: Behind the Fairytale, Fire and Rain: The James Taylor Story and Hollywood Undercover. He coauthored Who Killed Kurt Cobain? and Love and Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain with Max Wallace. Halperin has contributed to 60 Minutes II and was a regular correspondent for Court TV.[3][4] He is a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal (BA 07).

Michael Jackson biography

In late 2008 The Sun and In Touch Weekly cited Halperin as the source in articles stating that Michael Jackson had serious health issues.[5] In December 2008 Halperin had predicted that Jackson had six months to live;[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Jackson died on June 25, 2009.[12] At the time, the BBC reported that Halperin would release an unauthorized biography on the pop star.[13] Halperin's statements had been denied by a Jackson representative who said in a December 2008 statement, "The writer's wild allegations concerning Mr. Jackson's health are a total fabrication...Mr. Jackson is in fine health and finalizing negotiations with a major entertainment company & television network for both a world tour and a series of specials and appearances."[14][15] Shortly afterward, Jackson announced a 50-date residency at The O2 arena, holding a public press conference.[16][17][18][19] Halperin released his biography on Jackson, titled Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson, in July 2009.[5] Halperin commented on the timing of the book: "I timed it because I knew around this time he was a candidate to die. I'm being totally up-front about that. Google it."[5]

Documentary film

In 2010, Halperin directed and produced a documentary film about Jackson titled Gone Too Soon. It premiered on the TV Guide Network on June 25, 2010, the one-year anniversary of Jackson's death. The documentary was based on 300 hours of footage Halperin recorded before and immediately after Jackson's death.[20]

Bibliography

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Michael M. Miller: The Halperin & Fish Family Descendants ver. 0014, May 1st, 2009 at posluns.com (archive version), access date 5 August 2015
  2. ^ "Inside the List (Published 2009)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020.
  3. ^ "Ian Halperin Biography". Simon & Schuster, Canada. 1997–2007. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  4. ^ "Ian Halperin Interview". Contactmusic.com Ltd. 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d Adams, James (June 27, 2009). "A tortured star's last days". The Globe and Mail. www.theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  6. ^ Hunkin, Joanna (June 26, 2009). "Michael Jackson's reported illnesses". New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  7. ^ Leach, Ben (June 27, 2009). "Michael Jackson bequeathed 200 unpublished songs for children". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  8. ^ Ward, Brue (June 30, 2009). "Quebec publisher leads wave of Jackson bios: New book by author who predicted star's demise hits shelves next week". Ottawa Citizen. Canwest Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  9. ^ Parent, Marie-Joele (June 29, 2009). "Questions surround cause of death". The North Bay Nugget. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  10. ^ Wagner, Vit (June 29, 2009). "Montreal book could be first after Jackson's death". Toronto Star. www.thestar.com. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  11. ^ Witheridge, Annette; Haynes, Deborah (June 28, 2009). "Michael Jackson's children in legal battle". The Courier-Mail. Queensland Newspapers. Archived from the original on July 1, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  12. ^ Rogers, John; Jake Coyle (June 26, 2009). "Police focus on medical treatment in Jackson death". hosted.ap.org. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  13. ^ "Jackson 'transplant' claim denied". BBC News. news.bbc.co.uk. December 23, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  14. ^ "King of Pop 'in fine health,' Jackson spokesman says". CNN. edition.cnn.com. December 23, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  15. ^ "Biographer Claims Michael Jackson Seriously Ill, MJ's Reps Deny It". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
  16. ^ "Fans await announcement of Michael Jackson dates". Inthenews.co.uk. March 5, 2009. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  17. ^ "Jackson set to announce shows". MTV. March 5, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  18. ^ Foster, Patrick (March 6, 2009). "Michael Jackson grand finale curtain-raiser". The Times. London. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  19. ^ Akbar, Arifa (March 6, 2009). "Jacko on tour: 'This will be the final curtain call. I love you, I love you all' – News, Music". The Independent. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  20. ^ Jethro Nededog (June 25, 2010). "'Gone Too Soon' preview: Documentary goes behind Michael Jackson's last days". Retrieved May 31, 2016.

External links

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