It is with great sadness that the family of Michael James Jackson announces his passing. But, in Michael’s eyes, everyone he knew was his family. All of his friends felt the same about him.

We thank all of his fans for their lovely condolences. We want people to know about the wonderful man he was, and not just the record producer.

Michael passed away on July 13, 2022.

He was born Michael James Furman on June 20, 1945 in Chicago.

Michael’s childhood was largely spent in the paradise of southern California that he continued to call home throughout his life. He was an intensely thoughtful, kind, and expressive man, and he appreciated the minutiae of experiences that life had to offer. To truly know him meant that you had shared, detailed, intimate conversations on a myriad of topics that he deeply enjoyed discussing: literature, world travel, and music among them.

Michael was an incredibly knowledgeable, elegant man who would thoughtfully ponder questions posed to him before offering soft, but well-spoken musings that were rich with detail and reflective contemplation. He was an eloquent, pensive conversationalist who carefully chose his words, often with a smile, as he drew from a lifetime of deep, abundant insights.

On growing up in his beloved California, he said, “In those magical years of the late 50’s in California, you could still smell the sweet scent of orange blossoms in the air and watch people cantering their horses on the privileged bridle path that ran up and down the center of Rodeo Drive. Palm trees were everywhere. It was a world that supported your belief on a daily basis that anything, literally anything, was not only possible, but it could be yours.“

Michael held a lifelong love of Surfrider Beach in Malibu, which he felt was an extraordinary place, stating, "I must have spent some hundreds of hours surfing at that beach in my high school years, pretending I was growing up."

As a young man, Michael was drawn to the music industry. He began working at A&M Records and Elektra Records during the 1960s, later beginning his career as a music producer in 1971. Michael worked with numerous well-known artists, including Paul Williams, Jesse Colin Young, KISS, Pablo Cruise, Tom Snow, Lauren Wood, De La Soul, The Animals, and Red Rider. Michael’s acclaimed work earned him seven gold and five platinum RIAA record awards. Michael collaborated with Graham Nash in Manuscript Originals. They published the acclaimed tabletop book "Off the Record." Its intent was to celebrate songwriters and the powerful role the art of songwriting plays in our lives.

Of his career as a producer, Michael said “They call it a job, but it most often feels like a complicated surgery I wandered into by accident, only to eventually look down and see that I’m the one with the scalpel in my hands. There’s a lot of passionate desire in that room for something to be great.”

Michael was adept at learning from any situation, and the technical side of music production was no exception. He worked brilliantly with audio engineers and used his unique perspective and ideas to draw unparalleled performances and recordings from the artists he worked with. His influence spurred their creative processes, and he utilized innovative techniques to capture their live performances in recorded form.

One of his most well-known technical achievements among rock and roll fans was the unmistakable, venerable drum tone recorded for KISS’ “Creatures of the Night” record. Michael used vintage condenser microphones placed at both the top and bottom of an empty elevator shaft to record the drum sound reverberating above and below. This thunderous tone set the foundation for KISS’ 1982 comeback album. Michael loved being asked about that incredible drum sound.

An uncommonly intellectual man, Michael exemplified both kindness and class. His honesty was heartfelt and spilled over into everything that he did.

He is survived by his devoted life partner for the past 11 years, Cathey Paine, her daughter Rhiannon Bancroft, and granddaughters Stella and Willow. Michael relished his role as “Grandpa Mikey.” He adored the girls, as much as they adored him. They’d carefully collect the most colorful leaves they could find and present them to Michael so they could make “leaf art” together. For Michael, those leaves were the greatest gifts he every received.

It will be difficult for us to navigate this world without him in it. Little 8 year old Stella said “ I’m never going to be able to replace Michael. There’s never going to be anyone else like him.” From the mouths of babes. Everyone who knew and loved him felt the same way.

When someone we love passes, we often wonder how he will genuinely be remembered by those who knew him. Michael was working on his autobiography near the end of his life in which he penned these poignant thoughts:

“At the core of each of us there remains that never-ending longing for genuine tenderness and compassion, without which we would never be whole. It’s what makes us so grateful for the love we have been lucky enough to get and reminds us all too well of the stark aloneness that comes with the lack of it.

“The heart of the matter is that no matter how much we might have wanted to think life made our choices for us, or so unfairly imposed its weighted will upon us, it is we alone who are always the authors of our own stories - however profoundly imperfect or unfinished they still might be.”

For those interested in supporting his memory, donations in the name of Michael James Jackson are suggested for the Psychoanalytic Center of California and the Cambodian Children’s Fund.

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