CHICAGO: The king of pop will be honored in Motown with a street named Michael Jackson Avenue, officials announced on Thursday in Detroit.
The city, which has a rich history of nurturing American musical talent, will rename a portion of its Randolph Street in the downtown theater district in honor of the late entertainer.
The tribute comes 50 years after his family group known as the “Jackson 5” birthed their career with a successful recording contract audition in the Motor City.
“The Jacksons were among the first groups of black American performers to attain crossover status, and went on to release hit after hit after hit,” said city spokesman Stephen Grady.
Michael Jackson, who started with the group, went on to become one of the most famous performers in pop music history.
He died in 2009 at the age of 50 from a fatal dose of drugs, including the powerful anesthetic propofol.
The street renaming will take place June 15, coinciding with the Detroit Music Weekend outdoor festival, which Tito, Marlon, Jackie and Jermaine Jackson are scheduled to headline.
“This is where music comes from. This is where everybody copied the Motown sound,” Jackie Jackson said at a Detroit news conference.
The city honored another American music royalty during last year’s festival — naming a street after queen of soul Aretha Franklin.
King of pop Michael Jackson to get street name in Detroit
King of pop Michael Jackson to get street name in Detroit
Trunk snapped off famed Bernini statue in Rome square
ROME, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A marble elephant designed by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini has been damaged, with its left tusk found snapped off and lying at the base of the monument in the heart of Rome, authorities said.
The damage was uncovered on Monday night and police said they would review video footage from Piazza della Minerva to determine whether the tusk was vandalised or simply fell off following weeks of unusually heavy rains.
Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli made clear he thought it was deliberate, saying the 17th statue, which supports an ancient Egyptian obelisk, was victim of an "absurd act of barbarity".
"It is unacceptable that once again the nation's artistic and cultural heritage must suffer such serious damage," he said in a statement.
It is not the first time the sculpture, popularly known as the Elefantino (little elephant), has been damaged.
In November 2016, the tip of the same tusk was similarly found broken off. The piece was reattached during restoration work.
The sculpture, created in 1667 by Ercole Ferrata based on a design by Bernini, stands a short distance from the Pantheon, one of most visited tourist sites in Rome. (Reporting by Francesca Piscioneri, editing by Crispian Balmer)
