国外媒体:迈克尔·杰克逊奢华无度 身后负债累累

迈克尔·杰克逊因心脏停搏26日逝世，享年50岁。迈克尔·杰克逊前半生凭着音乐天赋以及无人能及的舞台魅力累计了巨额的财富，但由于挥霍无度，生命的最后十余年却一直负债累累。

Michael Jackson certainly lived a lifestyle worthy¹ of the title "King of Pop". He earned hundreds of millions of dollars throughout his career. His net-worth has always been hard to pin down. In 2002, Forbes estimated he was worth 350 million dollars, a big part of that fortunes was fueled by his most successful album of the "Thriller²", which became the best-selling album in history with more than 100 million copies sold around the world. His rising fortune fueled a growing appetite for a lavish³ living. In 1988, he built his famous NEVERLAND ranch⁴, the cost of paying his 120 staffers was reportedly 375,000 dollars a month.

But as his career began to wane⁵, Jackson was having trouble funding that lavish lifestyle. In 2006, The NEVERLAND ranch shut its gates and Jackson faced foreclosure. He was eventually bailed⁶ out by a private real estate company that he partially⁷ controlled. He also faced an increasing number of lawsuits⁸. At least 19 people from financial advisors⁹ to concert promoters, to a Bahraini Sheik have sued him. And according to a recent Wall Street Journal report, the pop star was swimming in 500 million dollars in debt.

Even so, it wasn't all bad. Analysts¹⁰ say one of the smartest business decisions he made was in 1985 when he purchased half of the Beatles catalog for 47.5 million dollars, that catalog is reported to be worth billions today.

Jackson was also expected to earn at least 50 million dollars for his heavily promoted comeback tour this year in London, all 50 shows at the O2 arena¹¹ were already sold out, the tour was to be Jackson's final farewell on stage to his fans. At this point, it's unclear where the financial repercussions¹² will be in. There are contracts connected to that concert tour, unsettled debts and ongoing¹³ lawsuits, but what is clear: Jackson's death brings to an end of what was to be a professional and financial combat for the King of Pop.

1 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

2 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

3 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

4 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

5 wane   

n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦

参考例句：

• The moon is on the wane.月亮渐亏。
• Her enthusiasm for him was beginning to wane.她对他的热情在开始减退。

6 bailed   

保释，帮助脱离困境( bail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Fortunately the pilot bailed out before the plane crashed. 飞机坠毁之前，驾驶员幸运地跳伞了。
• Some water had been shipped and the cook bailed it out. 船里进了些水，厨师把水舀了出去。

7 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

8 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

9 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

12 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。