Ian Halperin

Ian Halperin is a Canadian investigative journalist and writer from Montreal, Quebec, whose 2009 book, Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson was a #1 best-seller on the New York Times list on July 24, 2009.^[1] 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.^[2][3]

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.^[4] In December 2008 Halperin had predicted that Jackson had six months to live;^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]} Jackson died on June 25, 2009.^[11] At the time, the BBC reported that Halperin would release an unauthorized biography on the pop star.^[12] 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."^[13][14] Shortly afterward, Jackson announced a 50 date residency at The O2 arena, holding a public press conference.^{[15][16][17][18]} Halperin released his biography on Jackson, titled Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson, in July 2009.^[4] 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."^[4]

Documentary film

In an interview done with Variety in March 2010, Halperin revealed that is currently working a documentary film about Jackson, entitled Gone Too Soon, which is scheduled to be released on June 25, 2010, the one-year anniversary of Jackson's death. It is directed and produced by Halperin himself and based on 300 hours of footage he recorded during the King of Pop's final year.

Bibliography

• The Governator: From Muscle Beach to His Quest For the White House, the Improbable Rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger. HarperCollins Publishers. 2010. ISBN 978-0-06-199004-5. 
• Brangelina: The Untold Story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Transit Publishing. 2009. ISBN 978-0-9812396-6-8. 
• Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4391-7717-4. 
• Hollywood Undercover: Revealing the Sordid Secrets of Tinseltown. Edinburgh, UK: Mainstream Publishing. 2008. ISBN 978-1-84596-266-1. 
• Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain. Atria. 2004. ISBN 978-0-7434-8483-1.  (with Max Wallace)
• Miss Supermodel America. OGO Books. 2004. ISBN 978-0-9684804-8-9. 
• Bad And Beautiful: Inside the Dazzling And Deadly World of Supermodels. Citadel. 2002. ISBN 978-0-8065-2310-1. 
• Best Ceos: How the Wild, Wild Web Was Won. OGO Books. 2000. ISBN 978-0-9684804-3-4. 
• Fire and Rain : The James Taylor Story. Citadel. 2000. ISBN 978-1-55972-533-0. 
• Shut Up and Smile: Supermodels, the Dark Side. OGO Books. 1999. ISBN 978-0-9684804-0-3. 
• Who Killed Kurt Cobain? The Mysterious Death of an Icon. Citadel. 1998. ISBN 978-1-55972-446-3.  (with Max Wallace)
• Celine Dion: Behind The Fairytale – A Very, Very, Unauthorized Biography. Boca Pub Group. 1997. ISBN 978-0-9659583-0-1. 

References

External links

Official website

• Ian Halperin at the Internet Movie Database
• "His Highness Hollywood". His Highness Hollywood and Ian Halperin. 2005.