This scan from the August 1985 issue of Ebony features their prediction of what Michael Jackson would’ve looked like in the year 2000 (which, back then, seemed like a time in the far-off future):
“At 40,” the caption reads, “he will have aged gracefully and will have a handsome, more mature look.” Tacky 80s-era clothing aside, it’s a good look for him. Very Lando Calrissian.
Keep in mind that this photo was altered in the time before Photoshop, when you had to do it with knives, brushes, paints and a very steady hand.
It’s easy to laugh at the prediction in hindsight, but this was the mid-80s, before the accident while shooting the Pepsi commercial and well before celebrity extreme meltdowns were more commonplace.
