MUMBAI: Jermaine Jackson, brother of the King of Pop Michael Jackson, who passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago, will attend the 2009 Save The World Awards, which will be held at the Nuclear Power Plant Zwentendorf, Austria on 24 July.
He will accept the award presented to exceptional individuals and organizations working toward a peaceful, sustainable, and livable future in honor of his late brother, who posthumously is being presented with the prestigious prize for his many social and humanitarian achievements.
"I thank all the fans in Europe and around the world who loved and admired Michael for their support in these difficult times. At the Save The World Awards we all will be able to remember a very special person as well as celebrate a truly unique artist," says Jermaine Jackson about the event dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson.
The 2009 Save The World Awards will have the motto Heal The World, and serve as a tribute to the late singer.
Jermaine Jackson will perform live one of Michael’s favorite songs, Smile. "He loved it since he was a little boy," is how Jermaine describes the Charlie Chaplin song that he performed so movingly at the Staples Center memorial in Los Angeles for hundreds of millions of TV viewers around the world. Jackson, who will be traveling to Austria with his family and his long time attorney and friend, Vicki Roberts, will also be part of the all-star lineup performing the grand finale "We Are The World."
Further award winners, presenters and performing artists attending the Save The World Awards will be announced within the next few days.
World Awards founder and chairman Georg Kindel said, "We are extremely pleased that Jermaine Jackson is supporting this very important and timely event and that he will accept the award in honor of his brother, Michael. The goals of the Save The World Awards are similar to those Michael Jackson strongly advocated throughout his life: peace, tolerance, and saving our fragile Earth. Some of his greatest hits will be performed live including ‘You Are Not Alone,’ ‘Man In The Mirror,’ and ‘Black Or White’ at the monumental show for 2,500 guests on location and TV audiences around the globe," Mr. Kindel said.
"Michael Jackson inspired and fascinated millions of people, and his death touched just as many. To dedicate the Save The World Awards to this exceptional artist and his many humanitarian initiatives serves as an important message," says Superfund Investment Group founder and presenting partner of the Save The World Awards Christian Baha.
World-renowned artist Gottfried Helnwein, admired for his hyper-realistic and provocative paintings, will present a unique multi-media installation at the Nuclear Power Plant Zwentendorf as a tribute to Michael Jackson. Helnwein was a friend of Michael for many years. He will present huge children’s paintings from his cycles The Murmur of the Innocents and The Last Child as well as portraits he has shot of Michael Jackson currently being exhibited at the Albertina Museum in Vienna.
Renowned American musician, composer, and producer Ray Chew, musical director of the BET Awards, Grammy Awards, and the Apollo Theater where Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five had their first major success, and his band will perform We Are The World as the grand finale at the Save The World Awards with an all-star group of artists.
