Michael Jackson Wins Four Posthumous American Music Awards

Michael Jackson was the nominee to beat at this year's American Music Awards. The pop icon posthumously won four of the five categories that he was nominated in, only losing out to Taylor Swift for the coveted Artist of the Year award. Jermaine Jackson accepted the awards on his behalf of his younger brother.

"It means a lot because so much work has gone into making these albums," Jermaine said. Michael, who died in June at the age of 50, received five nominations for a his hits compilation album, 'Number Ones.' Originally released in 2003, the multi-platinum selling album bounced back on the charts following the King of Pop's untimely death. "I think it's not about the award, it's not about the accomplishments, it's about the message. My brother [and] my family, we try to instill the right principals [and] words into our messages. To unite, entertain and inspire is what this family has done since day one. So for Michael to get awards that [acknowledged] these achievements for [work done] in the past has a lot to do with the message."
According to Jermaine, Michael's death has provided the public with a more candid idea of the kind of person he was. "If you see the movie 'This Is It,' you will see the person. Everything was about love, besides being an incredible human being that God blessed us with."

Aside from Michael's wins, the AMAs were filled with a slew of performances, among them was Michael's sister Janet Jackson, who opened the show with a melody leading with her 1986 breakout song 'Control.' Rihanna also hit the stage, offering up her first performance at an awards show since being assaulted by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in February. Songbird Whitney Houston received the International Award of Excellence honoring her illustrious music career which span more than twenty years. The high-note singer also performed the song 'I Didn't Know My Own Strength,' off her latest album 'I Look To You.' Other top winners included Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z and Beyonce.