Michael JACKSON was a King
Michael Jackson’s “king” status in the Ivory Coast was real as a traditional/cultural title, but it was not the same thing as being the political ruler of a country.
In February 1992, Jackson visited Krindjabo, the traditional capital of the Sanwi Kingdom in southeastern Côte d’Ivoire, while researching his African ancestry. During a traditional ceremony beneath a sacred tree, the Sanwi leadership formally honored him and gave him the name Amalaman Anoh. Contemporary accounts describe him as being crowned “King Sani”, while later and more detailed accounts generally describe his formal status as Prince of Sanwi. (MJFrance)
So what was he actually like as a “king”?
From the accounts of people who were there, he didn't behave like someone who believed he had suddenly become an absolute ruler.
The contemporary Ebony account is particularly interesting. After being crowned, Jackson was visibly emotional and reportedly responded with “Thank you very much” rather than giving some grand royal speech. He then:
joined the elders of the royal court,
signed ceremonial documents,
sat on a golden throne,
participated in the traditional ceremony,
and received ritual dances and blessings. (MJFrance)
When Ebony asked him about becoming a real king, Jackson reportedly said that he didn't want to let it go to his head and regarded it as a great honor. (On My Footsteps)
That fits with the way people in Krindjabo later remembered him. One local account described him as having been welcomed like a dignitary and a long-lost son, rather than as a foreign celebrity simply passing through. (Abidjan.net News)
And this is where the funeral story gets interesting
The people of Sanwi apparently took the relationship seriously enough that after Jackson died in 2009, local leaders wanted his body returned to Krindjabo for traditional royal funeral rites. They considered him part of their royal lineage and wanted him buried according to their traditions. (Abidjan.net News)
They ultimately couldn't obtain his body, so they held a symbolic royal funeral for him in Krindjabo, with the reigning king and traditional leaders participating. (الإمارات اليوم)
So the TikTok in your screenshot is based on a real event, but it simplifies the terminology. Calling Michael Jackson an “actual king of a village” makes it sound like he became the governing monarch of Krindjabo. The historical record more accurately describes him as having been ceremonially elevated into the Sanwi royal hierarchy, generally as a prince, with some contemporary reporting calling him “King Sani.” (MJFrance)
And yes, the people there genuinely regarded him as one of their own after the ceremony, which helps explain why the reaction to his death was much more than ordinary fan admiration.
