Wylie Draper - The Life And Death Of The Man Who Played Michael Jackson

Wylie Draper lived only 24 years but he sure put his footprints on the sands of time in his short-lived career as a dancer and actor. His role as an actor led to his playing the character of Michael Jackson in the TV film, The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992). He also played a role in The Disappearance of Christina (1993). As a dancer, he appeared in Michael Jackson’s video, Remember the Time (1992) as well as The Red Shoe Diaries (1994) cable show.

31 years after the death of Wylie, he is still remembered for the life he lived. As such, here’s a complete story of how he lived his life and died in 1993.

Wylie Draper Started Dancing At a Young Age

He was born Wylie Hughes Draper on May 5 1969 in West Virginia, the United States as an African-American. By the time he was 10 years old, he had already rooted himself in dance and started to perform at his brother’s parties, stealing the show and being compared to Michael Jackson.

Although there is no information about his family, he had a brother, Desmond who encouraged his love and talent in dancing and in no time would perform at a local skating rink.

He Had Aspired to Become a Football Player

First, he was a dancer but later explored the paths of an athlete as a young football player. He nurtured his found skill and would go on to play at the Northside high school where he was receiving his education. However, his natural artistic side could not be hidden for long as his drama teacher noticed him early enough.

After high school, Wylie moved to Point Park Colled where he would have more grounding in art.

How He Got the Role to Play Michael Jackson

Since he was a young boy, Draper was said to have a resemblance with Michael Jackson. However, it was not just the resemblance that won him the role to play the late music legend, but also his dancing and acting skills.

He got the role to play adult Michael Jackson with Alex Burrall and Jason Weaver playing the younger legend while Angel Bassett played the role of his mother, Kathrine Jackson.

The performance won Wylie Draper an Emmy award. However, he did not play many other roles in his career but The Disappearance of Christina which aired in 1994 after his death.

The Complete Works of Wylie Draper

A compilation of Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits – History (1995)
Red Shoe Diaries (1994)
The Disappearance of Christina (1993)
Dangerous: The Short Films (1993)
The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992)
Michael Jackson: Remember the Time (1992)

Michael Jackson Hired Him as a Dancer

Michael Jackson had met Draper. He offered him the role of a dancer in his famous Remember the Time music video which also features Eddie Murphy among other stars.

Prior to that, Draper became famous for his Moonwalk at the Motown 25 performance as well as worked as a dancer at Disney.

What Happened to Him?

Draper was diagnosed with a rare type of leukemia which resulted in his death on December 20, a few days to the 1993 Christmas and only a year after he portrayed Michael Jackson in a TV film that had about 30 million viewers at that time. He died in Los Angeles, California in the United States.

The former actor cum dancer was buried in Magnolia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia.

A Foundation Was Created in His Honour

In 1994, a year after the death of Draper, his family started a foundation called The Wylie Draper Foundation (WDF) in his memory. The foundation is aimed at continuing with the legacy the former actor had started.

In addition, the foundation is aimed at supporting young artists with sponsorships through scholarships as well as creating awareness for bone-marrow donation, especially in African-American communities. Also in his honor, Vince Chapman wrote a song titled Keeping the Dream Alive (A Tribute to Wylie Draper) off of his 2010 album of the same title. The song is an R&B/pop track that returns its proceeds to the Wylie Draper Foundation.

Additionally, there are social media pages that are dedicated to the man who dared to act Michael Jackson in 1992. These include Instagram and Facebook pages.

Net Worth of Wylie Draper Before His Death

Wylie had started earning from his career as an entertainer before he became Michael Jackson in a film. However, his income all throughout his career has not been disclosed. This would however not stop many sources from making claims about the net worth of a dancer to be estimated from $100,000 to $500,000 before his death.