Michael Jackson's music video "Thriller" was deemed one of the best videos of all time as it was able to have a massive impact not just on the music industry but also on pop culture itself.
The MV revolved around scary zombies dancing around to the popular 1983 song and even the younger generations could still recognize the sound and visuals up until today.
Aside from the background dancers who wore prosthetics and makeup to evoke a zombie-like physical appearance, one cast member stood out the most, the mysterious woman who was Jackson's date; whatever happened to her after all these years?
Michael Jackson's Date in 'Thriller' is Ola Ray
According to Grunge, the woman's name is Ola Ray, who was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Aside from being an actress, she's also a singer, dancer, and model.
In 1980, she modeled for Playboy Magazine, and at the same time, she was able to work with major companies such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and IBM in the advertising industry.
By the time she auditioned for the role of "Thriller" with director John Landis, she revealed that the music video required a girl to play two roles.
"One would be a modern-day girl, the other would be a girl based in the 1950s, but we would have the same boyfriend. We would be sitting in a theater, watching ourselves on the big screen," she explained in an interview with Newsweek in 2022.
Following this, she was able to secure a few acting gigs in television and movies. However, despite the music video being massive, she noted in the interview that it was hard to break through into the Hollywood industry.
"After 'Thriller ' you came along, I stopped working," she said.
Ola Ray's Life Was Not Easy
Aside from giving up her hopes of becoming a major star, she also had a hard time dealing with her personal life as she told in a 2019 interview that she suffered from substance abuse, domestic abuse, and even depression.
Just a few years after she starred alongside Michael Jackson in the music video for "Thriller," she revealed that she almost took her own life.
"I got really depressed. I decided to take a bottle of pills and try to commit suicide," she said.
She also had a run-in with the law as she was charged with cocaine possession in 1992.
Probably one of the scariest experiences in her life was the time when she got kidnapped and was held captive by someone for a couple of months until the suspect decided to let her out.
Fortunately, Ray was able to turn things around as she had been clean since 2002. She also advocates for domestic violence and drug addiction awareness.
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