With his trademark black fedora and single, sequined glove, his unique contributions to music and dance, along with a highly publicized personal life, made him a central part of popular culture around the world for four decades.
He was also a notable philanthropist, donating millions of dollars to the 39 charities he supported, and raising more through his own Heal the World Foundation.
His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time, with four others-Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and History (1995)-among the best selling.
He is widely credited with having transformed the music video from a promotional tool into an art form, with videos such as Thriller, ""Beat It"" and ""Billie Jean"" making him the first African American to amass a strong crossover following on MTV, and others, such as ""Black or White"" and ""Scream"", ensuring his popularity well into the 1990s.
His changing appearance was noticed from the early 1980s, his skin appearing paler and his facial features becoming almost androgynous.
He married twice, first in 1994 and again in 1996, and brought up three children, one of them with a surrogate mother, actions that triggered more speculation about his life.
Jackson died at the age of 50 on June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, after suffering a
cardiac arrest.
Early life and The Jackson 5: 1958-75
Jackson was born the seventh of nine children on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, an industrial suburb of Chicago, to an African American family.
Jackson had three sisters, Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy
Jackson had a difficult relationship with his father.
Joseph would also trip or push the boys into walls.
He said he wanted to teach the children not to leave the window open when they went to sleep.
Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in an interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast on February 10, 1993.
In an interview with Martin Bashir, aired on February 3, 2003, as Living with Michael Jackson, he covered his face with his hands and began crying when talking about his childhood abuse.
In 1964, he and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers-a band formed by brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine-as backup musicians playing congas and the tambourine.
In 1966, they won a major local talent show with renditions of Motown hits and James Brown's ""I Got You (I Feel Good)"", led by Michael.
[3] Rolling Stone magazine later described the young Michael as ""a prodigy"" with ""overwhelming musical gifts"", writing that he ""quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer The group set a chart record when its first four singles (""I Want You Back"", ""ABC"", ""The Love You Save,"" and ""I'll Be There"") peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
The group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input.
They continued to tour internationally, releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, during which Jackson was the lead songwriter, writing hits such as ""Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"", ""This Place Hotel,"" and ""Can You Feel It"".
Jones agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album,
Off the Wall.
His subsequent rhinoplasty was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career.
Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's second rhinoplasty and subsequent operationsJones and Jackson produced Off the Wall together.
Released in 1979, it was the first album to generate four U.
top 10 hits, including the chart-topping singles ""Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"" and ""Rock with You It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for ""Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"".
Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.
T.
That year Jackson issued his second Epic album, Thriller.
It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including ""Billie Jean"", ""Beat It,"" and ""Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'.
It is cited as the best-selling album of all time, worldwide sales between 47 million and 109 million copies.
He was also making record-breaking profits from sales of CDs and The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, a documentary produced by Jackson and John Landis.
The era saw the arrival of novelties like dolls modeled after Michael Jackson, which appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12.
Randy Taraborrelli writes that, ""Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item-like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie-and started selling like a household staple.
A one-man rescue team for the music business.
A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street.
""in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else"".
Debuting his
signature dance move, the moonwalk, his performances during the event were seen by 47 million viewers, and drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime.
While filming a Pepsi Cola commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, he suffered second degree burns to his scalp after pyrotechnics accidentally set his hair on fire.
Jackson had his third rhinoplasty shortly afterwards, and began treatment to hide the scars on his scalp.
Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated his $1.
Jackson at the White House South Portico with President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan, 1984
On May 14, 1984, he was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug abuse.
Unlike later albums, Thriller did not have an official tour to promote it, but the 1984 Victory Tour, headlined by The Jacksons, showcased much of Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans.
He also co-wrote the charity single ""We Are the World"" in 1985 with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in the U.
and Africa.
While working with Paul McCartney on the two hit singles ""The Girl Is Mine"" (1982) and "
"Say Say Say"" (1983), the pair became friendly.
Jackson subsequently began buying, selling, and distributing publishing rights to music from numerous artists.
Jackson took an immediate interest in the catalog, but was warned he would face strong competition.
I want those songs.
Branca contacted McCartney's attorney, who clarified that his client was not interested in bidding: ""It's too pricey"".
Jackson eventually beat the rest of the competition in negotiations that lasted 10 months, purchasing the catalog for $47.
1986-87: Appearance, tabloids, Bad, autobiography, and films
Michael Jackson's health and appearance
Jackson's skin had been a medium-brown color for the entire duration of his youth, but starting in the early 1980s, it gradually grew paler.
In 1986, he was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus; the vitiligo partially lightened his skin, and the lupus was in remission; both illnesses made him sensitive to sunlight.
The structure of his face changed too: several surgeons speculated that he had undergone multiple nasal surgeries, a forehead lift, thinned lips, and cheekbone surgery.
"" Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy and speculated that he was suffering from anorexia nervosa; periods of weight loss would become a recurring problem later in life.
He had a fourth rhinoplasty in 1986, and had a cleft put in his chin.
In 1986, The National Enquirer published a series of photographs of him lying in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, claiming that he slept in the chamber to slow the aging process.
In 2003, the singer claimed that Bubbles had been trained to use the toilet and to clean his own bedroom.
"" The reports became embedded in the public consciousness, inspiring the nickname ""Wacko Jacko.
Jackson remarked to a reporter:
Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars.
They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter.
He's cracked up.
""
Jackson wore a gold-plated military style jacket with belt in the Bad era.
It was the most expensive film produced on a per-minute basis at the time, and was later hosted in Disney theme parks.
With the industry expecting another major hit, Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated.
S.
As of 2008, the album had sold 30 million copies worldwide.
The Bad World Tour began on September 12 that year, finishing on January 14, 1989.
He broke a Guinness World Record when 504,000 people attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium.
4 million people, and gained a further
Guinness World Record when the tour grossed him $125 million.
1988-90: Autobiography, changing appearance, and Neverland
In 1988, Jackson released his first autobiography, Moon Walk, which took four years to complete and sold 200,000 copies.
He also spoke of his plastic surgery, saying he had had two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin.
Moon Walk reached the top position on The New York Times best sellers' list.
Moonwalker debuted atop the Billboard Top Music Video Cassette chart, staying there for 22 weeks.
In March 1988, Jackson purchased land near Santa Ynez, California to build Neverland Ranch at a cost of $17 million.
A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds.
In 1989, his annual earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts was estimated at $125 million for that year alone.
His success resulted in his being dubbed the ""King of Pop"", a nickname conceived by Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with an ""Artist of the Decade"" award in 1989, proclaiming him ""the true king of pop, rock and soul.
W.
"" From 1985 to 1990, he donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund, and all of the profits from his single ""Man in the Mirror"" went to charity.
's 60th birthday celebration received an Emmy nomination.
Jackson released his eighth album Dangerous in 1991.
S.
In the United States, the album's first single ""Black or White"" was its biggest hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining there for seven weeks, with similar chart performances worldwide.
In 1993, Jackson performed the song at the Soul Train Awards in a chair, saying he had suffered an injury in rehearsals.
Jackson founded the ""Heal the World Foundation"" in 1992.
The foundation also sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war and disease.
Jackson performed to 3.
All profits from the concerts went to the ""Heal the World Foundation"", raising millions of dollars in relief.
Following the illness and death of Ryan White, Jackson helped draw public attention to HIV/AIDS, something that was still controversial at the time.
In a high-profile visit to Africa, Jackson visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt.
In his trip to the Ivory Coast, Jackson was crowned ""King Sani"" by a tribal chief.
One of Jackson's most acclaimed performances came during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII.
After landing on the canvas, he maintained a statuesque stance dressed in a gold and black military outfit and sunglasses; he remained in the stance for over a minute while the crowd cheered.
His routine included four songs: ""Jam"", ""Billie Jean"", ""Black or White"" and ""
Heal the World"".
Jackson was given the ""Living Legend Award"" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
""Jam"" gained two nominations: Best R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song
First child sexual abuse allegation: 1993
Jackson gave a 90-minute interview to Oprah Winfrey in February 1993, his second television interview since 1979.
He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought the bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, stating for the first time that he had vitiligo.
S.
It also increased awareness of vitiligo, a relatively unknown condition.
He grimaced when speaking of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood years, admitting that he often cried from loneliness.
The interview was watched by an American audience of 90 million, becoming the fourth most-viewed non-sport program in U.
history.
Dangerous re-entered the album chart in the top 10, more than a year after its original release.
In the summer of 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler and his father, Evan Chandler, a dentist A year after Jackson met the boy, under the influence of sodium amytal, a controversial sedative, Jordan told his father that Jackson had touched his penis The father was tape-recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, where he said, ""If I go through with this, I win big-time.
I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever .
Jordan told a psychiatrist and later police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex, as well as giving a detailed description of what he alleged were the singer's genitals.
Neverland Ranch was searched; and multiple children and family members denied that Jackson was a pedophile though his image took a further hit when his older sister, La Toya, accused him of being a pedophile, a statement she later retracted Jackson agreed to a 25-minute strip search, conducted by police and doctors at his ranch, required to see if a description provided by Jordan of Jackson's genitals was accurate.
His friends said he never recovered from the humiliation.
He began taking painkillers and sedatives, including Valium, Ativan, and Xanax, in part to ease chronic pain resulting from an accident with stage rigging during the Dangerous Tour, and for joint inflammation associated with the lupus, but also to ease the panic attacks stemming from the allegations against him.
His health deteriorated to such an extent that he canceled the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour and went into rehab in London for a few months, dramatically disappearing from public view with the help of Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John.
With his health in decline, his friends and legal advisers took over his defense and finances.
The tabloids painted him in an extremely unfavorable light.
On January 1, 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for $22 million, after which Jordan stopped co-operating regarding criminal proceedings.
First marriage :1994
May 26th 1994: Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley,
the daughter of Elvis Presley
They stayed in contact every day over the telephone.
Lisa Marie explained, ""I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him.
I felt that I could do it.
Shortly afterwards, she tried to persuade Jackson to settle the allegations out of court and go into rehabilitation to recover-he subsequently did both.
Presley and Jackson married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy; the parties denied they had been married for nearly two months.
that was sexually active"".
Jackson and Presley divorced less than two years later.
