Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009), also known by his initialsMJ, was an Americansinger,songwriter,dancer, andphilanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is often regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 20th century. Over a four-decade career, his musical achievements broke racial barriers in the U.S. and made him a dominant figure across the world. Through songs, concerts, and fashion, he proliferated visual performance for artists inpopular music; popularizing street dance moves including themoonwalk, therobot, and theanti-gravity lean. Jackson is often deemed the greatest entertainer of all time.[1]
Jackson remains a global figure inpopular culture. He created some of the best-selling albums in music history. His contributions to music, dance, andfashion had a major cultural impact. Finally, his highly publicized personal life kept him in the public eye. Jackson died in 2009 from anoverdose ofpropofol administered byDr. Conrad Murray.Murray's trial was widely publicized, and he went to prison for involuntary manslaughter.
On January 1, 1964, Jackson and his brotherMarlon joined The Jackson Brothers, a band that their older brothersJackie,Tito, andJermaine had started.[5] When they did their first public performance, Jackson was just five years old.[6]
When Jackson was 8, he and Jermaine became the group's main singers. The group's name then changed to The Jackson 5.
The members of the Jackson 5 were the same as the "Jackson Brothers": Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson.
The group won an importanttalent show in 1966. Two years later they were signed to a famous record label calledMotown Records. Their firstMotown singleI Want You Back reached No. 1 in theBillboard Hot 100, a list of the 100 top songs in theUnited States.
Jackson in 1977
They became quite popular and performed many original songs, including "ABC" and "I'll Be There". They were managed by their father Joe Jackson, who was very strict.
In 1971, Jackson embarked on his solo career and released his studio albumsGot to Be There andBen (both in 1972), andMusic & Me (1973).
Got to Be There produced thesong of the same name, as Jackson's debut solo single.Ben released one single, the title track "Ben", which was a commercial success.
1974–1981:Forever, Michael,The Wiz, andOff the Wall
In June 1975, the Jackson 5 left Motown forCBS Records and changed their name to "The Jacksons". That same year, he released his fourth solo studio albumForever, Michael.
In 1976, The Jacksons got their own TV show onCBS. The show was cancelled in March 1977.
On October 24, 1978, a movie calledThe Wiz was released. The movie was a remake ofThe Wizard of Oz with allblack actors. Jackson acted as theScarecrow.
On December 17, 1978, The Jacksons' twelfth album was released. It was the first album they had produced. Jackson wrote the album's second single "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" with Randy Jackson. It reached No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In December 1978, Jackson started making his fifth and first solo album onEpic Records:Off the Wall with record producerQuincy Jones. It was released on August 10, 1979. The album got good reviews and aGrammy Award for Best MaleR&B Vocal Performance.
The Jacksons' thirteenth album,Triumph, was released in 1980.
On October 18, 1982, the first single from his sixth studio albumThriller, "The Girl Is Mine", was released. It was sung withPaul McCartney. Some people thought that the album wasn't going to be very good because of the song.
On November 30, 1982,Thriller was released, which went on to become the best-selling album of all time. Jackson didn't do a tour to promote the album. The album sold around 70 million copies worldwide.
"Thriller" has a uniquemusic video, in which shows Jackson and others dancing likezombies. The popularity of these videos helped bring the television channelMTV to fame.
That year, Jackson won seven other Grammys for his studio albumThriller.[7]
On January 27, 1984, Michael's hair caught on fire while he was filming a Pepsi Cola commercial with the rest of The Jacksons. He received severe burns and was rushed to the hospital.
Pepsi paid $1.5 million to Jackson, who gave it to the Brotman Medical Center inCulver City, California. The accident left him with severe chronic pain, and he started takingnarcoticpain medications.
In May 1984, "Farewell My Summer Love", a song that Jackson wrote it 1973, was released as a single. It reached number seven in theUK Singles Chart.
The Jacksons' albumVictory was released on July 2, 1984. Between July and December 1984, Jackson toured with his brothers. He won eight awards at the 1984American Music Awards, the most anyone has ever won at once. He also won Best International Solo Artist and Best International Album at theBRIT Awards.
Jackson wrote "We Are the World" withLionel Richie in 1985. The song was recorded byUSA for Africa. It was released as a single around the world to raise money to give tostarving people inAfrica. It sold over 20 million copies. It also won four Grammy Awards.
From September 1987 to January 1989, Jackson did theBad World Tour. This was the first tour he did on his own.
In 1988,Moonwalk, a book Jackson wrote about his life, was published. It took Jackson four years to write. The book sold 200,000 copies.[12] Jackson then made and releasedMoonwalker. In 1989, somevideo games about the movie were released by U.S. Gold.
Jackson sang "You Were There" atSammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration. He was nominated for anEmmy Award for his performance.
The Jacksons released their last album,2300 Jackson Street, in 1989. Michael sang on the album's second single "2300 Jackson Street" with his brothers and two of their sisters, Janet and Rebbie. Michael was also in the song's music video.
Jackson won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form in 1989 for "Leave Me Alone".[13]
1991–1993:Dangerous, charitable work, and Superbowl
On November 26, 1991, Jackson released his eighth studio album,Dangerous. It is anew jack swing album produced withTeddy Riley. Jackson included a rapper on the album for the first time and nine singles from the album. It contains the number-one single "Black or White".
On June 27, 1992, Jackson started theDangerous World Tour. Its goal was to raise money for charities such as theHeal the World Foundation. Jackson promised to donate all of the tour's income tocharitable organizations. Jackson performed to 3.5 million people in 70 concerts, andgrossed $100 million in donations.
On July 16, 1995, Jackson released his ninth studio album,HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. This album has two discs. The first "HIStory Begins" is a collection of Jackson's greatest hits (his most popular songs, and it was later reissued in 2001 asGreatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I). The second "HIStory Continues" contains fifteen songs that Jackson recorded in late 1994 and early 1995. Thirteen of those songs were new at the time, and two of them arecover versions.
In 1996, he started hisHIStory World Tour, which ended the following year. Over 4.5 million fans attended a show on the tour - more than any other tour in Jackson's career. Jackson performed 82 concerts in 58 different cities, within 35 countries, on fivecontinents. The tourgrossed a total of $165 million.
Jackson won Artist of the 1980s at the American Music Awards in 2000.
On October 30, 2001,Invincible, Jackson's last studio album, was released. The album got good and bad reviews. It was No.1 in 12 countries and sold 13 million copies around the world. But compared to Jackson's earlier albums, it was unsuccessful. The album's first single "You Rock My World" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
In 2002, Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of theCentury.[16]
On November 18, 2003, Jackson released a collection of his popular songs calledNumber Ones. The album also includes a new song called "One More Chance", which was released as a single. It reached number one in three countries. The album was released as a DVD too.
In March 2009, Jackson told the press that he was going to do a tour calledThis Is It. He said that he might stop making music after this. Jackson practiced his singing and dancing for the tour inLos Angeles withKenny Ortega. Jackson died of an overdose ofPropofol on June 25, 2009, after having a cardiac arrest, and his personal physician,Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
During an Interview on YouTube during the BBC UK Show featuring "Michael Jackson's This Is It" Michael talked about the future of his career and that he "may" be retiring after his "This Is It" Tour, but he wasn't sure if he would or not. However, due to his death in 2009, the show was cancelled. Some show-goers who paid for tickets wanted refunds but the Jackson Estate did not provide any.
2009–2010:This Is It, awards, andMichael Jackson: The Experience
Jackson won Entertainer of the Year at the 2009Soul Train Awards. That year he also won five American Music Awards.[17]
On October 26, 2009, a two-disc album calledMichael Jackson's This Is It was released. The album's only single "This Is It" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2011. On October 28, 2009,Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. It was a documentary movie. The movie showed recordings of Jackson's rehearsals for his This Is It tour. Jackson died before he could do the tour. It made $72,091,016 in the United States. It has made $261,183,588 around the world. It got good reviews from movie critics. On 26 January 2010 the movie was released on DVD. It sold over a 1.5million copies in the US in the first week it was released. This was more than any other music DVD had sold in its first week.[18]
Jackson won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. His children, Prince andParis collected the award for Jackson.
In April 2011,Mohamed Al-Fayed, who was friends with Jackson when he was alive, showed the public a 7ft 6in statue of Jackson outsideCraven Cottage football stadium. A lot of people did not like the statue. In July 2013 Fayed sold his football club toShahid Khan. In September 2013 Khan chose to have the statue was removed. It was given back to Fayed.[19]Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson, a book written by Joseph Vogel about Jackson's life, was published in 2011.
Jackson was voted as the Greatest Singer of All Time by people who did a poll on NME.com.[20]
In 2011, there was a criminal trial for Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray. Murray was found guilty ofinvoluntary manslaughter of Jackson. He was sentenced to four years in prison. On October 28, 2013, Murray was released from prison. He was interviewed by60 Minutes. He said that he did not think that Jackson's death was his fault in any way. The journalistLiz Hayes asked Murray if he thought that Jackson was a pedophile. Murray stared at her for 13seconds and would not give an opinion. He said that he would not answer because he did not want to make anything up.[21]
An extinct species ofhermit crab was called Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni after Jackson in January 2012.[22]
Bad 25, a documentary movie about Jackson's albumBad, was released in August 2012.
In 2012 he sold almost 8 albums in the United States. He is thought to have sold 2 albums around the world in 2012. His estate makes $1 a year.[23]
2013–2014: Further child sexual abuse allegations, The Immortal World Tour, andXscape
Jackson made more money than any other dead celebrity in 2013.[24]
In May 2013,Wade Robson said that Jackson sexually abused him from the age of 7 to 14. In 2005 he had been a defense witness for Jackson's child molestation trial.[25] In June 2014 there will be a hearing where it is decided whether Robson can sue Jackson's estate over the abuse.[26]
In November 2013,Billboard magazine's issue, 44 did a cover with Michael on it. It said 'Life After Death'. Inside the magazine there was an article about the success ofMichael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.[27]
In January 2014, a judge ruled that Jackson's family could not have another trial against AEG Live.[28]Xscape was released on May 9, 2014.[29]
Jackson had a unique voice. Between 1971 and 1975, it changed from boysoprano to spintotenor.
Jackson had a three and a halfoctavevocal range.[30] He is the best-known musician to use the 'vocal hiccup'. He first used it in 1973 onIt's Too Late to Change the Time on The Jackson 5'sG.I.T.: Get It Together album. Jackson also sang 'come on' wrongly on purpose so that it sounded like 'shamone'.
Jackson lived a well-publicized personal life, even though he tried to stay private. He was often in celebrity andtabloidmagazines. Later in his life, he was in magazines because of his personal life more than for his music.
Prince Michael II was born on February 21, 2002. Jackson never said who the mother was. He is better known as Blanket. When Blanket was 8 months old, Jackson held him over abalcony with a towel over Blanket's head. At the time, people did not know that he was called Blanket. Jackson made a public apology after people got upset.[32]
After Jackson died, his mother Katherine was made the guardian of his children. In August 2012, Jackson's nephewTJ was made the children's co-guardian.[33]
In the 1980s, Jackson bought achimpanzee from a Texas research facility. He named it Bubbles and used it for apet.
Bubbles frequently traveled with Jackson, who had a strong attachment to the animal. The chimp, for example, was permitted to use Jackson's personal toilet.[34] As a result, people started to see Jackson as an eccentric.
The media mocked Jackson and called him "Wacko Jacko," which he hated.[35] Media coverage often focused on Bubbles, rather than on Jackson's music, and many false stories about the animal were told. One such story claimed that Bubbles was not a singleape, but one of several.[36][37]
In 1993, he was accused of child molestation, but there was no trial; the case wassettled out of court.
In 2003, he was accused a second time of child molestation. In a TV documentary calledLiving with Michael Jackson, Jackson held hands with a 12-year-old boy called Gavin Arvizo and said that he shared his bed with children.[38] When he was 13, Gavin Arvizo accused Jackson ofsexually abusing him. This time Jackson wastried in court, and in 2005 he was found notguilty of fourteencriminal charges.
In May 2013, on theToday show, a dancer calledWade Robson alleged that Jackson sexually abused him for 7 years. Prior to this, Robson had vehemently defended Jackson, including twice underoath.[39]
Over the years, Jackson'sface andskin color changed. This attracted a lot of attention.
However, when he was filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984, Jackson got second-degreeburns to hisscalp. These were extremely painful, and Jackson started taking painkillers.
In his later years Jackson always wore a hairpiece orwig that blended with his natural hair. His autopsy found that his scalp wastattooed black so that it blended in with his wigs.[40]
Jackson's face appeared to go through major changes during his career.
People especially talked about Jackson's nose. Jackson had animmune condition calleddiscoid lupus. According to Dr. Richard Strick, Jackson had an immune condition called discoid lupus that "destroyed part of the skin of his nose".[41]
Jackson denied having plastic surgery to his face on more than a few occasions. When people pointed out that his face changed, he said thatpuberty, weight loss and hisvegetariandiet were at fault.[42] But the change was so drastic that few people believed him.
Jackson's autopsy found that his lips weretattooed pink.[40][43]
Jackson's skin color varied a lot during the course of his career. It seemed to get lighter over time. People accused Jackson of wanting lighter skin and bleaching his skin to make it that way.
Like Michael Jackson did, this person hasvitiligo.
In truth, Jackson hadvitiligo, a rare skin condition that creates light spots on the skin. (The skin around these spots keep their normal color.) Large areas of Jackson's body were very pale. He used makeup and medication to try to make his skin color look the same all over his body. This made it look like his skin tone was getting lighter.
Jackson first revealed that he had vitiligo in a 1993 television interview withOprah Winfrey. Later, his autopsy confirmed that Jackson did have vitiligo, with large sections of white or lightened skin on his body.[44] It also noted that Jackson used a skin-bleaching cream calledBenoquin to treat his vitiligo.[45]
Jackson was allegedlyaddicted toprescription drugs. In fact, he died of a drug overdose. In 2009 his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, gave himintravenousPropofol for hisinsomnia. The insomnia was actually a side effect of Jackson's addiction toDemerol.[46] While Murray was out of the room, Jackson'sheart stopped and he died.
This photo of Michael in 1969 shows his original skin color.
Jackson had many physicians (including Dr. Murray) who supplied him with medications, including controlled substances like Demerol.[46]
Michael's father, Joe Jackson, abused him physically and emotionally during rehearsals.[47][48] When he found out his son was self-conscious about his appearance, his father called him "big-nose."[47][48]
Some people have suggested that Jackson hadbody dysmorphic disorder.[49][50][51] As a teenager, he hadacne.[49] InLiving With Michael Jackson, Jackson told Martin Bashir how he went home and cried after a woman called him ugly because of his acne.[52] The disorder is often triggered by appearance-relatedbullying.
Some people think that Jackson hadanorexia nervosa.[53][54] In 1984, Jackson weighed 105pounds. He was 5"9 tall. This would have made hisBMI 15.5, which is veryunderweight.[55] He weighed 112lbs. when he died. This is in the unhealthy range.[56]
Jackson may have had a rare genetic disease calledAlpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, according to abiographer calledIan Halperin.[57] Halpern wrote that Jackson's genetic disease had caused him to lose 95% of the vision in his left eye.[58] In fact, Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray said that he thought Jackson was "legallyblind" and hadphlebitis.[59][60]
Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generatedcontroversy. He wasaccused of child sexual abuse in 1993, but the case was settled out of court. In 2003, Jackson was charged with child sexual abuse by Gavin Arvizo. In 2005, Jackson was found not guilty of all charges.
Michael's childhood home inGary, Indiana with flowers left after his death
On June 25, 2009, Jackson was found without a heartbeat[61] and taken by ambulance to theRonald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He had been unresponsive since 12:15. He arrived at the hospital with no signs of life. Though he was not pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital, by 1pm he had already died. His death was announced that day at 2:25pm,[62] and confirmed by the Los Angeles coroner at 4:30pm.[63]
Jackson died just two months before his 51st birthday. The news of his death spread around the world very quickly. People around the world grieved on a scale never seen before.[64] Rumors and news items about Jackson's death broke records for web traffic. Jackson's death gaveGoogle,Twitter,Facebook, andYahoo the most page views they had ever encountered.[65][66] This enormous amount ofInternet traffic caused a cyberspace traffic jam.
Jackson's doctorConrad Murray, who supplied the Propofol, claimed Jackson took the overdose himself. However, the Coroner ruled the death was a homicide. Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter and served four years in prison.[67]
Propofol is used asanesthesia for majorsurgeries and requires heavy monitoring, includingnurses and medical equipment.[68] Conrad Murray admitted to police that he had none of these when he gave Jackson the Propofol.[67] His autopsy discussed how dangerous Murray's actions were. It also noted that Jackson had an increased risk of respiratory failure because he had a lung injury.[40]
Mariah Carey sang "I'll Be There" at the memorial service, followed by a speech given byQueen Latifah.Lionel Richie performed "Jesus is Love".Berry Gordy, Motown founder, spoke next, offering condolences.Kobe Bryant andMagic Johnson also spoke, with Magic describing the event as a "celebration of Jackson's life and works" rather than a funeral.
Usher then sang "Gone Too Soon", followed by amontage of old videos of Jackson himself. Shamim sang next, withKenny Ortega introducing him afterward. Kenny Ortega explained that Michael Jackson saw the Staples Center as his home, which is why the funeral service was held there. Ortega then sang a tribute to Jackson, including "We Are the World" and "Heal the World".
The service ended with speeches by members of Michael's family, includingJermaine,Marlon and daughterParis. Paris began to cry and said that "Daddy was the best father anyone could have." She added "I will miss him" before leaving the microphone and turning intoJanet Jackson's arms.
At first, Michael Jackson's custom-made quarter-million dollar goldencasket,nicknamed "ThePromethean," was not expected to appear at the memorial service. However, due to a change in the family's plans, the casket did appear.[70]
Viewing parties were held all over the world for thebroadcast. Movie theaters showed the memorial service inTimes Square, theApollo Theater,Raleigh, andBerlin.[71] The broadcast was replayed a few times the next day. An estimated 1 billion people tuned into the farewell concert.
Over 3,000 police officers were assigned to the event, the largest amount assigned to a single event since the1984 Summer Olympics.[72] It cost the City ofLos Angeles 1.4 million dollars.[73]
Jackson's funeral took place nine weeks after he died, inGlendale, California on September 3, 2009. He was laid to rest at 9:45 pm in themausoleum, above the ground. Some family members had wanted him to be buried below ground in the mausoleum, while Jermaine Jackson wanted him buried on Neverland ranch.[74] However, Michael's mother Katherine made the final decision.
Through music videos and live performances, Jackson is known for popularizing dance moves such as the robot, the anti-gravity lean, the side slide, the crotch grab, and themoonwalk.[75]
He won many awards and broke records. He is the most successful entertainer of all time, according toGuinness World Records.
Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring hishumanitarianism. In 2000, theGuinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer.
People continue to buy Jackson's albums and listen to his songs. He is one of the best-selling music artists in history, with worldwide sales approaching 400 million records.
Many of Michael Jackson's songs are still extremely popular. These include:
Jackson recorded several songs before his death. He had recently released a compilation album calledMichael (2010), featuring remixed songs and new songs such as "Hold My Hand" a duet between him and popular singerAkon, and "Monster", a strong song with lots of attitudes and a hint of dislike for the paparazzi. Also "(I Like) The Way You Love Me", "Keep Your Head Up", and "Much Too Soon".
Abiopic based on Jackson's life and career was officially announced and will starJermaine Jackson's sonJaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson. The movie will be released in April 2026.
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