Michael Jackson
King of Pop
Heal the world with music and dance, and make the world a better place.
One of the most influential pop artists of the twentieth century, who profoundly transformed popular music and the music video industry with albums such as Thriller, Bad, and Dangerous and dance moves like the moonwalk. Showered with honors in his lifetime, he was also long at the center of media controversy.
Biography
Michael Jackson was born into a working-class family in Gary, Indiana, one of many siblings, with a father who worked in the steel mills. As a young child, under his father's prodding, he formed a family band with his older brothers and soon became the lead singer. When the Jackson 5 signed with Motown and a string of singles topped the charts, he was still just a child—the precociousness on stage and the childhood he never had formed the two sides of his lifelong nature.
After leaving Motown and moving with the group to a new label, he began to set his sights on a broader solo career. His collaboration with producer Quincy Jones on Off the Wall let him find his footing for the first time as an adult artist, proving that the child star had not faded but was in fact about to reach his true breakout.
Thriller pushed him to unprecedented heights. The album became the recognized best-selling record of all time, the "moonwalk" he glided across the screen became a collective memory for a generation, and his craftsmanship with the music video all but redefined the form. He was no longer merely a singer, but the "King of Pop" who changed the very way the entire popular music industry operated. The subsequent Bad and Dangerous, along with massive world tours, spread this influence across the globe.
Beneath the fame, shadows also drew near. From burns suffered while filming a commercial, to successive allegations of child molestation, to the comings and goings of his marriages and the endless prying of the media, his public image swung violently between acclaim and controversy. Although in that protracted criminal trial the jury ultimately found him not guilty on all charges, his body, finances, and privacy had already been worn down over the years, and he gradually withdrew from public view.
In 2009 he announced a comeback concert series in London titled This Is It; tickets sold out rapidly, as if heralding the return of the king. Yet in the midst of intense rehearsals, he died suddenly in Los Angeles at just 50, shocking the world. The controversies never truly dissipated, but what is beyond dispute is this: with his voice, his dance steps, and his boundless creativity, he profoundly rewrote the face of twentieth-century popular culture, leaving behind a name an entire era could not replicate.
Life Timeline
Childhood and the Jackson 51958–1975
Born into a working-class family in Gary, Indiana, he formed the Jackson 5 with his brothers as a young child and rose quickly to fame under Motown.
Transition and Solo Beginnings1976–1981
The group moved to Epic and renamed itself The Jacksons; Michael simultaneously launched his solo career, and Off the Wall was a great success.
The Thriller-Era Peak1982–1987
Thriller became the best-selling album of all time, and the moonwalk and its music videos made him a global superstar.
The Bad and Dangerous World Tours1987–1993
He released Bad and Dangerous in succession, launched massive world tours, and was frequently involved in charitable activities.
Controversy and Turning Point1993–1999
The first child-molestation allegation, changes in his marriage, and the HIStory album brought violent swings in his public image.
Millennium Ups and Downs2000–2008
The release of Invincible, a second child-molestation allegation, and a criminal trial (which ended in acquittal) put strain on his finances and health.
This Is It and Death2009–2009
While preparing for the This Is It comeback tour in London, he died suddenly in Los Angeles, prompting worldwide mourning.