Portriat of the five brothers of the popular musical group the Jackson Five and their parents as they pose on a staircase surrouned by commemorative plaque and music awards in their home.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1972
Jackson (center) as a member of the Jackson.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1977
From left, back row: Jackie Jackson, Michael Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson. Middle row: Randy Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson. Front row: Janet Jackson.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1984
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan presented Jackson with an award at the White House.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1984
Buffalo, New York, United States
Entertainer Michael Jackson sings at a concert. Jackson, who was the lead singer for the Jackson Five by age eight, reached the peak of his solo career with 1982''s "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time and recipient of eight Grammy awards.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1986
New York, United States
Popular American musician Michael Jackson stands in a graffiti-filled subway car during the filming of the long-form music video for his song 'Bad,' directed by Martin Scorsese.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1987
United States
Entertainer Michael Jackson poses with his pet boa constrictor.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1987
New York, United States
Popular American musician Michael Jackson waves during the filming of the long-form music video for his song 'Bad,' directed by Martin Scorcese.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1991
Los Angeles, California, United States
Popular American singers Michael Jackson (left) and Madonna arrive at the Shrine Civic Auditorium for the 63rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1993
Pasadena, California, United States
Michael Jackson performs at the Super Bowl XXVII Halftime show at the Rose Bowl.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
1996
Michael Jackson performs on stage on his HIStory tour.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
2002
Michael Jackson performs on stage at the taping of the American Bandstands 50th. A Celebration!".
Gallery of Michael Jackson
2002
Santa Maria, California, United States
Singer Michael Jackson testifies during his civil trial in Santa Maria Superior Court. The artist is being sued for $21 million by his longtime promoter for backing out of two concerts.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
2005
Santa Maria, California, United States
Singer Michael Jackson arrives at the Santa Maria Superior Court for testimony during the third week of his child molestation trial.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
2005
Santa Maria, California, United States
Singer Michael Jackson departs early from the Santa Barbara County courthouse at the end of the sixth week of his trial.
Gallery of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Gallery of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Gallery of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Achievements
Membership
Awards
American Music Award
1981
Los Angeles, California, USA
Michael Jackson receives American Music Awards circa 1981 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Images Press)
BRIT Award
1983
Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009) poses with guitarist Pete Townshend at the British Record Industry Awards (BRIT awards) in London, 16th February 1983. (Photo by Dave Hogan
Grammy Award
1994
Michael Jackson 1994 Grammy awards with Quincy Jones (Photo by Chris Walter)
AASA Award
2004
Washington, DC, USA
Michael Jackson speaks on stage at the Ethiopian Embassy on April 1, 2004, in Washington, DC before receiving the Humanitarian Award from the African Ambassadors' Spouses Association. (Photo by Stephen Boitano)
MTV Video Music Award
2006
2 Chome-1-1 Jinnan, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0041, Japan
Michael Jackson during MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2006 - Press Room at Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Nathan Shanahan)
World Music Award
2006
London, UK
Michael Jackson receives the Diamond Award during the 2006 World Music Awards at Earls Court on November 15, 2006, in London. (Photo by Getty Images)
Portriat of the five brothers of the popular musical group the Jackson Five and their parents as they pose on a staircase surrouned by commemorative plaque and music awards in their home.
From left, back row: Jackie Jackson, Michael Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson. Middle row: Randy Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson. Front row: Janet Jackson.
Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009) poses with guitarist Pete Townshend at the British Record Industry Awards (BRIT awards) in London, 16th February 1983. (Photo by Dave Hogan
Entertainer Michael Jackson sings at a concert. Jackson, who was the lead singer for the Jackson Five by age eight, reached the peak of his solo career with 1982''s "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time and recipient of eight Grammy awards.
Popular American musician Michael Jackson stands in a graffiti-filled subway car during the filming of the long-form music video for his song 'Bad,' directed by Martin Scorsese.
Entertainer Michael Jackson performs at a concert. Jackson, who was the lead singer for the Jackson Five by age eight, reached the peak of his solo career with 1982's "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time and recipient of eight Grammy awards.
Singer Michael Jackson appears at the balcony of the Adlon Hotel with an unidentified child. Jackson with his three children to accept a lifetime achievement award.
Singer Michael Jackson testifies during his civil trial in Santa Maria Superior Court. The artist is being sued for $21 million by his longtime promoter for backing out of two concerts.
Michael Jackson speaks on stage at the Ethiopian Embassy on April 1, 2004, in Washington, DC before receiving the Humanitarian Award from the African Ambassadors' Spouses Association. (Photo by Stephen Boitano)
In this handout photo provided by Mohamed Hadid, singer Michael Jackson (3rd R) poses with real estate developer Mohamed Hadid (3rd L), Hadid's children and Jackson's children Michael Joseph Jr. (L), Paris Michael Katherine (C) and Prince Michael II (2nd R) at the Jackson Holmby Hills residence.
Lisa Marie Presley attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Mad Max: Fury Road" at TCL Chinese Theatre.
former mother-in-law: Priscilla Presley
2016
Paramount Studios, Hollywood, California, United States
Actress Priscilla Presley attends The Humane Society of the United States' to the Rescue Gala at Paramount Studios on May 7, 2016 in Hollywood, California.
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Jackson was a multi-talented musical entertainer who enjoyed a chart-topping career both with the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist. He released the best-selling album in history, Thriller, in 1982. Through his record albums and music videos, he created an image imitated by his millions of fans. He remains a global icon despite his untimely death in 2009.
Background
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. He was eighth of the ten children of the couple Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson and Katherine Esther Scruse. While his father worked as a steel mill worker, his mother was a sincere Jehovah's Witness. Jackson was one of 10 children; nine Jackson siblings, including Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy and Janet, all made marks in the music industry.
The house was always filled with music. Jackson's mother taught the children folk and religious songs, to which they sang along. Jackson's father, who worked at a steel plant, had always dreamed of becoming a successful musician. When this failed to happen, he decided to do whatever it took to make the successes of his children. He tried to control his children's careers even after they were adults. The struggle for the control of the musical fortunes of the Jackson family was a constant source of conflict.
Education
Michael Jackson started off in a public school in Gary, Indiana until he was 11 years old. His grades were above average and he especially excelled in creative class. Later his father formed family music group under the name the Jackson Brothers, the founding members were elder brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine. In 1964, Michael and his brother, Marlon, joined the Jackson Brothers and afterwards Michael had to leave school and was tutored by a private tutor 3 hours a day between monday to Friday. The tutor often had to travel with him. He graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School.
Later Michael Jackson also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the United Negro College Fund and also an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk University
In 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to the Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 started touring Midwest, extensively performing at black clubs. In 1967, they released their first single, "Big Boy" with Steeltown record label but the same failed to interest the audience. In 1968, they signed a contract with Motown Records, which required them to relocate to Los Angeles. Following year, they came up with their first album, 'Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5". Its first single, "I Want You Back" was a chartbuster and was followed by bestsellers "ABC", 'The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There", each of which peaked at No 1 on Billboard Hot 100.
In addition to the band, he launched his solo career as well - his first-ever solo single being "Got to Be There". The song met with runaway success and established his reputation as a solo artist.
The Jackson 5 band withdrew its association with Motown Records in 1975. The same year, they tied up with Epic Records under a new name "the Jacksons". From 1976 to 1984, the band toured internationally and released six new albums. He became a leading songwriter for the group, writing numerous hits one after the other.
Meanwhile, he launched his solo album in association with Quincy Jones, "Off the Wall" in 1979. The album was a tremendous hit and the first ever to generate four U. S. top 10 hits. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
The desire to make a bigger impact than what "Off the Wall" made, led to the 1982 release of the album "Thriller". A grand blockbuster, the album broke all records to become the best-selling album of all time worldwide. It topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of 200 for 80 weeks at a stretch. The album sold 65 million copies and achieved Double Diamond status in the US.
In 1983, he reunited with his brothers for a live performance. It was there that he showed his signature dance style, the moonwalk, which became an epic. Magic was created on stage as he sang the chartbuster "Billie Jean" whilst performing the moonwalk.
In 1985, along with with Lionel Riche, he co-wrote "We Are the World', originally a charity single which became the best-selling singles of all time, selling about 30 million copies.
A follow-up to "Thriller" came in 1987 when he released the album, "Bad". Though the album was unable to replicate the runaway success of "Thriller", it nevertheless was a convincing chartbuster. Seven of its singles peaked at No 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100. The album sold about 45 million copies worldwide.
In 1988, the exemplary pop star released his autobiography titled Moonwalk. The book duplicated the success of his music albums by selling about 200, 000 copies and making it to the New York Times best-seller list.
By now, he had achieved iconic status. Right from his music albums to his autobiography to his cosmetic surgeries, everything made big news. One such news was his buying a 2, 700-acre property, which he named Neverland, near Santa Ynez California.
The year 1991 witnessed the release of his eighth album, "Dangerous". Much like its predecessors, "Dangerous" became the best-selling album of the year worldwide, with its singles, "Black or White", "Remember the Time" and "Heal the World" topping the charts.
He founded the "Heal the World" foundation in 1992, and the same year, he released his second literary offering, "Dancing the Dream', which gained commercial success but lacked critical acclaim.
In 1993, he performed at several significant events, including Super Bowl XXVII. The same year, he was charged with molestation but since there were no proofs to support the allegation, the charges were withdrawn.
He came up with the album, HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I in 1995. Barring the single, "Scream", which he sang with sister, Janet Jackson, the album received a lukewarm response. In October 2001, he released the album, "Invincible." This was his last full-length album. Though the album gained decent success, it was his eccentric and disoriented behavior that caught the headlines.
While he remained an international celebrity, his image in the United States was slow to recover, and it suffered even more in November 2003 when he was arrested and again charged with child molestation (the first incident took place in 1993). After a 14-week trial that became something of a media circus, Jackson was acquitted in 2005.
In the wake of these events, Jackson suffered a financial collapse that resulted in the sale of many of his considerable assets. He was preparing for a series of high-profile concerts he hoped would spark a comeback when he died suddenly of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009. In August 2009 the coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide, the cause was a lethal combination of sedatives and propofol, an anesthetic, which was administered to Michael Jackson by his personal physician, Conrad Murray. In November 2011 Jackson’s personal physician was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Michael Jackson was not an open follower of any church, but showed interest to the religion of various affiliations.
Politics
Michael Jackson was not overtly political. He never donated to any political party or endorsed any candidates.
Views
Michael Jackson supported many charities. This included a burns charity in Culver City, California. This followed an incident where Michael Jackson was burnt in filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984. He also supported HIV / AIDS charities at a time when it was still unfashionable. From his 1984, Victory Tour he donated all funds (around $8million to charity)
In 1985, he also co-wrote the charity single “We Are the World” with Lionel Richie. It sold over 30 million copies, and the proceeds were sent to the poor in the US and Africa. He continued his charity work to the end of his life supporting charity concerts such as Aid for victims of Kosovo war.
Quotations:
"Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation."
"Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons. The truth will win this marathon in court."
"To give someone a piece of your heart, is worth more than all the wealth in the world."
"The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work."
"When all life is seen as divine, everyone grows wings."
"The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation."
"A star can never die. It just turns into a smile and melts back into the cosmic music, the dance of life."
Personality
Michael Jackson was blessed with musical talent, as well as in the visual and performing arts. Also, Jackson had enormous talent in the business. He was blessed with a great deal of charm and charisma, which he used effectively to attract the people and support he needs. Michael Jackson had a deep love of children - perhaps because of his lost childhood due to his early singing career. At the same time, Michael had been called "the child who never grew up". His favorite hero was Peter Pan.
Michael Jackson loved to read. He had over 10, 000 books at his house. He was a huge fan of Marvel comics and a close friend of Stan Lee, to the point of wanting to buy the company in the 1980s. Michael Jackson's favorite food was Mexican. A burrito and taco would leave him happy and satisfied. Also, he was fond of pets. He had a python called Crusher, two llamas called Louis and Lola and his most famous pet was Bubbles, the chimpanzee.
In public he often wore a face mask to protect himself from germs, he slept inside an oxygen capsule, which he believed would help him to live longer.
He had an extremely good memory with many people even claiming he had a photographic memory. He could remember names, stories, and information relating to encounters with people many years before.
Physical Characteristics:
Jackson's skin had been a medium-brown color during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually grew paler. The change gained widespread media coverage, including rumors that he might have been bleaching his skin. According to J. Randy Taraborrelli's biography, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo in 1984; vitiligo results in white patches on the skin. Although Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo, Taraborrelli stated that Jackson had been skin bleaching. He said that Jackson was diagnosed with lupus, and that while the vitiligo partially lightened Jackson's skin, the lupus was in remission. Both illnesses made Jackson's skin sensitive to sunlight. The treatments Jackson used for his condition further lightened his skin, and, with the application of pancake makeup to even out blotches he could appear pale. Jackson stated that although he used makeup to control the patchy appearance of his skin, he never purposely bleached his skin. He said of his vitiligo: "It is something I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me. It's a problem for me. I can't control it." Jackson was also diagnosed with vitiligo in his autopsy, though not lupus.
Quotes from others about the person
Donald Trump: "I’ve had every entertainer working for me more or less. I knew Pavarotti, I knew all of the great entertainers. I think the greatest entertainer that I have ever seen was Michael Jackson. There’s never been anyone like him."
Paul McCartney: "Jackson was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever."
Martin Scorsese: "Michael Jackson was extraordinary. When we worked together on Bad, I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other. Every step he took was absolutely precise and fluid at the same time. It was like watching quicksilver in motion. He was wonderful to work with, an absolute professional at all times, and - it really goes without saying - a true artist."
Interests
Writers
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare.
Sport & Clubs
basketball, UFC, soccer, Fulham Football Club
Music & Bands
James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Sammy Davis Jr. , The Temptations, Diana Ross. He also liked classical music.
Connections
Michael Jackson married twice in his lifetime. His first marriage was with Lisa Marie Presley in 1994. They married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy, denying it for nearly two months afterwards. This union did not last long and the two divorced in 1996. In 1997 he married long-time friend Deborah Jeanne Rowe in an impromptu ceremony in Sydney, Australia. The couple was blessed with two children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr and Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. The couple divorced in 1999, and Jackson received full custody of the children. The divorce was relatively amicable, but a subsequent custody suit was not settled until 2006. Michael Jackson had a third child, Prince Michael Jackson II, from a surrogate mother through artificial insemination.