Michael
Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer,
songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and philanthropist. Called the
"King of Pop", his contributions to music, dance, and fashion along
with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture
for over four decades.
The eighth
child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with
his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the
Jackson 5. He began his solo career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became
a dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those of
"Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his
1982 album Thriller, are credited with breaking racial barriers and
transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity of
these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Jackson's 1987
album Bad spawned the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "I Just
Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me
Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana", becoming
the first album to have five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. He
continued to innovate with videos such as "Black or White" and
"Scream" throughout the 1990s, and forged a reputation as a touring
solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number
of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which
he gave the name. His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous
artists of various music genres.
Thriller is
the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copies
worldwide. Jackson's other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987),
Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling
albums. He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness
World Records. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and was also inducted into the Songwriters
Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame as the only dancer from pop and rock
music. His other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records, 13
Grammy Awards, the Grammy Legend Award, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,
26 American Music Awards—more than any other artist—including the "Artist
of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s", 13 number-one singles
in the United States during his solo career—more than any other male artist in
the Hot 100 era—and estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him the
most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He became the
first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in
five different decades when "Love Never Felt So Good" reached number
nine on May 21, 2014. Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his
humanitarianism, and, in 2000, the Guinness World Records recognized him for
supporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer.
Aspects of
Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal
relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of
child sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for an
undisclosed amount and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried
and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other
charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for
his comeback concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and
benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac
arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his
personal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and a live broadcast of
his public memorial service was viewed around the world. Forbes ranks Jackson as the top-earning dead
celebrity with earnings of $825 million in 2016, the highest yearly amount ever
recorded by the publication.