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| Michael Jackson |
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an
American recording artist, entertainer, and philanthropist. Referred to as the
King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by
Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in
popular culture for over four decades. The eighth child of the
Jackson family, Jackson debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of
The Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s, and began his solo career in 1971.
In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in
popular music. The
music videos for his songs including "
Beat It", "
Billie Jean" and "
Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel
MTV to fame. Videos such as "
Black or White" and "
Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of dance techniques, such as the
robot and the
moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous
hip hop,
pop,
contemporary R&B and
rock artists.
Jackson's 1982 album
Thriller is the
best-selling album of all time. His other records, including
Off the Wall (1979),
Bad (1987),
Dangerous (1991) and
HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. Some of his other
achievements include multiple
Guinness World Records; 13
Grammy Awards (as well as the
Grammy Legend Award and the
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26
American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13
number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the
Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 800 million records worldwide. Jackson won
hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of music. He was also a notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for beneficial causes and supporting more than 39 charities.
Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing
appearance,
personal relationships and behavior, have generated controversy. In 1993, he was
accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was
tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury ruled him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series
This Is It, Jackson
died on June 25, 2009, after suffering from
cardiac arrest. Before his death, Jackson had reportedly been administered drugs such as
propofol and
lorazepam. The
Los Angeles County Coroner declared his death a
homicide, and his personal physician
pleaded not guilty to charges of
involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as a billion people around the world may
[weasel words] have watched his
public memorial service on live television. In March 2010,
Sony Music Entertainment signed a
US$250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.
