MichaelJoseph 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 alongwith his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culturefor over four decades.
The eighthchild of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 withhis elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of theJackson 5. He began his solo career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson becamea dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those of"Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his1982 album Thriller, are credited with breaking racial barriers andtransforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity ofthese videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Jackson's 1987album Bad spawned the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "I JustCan't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make MeFeel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana", becomingthe first album to have five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Hecontinued to innovate with videos such as "Black or White" and"Scream" throughout the 1990s, and forged a reputation as a touringsolo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a numberof complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to whichhe gave the name. His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerousartists of various music genres.
Thriller isthe best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copiesworldwide. Jackson's other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987),Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-sellingalbums. He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by GuinnessWorld Records. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and was also inducted into the SongwritersHall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame as the only dancer from pop and rockmusic. His other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records, 13Grammy Awards, the Grammy Legend Award, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,26 American Music Awards—more than any other artist—including the "Artistof the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s", 13 number-one singlesin the United States during his solo career—more than any other male artist inthe Hot 100 era—and estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him themost awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He became thefirst artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 infive different decades when "Love Never Felt So Good" reached numbernine on May 21, 2014. Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring hishumanitarianism, and, in 2000, the Guinness World Records recognized him forsupporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer.
Aspects ofJackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personalrelationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused ofchild sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for anundisclosed amount and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was triedand acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several othercharges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing forhis comeback concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol andbenzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiacarrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and hispersonal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and a live broadcast ofhis public memorial service was viewed around the world. Forbes ranks Jackson as the top-earning deadcelebrity with earnings of $825 million in 2016, the highest yearly amount everrecorded by the publication.
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MichaelJoseph 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 alongwith his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culturefor over four decades.
The eighthchild of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 withhis elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of theJackson 5. He began his solo career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson becamea dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those of"Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his1982 album Thriller, are credited with breaking racial barriers andtransforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity ofthese videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Jackson's 1987album Bad spawned the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "I JustCan't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make MeFeel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana", becomingthe first album to have five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Hecontinued to innovate with videos such as "Black or White" and"Scream" throughout the 1990s, and forged a reputation as a touringsolo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a numberof complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to whichhe gave the name. His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerousartists of various music genres.
Thriller isthe best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copiesworldwide. Jackson's other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987),Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-sellingalbums. He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by GuinnessWorld Records. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and was also inducted into the SongwritersHall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame as the only dancer from pop and rockmusic. His other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records, 13Grammy Awards, the Grammy Legend Award, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,26 American Music Awards—more than any other artist—including the "Artistof the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s", 13 number-one singlesin the United States during his solo career—more than any other male artist inthe Hot 100 era—and estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him themost awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He became thefirst artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 infive different decades when "Love Never Felt So Good" reached numbernine on May 21, 2014. Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring hishumanitarianism, and, in 2000, the Guinness World Records recognized him forsupporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer.
Aspects ofJackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personalrelationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused ofchild sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for anundisclosed amount and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was triedand acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several othercharges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing forhis comeback concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol andbenzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiacarrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and hispersonal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and a live broadcast ofhis public memorial service was viewed around the world. Forbes ranks Jackson as the top-earning deadcelebrity with earnings of $825 million in 2016, the highest yearly amount everrecorded by the publication.