Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson
Jackson performing in 1993
Born	Michael Joseph Jackson (1958-08-29)August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Died	June 25, 2009(2009-06-25) (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Cardiac arrest induced by acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	Michael Joe Jackson
Occupations	Singer songwriter dancer record producer philanthropist
Years active	1964–2009
Spouse(s)	Lisa Marie Presley (m. 1994; div. 1996) Debbie Rowe (m. 1996; div. 2000)
Children	Michael Jr. Paris Prince Michael II
Parents	Joe Jackson (father) Katherine Jackson (mother)
Family	See Jackson family
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop soul funk hip hop rock disco post-disco dance-pop new jack swing
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards piano bass drums
Labels	Steeltown Motown Epic Legacy Sony MJJ Productions
Website	www.michaeljackson.com
Signature

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. He is considered as one of the greatest and most influential music artists in history. His contributions to music, dance, and fashion for over four decades, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture. Jackson influenced artists across many music genres. Through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated dance moves such as the moonwalk and the robot. He is the most awarded individual music artist in history. Because of his influence and fame, he is known as the "King of Pop".

Jackson started his professional career performing with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon in The Jackson 5 in 1964. In 1971, he started a solo career while also being a member of The Jackson 5. During that period, he released four solo studio albums Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973), and Forever, Michael (1975). He released the best-selling album of all time, Thriller in 1982, with estimated sales of 60 million copies worldwide. The video for "Thriller" showed him dancing like a zombie and other dancers around him were zombies as well. "Thriller" includes famous songs like "Beat It" and "Billie Jean". The popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Jackson wrote other well-known songs such as ''Bad'', "Black or White", "Heal the World", and "Earth Song". Through music videos and live performances, he is known for popularizing dance moves such as the robot and the moonwalk. He won many awards and broke records. Guinness World Records says he is the most successful entertainer of all time. Jackson is also remembered for giving money to charities and pioneering efforts in charitable fundraising in the entertainment industry. 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. He is one of the best-selling music artists in history, with worldwide sales approaching 400 million records.

His other studio albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997) also rank among the world's best selling albums. He released his last studio album Invincible in 2001.

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. He was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, but the case was settled out of court. In 2003, Jackson was charged with child sexual abuse by Garvin Arvizo. In 2005, Jackson was found not guilty of all charges. While preparing for his comeback concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of an overdose of propofol on June 25, 2009, after having a cardiac arrest at 50 years of age. Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. On July 7, there was a memorial service for Jackson. It was on television and approximately 1 billion people watched it. This made it one of the most-watched funerals ever.^[1]

1. ↑ "Hazarika's funeral creates world record". News.in.msn.com. 2011-11-15. Archived from the original on 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2014-06-24.