Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, entertainer and recording artist. Referred to as the King of Pop, he is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time, and one of the most influential. His contributions to music, dance and fashion, and a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.

Alongside his brothers, Jackson made his debut in 1964 as lead singer and youngest member of The Jackson 5. His solo career began in 1971. His 1982 album Thriller sold more than 110 million copies, and remains the best-selling album ever; while several of his other albums rank among the worlds best-sellers. Jackson is credited with having elevated the music video from mere promotional tool into an art form. His videos for Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller made him the first African American artist to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. He popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical style, vocal style, and choreography continue to transcended generational, racial and cultural boundaries.

Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. Other achievements include several Guinness World Records (including the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time); 15 Grammy Awards (including the Living Legend Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, and including recognition as Artist of the Century); 17 number-one singles in the US (including four as a member of The Jackson 5); and estimated world sales of over 780 million records, making him one of the best-selling recording artists ever.

Jackson’s personal life and relationships generated controversy for years. His changing appearance was noticed from the late 1970s onwards, as changes to his nose and skin color caused much media speculation. In 1993 he was accused of child sexual abuse, though no formal charges were brought. In 2005 he was tried and acquitted of similar allegations. Jackson died on June 25, 2009 from a drug overdose, amidst preparations for his This Is It concert series. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide. Before his death, Jackson had reportedly been administered drugs such as propofol and lorazepam. Prosecutors formally charged his personal physician with involuntary manslaughter. Jackson’s death triggered a global outpouring of grief. It was estimated that as many as a billion people around the world may have watched his public memorial service on live broadcast television.

Jackson throughout his career transformed the art of the music video and paved the way for modern pop music. Jackson’s work, distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced scores of hip hop, rock, pop and R&B artists, including Beyonce, Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Usher, Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, 50 Cent, The Game, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Miley Cyrus, John Mayer, Lenny Kravitz, and R. Kelly.
For much of his career, he had an “unparalleled” level of worldwide influence over the younger generation through his musical and humanitarian contributions. Jackson’s music and videos, such as Thriller, helped break down racial barriers when first shown on MTV, putting the relatively new channel on the map, changing its focus from rock to pop music and R&B, and therefore shaping it to what it is today. Jackson remained a staple on MTV through the ’90s. Brazilian journalist Sergio Martins, in his article about the artist and his death in Veja magazine, wrote that after Jackson’s work being a versatile dancer became a must for subsequent male stars of pop music. Michael Jackson, along with his musical style and videos, have gone onto become pop culture phenomenons.

Michael Jackson was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984. Throughout his career he received numerous honors and awards, including the World Music Awards’ Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award and the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award. He was a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. Jackson was also an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. His awards include many Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone), 15 Grammy Awards (including the “Living Legend Award” and the “Lifetime Achievement Award”), 26 American Music Awards (24 only as a solo artist, including one for “artist of the century”)—more than any artist—, 13 number one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era —and estimated sales of up to 750 million records worldwide, making him the world’s best selling male solo pop artist.

He was characterized as “an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star power”. In the mid-1980s, Time noted “Jackson is the biggest thing since The Beatles. He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley. He just may be the most popular black singer ever”. By 1990, Vanity Fair had already cited Jackson as the most popular artist in the history of show business. Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley called him an “extremely important figure in the history of popular culture” and a “genius”. In late 2007, Jackson said the following of his work and future influence, “Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever.”
His total lifetime earnings from royalties on his solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at $500 million; some analysts have speculated that his music catalog holdings could be worth billions of dollars. This speculation however is contradicted by financial documents obtained by the Associated Press, which showed that as of March 31, 2007, Jackson’s 50 percent stake in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog (his most prized asset) was worth $390.6 million and Michael Jackson’s net worth was $236 million. As one of the world’s most famous men, Jackson’s highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for the last four decades.

Shortly after his death on June 25, 2009, MTV briefly returned to its original music video format to celebrate and pay tribute to his work. The channel aired many hours of Jackson’s music videos, accompanied by live news specials featuring reactions from MTV personalities and other celebrities. The temporary shift in MTV’s programming culminated the following week with the channel’s live coverage of Jackson’s memorial service. At the memorial service on July 7, 2009, founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy proclaimed Jackson as “the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”On December 29, 2009 the American Film Institute recognized Jackson’s passing as a “moment of significance” saying, “Michael Jackson’s sudden death in June at age 50 was notable for the worldwide outpouring of grief and the unprecedented global eulogy of his posthumous concert rehearsal movie ‘This is It’.

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