Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana; died June 25, 2009, Los Angeles, California), was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers of all time. He was also known for his philanthropy, charitable fundraising, and lifestyle, residing in a private amusement park he called "Neverland Ranch", as well as frequently becoming the focus of tabloid scrutiny. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his highly publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture spanning over four decades. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Jackson's other achievements include 39 Guinness World Records (including "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"), 13 Grammy Awards, as well as the Grammy Legend Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 26 American Music Awards, 16 World Music Awards, and the estimated sale of up to 750 million units worldwide. Winning countless awards for his humanitarian endeavors, the singer has been honored by two United States Presidents, and has been named as Artist of the "Decade", "Generation", "Century", and "Millennium". Jackson has also won hundreds of other awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He is also credited for popularizing many intricate dance moves, such as the Robot and the Moonwalk, and has influenced and spawned an entire generation of modern artists, including Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, and The Weeknd, among others.
Jackson's musical career began in 1967 as lead singer of The Jackson 5, when the group made their first recording with a local label before signing with Motown Records in 1968. He made his first solo recordings in 1971 while still a member of the group, but it was Off the Wall (1979) which marked the start of his full-fledged solo career, and he formally parted with his siblings in 1984. During his solo career, Jackson recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all time, Thriller (with worldwide sales over 122 million), received 13 Grammy Awards, and charted 13 #1 singles in the United States. Throughout his four-decade career, Jackson was awarded numerous honors, including the World Music Awards Best-selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium. He is also a double-inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: first in 1997 as a member of The Jackson 5, and again in 2002 as a solo artist. He is also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In the mid-1980s, TIME magazine described Jackson as "the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley". He has had a notable impact on music and culture throughout the world, while also tearing down racial barriers, bringing to light numerous social issues, and paving the way for modern pop music.
From 1988 to 2005, Jackson resided on his Neverland Ranch property, on which he built an amusement park and private zoo for the enjoyment of economically disadvantaged and terminally ill children. In 1993 and 2003, separate accusations of child molestation which allegedly occurred at Neverland Ranch were levied against Jackson, drawing fierce media coverage. Whilst no charges were filed in relation to the 1993 allegations, in November 2003 Jackson would be indicted on 10 criminal counts. Following this, in 2005, Jackson was placed on trial, eventually being acquitted of all charges. Shortly thereafter, he moved out of the US, later returning to Las Vegas in early 2007.
In the years following his acquittal, Jackson made numerous public appearances, including the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, where he accepted the Legend Award; the 2006 World Music Awards, where he accepted the Diamond Award for selling over 100 million records; James Brown's funeral, where he paid tribute and delivered a sermon; and a fan appreciation event in Tokyo, Japan, where he greeted troops at US Army post Camp Zama. In early 2008, Jackson issued Thriller 25th Anniversary, a critical and commercial success which was the second-best selling album of 2008, selling over 2.1 million copies worldwide.
On June 25, 2009, Jackson was found unresponsive inside his rented home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles, California. His cause of death was later determined to be acute propofol intoxication, and was ruled a homicide. In 2011, for his role in Jackson’s death, Jackson's personal doctor Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years imprisonment. At the time of his death, Jackson was scheduled to perform his This Is It concert series, consisting of 50 sold-out concerts to over one million people at London's O2 arena, from July 13, 2009, to March 6, 2010. During a press conference announcing This Is It on March 5, 2009, Jackson made suggestions of possible retirement.
In the hours following Jackson's death, his record sales increased dramatically. His seminal album Thriller climbed to number one on the American iTunes music chart, whilst another eight albums made it into the top 40. In the UK, where Jackson was set to perform less than three weeks after his death, 15 of his albums concurrently occupied the top 15 spots on the Amazon music chart. Social music network website Last.fm also saw a dramatic increase in Michael Jackson plays per hour following the announcement of his death.
On December 10, 2010, a compilation album of previously unreleased material, simply entitled Michael, was released posthumously. Featuring guest performances by Akon, 50 Cent, and Lenny Kravitz, the album was certified Platinum in 18 countries, but received mixed reviews from most critics. This was followed in November 2011 by Immortal, a remix album; in September 2012 by Bad 25, a 25th anniversary reissue of Jackson's 1987 hit album Bad; and by Xscape, a second compilation album released in May 2014. Following this, Jackson became the only artist in music history to have Top 10 singles in five different decades on the Billboard Hot 100. On November 18, 2022, Thriller 40, a 40th anniversary reissue of Jackson's seminal 1982 album Thriller was released. In its first week, the album placed number seven on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and sold 37,000 copies in the United States. In May 2024, Thriller placed second on the Apple Music 100 Best Albums list.
Official Website: http://www.michaeljackson.com
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…shrink me down again