Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009), known as the “King of Pop“, was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time. His unique contributions to music and dance, along with a highly publicized personal life, made him a prominent figure in popular culture for four decades.

He started a solo career in 1971, having made his debut in 1964 with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5. His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time, with four others—Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995)—among the best selling. He popularized several intricate dance moves, such as the robot and themoonwalk. He is widely credited with having transformed the music video from a promotional tool into an art form, with videos for his songs “Billie Jean“, “Beat It” and “Thriller” making him the first African American artist to amass a strong crossoverfollowing on MTV. His work broke down cultural, racial and generation barriers and inspired subsequent generations of music artists.

Twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, his other achievements feature multiple Guinness World Records—including the “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time”—13 Grammy Awards, 17 number one singles (including the four as a member of the Jackson 5), and estimated sales between 350 million and 750 million records worldwide.^[3] He was also a notablephilanthropist and humanitarian who donated and raised millions of dollars through support of 39 charities and his own Heal the World Foundation.

Jackson’s personal life generated controversy for years. His changing appearance was noticed from the late 1970s onwards, with changes to his nose and to the color of his skin drawing media publicity. He was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993 though no charges were brought, and in 2005 he was tried and acquitted of second allegations. He married twice, first in 1994 and again in 1996, and brought up three children, one born to a surrogate mother. While preparing for the This Is It concert tour in 2009, Jackson died at the age of 50 after suffering from cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles county coroner later ruled his death ahomicide by acute propofol intoxication.^[4] His memorial service was broadcast live around the world, attracting a global audience of up to one billion people.^[5]