Michael Jackson’s biography
michael jackson he enjoyed a successful career both with the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist. In 1982 she released the best selling album in history, ‘Thriller’.
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Known as the «King of Pop,» Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was one of America’s best-selling singer, songwriters, and dancers.
As a child, Jackson became the lead singer of his family’s popular Motown group, the Jackson 5.
He went on to have an astonishingly successful solo career worldwide, with No. 1 hits from the albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. In his later years, Jackson was dogged by allegations of child molestation. He died of a drug overdose just before launching a comeback tour in 2009.
Michael Jackson solo albums
Got to Be There’ (1971)
At the age of 13, Jackson launched a solo career in addition to his work with the Jackson 5, making the charts in 1971 with «Got to Be There,» from the album of the same name.
Ben’ (1972)
Jackson’s 1972 album Ben included the self-titled ballad about a rat. The song became Jackson’s first No. 1 single.
Music and I (1973)
Michael’s third solo album, Music and Me was his least successful.
Forever, Michael’ (1975)
This fourth solo album for Michael was his last with Motown Records.
Off the Wall’ (1979)
An infectious mix of pop and funk, Michael took the music world by storm with 1979’s Off the Wall, which included the Grammy Award-winning single «Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,» along with hits like «Rock with You.» «, «She’s Out of My Life» and the title track.
Thriller’ (1982)
Released in 1982, Michael Jackson’s sixth solo album, Thriller, is the best-selling album of all time, spawning seven top-sellers.
The album stayed on the charts for 80 weeks, holding the top spot for 37 weeks. In addition to its unparalleled commercial achievements, Thriller garnered 12 Grammy Award nominations and eight wins, both records.
Jackson’s victories showed the diverse nature of his work. For his talent as a songwriter, he won a Grammy (best rhythm and blues song) for «Billie Jean.»
He was also honored for the singles «Thriller» (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male) and «Beat It» (Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male). With co-producer Quincy Jones, Jackson shared the album of the year award.
For this album, Jackson joined rock legend Paul McCartney on their 1982 duet, «The Girl Is Mine,» which nearly reached the top of the pop charts.
Their most elaborate music video was for the album’s title track. John Landis directed the gruesome video, which included complex dance scenes, special effects, and a voiceover by actor Vincent Price. The «Thriller» video was a huge success, boosting sales of the already successful record.
We Are the World» (single, 1985)
In 1985, Jackson showed his altruistic side by co-writing «We Are the World,» a US charity single for Africa. A veritable «who’s who» of music stars participated in the project, including Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner.
Bad’ (1987)
Michael Jackson’s album Bad (1987), released as a follow-up to Thriller, topped the charts, with a record five No. 1 hits, including «Man in the Mirror,» «The Way You Make Me Feel and the title song, which was supported by a video directed by Martin Scorsese. Jackson spent over a year on the road, playing concerts to promote the album. Although very successful, Bad was unable to duplicate Thriller’s phenomenal sales.
Dangerous» (1991)
In 1991, Jackson released Dangerous, with the hit «Black or White.» The video for this song, directed by Landis, included an appearance by child star Macaulay Culkin.
In the final minutes of the video, Jackson caused some controversy with his sexual gestures and violent actions. Many were shocked to see Peter Pan as Jackson act this way.
Jackson’s music continued to enjoy great popularity in the years that followed. In 1993, she performed at several major events, including the Superbowl XXVII halftime show.
HISTORY
Jackson’s music career began to decline with the lukewarm reception of 1995’s HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I, which featured some of his earlier hits as well as new material.
The record spawned two hits, «You Are Not Alone» and his duet with sister Janet Jackson, «Scream.»
The spaceship-themed video «Scream,» which cost a record $7 million to produce, won a Grammy Award for its slick effects. However, another track on the album, «They Don’t Care About Us», brought Jackson intense criticism for using an anti-Semitic term.
Invincible (2001)
Jackson returned to the studio to put together Invincible (2001), his first full album of new material in a decade.
Michael» (2010)
In December 2010, the posthumous album Michael was released amid controversy over whether the singer actually played some of the songs.
Brother Randy was among those who questioned the authenticity of the recordings, but the Jackson estate later refuted the claims, according to The New York Times.
Xscape’ (2014)
Another posthumous album, Xscape, was released in May 2014. R&B star and Jackson Protect Usher performed their first single, «Love Never Felt So Good,» that same month at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. The album, which includes eight songs Jackson recorded between 1983 and 1999, debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.
Michael Jackson’s wives
In August 1994, Jackson announced that he had married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock icon Elvis Presley. The couple gave a joint television interview with Diane Sawyer, but the union was short-lived.
They divorced in 1996. Some thought the marriage was a publicity ploy to restore Jackson’s image after allegations of sexual abuse.
Later that year, Jackson married nurse Debbie Rowe. The couple divorced in 1999.
Michael Jackson’s children
Michael Jackson and his wife Debbie Rowe had two children by artificial insemination: son Michael Joseph «Prince» Jackson Jr, born in 1997, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, born in 1998.
When Rowe and Jackson divorced, Michael was given full custody of their two children. Jackson would have a third child, Prince Michael «Blanket» Jackson II, with an unknown surrogate mother.
After Jackson’s death in June 2009, his children were placed in the care of their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, as dictated by her will.
In regards to their father’s wishes, Prince, Paris, and Blanket were kept out of the spotlight. They stepped to the microphone in 2009 to speak to fans at their father’s funeral, and again in January 2010 to accept a posthumous Grammy award for his father’s achievements.
In July 2012, a judge temporarily suspended Katherine Jackson’s conservatorship of Prince, Paris and Blanket after she was wrongly reported missing by a relative.
During this time, Tito’s son TJ Jackson was given temporary custody of the children.
On August 2, 2012, a judge reinstated Katherine Jackson as primary conservator of Prince, Paris, and Blanket, also approving a plan granting TJ Jackson co-guardianship of the children.
When did Michael Jackson die?
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50. Jackson went into cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home and was taken to hospital after his heart stopped and attempts at CPR failed. He died later that morning.
How did Michael Jackson die?
In February 2010, an official coroner’s report revealed that Michael Jackson’s cause of death was acute propofol poisoning, or a fatal overdose on a cocktail of prescription drugs that included the sedatives midazolam, diazepam, and lidocaine.
With the help of his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson took medication to help him sleep at night.
Murray told police that he believed Jackson had developed a particular addiction to propofol. Murray was reportedly administering propofol intravenously in the evenings, in 50-milligram doses, and was trying to wean the pop star off the drug around the time of his death.
A police investigation revealed that Murray was not licensed to prescribe most controlled drugs in the state of California.
The steps he took to save Jackson were also under scrutiny, as evidence showed that standards of care for the administration of propofol had not been met, and that recommended equipment for patient monitoring, precision dosing and resuscitation.
As a result, Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide and Murray was convicted of manslaughter on November 7, 2011, earning him a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
When and where was Michael Jackson born?
Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana.
Parents
Michael Jackson was one of nine children. His mother, Katherine Jackson, was a homemaker and a devout Jehovah’s Witness. His father, Joseph Jackson, had been a guitarist who gave up his musical aspirations to support his family as a crane operator. Behind the scenes, José pushed his children to success. It is also known that he became violent with them.
The Jackson 5
Joseph Jackson believed his sons were talented and molded them into a musical group in the early 1960s that would later become known as the Jackson 5.
At first, the Jackson family artists were Michael’s older brothers Tito, Jermaine and Jackie. Michael joined his siblings when he was five years old and became the group’s lead vocalist.
He demonstrated remarkable range and depth for such a young performer, impressing audiences with his ability to convey complex emotions. Older brother Marlon also became a member of the group, which became the Jackson 5.
Michael and his brothers spent endless hours rehearsing and polishing their act. Early on, the Jackson 5 played local gigs and built a large following. They recorded a single on their own, «Big Boy», with the B-side «You’ve Changed», but the record did not generate much interest.
The Jackson 5 went on to work as the opening act for R&B artists such as Gladys Knight and the Pips, James Brown, and Sam and Dave.
Many of these artists were signed to the legendary Motown record label, and the Jackson 5 eventually came to the attention of Motown founder Berry Gordy. Impressed by the group, Gordy signed them to his label in early 1969.