Jackson, Michael (1958-2009), an American singer, dancer, and songwriter, became a superstar in both rock and pop music. Jackson’s most creative years were the 1970’s and 1980’s. But he remained a celebrity into the 2000’s, largely because of his controversial private life. His album Thriller (1982) was the world’s best-selling album for decades, until Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (1976) by the American rock band the Eagles surpassed it in 2018. Jackson wrote four of the songs on the Thriller album, including the hits “Beat It” and “Billie Jean.”
Jackson’s music has a strong rhythm and steady dance beat that combines elements of soul , rhythm and blues , and rock. His exciting dancing highlighted his live performances. Jackson’s music videos for “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” and a 13-minute horror production for “Thriller” helped define the music video form in the mid-1980’s.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary , Indiana. He began performing locally at the age of 5 with his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon. In 1968, the brothers signed with Motown Records as the Jackson Five. Michael was the lead singer and dancer. The group recorded several hits, beginning with “I Want You Back” (1969) and continuing with “ABC” and “I’ll Be There” (both 1970). Michael also had a series of solo hit singles that included “Got to Be There” and “Rockin’ Robin” (both 1971) and “Ben” (1972). Michael and his brothers moved to Epic Records in 1976. That year, the Jacksons’ youngest brother, Randy, replaced Jermaine The group then began performing as the Jacksons. In 1978, Michael Jackson appeared as the Scarecrow in the film version of The Wiz. Jackson began a series of successful solo albums with Off the Wall (1979). After the huge success of Thriller, he released the hit albums Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991).
At the urging of the English rock star Paul McCartney, Jackson invested in music publishing. He purchased most of the Beatles song catalog. Jackson’s wealth and the eccentric way he spent it made him a focus of national attention. He radically altered his appearance through a series of plastic surgeries. His California home, known as Neverland Valley Ranch, included an amusement park and zoo. It was sold in 2008.
In 2003, the district attorney of Santa Barbara County, California, formally charged Jackson with multiple counts of sexual abuse against a boy under the age of 14. In 2004, a grand jury in the county charged Jackson with multiple counts of abuse against the same boy. Jackson denied any wrongdoing. After a highly publicized trial in 2005, a jury acquitted Jackson of all charges.
For 19 months in 1994 and 1995, Jackson was married to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the rock star Elvis Presley. From 1996 to 1999, he was married to Debbie Rowe, a nurse. They had two children. Jackson also had a third child, but the mother’s identity was kept secret.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009, from an accidental overdose of an anesthetic prescribed by his physician for insomnia. In 2011, a California jury found Jackson’s physician guilty of involuntary manslaughter. At the time of his death, Jackson had been rehearsing for a series of comeback concerts. Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of the Jackson Five and in 2001 as a solo performer. Janet Jackson, Michael’s sister, is also a major recording artist. In 2014, Xscape, an album of unreleased material by Michael Jackson was released. It featured eight songs recorded by Jackson from 1983 to 1999, reworked and updated by contemporary music producers.
See also Funk music ; Jackson Five ; Jones, Quincy ; MTV ; Rock music (Madonna and Michael Jackson) .
