Friday, August 16, 2013
MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON (August 29, 1958 –
June 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter, dancer, businessmanand philanthropist.
Often referred to by the honorific nickname "King of Pop",
or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most
successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His
contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal
life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four
decades.
The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the
professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The
Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971. In the early 1980s,
Jackson became the dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for
his songs, including those of "Beat It," "Billie Jean," and
"Thriller," were credited with breaking down racial barriers and
transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity
of these videos helped to bring the then relatively new television
channel MTV to fame. With videos such as "Black or White"
and "Scream" he continued to innovate the medium throughout the
1990s, as well as forging a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage
and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance
techniques, such as the robot, and the moonwalk, to which he gave the
name. His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary
R&B, pop, androck artists.
Jackson's
1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time.
His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987),Dangerous (1991),
and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling.
Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame
as the first and only dancer from pop and rock music. Some of his other achievements include
multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards as well as
the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement
Award; 26 American Music Awards, more than any other artist, including the
"Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s"; 13 number-one
singles in the United Statesin his solo career, more than any other male artist
in the Hot 100 era; and the estimated sale of over 400 million
records worldwide. Jackson has won hundreds of awards, making him the
most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. In what
would have been Jackson's 52nd birthday on August 29, 2010, he became the most
downloaded artist of all time. Jackson constantly traveled the
world attending events honoring his humanitarianism and the 2000 Guinness Book
of Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities.
Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal
relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In the mid-1990s, he
was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court
for about $25 million and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he
was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and
several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts.
While preparing for his comeback concert series titled This
Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication
on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles
County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary
manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief and a live
broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world.
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