KING OF POP – MICHAEL JACKSONRest.in.Peace.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T*
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) a.k.a. Michael Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he made his debut on the professional music scene in 1968 as a member of The Jackson 5. He then began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group and was referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years. Jackson's 1982 album Thriller remains the world's best-selling album of all time, and four of his other solo studio albums are among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).
In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" — widely credited with transforming the music video from a promotional tool into an art form — helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s.
Jackson had experienced health concerns since the early 1990s along with conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances since the late 1990s. Jackson married twice and brought up three children, actions which caused further controversy. Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993 but the investigation was closed due to lack of evidence and Jackson was not charged. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of similar allegations.
In late 2007, Jackson said the following of his work and future influence, "Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever.On June 25, 2009, Jackson was found unconscious in his bed by his personal physician. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm PDT (21:26 UTC) on the same day. At the time of his death, he was preparing and rehearsing for This Is It, a series of 50 concerts that would have been held in London beginning July 13, 2009.
