From a two-bedroom house in Gary, Indiana, to global superstardom — the King of Pop shattered racial barriers and redefined entertainment forever.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the eighth of ten children in a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house. His mother played clarinet, cello, and piano, while his father played guitar in a local R&B group called the Falcons.
Jackson made his public debut at age six as lead singer of the Jackson 5. By 1970, their first single 'I Want You Back' hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, followed by three more chart-toppers: 'ABC', 'The Love You Save', and 'I'll Be There'.
His 1982 album Thriller became the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 70 million copies sold worldwide. It was the first album to produce seven top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard 200 for 37 weeks.
On March 25, 1983, Jackson debuted the moonwalk during a televised performance of 'Billie Jean' on Motown 25, watched by an estimated 47 million viewers. The move — taught to him by dancer Jeffrey Daniel — became his signature and one of the most iconic moments in pop culture history.
At the 1984 Grammy Awards, Jackson received 12 nominations and won eight awards in a single night, shattering records. He also won eight American Music Awards that year and became the youngest artist to receive the Award of Merit.
On January 27, 1984, while filming a Pepsi commercial at the Shrine Auditorium, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing second-degree burns. He donated the $1.5 million settlement to the Brotman Medical Center, which named its burn center after him.
Jackson partnered with PepsiCo in 1983 for a record-breaking $5 million celebrity endorsement deal. He helped create the advertisement and suggested using his song 'Billie Jean' with revised lyrics as the jingle.
Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales exceeding 500 million records worldwide. He scored 13 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the only artist to have a top-ten single in six consecutive decades.
Having donated an estimated $500 million to charity, Jackson is credited with setting the standard for celebrity philanthropy. His accolades include 13 Grammy Awards, 26 American Music Awards, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009, from an overdose of propofol administered by his personal physician Conrad Murray while preparing for his 'This Is It' comeback concerts. His death caused unprecedented surges in internet traffic and a massive spike in music sales worldwide.