Michael Jackson

Background

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, U.S., into a working-class African American family. From an early age, he had an innate passion for singing and music. His father, Joe Jackson, was once a musician who had to put aside his aspirations to provide for his family, while his mother, Katherine, was a homemaker. His father wanted his children to succeed musically, even to the point of being violent with them. Jackson was the youngest of his 10 children.

His father formed the band, Jackson 5, which consisted of his sons, including Jackson, who became the lead vocalist at the age of five. Their first album, “Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5,” achieved commercial success with the iconic single, ‘I Want You Back’ topping the Billboard chart. However, the band was in conflict regarding creative control with Motown Records, leading them to sever ties with the label in 1976. Fortunately, by then, Jackson had already launched his solo career, which skyrocketed his fame. He had his own singles during the time of the Jackson 5, including ‘Got To Be There’ (1971) and ‘Ben’ (1972). Nonetheless, it was his album “Off the Wall,” that took the music industry by storm. His music became a hit with discotheques around the world. His sixth solo album, “Thriller” (1982), was the best-selling album of all time as it stayed on various charts for weeks. As a follow-up, Jackson released the album “Bad” (1987), which was not as successful.

Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The couple divorced in 1996. People even speculated that the relationship was a public stunt to fix his ruined image after his child molestation accusations. He later married Debbie Rowe, and they welcomed Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. He later had his third child, Prince Michael Jackson II, with a surrogate. One of the things that people remembered him for was the lightening of his skin. He admitted that it was a necessary procedure due to his suffering from vitiligo after his multiple plastic surgeries.

His career, however, began to decline after the mixed critical reception of his album “HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I” (1995). Jackson returned after a few years with a new album, “Invincible” (2001). It was the last album that he ever released, aside from his posthumous album. Unfortunately, in 2009, just three weeks before his This Is It show in London, he died from cardiac arrest due to a propofol overdose. His memorial service was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.