Biography
Michael Jackson (1958-2009) was an American musician, one of the most successful and influential in the history of pop music. He was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, and was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family.He began his career at a very young age as a member of the group Jackson 5, which was formed by his father. The group achieved great success in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Michael stood out from his siblings with his songwriting, vocal, and dancing abilities and in 1971 began his solo career. He released many successful albums, such as "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous," and "HIStory." "Thriller" remains the best-selling album of all time.
His personal life was widely covered by the media. The change in his appearance due to plastic surgeries, travels with his chimpanzee, rumors that he slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the surgical masks he wore in public, and other behaviors labeled him as at least eccentric. There were allegations of sexual abuse of underage boys; one case ended in an out-of-court settlement, while another went to court where Jackson was acquitted of all charges. He married Elvis Presley's daughter and then two years later his dermatologist's assistant and had three children.
He died from an overdose of drugs on June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, having left an indelible mark on the world of pop music.