Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009), dubbed the " King of Pop ", was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful entertainers of all time. His unique contributions to music and dance, along with a highly publicized personal life, made him a prominent figure in popular culture for four decades. He started a solo career in 1971, having made his debut in 1964 as a member of The Jackson 5 . His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time, with four others — Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995) — among the best selling. He popularized several physically complicated dance moves, such as the robot and the moonwalk . He is widely credited with having transformed the music video from a promotional tool into an art form, with videos such as " Billie Jean ", " Beat It " and Thriller making him the first African American to amass a strong crossover following on