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 MTV.
A double-inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, his other achievements feature multiple Guinness World Records — including the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" — 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles, and estimated sales of over 750 million records. He was also a notable philanthropist and humanitarian who donated millions of dollars to a record 39 charities, plus what he raised by way of his own Heal the World Foundation.
Jackson's personal life generated significant controversy. His changing appearance was noticed from the early 1980s, with changes to the shape of his nose and to the color of his skin drawing media publicity. He was accused in 1993 of child sexual abuse, although no charges were brought. He married twice, first in 1994 and again in 1996, and brought up three children, one of them born to a surrogate mother. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of child molestation allegations. Jackson died at the age of 50 on June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, California after suffering from cardiac arrest. His memorial service was broadcast live around the world.
1996–99: Second marriage and fatherhood
During the Australian leg of the HIStory World Tour, Jackson married dermatology nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe on November 14, 1996 in an impromptu ceremony close to his Sydney hotel room. She bore him two children: a son, "Prince" Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., and a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson[88][94], who was named after heiress Paris Hilton[95]. Rowe and Jackson first met in the mid-1980s, when Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo. She spent many years treating his illness as well as providing emotional support. They built a strong friendship, then became romantically involved.[96] Originally there were no plans to marry, but following Rowe's first pregnancy, Jackson's mother intervened and persuaded them to do so.[97] Jackson later claimed that he was in such a rush to leave the hospital with daughter Paris in 1998 because he was worried to hear any bad news like the time of Prince's birth when he was told that the baby wasn't breathing correctly.[98] The couple divorced in 1999, and remained friends, with Rowe giving full custody of the children to Jackson.[99]
Death and memorial
On June 25, 2009, Jackson collapsed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by his personal physician were unsuccessful.[142] Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 p.m. (PDT), arriving three minutes later at Jackson's location.[143][144] He was reportedly not breathing and CPR was performed.[145] Resuscitation efforts continued en route to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for an hour after arriving there at 1:13 p.m. (20:13 UTC).[142] He was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. local time (21:26 UTC).[146][147]
The memorial was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty. Jackson's casket was present during the memorial but no information was released about the final disposition of the body. While some unofficial reports claimed a worldwide audience as high as one billion people [148] the U.S. audience was estimated by Nielson to be 31.1 million, an amount comparable to the estimated 35.1 million that watched the 2004 burial of President Ronald Reagan, and the estimated 33.1 Americans who watched the 1997 funeral for Princess Diana [149].
Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholi sang Jackson's songs. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave eulogies, while Queen Latifah read, "We had him," a poem written for the occasion by Maya Angelou.[150] The Reverend Al Sharpton received a standing ovation when he told Jackson's children, "Wasn't nothing strange about your Daddy. It was strange what your Daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it anyway."[151] Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris Katherine, cried as she told the crowd, "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine ... I just wanted to say I love him ... so much."[1996–99: Second marriage and fatherhood
During the Australian leg of the HIStory World Tour, Jackson married dermatology nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe on November 14, 1996 in an impromptu ceremony close to his Sydney hotel room. She bore him two children: a son, "Prince" Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., and a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson[88][94], who was named after heiress Paris Hilton[95]. Rowe and Jackson first met in the mid-1980s, when Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo. She spent many years treating his illness as well as providing emotional support. They built a strong friendship, then became romantically involved.[96] Originally there were no plans to marry, but following Rowe's first pregnancy, Jackson's mother intervened and persuaded them to do so.[97] Jackson later claimed that he was in such a rush to leave the hospital with daughter Paris in 1998 because he was worried to hear any bad news like the time of Prince's birth when he was told that the baby wasn't breathing correctly.[98] The couple divorced in 1999, and remained friends, with Rowe giving full custody of the children to Jackson.[99]
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