Michael joseph jackson

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 1964as 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 intoan art form, with videos for his songs "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and "Thriller" making him the first African American artist to amass a strong crossover following on MTV.
Twice inducted 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, 17 number one singles (including thefour number ones with Jackson 5), and estimated sales of over 750 million records world-wide. He was also a notable philanthropist and humanitarian who donated and raised million of dollars through his own Heal the World Foundation, and support of 39 other charities.
Jackson's personal life generated significant controversy. His changing appearance was noticed from the early 1980s, with changesto 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 born to a surrogate mother. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of child molestation allegations. While preparing for the This Is It concert tour in 2009,Jackson died at the age of 50 in Los Angeles, California, after suffering from cardiac arrest. His memorial service was broadcast live around the world.

Last days
Reports of financial problems for Jackson became frequent in 2006 after the closure of the main house on the Neverland Ranch as a cost-cutting measure.[119] One prominent financial issue concerned a $270 million loan secured againsthis music publishing holdings. After delayed repayments on the loan, a refinancing package shifted the loans from Bank of America to debt specialists Fortress Investments. A new package proposed by Sony would have had Jackson borrow an additional $300 million and reduce the interest rate payable on the loan, while giving Sony the future option to buy half of Jackson's stake in their jointly ownedpublishing company (leaving Jackson with a 25% stake).[89] Jackson agreed to a Sony-backed refinancing deal, although details were not made public.[120] Despite these loans, according to Forbes, Jackson was still making as much as $75 million a year from his publishing partnership with Sony alone.[121]
Jackson was awarded the Diamond Award on November 15, 2006, for selling over 100 millionalbums, at the World Music Awards.[68] Following the death of James Brown, Jackson returned to the U.S. to pay tribute during Brown's public funeral on December 30, 2006.[122] In late 2006, he agreed to share joint custody of his first two children with ex-wife Debbie Rowe.[123] Jackson and Sony bought Famous Music LLC from Viacom in 2007. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem, Shakira andBeck, among others.[124]
I've been in the entertainment industry since I was six-years-old... As Charles Dickens says, "It's been the best of times, the worst of times." But I would not change my career... While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support...