Michael Jackson, the singer, songwriter and dancer who earned the title "King of Pop" in a career that reached unprecedented peaks of sales and attention, died Thursday June 25, 2009, a Los Angeles city official said. He was 50.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary to Joseph and Katherine Jackson as the seventh child of 9 children, on Aug. 29, 1958, His professional debut with the Jackson 5 came in 1969 and began his career performing with his brothers.
The group set chart records with its first four singles, including "I Want You Back" and "ABC." As a solo artist, Jackson also recorded four albums for Motown Records before moving, with his brothers, to Epic Records, where they continued to record as the Jacksons until 1984. Forming a partnership with producer Quincy Jones after working together on the 1978 movie musical The Wiz – in which Jackson played a rather sheepish Scarecrow to Diana Ross's Dorothy in the urban adaptation of The Wizard of Oz – Jackson released his solo album Off the Wall, co-produced with Jones. The disc spawned monster hits including "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You." His second Epic solo album, 1982's Thriller, is often cited as the best-selling album of all time.
In 1984, Jackson did his final tour with the Jacksons to support the album Victory. The one major hit from the recording was Michael's duet with Mick Jagger, "State of Shock." The next year, Jackson began to put charity first and co-wrote and sang (along with Willie Nelson, Tina Turner and nearly every pop star known at the time) "We Are the World," on behalf of USA for Africa.
Then came the 1987 album Bad, when some slippage in his popularity began to show. At the time, the reclusive Jackson, who was raised a Jehovah's Witness, started construction on a mini-Disneyland as his residence, which he named Neverland, a place to live out the childhood he claimed he never had.
In 1993, Jackson addressed persistent rumors, telling Oprah Winfrey on her TV show that, contrary to reports that he was bleaching his skin a lighter shade, he in fact suffered from a condition called vitiligo. He also said that his father physically abused him as a child.
In May 1994, Jackson and the daughter of the late rock icon Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, were married – and very soon split up. After their 1996 divorce, Jackson married Debbie Rowe, a nurse in the office of one of his doctors. Two children were born to the couple: son Prince Michael Jackson I, in 1997, and daughter Paris Michael Jackson, in 1998. Jackson later had a third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket").
Professionally, Jackson was losing some of his luster, and the reception to his 1995 album History: Past, Present, and Future, Book I was mixed, even though it produced two hit singles: "You Are Not Alone" and "Scream," the latter a duet with his sister Janet Jackson. By the time Jackson's 2001 album Invincible arrived, the artist was known for being as much an eccentric character as he was a serious musician.
Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier 29th June 2009 afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him.When paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back was told dead at age of 50 .Michael Jackson's autopsy reports have still to come in and his body will be released as soon as family members inform of the funeral home he will be taken too. His death was already huge news and made sure that his funeral will be even bigger news as thousands will be there to say good-bye.