He was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary Indiana. Michael Jackson was born as the 8th child out of the 10 that his parents had raised, he had grown up with 3 sisters and five brothers. He first began performing with his four brothers in a group called the Jackson 5. The group was sensational, they had their first No.1 single in 1969 called “I Want You Back.” It was a massive achievement for Michael and his four brothers. By age 11 through 14 he became a superstar appearing on TV and releasing his first solo album. Jackson released several solos during the ’70s but, in 1979 he had a breakthrough with the hit Off The Wall he was the first ever solo artist to reach the Top 10 in the world. His biggest-selling album was Thriller which sold over 45 million copies and his not-so-viewed album was Bad. IN 1991 Michael signed a deal with Sony for a 65 million dollar record. In that same year, he released his 8th album.

His music continued to be enjoyed by millions in the following years. In 1991 Jackson performed in many special events including the halftime show for Superbowl XXVII. In 1994, Michael announced that he had married his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley the daughter of Elvis Presley. They later divorced and Jackson re-married to his second wife Debbie Rowe. He had three children named Paris, Bigi, and Prince Jackson. 

Sadly Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50. His death was due to him suffering a cardiac arrest in Los Angeles. He later died that morning at a hospital. On July 7th, 2009, a memorial was held for Michael Jackson’s fans. An estimated 1 billion viewers watched the memorial for him. His death resulted in heartbreaks and public grief. He had touched the public heart with his songs, accomplishments, and his character. 

Throughout his short life, he had, 38 Grammy awards and 13 wins, including his album of the year “Thriller”. He was also put into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. He had crossed many stepping stones for Black Americans including being the first ever Black Artist to have a video in regular rotation for MTV. He was the Black global pop icon and will always be the King of Pop. Thanks to him, he pushed the Black community worldwide