The ‘King of Pop’ who rocked the world

Born on August 29, 1958, Jackson made his show business debut with four of
his older brothers in the Jackson Five, and went on to lead the stage clan
with a piping soprano and dazzling dance moves. By 1969, the group had
signed a contract with Motown Records and churned out several hits
including ABC and I'll Be There.

Jackson released his first solo album, Got To Be There, with the legendary
music label in 1972. He switched to Epic in 1976, releasing his first
album under that label in 1979, Off The Wall, which was produced by Quincy
Jones.

Jackson's distinctly lighter skin in Bad in 1987 drew alot of media
attention, leading to rumours of plastic surgery. The album sold more than
30 million copies and helped the ‘King of Pop’ start his solo tours full
of lighting and laser effects. In 1988, he released the Moonwalker film –
a mix of of live footage of his live concerts and series of fantasy pieces
with Jackson as the main character.

In 1991, Dangerous sold 21 million copies, with hits including Black or
White and Remember the Time. In June 1995, Jackson released the double
album HIStory, Past, Present and Future to negative reviews and weak
sales, despite Sony Music's 40-million-dollar investment. Jackson's next
album, Invincible, in 2001also flopped. He was scheduled to launch a mega
comeback tour in 2009, with the first of four London concerts set for July
13. The kickoff concert was pushed back from July 8 because of the "sheer
magnitude" of the show, promoters and producers AEG Live said.