Michael Jackson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Jackson
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Performing at the Wiener Stadion in Vienna, Austria on June 2, 1988
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Joseph Jackson |
| Born | August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 25, 2009 (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger, dancer, choreographer, actor |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1964–2009 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. He was one of the most famous and successful musicians of all time. People called him the "King of Pop". He was a very important entertainer in the history of pop music.
Jackson was the best-selling music artist when he passed away. His amazing work in music, dance, and fashion made him a global star. He was famous in popular culture for over 40 years.
He started performing with his older brothers in The Jackson 5 in 1964. In 1971, he began his solo career while still with The Jackson 5. His album Thriller (1982) became the highest-selling album ever. It sold about 66 million copies worldwide. The music video for "Thriller" was very popular. It showed him dancing like a zombie. This video, along with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean", helped make MTV famous.
Jackson wrote other well-known songs like "Bad", "Black or White", "Heal the World", and "Earth Song". He was known for popularizing dance moves like the robot and the moonwalk. He won many awards and broke many records. Guinness World Records called him the most successful entertainer ever. Jackson also gave a lot of money to charities. He helped start many fundraising efforts in the entertainment world. In 2000, Guinness World Records said he supported 39 charities. This was more than any other entertainer.
His other studio albums were also very successful. These include Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997). He released his last studio album, Invincible (2001).
Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009. He was getting ready for his comeback concert series, This Is It. He died after having a cardiac arrest. A memorial service was held for him on July 7. Billions of people watched it on television. It became the most watched funeral ever.
Contents
Life and Music Career
Early Life and The Jackson 5
Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958. He was born in Gary, Indiana. He was the eighth of ten children born to Katherine and Joe Jackson. His father, Joseph, worked in a steel mill.
In 1964, Michael and his brother Marlon joined their older brothers. They joined Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine's band. The band was called The Jackson Brothers. Michael was six years old when they first performed in public.
When Michael was eight, he became the band's main singer with Jermaine. The group's name changed to The Jackson 5. They won an important talent show in 1966. In 1968, they signed with a famous record label called Motown Records. Their first song with Motown, "I Want You Back", was number one in the US.
In 1971, Michael released his first solo song, "Got to Be There". It was from his album of the same name. The song reached number four on the Billboard 100 chart. Three more songs were released from that album.
On August 4, 1972, his second album, Ben, came out. The song "Ben" was his first solo number one hit.
In 1974, Jackson helped host the first American Music Awards. He hosted it with Donny Osmond and others.
In 1975, The Jackson 5 left Motown. They signed with CBS Records in June 1975. At CBS Records, they changed their name to The Jacksons.
Growing Success (1976-1981)
In 1976, The Jacksons got their own TV show on CBS. The show ended in March 1977.
On October 24, 1978, a movie called The Wiz was released. It was a new version of The Wizard of Oz with all Black actors. Jackson played the Scarecrow in the movie.
In December 1978, The Jacksons' twelfth album was released. It was the first album they had produced themselves. Jackson wrote the album's second song, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)". He wrote it with Randy Jackson. It reached number seven in the US Hot 100.
In December 1978, Jackson started making his first solo album with Epic Records. It was called Off the Wall. He worked with Quincy Jones on it. The album was released on August 10, 1979. It received good reviews and won a Grammy Award.
The Jacksons' thirteenth album, Triumph, was released in 1980.
Thriller and Global Fame (1982-1983)
In 1982, Jackson sang "Somewhere in the Dark" for the E.T. movie soundtrack. It won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. That year, Jackson won seven more Grammys for his album Thriller.
On October 18, 1982, the first song from Thriller, "The Girl Is Mine", was released. He sang it with Paul McCartney.
Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller, was released on November 30, 1982. He did not go on tour for this album. The album received excellent reviews.
In 1983, Jackson made three songs with Freddie Mercury.
New Projects and Charity (1984-1985)
"Somebody's Watching Me" was a song by Rockwell. Jackson sang on the chorus. It was released on January 14, 1984. It became number one in Spain and France.
On January 27, 1984, Michael and other Jacksons filmed a Pepsi Cola commercial. Michael's hair accidentally caught fire, and he went to the hospital. Pepsi gave Jackson $1.5 million. He gave all the money to the Brotman Medical Center in California.
In May 1984, "Farewell My Summer Love" was released. This was a song Jackson made in 1973. It reached number seven in the UK Singles Chart.
The Jacksons' album Victory came out on July 2, 1984. From July to December 1984, Jackson toured with his brothers. He won eight awards at the 1984 American Music Awards. This was the most anyone had ever won at once. He also won Best International Solo Artist and Best International Album at the BRIT Awards.
In August 1985, Jackson bought music publisher ATV Music for $47.5 million. This company owned the rights to many songs, including those by The Beatles.
Jackson wrote "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie in 1985. Many famous artists recorded the song as USA for Africa. It was released to raise money for people in need in Africa. It sold over 20 million copies and won four Grammy Awards.
Bad and Dangerous Eras (1986-1993)
In August 1987, Bad was released. Jackson hoped it would sell 100 million copies. It has sold over 30 million copies. Five of the album's songs became number one in the US. These were "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana". Jackson was the only artist to have so many number one singles from one album for a long time.
From September 1987 to January 1988, Jackson went on the Bad world tour. This was his first tour on his own. In 1988, Moonwalk, a book Jackson wrote about his life, was published. It took him four years to write and sold 200,000 copies. Jackson then released Moonwalker, a movie he made. Video games based on the movie came out in 1989.
In 1986, Disneyland and ETCOT started showing a short film called Captain EO that starred Jackson.
Jackson sang "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance.
The Jacksons released their last album, 2300 Jackson Street, in 1989. Michael sang on the album's second song, "2300 Jackson Street", with his brothers and two sisters, Janet and Rebbie. Michael also appeared in the music video.
Jackson won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form in 1989 for "Leave Me Alone".
Jackson's eighth studio album, Dangerous, was released on November 26, 1991. He produced it with Teddy Riley. It was a new jack swing album. It was Jackson's first album to feature a rapper. Nine songs were released from the album.
On June 27, 1992, Jackson started the Dangerous World Tour. All the money Jackson earned from the tour was given to charities. The tour was supposed to last until Christmas 1992. However, Jackson ended the tour early on November 11, 1993, because he was ill. Jackson performed at the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII in January 1993.
HIStory and Later Albums (1994-2003)
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, Jackson's ninth studio album, was released on July 16, 1995. The album had two discs. The first disc was a collection of his greatest hits. The second disc had fifteen new songs recorded in late 1994 and early 1995. Thirteen of these songs were new, and two were cover versions.
In August 1995, the album's song "You Are Not Alone" became the first single ever to go straight to number one in the US. HIStory won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The video for the song "Scream" set a Guinness World Record for being the most expensive short film ever made. Jackson released a short film called Ghosts in 1996. He wrote it with Stephen King.
In 1997, Blood on the Dance Floor was released. It is the best-selling remix album ever. It included five new songs. The album's first song was "Blood on the Dancefloor". The album and its first song were number one in the UK.
Jackson won Artist of the 1980s at the American Music Awards in 2000.
On October 30, 2001, Invincible, Jackson's last studio album, was released. The album received mixed reviews. It was number one in 12 countries and sold 13 million copies worldwide. However, it was not as successful as Jackson's earlier albums. The album's first song, "You Rock My World", was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century in 2002.
On November 17, 2003, an album called Number Ones was released. It was a collection of Jackson's hit songs. It also had a new song called "One More Chance". This song was released as a single and reached number one in three countries. The album was also released as a DVD.
Final Years and Legacy (2004-2012)
In March 2009, Jackson announced a new tour called This Is It. He said he might stop making music after this tour. Jackson practiced his singing and dancing for the tour in Los Angeles.
After his death, Jackson won Entertainer of the Year at the 2009 Soul Train Awards. That year, he also won five American Music Awards.
On October 26, 2009, a two-disc album called Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. The album's only song, "This Is It", was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2011.
On October 28, 2009, Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. It was a documentary movie. The movie showed recordings of Jackson's rehearsals for his This Is It tour. Jackson passed away before he could do the tour. The movie made over $261 million around the world. It received good reviews from movie critics. On January 26, 2010, the movie was released on DVD. It sold over 1.5 million copies in the US in its first week. This was more than any other music DVD had sold in its first week.
Jackson won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. His children, Prince and Paris, accepted the award for him.
A video game called Michael Jackson: The Experience was released in November 2010. It was available for Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Wii.
In 2012, Jackson was voted the Greatest Singer of All Time in a poll on NME.com.
Bad 25, a documentary movie about Jackson's album Bad, was released in August 2012.
Personal Life
Jackson's personal life was often in the news. He tried to keep things private, but he was often featured in celebrity magazines. Later in his life, his personal life was talked about more than his music.
Family and Children
He was married to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, in 1994. They divorced in 1995. He then married nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996. Three months after their marriage, Rowe gave birth to a son, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr.. The next year, she gave birth to a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson.
The couple divorced on October 8, 1999. Prince Michael II was born on February 21, 2002. He is better known as Blanket.
Bubbles the Chimpanzee
Bubbles (born 1983) is a common chimpanzee. He was known for being Michael Jackson's pet. Jackson bought Bubbles from a research center in Texas in the 1980s. Bubbles often traveled with the singer.
The media often focused on Bubbles. They sometimes published false stories about the animal.
Passing Away
Jackson passed away at age 50 on June 25, 2009. He died at 2:25 PM at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. It is believed he had a cardiac arrest, which means his heart stopped. Jackson died just two months before his 51st birthday.
Memorial Service
A memorial service was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. It started with a letter from Smokey Robinson. It included comments from Nelson Mandela and Diana Ross. Mariah Carey sang I'll Be There. Queen Latifah gave a speech. Lionel Richie performed "Jesus is Love". Berry Gordy, who founded Motown, also spoke.
Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson spoke too. Magic described the event as a "celebration of Jackson's life and works". Jennifer Hudson sang Will You Be There. Reverend Al Sharpton gave a speech about Jackson's strength. John Mayer played guitar for "Human Nature". Brooke Shields also spoke.
Jermaine Jackson, Michael's older brother, performed "Smile". This was Michael's favorite song. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King gave speeches. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee praised Jackson's humanitarian efforts. Usher sang "Gone Too Soon". This was followed by a video montage of Jackson.
The service ended with speeches from his family. Jermaine and Marlon spoke. His daughter Paris cried and said, "Daddy was the best father anyone could have." She added, "I will miss him." The memorial lasted over two hours.
Burial
Michael Jackson's special golden casket was brought to the memorial service.
Jackson was buried in the Holly Terrace of the Great Mausoleum. This is at Forest Lawn Glendale.
Earnings and Legacy
Jackson earned more money than any other deceased celebrity in 2013.
His earnings increased after his death. According to Forbes in 2016, he was the top-earning deceased celebrity every year since his passing. He earned hundreds of millions of dollars each year. In 2016, he earned $825 million.
A new album called Scream was released on September 29, 2017. In July 2018, Sony/ATV bought the Jackson estate's share in EMI for $287.5 million.
Music Albums
- Got to Be There (1972)
- Ben (1972)
- Music & Me (1973)
- Forever, Michael (1975)
- Off the Wall (1979)
- Thriller (1982)
- Bad (1987)
- Dangerous (1991)
- HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
- Invincible (2001)
Movies and Films
- The Wiz (1978)
- Captain EO (1986)
- Moonwalker (1988)
- Michael Jackson's Ghosts (1997)
- Men in Black II (2002)
- Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls (2004)
- Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)
- Bad 25 (2012)
- Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016)
Concert Tours
- Bad (1987–1989)
- Dangerous World Tour (1992–1993)
- HIStory World Tour (1996–1997)
- MJ & Friends (1999)
Related Pages
Images for kids
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Jackson's childhood home in Gary, Indiana, pictured in March 2010
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The sequined jacket and white glove worn by Jackson at Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. British Vogue called Jackson "a fashion pioneer [...] who gave new meaning to moonwalking, immortalised solitary, [and] sparkly gloves".
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Jackson signing a "We Are the World" poster in 1985
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Jackson and President George H. W. Bush at the White House on April 5, 1990. It was the second time that Jackson had been honored by a President of the United States.
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Jackson during the Dangerous World Tour in 1993. Dangerous has been recognized by writers as an influence on contemporary pop and R&B artists.
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Jackson in 2003
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Jackson and his son Blanket in Disneyland Paris, 2006
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An aerial view of part of Jackson's 2,800-acre (11 km2) Neverland Valley Ranch near Los Olivos, California, showing the rides
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Fans placed flowers and notes on Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the day of his death
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Fans visiting the makeshift memorial set up outside the Neverland Ranch entrance shortly after Jackson's death.
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Jackson's Bad era wax figure at Madame Tussauds, London in 1992
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Jackson during his Bad tour in Vienna, June 1988
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Jackson (center) performing a dance sequence of "The Way You Make Me Feel" at the Bad tour in 1988.
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See also
In Spanish: Michael Jackson para niños
