Celebrating the life of
Michael Jackson
29th August, 1958 - 25th June, 2009Michael Jackson, also known as The King of Pop, was one of the most popular and prolific global pop music artists of the 80s, 90s and beyond.
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Join MemoriesMichael Jackson, also known as The King of Pop, was one of the most popular and prolific global pop music artists of the 80s, 90s and beyond.
Mary Carr Michael Joseph Jackson was born.
Mary Carr Michael joined The Jackson Brothers, his family's band, as a backup singer with his brother Marlon. He soon started singing lead vocals with his brother Jermaine, and the band's name was changed to The Jackson 5. By 1968 they had toured the Midwest for 2 years and won numerous talent shows.
Mary Carr The Jackson 5 signed a recording contract with Motown.
Mary Carr Big Boy, the Jackson 5's first single, was released on local record label Steeltown Records.
Mary Carr The Jackson family relocated to Los Angeles.
Mary Carr The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance in the Miss Black America pageant, singing It's Your Thing. Watch the performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG2EkJcNu98
Mary Carr I Want You Back was the first Jackson 5 song to top the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA. Listen to this number-1 hit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP5qFx2yAtU It was followed by 3 more of the band's Motown singles in the same year: ABC, The Love You Save, and I'll Be There.
Mary Carr Michael released his first solo album with Motown, called Got to Be There. It was followed by his second album, Ben, in the same year.
Mary Carr The band left Motown, signed to Epic Records, and renamed themselves The Jacksons.
Mary Carr Michael became The Jackson's main songwriter on Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground), which was released in 1978. Listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kldVOhKe4rg He also wrote hits including This Place Hotel and Can You Feel It.
Mary Carr Jackson won 3 American Music Awards and 1 Grammy Award. The AMAs were for Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. He won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Grammy for 1979 with Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. In 1981, he won 2 more AMAs, for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.
Mary Carr Off the Wall, Michael's fifth solo album, was released. Four singles went on to reach top-10 music chart status: Off the Wall, She's Out of My Life, and Don't Stop Till You Get Enough and Rock With You, both of which topped the charts.
Mary Carr Jackson recorded the song Someone in the Dark for the audiobook version of the movie ET the Extra-Terrestrial.
Mary Carr Thriller, Jackson's 6th solo album was released, to sell 66 million copies world wide. It became the best-selling album worldwide in 1983, and of all time. It was the first album to produce 7 Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles, which included Billie Jean and Beat It. Watch the original video for Beat It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRdxUFDoQe0
Mary Carr Jackson and his brothers partnered with Pepsi for a promotional deal that broke records for celebrity endorsement. Jackson signed a second agreement with the brand in the late 1980s.
Mary Carr Jackson reunited with The Jacksons for the NBCTV special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, which attracted an audience of 47 million viewers. His solo performance of Billie Jean, complete with white rhinestone glove and the first ever display of his trademark moonwalk, earned him an Emmy Award nomination. Watch the performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXmjhRkPVFc
Mary Carr Jackson won 8 Emmy Awards: Producer of the Year (Non-Classical), with Quincey Jones Album of the Year for the album Thriller Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) for the song Thriller Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male), for Beat It Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male) for Billie Jean Best Engineered Recording, for Thriller He won an award for the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook, too. He went on to win another 8 American Music Awards in the same year, and was the youngest performer ever to receive an Award of Merit. At this moment, Jackson had the highest royalty rate for music artists.
Mary Carr Jackson received an award from then-President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities focused on alcohol and drug abuse.
Mary Carr Jackson released We Are The World, which he co-wrote with Lionel Richie, to raise money for the poor in the USA and Africa. It raised a total of $63 million, selling 20 million copies, and became one of the best-selling singles of all time. It also won 4 Grammy Awards and two special American Music Awards. Listen to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3wNuru4U0I
Mary Carr Jackson released Bad, which was eagerly anticipated by fans and the music industry, and won the 1988 Grammy for Best Engineered recording, as well as a 1990 Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form, for the song Leave Me Alone. The Bad global tour lasted 18 months, attracting record crowds. The album became the first to top the charts in 25 countries, and was the world's best-selling album in 1987 and 1988.
Mary Carr Moonwalk, Jackson's autobiography, was released and reachers the top of the New York Times bestseller list, selling 200,000 copies. He followed it up with the film Moonwalker, which mixed short films and live footage, and went platinum in the US.
Mary Carr Jackson built his new home, the Neverland ranch, which included a Ferris Wheel, zoo, and movie theatre.
Mary Carr Elizabeth Taylor, Jackson's longtime friend, presented the King of Pop with the Soul Train Heritage Award.
Mary Carr Jackson released Dangerous, which included the chart-topping, best-selling single Black or White. It was certified Platinum 7 times. The Dangerous world tour went for 18 months, included 70 concerts outside the US, and grossed $100 million, part of which went to the Heal the World Foundation. HBO bought broadcast rights to the tour for an as-yet-unbroken record deal of $20 million.
Mary Carr Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for a record-breaking $65 million.
Mary Carr Jackson published his second book, Dancing the Dream, a collection of poetry.
Mary Carr Jackson launched the Heal the World Foundation, a global charity providing aid to children.
Mary Carr Jackson won 3 American Music Awards and one Grammy. The AMAs were for Favorite Pop/Rock Album (Dangerous), Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Remember the Time"), and the first ever International Artist Award of Excellence. The Grammy was a "Living Legend Award".
Mary Carr Jackson was wed to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, in the Dominican Republic. The marriage continued until they separated in 1995.
Mary Carr HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book I was released, and debuted at number 1 on the music charts. It remains the best-selling multi-disc album of all time, and received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. The HIStory world tour stretched from September 1996 to October 1997, and included performances to 4.5 million fans in 35 countries. It grossed $165 million.
Mary Carr Jackson married Debbie Rowe, who was pregnant with his first child. The wedding lasted until 1999.
Mary Carr Blood on the Dancefloor: HIStory in the Mix was released, and became the best-selling remix album of all time.
Mary Carr Jackson's first child, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr (more commonly called Prince) was born.
Mary Carr Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson, Jackson's second child, was born.
Mary Carr Jackson organises the Michael Jackson and Friends benefit concert series, which was held in Korea and Germany. The proceeds from these star-studded events went to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, UNESCO and the Red Cross.
Mary Carr Jackson and opera singer Luciano Pavarotti joined forces for the War Child benefit, and raised $1 million for children in the Kosovo War, plus extra funds for children in Guatemala.
Mary Carr Jackson celebrated his 30th year as a solo artist with two concerts at Madison Square Gardens in New York. The concerts included a raft of other artists, and marked the first time Jackson had performed with his brothers since 1984.
Mary Carr Jackson performed the finale, What More Can I Give, at the 9/11 benefit concert, United We Stand: What More Can I Give. He also helped to organize this benefit event, which was held at RFK Stadium.
Mary Carr Invincible, Jackson's last album of original tracks, was released, debuting at number 1 in 13 countries and ultimately selling over 6 million copies worldwide. The album cost an estimated $30 million to record.
Mary Carr Jackson won an American Music Award for Artist of the Century. It was his 22nd AMA.
Mary Carr Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II, was born to a surrogate mother.
Mary Carr Jackson made his last ever stage performance, in Harlem, New York. Michael Jackson: Live at the Apollo was a fund raiser for Bill Clinton and the DNC, and raised $2.5 million to encourage people to vote.
Mary Carr Jackson passed away from an overdose of prescription drugs administered by his doctor in Los Angeles. His memorial was held, and streamed live, on July 7, and attracted 31.1 million viewers. His doctor was later convicted of Jackson's homicide, and sentenced to 4 years in prison.