American · 1958–2009
Michael Jackson was an American singer, songwriter and dancer, born in Gary, Indiana, in 1958. He began performing as a child with his brothers in the Jackson 5, who signed with Motown in 1968 and had four straight number-one singles. He went solo in the late 1970s. His albums Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987) made him one of the best-selling artists in history. Thriller remains among the best-selling albums ever released. His music videos and stage shows, including the moonwalk he performed on the 1983 Motown 25 television special, changed pop performance. He won dozens of Grammy and American Music Awards. His only book of his own, the autobiography Moonwalk, appeared in 1988 with editing by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He also published the book Dancing the Dream in 1992, a collection of poems and reflections. He died in Los Angeles in 2009 at age 50.