Michael Joseph Jackson born August 29, 1958 was an father of three , American recording artist, entertainer and businessman. On June 25, 2009 He passed at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he made his debut as an entertainer in 1968 as a member of The Jackson 5. He then began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group and was referred to as the “King of Pop”[in subsequent years. Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller remains the world’s best-selling album of all time and four of his other solo studio albums are among the world’s best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995). In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in American popular music and culture. He was the first African American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as “Beat It”, “Billie Jean” and “Thriller”—widely credited with transforming the music video from a promotional tool into an art form—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as “Black or White” and “Scream” made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop music and contemporary R&B artists across several generations. Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his Heal the World Foundation, charity singles, and support of 39 charities. He was one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time”—thirteen Grammy Awards, thirteen number one singles in his solo career, and the sale of 750 million records worldwide. He is survived by two sons Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. Prince Michael Jackson II and a daughter, Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson, his parents, Joseph Walter “Joe” and Katherine Scruse Jackson brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy, sisters Rebbie, La Toya and Janet. Source http://www.wikipedia.org/ Funeral arrangements are still incomplete at this time.
