Michael Jackson

Born in Gary, Indiana, in 1958, Michael Jackson began performing as a child with his brothers in the Jackson 5. Signed to Motown, the group scored a string of number-one hits while Michael was still a boy, and his precocious voice and stage presence quickly marked him as the family's brightest star. By his teens he was already releasing solo records alongside his work with his brothers.

His 1979 album Off the Wall, made with producer Quincy Jones, announced a mature solo artist, but it was Thriller in 1982 that changed popular music. It became the best-selling album of all time, and its groundbreaking videos helped transform MTV and music television. Albums like Bad and Dangerous followed, along with world tours performed to record-breaking audiences on several continents.

Jackson's later years were shadowed by intense public scrutiny and personal struggles, and he died in Los Angeles in 2009, shortly before a planned series of comeback concerts. His influence remains woven into modern pop, R&B, and dance. Generations of performers still study his moves and his records, and his best music continues to bring people together across languages and borders.