"I'm just like anyone. I cut and I bleed. And I embarrass easily. "

Michael Jackson, Pop Star: August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson was born to Joseph and Katherine Jackson; the seventh of nine children. His career began during his childhood, at the age of five, as the lead singer of The Jackson Five, a group consisting of him and his brothers that played in local bars.

He launched his solo career in 1979 and became known as the "King of Pop," a name that was given to him by Elizabeth Taylor. He is most famous for his hits during the 1970's and his 1982 Thriller, an album produced by Quincy Jones that generated seven top ten hits, which included Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller. The album also produced three popular music videos.

Bad was another smash success for Jackson. This album generated six number one singles in the USA, five of which went to number one on the Billboard 100 charts. Some of these included Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, and Smooth Criminal. Despite the success of the album, the sales were relatively disappointing. The album sold 8 million copies, compared to Thriller's 25 million.

Released in 1991, the album Dangerous was contracted for $890 million by Sony. This albums music videos were among the most costly, but innovative and creative for their time. Jackson had obvious high hopes of this album, and it sold 7 million copies in the US and 29 million worldwide. ‘History,’ a double-disc album was released in 1995. The album contained most of Jackson’s greatest hits, along with some new hit singles like the song “Scream,” a duet with his sister Janet.

Jackson loved children and had friendships with them ranging from disadvantaged children to child celebrities. He invited many groups of children to his Neverland Ranch. However, he was repeatedly accused of child molestation.

Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by Gavin Arvizo, who appeared in the Living with Michael Jackson documentary in 2003. The criminal case was tried in Santa Maria, California during the spring of 2005. On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted of all ten of the charges against him. Jurors mentioned that they believed Jackson might have committed child sex crimes in the past, but there was not enough evidence to prove it. After the trail, Jackson moved to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, where he worked as an entertainment consultant. He created a single dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrine called I Have This Dream, which came out in February 2005.

Michael Jackson died of a heart attack on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The pop star passed away at 2:26 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.