Michael Jackson

 Michael Joseph Jackson, born August 29, 1958, passed away June 25 on the 25th of June, 2009. He was an American performer, dancer and an philanthropist. He was dubbed"the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His contributions to music and dance throughout a span of more than four decades have earned him a place within popular culture. Jackson was influential to artists from a variety of genres, and through videos and stage performances and dance performances, he influenced complex dance moves like the moonwalk, for which he gave the name, as well as the robot. He is the most awarded artist in history.The eighth generation of the Jackson family, Jackson made his public debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5 (later named the Jacksons). Jackson started his solo career in the year 1971 while at Motown Records. Jackson became a solo superstar with his 1979 album Off the Wall. His music videos for "Beat It", Billy Jean, as well as "Thriller" are believed to be responsible for breaking the boundaries of race and making the medium an art form and a promotional tool. He helped propel the success of MTV and continued to innovate with videos for the albums Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Present, Future and Past as well as Book I (1995) and Invincible (2001). Thriller was the top-selling album ever, and Bad was the first album to have five U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. [nb