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{{short description|American singer, songwriter, and dancer}}
{{redirect|King of Pop||King of Pop (disambiguation)|and|Michael Jackson (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|MJ (singer)|the South Korean singer|MJ (South Korean singer)|other uses of MJ|MJ (disambiguation)}}
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{{Featured article}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name             = Michael Jackson
| image            = Michael Jackson in 1988.jpg
| alt              = A photograph of Michael Jackson singing into a microphone
| caption          = Jackson performing in June 1988
| birth_name       = Michael Joseph Jackson
| alias            = Michael Joe Jackson<!-- Legal aliases only. This is not a field for nicknames.-->
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1958|8|29}}
| birth_place      = [[Gary, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|2009|6|25|1958|8|29}}
| death_place      = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_cause      = [[Cardiac arrest]] induced by acute [[propofol]] and [[benzodiazepine]] [[substance intoxication|intoxication]]
{{labeldata|Buried|[[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]], [[Glendale, California]], U.S.}}
| occupation       = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|dancer}}<!--Please do not add anymore occupations to the list, it is long enough already-->
| spouse           = {{marriage|[[Lisa Marie Presley]]|1994|1996|end=divorced}}<br/>{{marriage|[[Debbie Rowe]]|1996|1999|end=divorced}}
| children         = {{hlist|Michael Jr.|[[Paris Jackson|Paris]]|Prince Michael II}}
| mother           = [[Katherine Jackson]]
| father           = [[Joe Jackson (manager)|Joe Jackson]]
| family           = See ''[[Jackson family]]''
| awards           = [[List of awards and nominations received by Michael Jackson|Full list]]
| website          = {{URL|https://www.michaeljackson.com/}}
| signature        = Michael Jackson signature.svg
| signature_size   = 100px
| module           = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
 | instrument      = Vocals<!--If you think an instrument should be listed, a discussion to reach consensus is needed first-->
 | background      = solo_singer
 | genre           = <!--These music genres are all sourced under the section #Musical themes and genres-->{{hlist|[[Pop music|Pop]]|[[Soul music|soul]]|[[funk]]|{{nowrap|[[rhythm and blues]]}}|[[Rock music|rock]]|[[disco]]|[[post-disco]]|{{nowrap|[[dance-pop]]}}|[[new jack swing]]}}
 | years_active    = 1964–2009
 | label           = {{hlist|[[Steeltown Records|Steeltown]]|[[Motown]]|[[Epic Records|Epic]]|[[Legacy Recordings|Legacy]]|[[Sony Music|Sony]]|MJJ Productions}}
 | associated_acts = <!--These associated acts are all sourced under #Discography-->[[The Jackson 5]]
}}
}}

'''Michael Joseph Jackson''' (August 29, 1958{{spnd}}June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer.<!--DO NOT add more occupations per [[Talk:Michael Jackson/Archive 31#Lead sentence format]]--> Dubbed the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|King of Pop]]", he is regarded as one of the [[Cultural impact of Michael Jackson|most significant cultural figures]] of the 20th century. Through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated dance moves such as the [[moonwalk (dance)|moonwalk]], to which he gave the name, and the [[Robot (dance)|robot]]. His sound and style have [[List of artists influenced by Michael Jackson|influenced artists of various genres]], and his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in [[popular culture]] for over four decades. Jackson is the [[List of awards and nominations received by Michael Jackson|most awarded artist in the history of popular music]].

The eighth child of the [[Jackson family]], Jackson made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers [[Jackie Jackson|Jackie]], [[Tito Jackson|Tito]], [[Jermaine Jackson|Jermaine]], and [[Marlon Jackson|Marlon]] as a member of [[the Jackson 5]]. Jackson began his solo career in 1971 while at [[Motown|Motown Records]], and rose to solo stardom with his fifth studio album ''[[Off the Wall]]'' (1979) during the peak of the [[Disco#1977–1979: Pop preeminence|disco era]]. By the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in [[popular music]]. His [[music video]]s, including those for "[[Beat It]]", "[[Billie Jean]]", and "[[Thriller (song)|Thriller]]" from his sixth studio album ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'' (1982), are credited with breaking [[Anti-black racism in the United States|racial barriers]] and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. Jackson's prominence propelled him and the television channel [[MTV]] into cultural phenomenons of [[1980s#Popular culture|1980s pop culture]]. At the [[26th Annual Grammy Awards|1984 Grammy Awards]], ''Thriller'' won a record-breaking eight [[Grammy Award]]s, including [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year#Recipients|Album of the Year]]. Jackson continued to innovate with videos on the [[List of best-selling albums|global best-seller albums]] ''[[Bad (album)|Bad]]'' (1987), ''[[Dangerous (Michael Jackson album)|Dangerous]]'' (1991), and ''[[HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I]]'' (1995).

Starting in the late 1980s, Jackson became a figure of controversy and speculation due to his [[Health and appearance of Michael Jackson|changing appearance]], [[Personal relationships of Michael Jackson|relationships]], behavior and lifestyle. In 1993, he was [[1993 child sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson|accused of sexually abusing the child]] of a family friend. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Jackson was not indicted. In 2005, he was [[Trial of Michael Jackson|tried and acquitted]] of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. Four years later, while preparing for a series of comeback concerts, ''[[This Is It (concert residency)|This Is It]]'', [[Death of Michael Jackson|Jackson died]] from an overdose of [[propofol]] administered by his personal physician, [[Conrad Murray]]. Fans around the world expressed their grief, and Jackson's [[Michael Jackson memorial service|public memorial service]] was broadcast live. In August 2009, the [[Los Angeles County Coroner]] ruled that Jackson's death was a [[homicide]], and [[California v. Murray|Murray was convicted]] of [[involuntary manslaughter]] in November 2011. Seven years later, the documentary ''[[Leaving Neverland]]'', which detailed allegations of child sexual abuse, led to another media backlash against Jackson.

Jackson is one of the [[List of best-selling music artists|best-selling music artists of all time]], with estimated sales of over 350{{nbsp}}million records worldwide.{{refn|group=nb|''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' and other news sites report that the 750 million units sold by Michael Jackson is an inflated figure, initially claimed in 2006 by [[Raymone Bain]],<ref>{{cite news|first= Raymone K. |last= Bain |date= October 31, 2006 |url= http://www.mjtmc.com/news/details.aspx?lang=EN&module=AHAA&baseModule=AHAA&news_id=1062&page=1 |archive-date= February 17, 2007 |title= Statement from Raymone Bain to all fans and fanclubs|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070217114004/http://www.mjtmc.com/news/details.aspx?lang=EN&module=AHAA&baseModule=AHAA&news_id=1062&page=1 |publisher= Mjtmc.com}}</ref> Jackson's publicist at that time, without any evidence and probably in an effort to boost album sales.<ref>{{cite news|first= David |last= Lara |title= Michael Jackson's 'Bad' Gets a Revamp and More Inflated Sales! |publisher= [[ImpreMedia]] |date= May 12, 2012 |access-date= January 17, 2013 |url= http://www.impre.com/la-gente-dice/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978979962}}</ref><ref name="WSJ">{{cite news|first= Carl |last= Bialik |title= Spun: The Off-the-Wall Accounting of Record Sales |newspaper= [[The Wall Street Journal]] |date= July 15, 2009 |access-date= January 17, 2013 |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124760651612341407 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150310033949/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124760651612341407 |archive-date= March 10, 2015}}</ref> Since 2006, several sources such as RIAA, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' have claimed that Michael Jackson has sold 750 million units (or even 1 billion);<ref name="RIAA"/><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Kory |last= Grow |title= Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Is First Album to Sell 30 Million Copies |magazine= Rolling Stone |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jacksons-thriller-is-first-album-to-sell-30-million-copies-20151216 |date= December 16, 2015 |access-date= May 29, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Alicia |last= Adamczyk |title= Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Just Smashed Another Record |date= December 16, 2015 |magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url= http://time.com/money/4151215/michael-jacksons-thriller-album-sales-record/ |access-date= May 29, 2016}}</ref> Adrian Strain, a representative from the [[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry]] (IFPI) has disputed this figure.<ref name="WSJ"/>}} ''Thriller'' is the [[List of best-selling albums|best-selling album of all time]], with estimated sales of 66{{nbsp}}million copies worldwide. In addition, the [[remix album]] ''[[Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix]]'' (1997) is the best-selling remix album of all time. ''Bad'' was the first album to produce five [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] number-one singles.{{refn|"[[I Just Can't Stop Loving You]]", "[[Bad (Michael Jackson song)|Bad]]", "[[The Way You Make Me Feel]]", "[[Man in the Mirror]]", and "[[Dirty Diana]]".|group=nb}} Jackson had 13 [[List of artists by number of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles|''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles]], more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era, and was also the first artist to have a top ten single in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in five different decades. He received 13 [[Grammy Awards]], the [[Grammy Legend Award|Grammy Legend]] and [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award|Grammy Lifetime Achievement]] awards, six [[Brit Awards]], a [[Golden Globe Award]], and 39 [[Guinness World Records]], including the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time". Jackson's inductions include the [[List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees#Performers|Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] twice, the [[Vocal Group Hall of Fame]], the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]], the [[National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame|Dance Hall of Fame]] (the only recording artist to be inducted), and the [[Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame]]. In 2016, his estate earned $825{{nbsp}}million, the highest yearly amount for a celebrity ever recorded by ''[[Forbes]]''.<!-- PER WP:LEADCITE, INFO IN THE LEAD IS CITED IN THE BODY -->

==Life and career==
===1958–1975: Early life and the Jackson 5===
[[File:2300 Jackson Street Yuksel.jpg|thumb|right|alt=The single-story house has white walls, two windows, a central white door with a black door frame, and a black roof. In front of the house there is a walkway and multiple colored flowers and memorabilia.|Jackson's childhood home in [[Gary, Indiana]], pictured in March 2010 with floral tributes after his death]]

Michael Joseph Jackson<ref name="certificate">County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services (2009). [[:File:Michael Jackson death certificate.jpg|Michael Jackson death certificate]].</ref><ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|first= Steve |last= Huey |title= Michael Jackson – Artist Biography |url= https://www.allmusic.com/artist/michael-jackson-mn0000467203/biography |publisher= [[AllMusic]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> was born in [[Gary, Indiana]], near Chicago, on August 29, 1958.<ref name="Barnes">{{cite news|first= Brokes |last= Barnes |title= A Star Idolized and Haunted, Michael Jackson Dies at 50 |date= June 25, 2009 |newspaper= The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/arts/music/26jackson.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0 |access-date= July 12, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Michael Jackson: 10 Achievements That Made Him The King of Pop |date= June 24, 2014 |access-date= October 20, 2016 |publisher= National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |url= http://www.grammy.com/blogs/michael-jackson-10-achievements-that-made-him-the-king-of-pop}}</ref> He was the eighth of ten children in the [[Jackson family]], a working-class [[African Americans|African-American]] family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street.{{sfn|Jackson|2009|p=26}}{{sfn|Young|2009|p=18}} His mother, [[Katherine Jackson|Katherine Esther Jackson]] (''née'' Scruse), played clarinet and piano, had aspired to be a [[Country music|country-and-western]] performer, and worked part-time at [[Sears]].{{sfn|Young|2009|pp=17, 19}} She was a [[Jehovah's Witness]].<ref name="monstrous">{{cite news|first= Alexis |last= Petridis |title= Joe Jackson was one of the most monstrous fathers in pop |newspaper= The Guardian |date= June 27, 2018 |access-date= April 18, 2019 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/27/joe-jackson-one-of-the-most-monstrous-fathers-in-pop}}</ref> His father, [[Joe Jackson (manager)|Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson]], a former boxer, was a crane operator at [[U.S. Steel]] and played guitar with a local [[rhythm and blues]] band, the Falcons, to supplement the family's income.<ref name="Obit Guardian">{{cite news|first= Adam |last= Sweeting |title= Joe Jackson obituary |newspaper= The Guardian |date= June 27, 2018 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/27/joe-jackson-obituary}}</ref>{{sfn|Young|2009|pp=18–19}} Joe's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a US Army [[Cavalry scout|scout]]; family lore held that he was also "a Native American [[medicine man]]".{{sfn|Knopper|2016|p=6. Note: No tribal affiliation named in source}} Michael grew up with three sisters ([[Rebbie Jackson|Rebbie]], [[La Toya Jackson|La Toya]], and [[Janet Jackson|Janet]]) and five brothers ([[Jackie Jackson|Jackie]], [[Tito Jackson|Tito]], [[Jermaine Jackson|Jermaine]], [[Marlon Jackson|Marlon]], and [[Randy Jackson (The Jacksons)|Randy]]).<ref name="Obit Guardian"/> A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly after birth.<ref>{{cite web|first= Chris |last= Morris |title= Joe Jackson, Jackson Family Patriarch, Dies at 89 |magazine= Variety |date= June 27, 2018 |access-date= April 27, 2019 |url= https://variety.com/2018/music/news/joe-jackson-dead-dies-89-1202859242/}}</ref>

Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Michael;<ref>{{cite news|title= Can Michael Jackson's demons be explained? |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8121599.stm |work= [[BBC News]] |date= June 27, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Michael said his father told him he had a "fat nose,"<ref name="bbcnews">{{cite news|title= Jackson interview seen by 14m |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2719763.stm |work= BBC News |date= February 4, 2003 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> and regularly physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals. He recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, ready to physically punish any mistakes.<ref name="monstrous"/>{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|pp=165–168}} Katherine Jackson stated that although whipping is considered abuse in more modern times, it was a common way to discipline children when Michael was growing up.<ref>{{cite AV media|title= Katherine Jackson: Michael's strict upbringing not abuse |publisher= CNN |format= video |date= May 15, 2012 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldyRUqGN3XA}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|first= Alan |last= Duke |title= Joe Jackson denies abusing Michael |publisher= CNN |date= July 21, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/21/joe.jackson/index.html?iref=24hours}}</ref> Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon have said that their father was not abusive and that the whippings, which were harder on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and out of trouble.<ref>{{cite web|title= Jackson Brothers: Was Joe Jackson Abusive? |publisher= [[Yahoo! Celebrity]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://celebrity.yahoo.com/video/jackson-brothers-joe-jackson-abusive-170000051.html |archive-date= May 22, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150522073344/https://celebrity.yahoo.com/video/jackson-brothers-joe-jackson-abusive-170000051.html |url-status= dead}}</ref> Jackson said his youth was lonely and isolated.{{sfn|Young|2009|p=24}}

In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father which included Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing [[conga]]s and [[tambourine]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson: a life of highs and lows |newspaper= [[The Daily Telegraph]] |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= November 28, 2019 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5642588/Michael-Jackson-a-life-of-highs-and-lows.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first= Jermaine |last= Jackson |year= 2011 |title= You Are Not Alone: Michael: Through a Brother's Eyes |publisher= [[Simon & Schuster]] |page= 41 |isbn= 978-1-4516-5156-0 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tk0zQIaFrccC&pg=PA41}}</ref> Later that year, Michael began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to [[the Jackson 5]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Charlie |last= Burton |title= Inside the Jackson machine |magazine= [[GQ]] |date= February 7, 2018 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/jacksons-legacy-jackson-5}}</ref> The following year, the group won a talent show; Michael performed the dance to [[Robert Parker (singer)|Robert Parker]]'s 1965 song "[[Barefootin' (song)|Barefootin']]" and singing lead to [[The Temptations]]' "[[My Girl (The Temptations song)|My Girl]]".{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=13–14}} From 1966 to 1968 they toured the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]; they frequently played at a string of black clubs known as the "[[Chitlin' Circuit]]" as the opening act for artists such as [[Sam & Dave]], [[the O'Jays]], [[Gladys Knight]], and [[Etta James]]. The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and cocktail lounges, where [[striptease]] shows were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school dances.{{sfn|Young|2009|pp=21–22}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Triumph & Tragedy: The Life of Michael Jackson |magazine= Rolling Stone India |date= August 25, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://rollingstoneindia.com/triumph-tragedy-the-life-of-michael-jackson/}}</ref> In August 1967, while touring the [[Eastern United States|East Coast]], they won a weekly amateur night concert at the [[Apollo Theater]] in [[Harlem]].{{sfn|Young|2009|p=22}}

[[File:Jackson 5 tv special 1972.JPG|thumb|Jackson (center) as a member of the Jackson 5 in 1972. The group were among the first [[African Americans|African American]] performers to attain a crossover following.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Vince |last= Aletti |title= Jackson Five: The Biggest Thing Since the Stones |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= November 26, 1970 |access-date= March 27, 2020 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jackson-five-the-biggest-thing-since-the-stones-233775/}}</ref>]]

The Jackson 5 recorded several songs for a Gary record label, [[Steeltown Records]]; their first single, "[[Big Boy (song)|Big Boy]]", was released in 1968.{{sfn|Young|2009|p=21}} Bobby Taylor of [[Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers]] brought the Jackson 5 to [[Motown]] after the group opened for Taylor at Chicago's [[Regal Theater, Chicago|Regal Theater]] in 1968. Taylor also produced some of their early recordings for the label, including a version of "[[Who's Lovin' You]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine|first= Steve |last= Knopper |title= Bobby Taylor, Motown Singer Who Discovered Jackson 5, Dead at 83 |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= July 23, 2017 |access-date= July 1, 2019 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bobby-taylor-motown-singer-who-discovered-jackson-5-dead-at-83-202100/}}</ref> After signing with Motown, the Jackson family relocated from Gary to Los Angeles.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=59–69}} In 1969, executives at Motown decided Diana Ross should introduce the Jackson 5 to the public—partly to bolster her career in television—sending off what was considered Motown's last product of its "production line".<ref>{{cite journal|first= Phillip Brian |last= Harper |date= Winter 1989 |title= Synesthesia, "Crossover," and Blacks in Popular Music |journal= Social Text |issue= 23 |page= 110 |doi= 10.2307/466423 |jstor= 466423}}</ref> The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance in 1969 in the Miss Black America Pageant where they performed a cover of "[[It's Your Thing]]".<ref>{{cite book|first= Daryl |last= Easlea |year= 2016 |title= Michael Jackson: Rewind: The Life and Legacy of Pop Music's King |publisher= Race Point Publishing |page= 178 |isbn= 978-1-63106-253-7}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer".<ref name="Bio">{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson – Biography |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/biography |magazine= Rolling Stone |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080402062429/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/biography |archive-date= April 2, 2008}}</ref>

In January 1970, "[[I Want You Back]]" became the first Jackson 5 song to reach number one on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]; it stayed there for four weeks. Three more singles with Motown—"[[ABC (The Jackson 5 song)|ABC]]", "[[The Love You Save]]", and "[[I'll Be There (The Jackson 5 song)|I'll Be There]]"—also topped the chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Fred |last= Bronson |title= 48 Years Ago Today, 'I Want You Back' Kicked It All Off for the Jackson 5 |magazine= Billboard |date= November 15, 2017 |access-date= April 6, 2019 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8038339/48-years-ago-today-i-want-you-back-debut-jackson-5}}</ref> In May 1971, the Jackson family moved into a large house on a two-acre estate in [[Encino, Los Angeles|Encino, California]].{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=81–82}} During this period, Michael developed from a child performer into a [[teen idol]].{{sfn|Young|2009|p=25}} As he emerged as a solo performer in the early 1970s, he maintained ties to the Jackson 5. Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums with Motown: ''[[Got to Be There]]'' (1972), ''[[Ben (album)|Ben]]'' (1972), ''[[Music & Me]]'' (1973), and ''[[Forever, Michael]]'' (1975).<ref>{{cite news|first= Bernadette |last= McNulty |date= June 26, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson's music: the solo albums |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5652389/Michael-Jacksons-music-the-solo-albums.html |newspaper= [[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> "[[Got to Be There (song)|Got to Be There]]" and "[[Ben (song)|Ben]]", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, sold well as singles, as did a cover of [[Bobby Day]]'s "[[Rockin' Robin (song)|Rockin' Robin]]".{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=98–99}}

The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black [[Crossover music|crossover artists]]."<ref>{{cite press release|first= Debra |last= Alban |title= Michael Jackson broke down racial barriers |date= June 28, 2009 |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/28/michael.jackson.black.community/ |publisher= CNN |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> They were frustrated by Motown's refusal to allow them creative input.<ref>{{cite news|first= Helen |last= Brown |title= Michael Jackson and Motown: the boy behind the marketing |newspaper= [[The Daily Telegraph]] |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5651468/Michael-Jackson-and-Motown-the-man-behind-the-marketing.html}}</ref> Jackson's performance of their top five single "[[Dancing Machine]]" on ''[[Soul Train]]'' popularized the [[Robot (dance)|robot dance]].{{sfn|Mansour|2005|p=403|ps=: 'The Robot was a mimelike dance, popularized by The Jackson 5 and their Top Ten hit "Dancing Machine"'}}

===1975–1981: Move to Epic and ''Off the Wall''===
[[File:Jacksonstvshow.jpg|thumb|upright|From left, back row: [[Jackie Jackson]], Michael Jackson, [[Tito Jackson]], [[Marlon Jackson]]. Middle row: Randy Jackson, [[La Toya Jackson]], [[Rebbie Jackson]]. Front row: [[Janet Jackson]] (1977)]]

In 1975, the Jackson 5 left Motown. They signed with [[Epic Records]], a subsidiary of [[Sony Music|CBS Records]],<ref>{{cite web|first= Steve |last= Huey |title= The Jackson – Artist Biography |publisher= AllMusic |access-date= April 8, 2019 |url= https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-jackson-5-mn0000083013/biography}}</ref> and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Their younger brother Randy joined the band around this time; Jermaine stayed with Motown and pursued a solo career.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=138–144}} The Jacksons continued to tour internationally, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's main songwriter during this time, wrote songs such as "[[Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)]]" (1979), "[[This Place Hotel]]" (1980), and "[[Can You Feel It (The Jacksons song)|Can You Feel It]]" (1980).<ref>{{cite web|title= The Jackson 5 Biography |publisher= [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/the-jackson-five/bio/ |archive-date= March 31, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190331180213/https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/the-jackson-five/bio |url-status= dead}}</ref>

In 1978, Jackson moved to New York City to star as the [[Scarecrow (Oz)|Scarecrow]] in ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'', a musical directed by [[Sidney Lumet]]. It costarred [[Diana Ross]], [[Nipsey Russell]], and Ted Ross.<ref>{{cite web|first= Bill |last= Gibron |title= You Can't Win Michael Jackson and 'The Wiz' |website= [[PopMatters]] |date= July 7, 2009 |access-date= May 10, 2017 |url= https://www.popmatters.com/feature/107586-you-cant-win-michael-jackson-and-the-wiz/}}</ref> The film was a box-office failure.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=178–179}} Its score was arranged by [[Quincy Jones]],{{sfn|Bronson|2003|p=207}} who later produced three of Jackson's solo albums.<ref name="Who's Bad">{{cite news|title= Who's bad? Michael Jackson's estate owes Quincy Jones $9.4m in royalties, jury decides |newspaper= The Guardian |agency= Associated Press |date= July 27, 2017 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/27/michael-jacksons-estate-owes-quincy-jones-9m-royalties-jury-decides}}</ref> During his time in New York, Jackson frequented the [[Studio 54]] nightclub, where he heard early [[hip hop music|hip hop]]; this influenced his [[beatboxing]] on future tracks such as "[[Working Day and Night]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Elias |last= Leight |title= 10 Things We Learned From Spike Lee's Michael Jackson Doc |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= February 5, 2015 |access-date= January 27, 2017 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/10-things-we-learned-from-spike-lees-new-michael-jackson-doc-20160205}}</ref> In 1979, Jackson broke his nose during a dance routine. A [[rhinoplasty]] led to breathing difficulties that later affected his career. He was referred to [[Steven Hoefflin]], who performed Jackson's subsequent operations.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=205–210}}

Jackson's fifth solo album, ''[[Off the Wall]]'' (1979), established him as a solo performer and helped him move from the [[bubblegum pop]] of his youth to more complex sounds.{{sfn|Young|2009|p=25}} It produced four top 10 entries in the US: "[[Off the Wall (Michael Jackson song)|Off the Wall]]", "[[She's Out of My Life]]", and the chart-topping singles "[[Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough]]" and "[[Rock with You (Michael Jackson song)|Rock with You]]".<ref name="FourUSTop10s">{{cite magazine|first= Gary |last= Trust |title= Ask Billboard: Remembering the Time When Michael Jackson Kept Hitting the Hot 100's Top 10, From 'Thriller' to 'Dangerous' |magazine= Billboard |date= January 21, 2018 |access-date= April 7, 2019 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8095269/michael-jackson-bruno-mars-ed-sheeran-ask-billboard}}</ref> The album reached number three on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and sold over 20{{nbsp}}million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|title= Michael Jackson: Off The Wall |publisher= [[Virgin Media]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.virginmedia.com/music/classicalbums/michaeljackson-offthewall.php}}</ref> In 1980, Jackson won three [[American Music Award]]s for his solo work: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".<ref>{{cite news|title= Donna Summer and Michael Jackson sweep Annual American Music Awards |date= January 20, 1980 |newspaper= [[The Ledger]] |agency= [[Associated Press]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wYEsAAAAIBAJ&pg=6776,1201107}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Ida |last= Peters |title= Donna No. 1, Pop and Soul; Michael Jackson King of Soul |newspaper= [[Baltimore Afro-American|The Afro-American]] |date= February 2, 1980 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EaMkAAAAIBAJ&pg=3100,419518}}</ref> He also won a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".<ref name="grammy mj">{{cite web|title= Michael Jackson |publisher= National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |date= February 15, 2019 |access-date= April 7, 2019 |url= https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/michael-jackson}}</ref> In 1981 Jackson was the American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.<ref>{{cite news|title= Few Surprises In Music Awards |newspaper= [[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]] |agency= Associated Press |date= February 1, 1981 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sPIcAAAAIBAJ&pg=6226,95260}}</ref> Jackson felt ''Off the Wall'' should have made a bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=188}} In 1980, he secured the highest [[Royalties|royalty]] rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=191}}

===1982–1983: ''Thriller'' and ''Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever''===
[[File:Michael Jackson's Glove and Cardigan.jpg|thumb|right|upright|alt=A sparkly jacket and gloves, displayed inside a transparent vertical tube.|The sequined jacket and white glove worn by Jackson at ''[[Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever]]''. ''[[British Vogue]]'' called Jackson "a fashion pioneer [...] who gave new meaning to [[moonwalk (dance)|moonwalking]], immortalised solitary, [and] sparkly gloves".<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Julia |last= Neel |title= Michael Jackson – A Tribute |magazine= [[British Vogue]] |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= March 27, 2020 |url= https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/michael-jacksons-style-26062009}}</ref>]]

Jackson recorded with [[Queen (band)|Queen]] singer [[Freddie Mercury]] from 1981 to 1983, recording demos of "[[State of Shock (song)|State of Shock]]", "Victory" and "There Must Be More to Life Than This". The recordings were intended for an album of duets but, according to Queen's manager [[Jim Beach]], the relationship soured when Jackson brought a [[llama]] into the recording studio,<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Melissa |last= Locker |title= Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury: Three Duets Coming Out This Fall |magazine= Time |date= July 29, 2013 |access-date= June 26, 2015 |url= http://entertainment.time.com/2013/07/29/michael-jackson-and-freddie-mercury-three-duets-coming-out-this-fall/}}</ref> and Jackson was upset by Mercury's drug use.<ref>{{cite news|title= The real Freddie Mercury: why the Queen biopic only tells part of the story |newspaper= [[The Times]] |date= October 19, 2018 |access-date= October 30, 2018 |url= https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-real-freddie-mercury-why-the-queen-biopic-only-tells-part-of-the-story-5ql37vgll}}</ref> The songs were released in 2014.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine|first= Andy |last= Greene |title= Hear Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury's Long-Lost Duet |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= September 19, 2014 |access-date= April 26, 2016 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jackson-freddie-mercury-duet-20140919}}</ref> Jackson went on to record "State of Shock" with [[Mick Jagger]] for the Jacksons' album ''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]'' (1984).<ref>{{cite web|first= John |last= Earls |title= Producer of new Queen album featuring Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson vocals is revealed |magazine= NME |date= August 2, 2014 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.nme.com/news/music/queen-32-1228446}}</ref> In 1982, Jackson contributed "Someone in the Dark" to the [[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (album)|audiobook for the film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'']]. Jackson's sixth album, ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'', was released in late 1982. It was the best-selling album worldwide in 1983,<ref>{{cite web|title= Michael: He's Not Just the Rock Star of the Year, He's the Rock Star of the '80s |date= December 20, 1983 |newspaper= [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |access-date= July 5, 2010 |url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB296D5B072064E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Cash register's ring sweet music to record industry |newspaper= [[The Gadsden Times]] |agency= Associated Press |date= March 26, 1984 |access-date= July 5, 2010 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d9EfAAAAIBAJ&pg=1419,4981079}}</ref> and became the best-selling album of all time in the US<ref>{{cite web|title= Diamond Awards |publisher= [[Recording Industry Association of America]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=top_tallies&ttt=T1A#search_section}}</ref> and the [[List of best-selling albums|best-selling album of all time worldwide]], selling an estimated {{Nowrap|66 million}} copies.<ref name="Guinness">{{cite web|title= Best-selling album |date= May 11, 2017 |access-date= January 26, 2018 |work= [[Guinness World Records]] |url= http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/70133-best-selling-album}}</ref> It topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to produce seven ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top-10 singles, including "[[Billie Jean]]", "[[Beat It]]", and "[[Wanna Be Startin' Somethin']]".{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|p=47}}

On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for ''[[Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever]]'', an NBC television special. The show aired on May 16 to an estimated audience of {{Nowrap|47 million}}, and featured the Jacksons and other Motown stars.<ref>{{cite news|first= Janette |last= Williams |date= June 24, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson left indelible mark on Pasadena |url= http://www.whittierdailynews.com/general-news/20090625/michael-jackson-left-indelible-mark-on-pasadena |newspaper= [[Whittier Daily News]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first [[Emmy Award]] nomination.<ref name="emmys.tv">{{cite news|title= Fatal Cardiac Arrest Strikes Michael Jackson |url= http://m.emmys.com/news/fatal-cardiac-arrest-strikes-michael-jackson |publisher= [[Emmy Award|Emmys.com]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Wearing a glove decorated with [[rhinestone]]s,<ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson glove sells for $350,000 |work= BBC News |date= November 22, 2009 |access-date= April 19, 2019 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8372773.stm}}</ref> he debuted his [[Moonwalk (dance)|moonwalk dance]], which [[Jeffrey Daniel]] had taught him three years earlier, and it became his signature dance in his repertoire.<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine|first= Jeffrey |last= Daniel |title= Michael Jackson 1958–2009 |magazine= Time |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= April 19, 2019 |url= http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1907409_1907413_1907560,00.html}}</ref> Jackson had originally turned down the invitation to the show, believing he had been doing too much television. But at the request of Motown founder [[Berry Gordy]], he performed in exchange for an opportunity to do a solo performance.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=234–237}} ''Rolling Stone'' reporter Mikal Gilmore called the performance "extraordinary".{{sfn|Young|2009|p=25}} Jackson's performance drew comparisons to [[Elvis Presley]]'s and [[the Beatles]]' appearances on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=238–241}} Anna Kisselgoff of ''The New York Times'' praised the perfect timing and technique involved in the dance.<ref>{{cite news|first= Anna |last= Kisselgoff |title= Stage: The Dancing Feet Of Michael Jackson |date= March 6, 1988 |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/06/arts/stage-the-dancing-feet-of-michael-jackson.html}}</ref> Gordy described being "mesmerized" by the performance.<ref>{{cite web|title= Berry Gordy Addresses Michael Jackson Memorial Service |url= http://www.hark.com/clips/lxbvwzgnms-berry-gordy-addresses-michael-jackson-memorial-service |publisher= Hark |access-date= May 31, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130509134117/http://www.hark.com/clips/lxbvwzgnms-berry-gordy-addresses-michael-jackson-memorial-service |archive-date= May 9, 2013 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

At the [[26th Annual Grammy Awards]], ''Thriller'' won eight awards, while Jackson also won an award for the ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' storybook. Winning eight Grammys in one ceremony is a record he holds with the band [[Santana (band)|Santana]].<ref name="grammy mj"/> Jackson and Quincy Jones won the award for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical). ''Thriller'' won Album of the Year (with Jackson as the album's artist and Jones as its co-producer), and the single won Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) award for Jackson. "Beat It" won Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male). "Billie Jean" won two Grammy awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male), with Jackson as songwriter and singer respectively.<ref name="grammy mj"/> ''Thriller'' also won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording (Non Classical), acknowledging [[Bruce Swedien]] for his work on the album.<ref name="Bruce">{{cite web|title= Past Winners Search: Bruce Swedien |publisher= The Recording Academy |access-date= February 14, 2008 |url= http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=Bruce+Swedien&title=&year=All&genre=All}}</ref> At the [[American Music Awards of 1984|11th Annual American Music Awards]], Jackson won another eight awards and became the youngest artist to win the Award of Merit.<ref name="Awards 1984">{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson sweeps American Music Awards |newspaper= [[The Daily News (Kentucky)|Daily News]] |agency= Associated Press |date= January 17, 1984 |access-date= June 16, 2010 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eQUbAAAAIBAJ&pg=5127,2841948}}</ref> He also won Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Artist, and Favorite Pop/Rock Artist. "Beat It" won Favorite Soul/R&B Video, Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Pop/Rock Single. The album collectively won Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album.<ref name="Awards 1984"/><ref>{{cite web|title= Winners Database: Search Results for "Michael Jackson" |publisher= [[American Music Award]] |access-date= July 18, 2018 |url= https://www.theamas.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=Michael+Jackson&winnerYear=&winnerCategory=}}</ref>

Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, with about $2 for every album sold ({{Inflation|US|2|1984|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}), and was making record-breaking profits. Dolls modeled after Jackson appeared in stores in May 1984 for $12 each.<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine|first= Jay |last= Cocks |title= Why He's a Thriller |date= March 19, 1984 |magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,950053,00.html |access-date= April 25, 2010}}</ref> In the same year, ''The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller'', a music documentary, won a Grammy for Best Music Video (Longform).<ref name="grammy mj"/> ''Time'' described Jackson's influence at that point as "star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too."<ref name="Time"/> ''The New York Times'' wrote "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else."<ref>{{cite news|first= Jon |last= Pareles |author-link= Jon Pareles |title= Michael Jackson at 25: A Musical Phenomenon |date= January 14, 1984 |newspaper= The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/14/arts/michael-jackson-at-25-a-musical-phenomenon.html |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>

===1984–1985: Pepsi, "We Are the World", and business career===
In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with [[PepsiCo]] in a $5{{nbsp}}million promotional deal that broke records for a celebrity endorsement ({{Inflation|US|5000000|1983|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}). The first Pepsi campaign, which ran in the US from 1983 to 1984 and launched its "New Generation" theme, included tour sponsorship, public relations events, and in-store displays. Jackson helped to create the advertisement, and suggested using his song "Billie Jean", with revised lyrics, as its [[jingle]].<ref name="Herrera2">{{cite magazine|first= Monica |last= Herrera |date= July 3, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson, Pepsi Made Marketing History |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/268213/michael-jackson-pepsi-made-marketing-history |magazine= Billboard |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>

On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial overseen by [[Phil Dusenberry]],<ref>{{cite news|first= Louise |last= Story |date= December 31, 2007 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/business/media/31dusenberry.html |title= Philip B. Dusenberry, 71, Adman, Dies |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> a [[BBDO]] ad agency executive, and [[Alan Pottasch]], Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, at the [[Shrine Auditorium]] in Los Angeles. During a simulated concert before a full house of fans, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing [[Burn|second-degree burns]] to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=205–210}} Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $1.5{{nbsp}}million settlement to the [[Southern California Hospital at Culver City|Brotman Medical Center]] in [[Culver City, California]]; its Michael Jackson Burn Center is named in his honor.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=279–287}} Jackson signed a second agreement with Pepsi in the late 1980s for $10{{nbsp}}million. The second campaign covered 20 countries and provided financial support for Jackson's ''Bad'' album and 1987–88 world tour. Jackson had endorsements and advertising deals with other companies, such as [[LA Gear]], [[Suzuki]], and [[Sony]], but none were as significant as his deals with Pepsi.<ref name="Herrera2"/>

On May 14, 1984, President [[Ronald Reagan]] gave Jackson an award recognizing his support of alcohol and drug abuse charities,{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=304–307}} and in recognition of his support for the [[Ad Council]]'s and the [[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]]'s Drunk Driving Prevention campaign. Jackson allowed the campaign to use "Beat It" for its public service announcements.<ref>{{cite web|title= Drunk Driving Prevention (1983 – Present) |url= http://www.aef.com/exhibits/social_responsibility/ad_council/2399/:pf_printable |publisher= Advertising Education Foundation |year= 2003 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url-status= dead |archive-date= May 9, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150509144426/http://www.aef.com/exhibits/social_responsibility/ad_council/2399/%3Apf_printable}}</ref>{{Multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 250
| image1 = Reagans with Michael Jackson.jpg
| caption1 = [[Ronald Reagan|President Ronald Reagan]] and [[Nancy Reagan|First Lady Nancy Reagan]] shortly before presenting Jackson with the award at the [[White House]] on May 14, 1984
| image2 = Michael Jackson Reagan Pete Souza 1984.jpg
| caption2 = Jackson inside the White House with the Reagans
}}The [[Victory Tour (The Jacksons tour)|Victory Tour]] of 1984 headlined the Jacksons and showcased Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. It was the last tour he did with his brothers.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=320}} Following [[Victory Tour (The Jacksons tour)#Ticket controversy and other business issues|controversy over the concert's ticket sales]], Jackson donated his share of the proceeds, an estimated {{Nowrap|$3 to 5 million}}, to charity.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=314–320}} During the last concert of the Victory Tour at the [[Dodger Stadium]] in Los Angeles, Jackson announced his split from The Jacksons during "Shake Your Body".{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=312–314}} His charitable work continued with the release of "[[We Are the World]]" (1985), co-written with [[Lionel Richie]],<ref name="WATW">{{cite web|title= Past Winners Search: "We Are The World" |publisher= The Recording Academy |url= http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&field_nominee_work_value=%22We+Are+The+World%22&year=All&genre=All |access-date= January 29, 2014}}</ref> which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa.<ref name="jdoyle">{{cite web|first= Jack |last= Doyle |date= July 7, 2009 |url= http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/michael-mccartney-1980s-2009/ |title= "Michael & McCartney": 1980s–2009 |work= The Pop History Dig |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> It earned $63{{nbsp}}million ({{Inflation|US|63000000|1985|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}),<ref name="jdoyle"/> and became one of the [[List of best-selling singles|best-selling singles of all time]], with 20{{nbsp}}million copies sold.<ref>{{cite news|first= Anthony |last= Breznican |url= https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-06-26-jackson-faces_N.htm |title= The many faces of Michael Jackson |date= June 30, 2009 |newspaper= [[USA Today]] |access-date= June 11, 2015}}</ref> It won four Grammy Awards in 1985, including Song of the Year for Jackson and Richie as its writers.<ref name="WATW"/> The project's creators received two special American Music Awards honors: one for the creation of the song and another for the [[USA for Africa]] idea. Jackson, Jones, and promoter Ken Kragen received special awards for their roles in the song's creation.<ref name="WATW"/><ref name="AMAs 1986">{{cite news|title= Bruce shows who's Boss |newspaper= [[The Gazette (Montreal)|Montreal Gazette]] |agency= Associated Press |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MRgiAAAAIBAJ&pg=1658,3425033 |date= January 28, 1986 |access-date= June 16, 2010}}</ref>{{sfn|Campbell|1993|p=114}}{{sfn|Young|2009|pp=340–344}}

Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was making $40{{nbsp}}million a year from owning the rights to other artists' songs.<ref name="jdoyle"/> By 1983, Jackson had begun buying publishing rights to others' songs, but he was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson's early acquisitions of [[music catalog]]s and song copyrights such as the [[Sly Stone]] collection included "Everyday People" (1968), [[Len Barry]]'s "[[1-2-3 (Len Barry song)|1–2–3]]" (1965), and [[Dion DiMucci]]'s "[[The Wanderer (Dion song)|The Wanderer]]" (1961) and "[[Runaround Sue]]" (1961).

In 1984 [[Robert Holmes à Court]] announced he was selling the [[Sony/ATV Music Publishing#Acquisition|ATV Music Publishing]] catalog comprising the publishing rights to nearly 4000 songs, including most of the Beatles' material.<ref name="hilburn">{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Hilburn |date=September 22, 1985 |url=https://www.latimes.com/la-et-hilburn-michael-jackson-sep22-story.html |title=The long and winding road |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=May 31, 2015}}</ref> In 1981, McCartney had been offered the catalog for £20{{nbsp}}million ($40{{nbsp}}million).<ref name="jdoyle"/><ref name="mcca atv">{{cite web|title= Paul McCartney refused an offer to buy the ATV Catalog for £20 million ($40 million) |website= Mjjinfo.blogspot.fr |date= November 13, 2010 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://mjjinfo.blogspot.fr/2010/11/paul-mccartney-refused-to-buy-atv.html}}</ref> Jackson submitted a bid of $46{{nbsp}}million on November 20, 1984.<ref name="hilburn"/> When Jackson and McCartney were unable to make a joint purchase, McCartney did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs, and did not pursue an offer on his own.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=333–338}}<ref name="mcca atv"/> Jackson's agents were unable to come to a deal, and in May 1985 left talks after having spent more than $1{{nbsp}}million and four months of [[due diligence]] work on the negotiations.<ref name="hilburn"/> In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that [[Charles Koppelman]]'s and [[Martin Bandier|Marty Bandier]]'s The Entertainment Company had made a tentative offer to buy ATV Music for $50{{nbsp}}million; in early August, Holmes à Court contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson's increased bid of $47.5{{nbsp}}million ({{Inflation|US|47500000|1985|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}) was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence.<ref name="hilburn"/> Jackson also agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the [[Channel Seven Perth Telethon]].<ref name="ch7news">{{cite episode |title= Michael Jackson 1958–2009 |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3htpIVyUtec |series= [[Today Tonight]] |date= June 25, 2009 |minutes= Coverage of the sale of ATV Music at 2:36 |access-date= January 12, 2011}}</ref> Jackson's purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985.<ref name="jdoyle"/><ref name="hilburn"/>

===1986–1987: Changing appearance, tabloids, and films===
{{See also|Health and appearance of Michael Jackson}}
Jackson's skin had been medium-brown during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually grew paler. The change drew widespread media coverage, including speculation that he had been [[Skin whitening|bleaching his skin]].{{sfn|Campbell|1995|pp=14–16}}{{sfn|Parameswaran|2011|pp=75–77}}{{sfn|DeMello|2012|p=152}} Jackson's dermatologist, [[Arnold Klein]], said he observed in 1983 that Jackson had [[vitiligo]],<!-- NOTE: With respect to the RfC on using Taraborrelli (check the archives), the "Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo in 1984" aspect is only supported by Taraborrelli. Other sources cite Taraborrelli when stating this with regard to 1984. So we either leave the Taraborrelli/"1984" piece out and instead cite an Arnold Klein aspect in its place, like the text currently does, or we retain the Taraborrelli piece. --><ref name="Rosenberg">{{cite news|first= Alyssa |last= Rosenberg |title= To understand Michael Jackson and his skin, you have to go beyond race |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= February 2, 2016 |access-date= September 17, 2019 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/02/02/to-understand-michael-jackson-and-his-skin-you-have-to-go-beyond-race/}}</ref> a condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment, and sensitivity to sunlight. He also identified [[discoid lupus erythematosus]] in Jackson. He diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year,<ref name="Rosenberg"/> and with vitiligo in 1986.<ref>{{cite press release|first= Jeff |last= Wilson |title= The Aftermath of Michael Jackson and Oprah: What About His Face? |work= Associated Press |date= February 12, 1993 |access-date= September 17, 2019 |url= https://www.apnews.com/420d71be3ec15171644bfbceb41da62f}}</ref> Vitiligo's drastic effects on the body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup,<ref>{{cite news|first= Gina |last= Kolata |title= Doctor Says Michael Jackson Has a Skin Disease |newspaper= The New York Times |date= February 13, 1993 |access-date= September 17, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/13/us/doctor-says-michael-jackson-has-a-skin-disease.html}}</ref> and possibly skin-bleaching prescription creams,<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Daniel |last= Kreps |title= Search of Michael Jackson's Home Revealed Skin-Whitening Creams |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= March 29, 2010 |access-date= September 17, 2019 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/search-of-michael-jacksons-home-revealed-skin-whitening-creams-65450/}}</ref> to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would have further lightened his skin, and, with the application of makeup, he could appear very pale.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=434–436}} Jackson said he had not purposely bleached his skin and could not control his vitiligo, adding, "When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me."<ref name="Oprah-Jackson">{{cite web|title= The Michael Jackson Interview: Oprah Reflects |publisher= [[The Oprah Winfrey Show]] |page= 3 |date= September 16, 2009 |access-date= April 24, 2017 |url= http://www.oprah.com/entertainment/oprah-reflects-on-her-interview-with-michael-jackson/3}}</ref> He became friends with Klein and Klein's nurse [[Debbie Rowe]]. Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his first two children.<ref>{{cite news|title= Arnold Klein, Dermatologist Who Smoothed Stars' Wrinkles, Dies at 70 |newspaper= The New York Times |agency= Associated Press |date= October 10, 2015 |access-date= July 18, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/24/us/arnold-klein-dermatologist-who-smoothed-stars-wrinkles-dies-at-70.html}}</ref>

In his autobiography and the 1993 interview with Winfrey, Jackson said he had had two [[rhinoplasty]] surgeries and a [[cleft chin]] surgery but no more than that. He said he lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet to achieve a dancer's body.{{sfn|Jackson|2009|pp=229–230}} Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was suffering from [[anorexia nervosa]]. Periods of weight loss became a recurring problem later in his life.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=312–313}} After his death, his mother Katherine told Winfrey that he first turned to [[Plastic surgery#Cosmetic surgery procedures|cosmetic procedures]] to remedy his vitiligo, because he did not want to look like a "spotted cow." She said her son had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he was addicted to them.<ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Jackson was addicted to plastic surgery, his mother says |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=November 10, 2010 |access-date=July 21, 2019 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/michael-jackson-was-addicted-to-plastic-surgery-his-mother-says-20101110-17mg1.html}}</ref>

In 1986, [[tabloid journalism|tabloids]] reported that Jackson slept in a [[hyperbaric medicine|hyperbaric oxygen chamber]] to slow aging, and pictured him lying in a glass box. The claim was untrue, and tabloids reported that he spread the story himself.<ref name="Image">{{cite news|title= Music's misunderstood superstar |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4584367.stm |work= [[BBC News]] |date= June 13, 2005 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> It was also reported, by the tabloids, that Jackson took female hormone shots to keep his voice high and facial hair wispy, proposed to [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and possibly had a shrine of her, and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. Jackson's manager [[Frank DiLeo]] denied all of them, except for Jackson having a chamber. DiLeo added "I don't know if he sleeps in it. I'm not for it. But Michael thinks it's something that's probably healthy for him. He's a bit of a health fanatic."<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Cutler |last= Durkee |title= Unlike Anyone, Even Himself |magazine= People |volume= 28 |issue= 11 |date= September 14, 1987 |access-date= June 29, 2019 |url= https://people.com/archive/cover-story-unlike-anyone-even-himself-vol-28-no-11/}}</ref>

When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee Bubbles to tour in Japan, their public appearances caused a stir in the media. They portrayed Jackson as an aspiring Disney cartoon character who befriended various animals.<ref name="Rolling Stone 1987">{{cite magazine|first1= Michael |last1= Goldberg |first2= David |last2= Handelman |title= Is Michael Jackson for Real? |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= September 24, 1987 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/is-michael-jackson-for-real-19870924}}</ref> Meanwhile, it was also reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of [[Joseph Merrick]] (the "Elephant Man").{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=355–361}} In June 1987, the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reported Jackson's publicist bidding $1{{nbsp}}million for the skeleton to the [[London Hospital Medical College]] on his behalf. The college maintained the skeleton was not for sale. DiLeo said Jackson had an "absorbing interest" in Merrick, "purely based on his awareness of the ethical, medical and historical significance."<ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson Ups Bid for Skeleton of 'Elephant Man' |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |agency= United Press International |date= June 17, 1987 |access-date= June 20, 2019 |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-06-17-8702140689-story.html}}</ref>

These tabloid stories inspired the name "Wacko Jacko," which Jackson came to despise.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref>{{cite interview|first= Michael |last= Jackson |interviewer= Barbara Walters |title= Jackson interview with Barbara Walters |date= September 12, 1997 |work= 20/20 |publisher= ABC}}</ref> According to music journalist [[Joseph Vogel]], the demeaning name first appeared in British tabloid ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'' in 1985. The name's origins come from [[Jacco Macacco|Jacko Macacco]], the name of a famous monkey used in [[monkey-baiting]] matches at the Westminster Pit in the early 1820s. "Jacko" was subsequently used in [[Rhyming slang|Cockney slang]] to refer to monkeys in general, hence a racist connotation behind the name.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Joseph |last= Vogel |title= How Michael Jackson Made 'Bad' |magazine= [[The Atlantic]] |date= September 9, 2012 |access-date= July 20, 2019 |url= https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/how-michael-jackson-made-bad/262162/|ref=none}}</ref>

In 1987, ''Rolling Stone'' described Jackson as "the flighty-genius star-child, a celebrity virtually all his life, who dwells in a fairy-tale kingdom of fellow celebrities, animals, mannequins and cartoons, who provides endless fodder for the tabloids.... But it’s the same child in Michael who inspires the artistry that fuels all the subsidiary industries, who turns his primal fears and fantasies into wondrous, hyperkinetic and emotional music."<ref name="Rolling Stone 1987"/>

Jackson worked with [[George Lucas]] and [[Francis Ford Coppola]] on the 17-minute $30{{nbsp}}million [[3D film]] ''[[Captain EO]]'', which ran from 1986 at [[Disneyland]] and [[Epcot]], and later at [[Tokyo Disneyland]] and [[Disneyland Park (Paris)|Euro Disneyland]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Dewayne |last= Bevil |title= What's old is new again as 'Captain EO' returns to Epcot |newspaper= [[Orlando Sentinel]] |date= June 30, 2010 |access-date= April 6, 2019 |url= https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-xpm-2010-06-30-os-tdd-tips-captain-eo-returns-063010-story.html}}</ref> After having been removed in the late 1990s, it returned to the theme park for several years after Jackson's death.<ref>{{cite web|title= Captain EO is Back to Change the World |publisher= IGN |date= February 23, 2010 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/02/23/captain-eo-is-back-to-change-the-world}}</ref> In 1987, Jackson disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Robert E. |last= Johnson |title= Michael Jackson Comes Back! |magazine= [[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |volume= 42 |issue= 11 |date= September 1987 |pages= 143, 148–9 |issn= 0012-9011 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4Li0JBWU6E0C&pg=PA143}}</ref> Katherine Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed the ''Thriller'' video.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Katherine |last= Jackson |title= Mother of Jackson Family Tells All |magazine= Ebony |volume= 45 |issue= 12 |date= October 1990 |page= 66 |issn= 0012-9011 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=v9MDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66 |quote= In 1987, he left the Jehovah's Witnesses. There was strong opposition to his "Thriller" video on the part of some Witnesses. Perhaps the controversy figured into his decision to leave. But I don't know that for a fact because I didn't talk to him about what he'd done. I couldn't. Witnesses do not discuss spiritual matters with a person who has disassociated himself from the Witnesses, including family members. But I want to stress that, contrary to published reports, I was not required to "shun" my son. Our relationship is as loving today as it was when he was a Witness. I just can't ask him, "Why, Michael?"}}</ref> Jackson had denounced it in a Witness publication in 1984.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= I Would Never Do It Again! |magazine= Awake |publisher= Jehovah's Witnesses |date= May 22, 1984 |page= 20 |access-date= September 11, 2018 |url= https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101984368#h=18-20}}</ref>

===1987–1990: ''Bad'', autobiography, and Neverland===
[[File:George H. W. Bush with Michael Jackson.png|thumb|255x255px|Jackson and [[President George H. W. Bush]] at the White House on April 5, 1990. It was the second time that Jackson had been honored by a [[President of the United States]].]]
Jackson's first album in five years, ''[[Bad (album)|Bad]]'' (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting another major success.<ref name="Time2">{{cite magazine|first= Jay |last= Cocks |title= Music: The Badder They Come |date= September 14, 1987 |url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,965452,00.html |magazine= Time |access-date= April 25, 2010}}</ref> It became the first album to produce five US number-one singles: "[[I Just Can't Stop Loving You]]", "[[Bad (Michael Jackson song)|Bad]]", "[[The Way You Make Me Feel]]", "[[Man in the Mirror]]", and "[[Dirty Diana]]". Another song, "[[Smooth Criminal]]", peaked at number seven.<ref name="FourUSTop10s"/> ''Bad'' won the 1988 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and the 1990 [[Grammy Award for Best Music Video]], Short Form for "[[Leave Me Alone (Michael Jackson song)|Leave Me Alone]]".<ref name="grammy mj"/><ref name="Bruce"/> Jackson won an Award of Achievement at the American Music Awards in 1989 after ''Bad'' generated five number-one singles, became the first album to top the charts in 25 countries and the best-selling album worldwide in 1987 and 1988.<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael, Travis top Music Award winners |newspaper= [[Lodi News-Sentinel]] |agency= United Press International |date= January 30, 1989 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lZozAAAAIBAJ&pg=4477,3617735 |access-date= June 16, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson tour on its way to u.s. |url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&s_site=mercurynews&p_multi=SJ&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB72CE855E5ADB3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |newspaper= [[San Jose Mercury News]] |date= January 12, 1988 |access-date= July 5, 2010}}</ref> By 2012, it had sold between 30 and 45{{nbsp}}million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= 50 fastest selling albums ever |magazine= [[NME]] |date= April 27, 2011 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.nme.com/photos/50-fastest-selling-albums-ever/213617}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|first= Piya |last= Sinha-Roy |date= May 21, 2012 |title= Michael Jackson is still "Bad," 25 years after album |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/21/entertainment-us-michaeljackson-bad-idUSBRE84K0Z120120521 |work= Reuters}}</ref>

The [[Bad (tour)|Bad]] world tour ran from September 12, 1987, to January 14, 1989.{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|pp=95–96}} In Japan, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record for a single tour.<ref>{{cite news|first= Richard |last= Harrington |url= https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/doc/306975947.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan%2012,%201988&author=Richard%20Harrington&pub=The%20Washington%20Post%20(pre-1997%20Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=b.03&desc=Jackson%20to%20Make%20First%20Solo%20U.S.%20Tour |title= Jackson to Make First Solo U.S. Tour |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |date= January 12, 1988 |access-date= March 16, 2013}}</ref> The 504,000 people who attended seven sold-out shows at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] set a new [[Guinness World Record]].<ref>{{cite web|title= 16 of Michael Jackson's Greatest Non-Musical Achievements |website= Brainz.org |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://brainz.org/16-michael-jacksons-greatest-non-musical-achievements/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150626164913/http://brainz.org/16-michael-jacksons-greatest-non-musical-achievements/ |archive-date= June 26, 2015 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, ''[[Moonwalk (book)|Moonwalk]]'', with input from Stephen Davis and [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Alice |last= Vincent |title= When Michael Jackson (almost) told all: the story of his bizarre autobiography Moonwalk |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |date= March 11, 2019 |access-date= April 8, 2019 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/michael-jackson-almost-told-story-bizarre-autobiography-moonwalk/}}</ref> It sold 200,000 copies,<ref>{{cite news|first1= Mark |last1= Shanahan |first2= Meredith |last2= Golstein |title= Remembering Michael |newspaper= [[The Boston Globe]] |date= June 27, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2009/06/27/writer_stephen_davis_remembers_michael_jackson}}</ref> and reached the top of ''the New York Times'' bestsellers list.<ref>{{cite press release|title= Best Seller List a Cakewalk for Moonwalk |work= Associated Press |date= May 6, 1988 |access-date= April 8, 2019 |url= https://apnews.com/0afe7934cb1ac583fe267fb993947a24}}</ref> Jackson discussed his childhood, the Jackson 5, and the abuse from his father.{{sfn|Jackson|2009|pp=29–31}} He attributed his changing facial appearance to three plastic surgeries, puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and stage lighting.<ref>{{cite web|first= Eric |last= Ditzian |title= Michael Jackson's Memoir, 'Moonwalk': Read Excerpts Here! |date= October 12, 2009 |publisher= MTV |access-date= June 20, 2019 |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/1623608/michael-jacksons-memoir-moonwalk-read-excerpts-here/}}</ref>{{sfn|Jackson|2009|pp=229–230}} In October, Jackson released a film, ''[[Moonwalker]]'', which featured live footage and short films starring Jackson and [[Joe Pesci]]. In the US it was released [[direct-to-video]] and became the best-selling video cassette.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson's Moonwalker at 25 |website= [[Clash (magazine)|Clash]] |date= November 7, 2013 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.clashmusic.com/features/michael-jacksons-moonwalker-at-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Entertainment Notes: Moonwalker Tops Thriller |newspaper= [[Deseret News]] |date= February 6, 1989 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.deseretnews.com/article/33490/ENTERTAINMENT-NOTES-MOONWALKER-TOPS-THRILLER.html}}</ref> The RIAA certified it as Platinum.<ref>{{cite web|title= Gold & Platinum |publisher= RIAA |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=MICHAEL+JACKSON&ti=MOONWALKER}}</ref>

In March 1988, Jackson purchased {{convert|2700|acre|km2}} of land near [[Santa Ynez, California]], to build a new home, [[Neverland Ranch]], at a cost of $17{{nbsp}}million ({{Inflation|US|17000000|1988|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}).<ref name="Malta">{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson's Neverland on sale |date= June 1, 2015 |newspaper= [[The Times (Malta)|Times of Malta]] |agency= Reuters |url= http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150601/world/Michael-Jackson-s-Neverland-on-sale.570574 |access-date= June 11, 2015}}</ref> He installed a [[Ferris wheel]], a [[carousel]], a movie theater and a zoo.<ref name="Malta"/><ref name="Bio2">{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson – Biography |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/biography |magazine= Rolling Stone |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080620063744/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/biography |archive-date= June 20, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Hannah |last= Ellis-Petersen |title= Michael Jackson Neverland Ranch expected to fetch up to $85m |date= August 1, 2014 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/01/michael-jackson-neverland-ranch-sell-50-million |newspaper= The Guardian |access-date= June 11, 2015}}</ref> A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds.<ref name="Bio2"/> Shortly afterwards, he appeared in the first Western television advertisement in the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Marison |last= Mull |title= Pepsi Ads to Run on Soviet TV |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= May 6, 1988 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-05-06-ca-2868-story.html}}</ref>

Jackson became known as the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|King of Pop]]", a nickname that Jackson's publicists embraced.{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|pp=165–168}}{{sfn|Tannenbaum|Marks|2011|loc=Chapter 41, "I Want to Have a Nickname"}}<ref name="ew1991">{{cite magazine|first= David |last= Browne |title= Michael Jackson's Black or White |magazine= [[Entertainment Weekly]] |date= June 25, 2009 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,316363,00.html |quote= [A] highly placed source at MTV says the network was obligated to refer to Jackson on air as the ''King of Pop'' in order to be allowed to show "[[Black or White]]." An MTV spokeswoman denies that, but the phrase was part of MTV's ads for the video and was repeatedly used by its VJs. A source at Fox confirms that Jackson's people did request that [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] use the phrase "King of Pop" in the video and that the phrase also be used in the network's press releases; 'King of Pop' also crops up in Fox's print ads for the video and in press releases by Jackson's publicists, [[Lee Solters|Solters]]/Roskin/Friedman.}}</ref> When [[Elizabeth Taylor]] presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, she called him "the true king of pop, rock and soul."{{sfn|Campbell|1993|pp=260–263}} President [[George H. W. Bush]] designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade".<ref>{{cite web|title= Remarks on the Upcoming Summit With President Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union |publisher= Presidency.ucsb.edu |url= http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=18331 |date= April 5, 1990 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $455,000 to the [[United Negro College Fund]],<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Blacks Who Give Something Back |magazine= [[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date= March 1990 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=oswDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68 |volume= 45 |issue= 3 |page= 68 |publisher= Johnson Publishing Company |issn= 0012-9011}}</ref> and all profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=382}} His rendition of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration won Jackson a second Emmy nomination.<ref name="emmys.tv"/>

===1991–1993: ''Dangerous'', Heal the World Foundation, and Super Bowl XXVII halftime show===

In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $65{{nbsp}}million ({{Inflation|US|65000000|1991|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}), a record-breaking deal,<ref>{{cite news|first= James |last= Montgomery |date= July 6, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson's Life & Legacy: The Eccentric King Of Pop (1986–1999) |publisher= MTV |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1615214/michael-jacksons-life-amp-legacy-1986-1999.jhtml}}</ref> beating [[Neil Diamond]]'s renewal contract with [[Columbia Records]].<ref>{{cite news|first1= Chris |last1= Gray |first2= Saeed |last2= Shah |date= October 3, 2002 |title= Robbie swings historic record deal with EMI |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/robbie-swings--historic-record-deal-with-emi-138739.html |newspaper= [[The Independent]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In 1991, he released his eighth album, ''[[Dangerous (Michael Jackson album)|Dangerous]]'', co-produced with [[Teddy Riley]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Chris |last= Willman |title= Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' |date= November 24, 1991 |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |url= https://www.latimes.com/la-archive-dangerous-review-nov24-story.html |access-date= June 11, 2015}}</ref> It was certified seven times platinum in the US, and by 2008 had sold 30{{nbsp}}million copies worldwide.<ref name="Certifications">{{cite web|title= Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – Jackson, Michael |publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=michael+jackson#search_section}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Kelley L. |last= Carter |date= August 10, 2008 |url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-08-10/news/0808080318_1_new-edition-new-jack-city-swing |title= 5 Things You Can Learn About ... New jack swing |newspaper= [[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In the US, the first single, "[[Black or White]]", was the album's highest charting song; it was number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for seven weeks and achieved similar chart performances worldwide.<ref name="Achievements">{{cite web|url= http://www.today.com/id/15529981 |title= The return of the King of Pop |work= [[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]] |date= November 2, 2006 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> The second single, "[[Remember the Time]]" peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart.<ref name="billboard mj"/> At the end of 1992, ''Dangerous'' was the best-selling album of the year worldwide and "Black or White" the best-selling single of the year worldwide at the [[Billboard Music Award|''Billboard'' Music Awards]]. Jackson was also the best-selling artist of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news|title= Garth Brooks ropes in most Billboard awards |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w7QiAAAAIBAJ&pg=3124,2012493 |newspaper= [[The Beaver County Times]] |agency= Associated Press |date= December 10, 1992 |access-date= July 4, 2010}}</ref> In 1993, he performed "Remember the Time" at the [[Soul Train Music Awards]] in a chair, saying he twisted his ankle during dance rehearsals.<ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson Shows Up to Gather Awards, Despite Ankle Injury |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= March 11, 1993 |access-date= July 16, 2019 |issn= 0458-3035 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-03-11-ca-1327-story.html}}</ref> In the UK, "[[Heal the World]]" made No. 2 on the charts in 1992.<ref name="OC"/>

Jackson founded the [[Heal the World Foundation]] in 1992. The charity brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch to use the theme park rides, and sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war, poverty, and disease. That July, Jackson published his second book, ''[[Dancing the Dream]],'' a collection of poetry. The [[Dangerous World Tour]] ran between June 1992 and November 1993 and grossed {{Nowrap|$100 million}} ({{Inflation|US|100000000|1993|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}); Jackson performed for 3.5{{nbsp}}million people in 70 concerts, all of which were outside the US.<ref>{{cite news|first= Richard |last= Harrington |title= Jackson to Tour Overseas |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= February 5, 1992 |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-989047.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= September 24, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150924202213/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-989047.html}}</ref> Part of the proceeds went to Heal the World Foundation.<ref>{{cite news|first= Martie |last= Zad |title= Michael Jackson Concert from Bucharest on HBO Saturday |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= October 4, 1992 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1992/10/04/michael-jackson-concert-from-bucharest-on-hbo-saturday/24de977e-f8be-4ea1-a7a1-07e766653202/}}</ref> Jackson sold the broadcast rights of the tour to [[HBO]] for $20{{nbsp}}million, a record-breaking deal that still stands.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=452–454}}

Following the death of [[HIV/AIDS]] spokesperson and friend [[Ryan White]], Jackson pleaded with the Clinton administration at [[First inauguration of Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton's inaugural gala]] to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research<ref>{{cite news|title= Stars line up for Clinton celebration |newspaper= [[Los Angeles Daily News]] |date= January 19, 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Patricia |last= Smith |author-link= Patricia Smith (poet) |title= Facing the music and the masses at the presidential gala |newspaper= The Boston Globe |date= January 20, 1992}}</ref> and performed "[[Gone Too Soon]]", a song dedicated to White, and "Heal the World" at the gala.<ref>{{cite magazine|first1= Tessa |last1= Stuart |first2= Brittany |last2= Spanos |first3= Kory |last3= Grow |title= From Dylan to Beyonce: Most Legendary Inauguration Performances |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= January 19, 2017 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/from-dylan-to-beyonce-most-legendary-inauguration-performances-123294/}}</ref> Jackson visited Africa in early 1992; on his first stop in Gabon he was greeted by more than 100,000 people, some of them carrying signs that read "Welcome Home Michael".<ref name="Ebony">{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson: Crowned in Africa, Pop Music King Tells Real Story Of Controversial Trip |magazine= Ebony |date= May 1992 |volume= 47 |issue= 5 |pages= 34–43 |publisher= Johnson Publishing Company |issn= 0012-9011 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tMwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34}}</ref> During his trip to Ivory Coast, Jackson was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief. He thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.<ref name="Ebony"/>

In January 1993, Jackson performed at the [[Super Bowl XXVII]] halftime show in Pasadena, California. The NFL sought a big-name artist to keep ratings high during halftime following dwindling audience figures.<ref>{{cite news|first= Richard |last= Sandomir |title= How Jackson Redefined the Super Bowl |date= June 29, 2009 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/sports/football/30sandomir.html |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= June 8, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Phil |last= Rosenthal |title= Goal of spectacle colors NFL's thinking about Super Bowl halftime show |date= February 6, 2011 |url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-02-06/business/ct-biz-0206-rosenthal--20110206_1_super-halftime-party-doritos-zaptime-halftime-show |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |access-date= January 20, 2017}}</ref> It was the first Super Bowl whose half-time performance drew greater audience figures than the game. Jackson played "[[Jam (song)|Jam]]", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", and "Heal the World". ''Dangerous'' rose 90 places in the album chart after the performance.{{sfn|Campbell|1995|pp=14–16}}

Jackson gave a 90-minute interview to Winfrey on February 10, 1993. He spoke of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood, and said that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought the bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, and stated for the first time that he had vitiligo. ''Dangerous'' re-entered the album chart in the top 10, more than a year after its release.{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|pp=165–168}}{{sfn|Campbell|1995|pp=14–16}}

In January 1993, Jackson won three [[American Music Awards]]: Favorite Pop/Rock Album (''Dangerous''), Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Remember the Time"), and was the first to win the International Artist Award of Excellence.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mBIVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6811,6756235 |title= Cyrus, Bolton please the fans |newspaper= [[The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)|Toledo Blade]] |agency= Associated Press |date= January 27, 1993 |access-date= June 16, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Craig |last= Rosen |title= Michael Jackson Cops 3 Top Prizes |magazine= Billboard |date= February 6, 1993 |volume= 105 |issue= 6 |page= 12 |issn= 0006-2510 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jw8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12}}</ref> In February, he won the "Living Legend Award" at the [[35th Annual Grammy Awards]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="grammy mj"/> He attended the award ceremony with [[Brooke Shields]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Larry |last= McShane |title= Grammy moments – memorable and forgettable |newspaper= Deseret News |page= C3 |date= February 25, 1983 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Z04pAAAAIBAJ&pg=3702,4129430}}</ref> ''Dangerous'' was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (for "Black or White"), Best R&B Vocal Performance ("Jam") and Best R&B Song ("Jam"), and Swedien and Riley won the award for Best Engineered – Non Classical.<ref name="Bruce"/>

===1993–1995: First child sexual abuse accusations and first marriage===
{{Main|1993 child sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson}}

In August 1993, Jackson was accused of [[child sexual abuse]] by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, and his father, Evan Chandler.<ref name="Abuse">{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/24/newsid_2512000/2512077.stm |title= 1993: Michael Jackson accused of child abuse |work= BBC News |date= February 8, 2003 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Jordan said he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, [[masturbation]] and [[oral sex]].{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=496–498}} Jordan's mother initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested her son; however, her position wavered a few days later.<ref>{{cite book|first= Randall |last= Sullivan |author-link= Randall Sullivan |year= 2012 |title= Untouchable: The Strange Life & Tragic Death of Michael Jackson |publisher= [[Grove Press]] |chapter= South |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=LUq1EO5e3S0C&pg=PT266 |isbn= 978-0-8021-4582-6}}</ref>{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=477–478}} Evan was recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, which Jackson used to argue that he was the victim of a jealous father trying to extort money.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=477–478}} Jackson's older sister La Toya accused him of being a pedophile, which she later retracted.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=534–540}} Police raided Jackson's home in December and found books and photographs featuring young boys with little or no clothing. The books were legal to own, and Jackson was not indicted.<ref>{{cite news|first= John M. |last= Broder |title= Jackson's Books About Boys Are Allowed as Evidence in Trial |date= April 30, 2005 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |newspaper= The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/30/national/30jackson.html}}</ref> Jordan Chandler gave police a description of Jackson's genitals. A strip search was made, and the jurors felt the description was not a match.<ref>{{cite news|title= Photos May Contradict Michael's Accuser |newspaper= [[USA Today]] |date= May 2, 1994 |access-date= April 21, 2019 |url= http://site2.mjeol.com/important-article/jackson-grand-jury-disbanded-1994.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150428133350/http://site2.mjeol.com/important-article/jackson-grand-jury-disbanded-1994.html |archive-date= April 28, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first= Ian |last= Halperin |year= 2009 |title= Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson |publisher= [[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn= 978-1-4391-7719-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyaFQdNxU7sC&pg=PT84}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first= John David |last= Ebert |year= 2010 |title= Dead Celebrities, Living Icons: Tragedy and Fame in the Age of the Multimedia Superstar |publisher= Praeger |page= 201 |isbn= 978-0-313-37764-8 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=g6TitThCzkkC&pg=PA201}}</ref> In January 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for $25{{nbsp}}million ({{Inflation|US|25000000|1994|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}).<ref>{{cite press release|first= Josh |last= Mankiewicz |title= New details about 1993 Jackson case |publisher= [[NBC News]] |date= September 3, 2004 |url= https://www.nbcnews.com/id/5906855/ns/dateline_nbc-newsmakers/t/new-details-about-jackson-case/}}</ref> The police never pressed criminal charges.<ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson's 'past' allowed in court |work= BBC News |date= March 29, 2005 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4387247.stm}}</ref> Citing a lack of evidence without Jordan's testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994.<ref>{{cite news|first= Seth |last= Mydans |title= No Charges for Now Against Michael Jackson |newspaper= The New York Times |date= September 22, 1994 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/22/us/no-charges-for-now-against-michael-jackson.html}}</ref>

Jackson had been taking [[painkiller]]s for his reconstructive scalp surgeries, administered due to the Pepsi commercial accident in 1984, and became dependent on them to cope with the stress of the sexual abuse allegations.<ref>{{cite news|title= Warrant Allows a Strip Search of Jackson |newspaper= [[Deseret News]] |agency= Associated Press |date= November 16, 1993 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.deseretnews.com/article/321101/WARRANT-ALLOWS-A-STRIP-SEARCH-OF-JACKSON.html}}</ref> On November 12, 1993, Jackson canceled the remainder of the Dangerous Tour due to health problems, stress from the allegations and painkiller addiction. He thanked close friend [[Elizabeth Taylor]] for support, encouragement and counsel. The end of the tour concluded his relationship with Pepsi-Cola which sponsored the tour.<ref>{{cite news|first1= Chuck |last1= Philips |first2= Jim |last2= Newton |title= Jackson Ends World Tour, Cites Painkiller Addiction |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= November 13, 1993 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.latimes.com/la-me-jacksontimeline-jackson-cancels-world-tour-story.html |archive-date= April 18, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190418234039/https://www.latimes.com/la-me-jacksontimeline-jackson-cancels-world-tour-story.html}}</ref>

In late 1993 Jackson proposed to [[Lisa Marie Presley]], daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=518–520}} They married in [[La Vega, Dominican Republic]] in May 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Alvarez Perez.<ref name="Wed">{{cite magazine|first= Matthew McCann |last= Fenton |title= Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley wed |magazine= Entertainment Weekly |date= May 30, 2001 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://ew.com/article/2001/05/30/michael-jackson-and-lisa-marie-presley-wed/}}</ref> The tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a publicity stunt to deflect Jackson's sexual abuse allegations and jump-start Presley's career as a singer.<ref name="Divorce">{{cite press release|title= She's out of his life |publisher= CNN |date= January 18, 1996 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.cnn.com/US/9601/jacko_presley/}}</ref><ref name="Wed"/> Their marriage ended little more than a year later, and they separated in December 1995.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=580–581}} Presley cited "irreconcilable differences" when filing for divorce the next month and only sought to reclaim her maiden name as her settlement.<ref name="Divorce"/><ref>{{cite news|first= Vincent J. |last= Schodolski |title= After 20 Months, Jackson and Presley Agree to Divorce |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |date= January 19, 1996 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-01-19-9601190213-story.html}}</ref> After the divorce, Judge Perez said, "They lasted longer than I thought they would. I gave them a year. They lasted a year and a half."<ref name="Wed"/>

===1995–1997: ''HIStory'', second marriage, and fatherhood===
In June 1995, Jackson released the double album ''[[HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I]]''. The first disc, ''HIStory Begins'', is a [[greatest hits album]] (reissued in 2001 as ''Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I''). The second disc, ''HIStory Continues'', contains 13 original songs and two cover versions. The album debuted at number one on the charts and has been certified for seven million shipments in the US.<ref>{{cite web|title= Top 100 Albums |publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |url= https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=top_tallies&ttt=T1A&col=certified_units&ord=desc#search_section |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> It is the best-selling multi-disc album of all time, with 20{{nbsp}}million copies (40{{nbsp}}million units) sold worldwide.<ref name="Achievements"/><ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson's best selling studio albums |date= June 26, 2009 |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |access-date= June 11, 2015 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5648176/Michael-Jacksons-best-selling-studio-albums.html}}</ref> ''HIStory'' received a Grammy nomination for [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]].<ref name="grammy mj"/> The ''New York Times'' reviewed it as "the testimony of a musician whose self-pity now equals his talent".<ref>{{cite news|first= Jon |last= Pareles |title= Pop View; Michael Jackson Is Angry, Understand? |newspaper= The New York Times |date= June 18, 1995 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/18/arts/pop-view-michael-jackson-is-angry-understand.html}}</ref>

The first single from ''HIStory'' was "[[Scream (Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson song)|Scream]]/[[Childhood (Michael Jackson song)|Childhood]]". "Scream", a duet with Jackson's youngest sister Janet, protests the media's treatment of Jackson during the 1993 child abuse allegations against him. The single made number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100,<ref name="billboard mj">{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson Chart History |magazine= Billboard |url= https://www.billboard.com/music/michael-jackson/chart-history/hot-100}}</ref> and received a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals".<ref name="grammy mj"/> The second single, "[[You Are Not Alone]]", holds the Guinness world record for the first song to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.<ref name="World Records"/> It received a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Performance" in 1995.<ref name="grammy mj"/>

In 1995 the [[Anti-Defamation League]] and other groups complained that "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me, [[kike]] me, don't you black or white me", the original lyrics of "[[They Don't Care About Us]]", were [[Antisemitism in the United States|antisemitic]]. Jackson released a version with revised words.<ref>{{cite news|first= Bernard |last= Weinraub |title= In New Lyrics, Jackson Uses Slurs |newspaper= The New York Times |date= June 15, 1995 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/15/arts/in-new-lyrics-jackson-uses-slurs.html}}</ref><ref name="ADL">{{cite web|title= ADL Welcomes Michael Jackson's Decision To Remove Anti-Semitic Lyrics From Song |publisher= [[Anti-Defamation League]] |date= June 22, 1995 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/2471_12.asp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121001053852/http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/2471_12.asp |archive-date= October 1, 2012}}</ref>

In late 1995, Jackson was admitted to a hospital after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance, caused by a stress-related [[panic attack]].{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=576–577}} In November, Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony's music publishing division, creating [[Sony/ATV Music Publishing]]. He retained ownership of half the company, earning $95{{nbsp}}million up front ({{Inflation|US|95000000|1995|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}) as well as the [[List of Sony/ATV Music Publishing artists|rights to more songs]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Company News; Michael Jackson sells rights to Beatles songs to Sony |newspaper= The New York Times |agency= Associated Press |date= November 8, 1995 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/08/business/company-news-michael-jackson-sells-rights-to-beatles-songs-to-sony.html}}</ref><ref name="sonydeal">{{cite news|first1= Jeff |last1= Leeds |first2= Andrew Ross |last2= Sorkin |title= Michael Jackson Bailout Said to Be Close |newspaper= The New York Times |date= April 13, 2006 |access-date= July 23, 2008 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/13/business/media/13music.html?ex=1302580800&en=45bff2f7a4da68fe&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss}}</ref>[[File:Michael Jackson Cannescropped.jpg|thumb|alt=Close-up of a pale skinned Jackson with black hair. He is wearing a black jacket with white designs on it.|upright|Jackson at the [[1997 Cannes Film Festival]] for the ''[[Michael Jackson's Ghosts]]'' short film premiere]]

"[[Earth Song]]" was the third single released from ''HIStory'', and topped the [[UK Singles Chart]] for six weeks over Christmas 1995.<ref name="OC">{{cite web|title= Michael Jackson |publisher= Official Charts Company |access-date= April 7, 2019 |url= https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16519/michael-jackson/}}</ref> It became the 87th-bestselling single in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|first= Justin |last= Myers |title= The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart |publisher= Official Charts Company |date= December 14, 2018 |access-date= April 7, 2019 |url= https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-best-selling-singles-of-all-time-on-the-official-uk-chart__21298/}}</ref> At the [[1996 Brit Awards]], Jackson's performance of "Earth Song" was disrupted by [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]] singer [[Jarvis Cocker]], who was protesting what Cocker saw as Jackson's "Christ-like" persona. Jackson said the stage invasion was "disgusting and cowardly".<ref>{{cite news|first= John |last= McKie |title= Brits brawl as Cocker 'pulps' Jackson chorus |newspaper= The Independent |date= February 21, 1996 |access-date= April 6, 2019 |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/brits-brawl-as-cocker-pulps-jackson-chorus-1320077.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Brit Awards: Brits behaving badly |work= BBC News |date= March 4, 2000 |access-date= April 6, 2019 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/entertainment/2000/brit_awards/665776.stm}}</ref>

In 1996, Jackson won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form, for "Scream" and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist.<ref name="grammy mj"/><ref>{{cite news|first= Thor |last= Christensen |title= Brooks turns down award for favorite artist of the year |newspaper= [[Rome News-Tribune]] |date= January 30, 1996 |access-date= June 16, 2010 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LWUwAAAAIBAJ&pg=5552,8128572}}</ref>

Jackson promoted ''HIStory'' with the [[HIStory World Tour]], from September 7, 1996, to October 15, 1997. He performed 82 concerts in five continents, 35 countries and 58 cities to over 4.5{{nbsp}}million fans, his most attended tour. It grossed {{Nowrap|$165 million}}.{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|pp=95–96}} During the tour, in Sydney, Australia, Jackson married [[Debbie Rowe]], a dermatology nurse, who was six months pregnant with his first child.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=570–586}} Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997; his sister [[Paris Jackson (actress)|Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson]] was born a year later on April 3, 1998.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=580–581, 597}} Jackson and Rowe divorced in 1999, and Rowe conceded custody of the children, with an $8{{nbsp}}million settlement ({{Inflation|US|9000000|1999|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}). In 2004, after the [[Trial of Michael Jackson|second child abuse allegations against Jackson]], she returned to court to reclaim custody. The suit was settled in 2006.<ref name="Ex wife">{{cite news|title= Jackson child custody fight ends |work= BBC News |date= September 30, 2006 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5394792.stm}}</ref>

In 1997, Jackson released ''[[Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix]]'', which contained remixes of singles from ''HIStory'' and five new songs. Worldwide sales stand at {{Nowrap|6 million}} copies, making it the [[List of best-selling remix albums|best-selling remix album of all time]]. It reached number one in the UK, as did the [[Blood on the Dance Floor (song)|title track]].{{sfn|Rojek|2007|p=74}} In the US, the album reached number 24 and was certified platinum.<ref name="Certifications"/>

===1997–2002: Label dispute and ''Invincible''===
From October 1997 to September 2001, Jackson worked on his tenth solo album, ''[[Invincible (Michael Jackson album)|Invincible]]'', which cost {{Nowrap|$30 million}} to record.<ref name="Burkeman">{{cite news|first= Oliver |last= Burkeman |date= July 7, 2002 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/08/oliverburkeman |title= Jacko gets tough: but is he a race crusader or just a falling star? |newspaper= The Guardian |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In June 1999, Jackson joined [[Luciano Pavarotti]] for a [[War Child (charity)|War Child]] benefit concert in Modena, Italy. The show raised a million dollars for refugees of the [[Kosovo War]], and additional funds for the children of Guatemala.<ref>{{cite news|title= Ricky Martin, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Others To Join Pavarotti For Benefit |url= http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1426933/19990505/carey_mariah.jhtml |archive-date= October 18, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111018125558/http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1426933/19990505/carey_mariah.jhtml |publisher= [[VH1]]. [[Viacom Media Networks|MTV Networks]] |date= May 5, 1999 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Later that month, Jackson organized a series of "Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit concerts in Germany and Korea. Other artists involved included [[Slash (musician)|Slash]], [[Scorpions (band)|The Scorpions]], [[Boyz II Men]], [[Luther Vandross]], [[Mariah Carey]], [[A. R. Rahman]], [[Prabhu Deva]] Sundaram, [[Shobana]], [[Andrea Bocelli]], and Luciano Pavarotti. The proceeds went to the [[Nelson Mandela Children's Fund]], the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]] and [[UNESCO]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Slash, Scorpions, Others Scheduled For "Michael Jackson & Friends" |archive-date= February 21, 2010 |url= http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1429785/19990527/guns_n_roses.jhtml |publisher= VH1. MTV Networks |date= May 27, 1999 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100221074225/http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1429785/19990527/guns_n_roses.jhtml}}</ref> From August 1999 to 2000, he lived in New York City at 4 [[74th Street (Manhattan)|East 74th Street]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Tracie |last= Rozhon |date= November 16, 2000 |title= Big Deal; An Old Chagall Haunt, Repainted |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/16/garden/big-deal-an-old-chagall-haunt-repainted.html |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> At the turn of the century, Jackson won an American Music Award as Artist of the 1980s.<ref name="MTV">{{cite news|first= David |last= Basham |date= January 18, 2000 |title= Lauryn Hill, Backstreet Boys, DMX Honored With American Music Awards |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1425174/.jhtml |publisher= MTV |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In 2000, ''Guinness World Records'' recognized him for supporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Maureen |last= Orth |date= April 2003 |title= Losing His Grip |magazine= [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |url= https://www.vanityfair.com/fame/features/2003/04/orth200304 |archive-date= March 6, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080306064036/http://www.vanityfair.com/fame/features/2003/04/orth200304}}</ref>

In September 2001, two [[Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special|30th Anniversary concerts]] were held at Madison Square Garden to mark Jackson's 30th year as a solo artist. Jackson performed with his brothers for the first time since 1984. The show also featured [[Mýa]], [[Usher (singer)|Usher]], [[Whitney Houston]], [[Destiny's Child]], [[Monica (singer)|Monica]], [[Liza Minnelli]], and Slash. The first show was marred by technical lapses, and the crowd booed a speech by [[Marlon Brando]].<ref>{{cite web|first= Eric |last= Aiese |title= Billboard: Michael Jackson Concert Review |website= Classicwhitney.com |access-date= April 7, 2019 |url= http://www.classicwhitney.com/review/music/live/mjconcert_07sep2001.html}}</ref> Almost 30{{nbsp}}million people watched the television broadcast of the shows in November.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Jackson's CBS Special Moonwalks Over Rivals |magazine= Billboard |date= November 15, 2001 |access-date= April 7, 2019 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/77730/jacksons-cbs-special-moonwalks-over-rivals}}</ref> After 9/11, Jackson helped organize the [[United We Stand: What More Can I Give]] benefit concert at [[Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium|RFK Stadium]] in Washington, D.C. on October 21, 2001. Jackson performed "[[What More Can I Give]]" as the finale.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=614–617}}

The release of ''Invincible'' was preceded by a dispute between Jackson and his record label, Sony Music Entertainment. Jackson had expected the licenses to the masters of his albums to revert to him in the early 2000s, after which he would be able to promote the material however he pleased and keep the profits, but clauses in the contract set the revert date years into the future. Jackson sought an early exit from his contract.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=610–611}} ''Invincible'' was released on October 30, 2001. It was Jackson's first full-length album in six years, and the last album of original material he released in his lifetime.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=610–611}} It debuted at number one in 13 countries and went on to sell 6{{nbsp}}million copies worldwide, receiving double-platinum certification in the US.<ref name="Certifications"/><ref name="Achievements"/>

[[File:2003 Michael Jackson at The Cable Show (29358712934) (1).jpg|thumb|243x243px|Jackson in 2003]]

On January 9, 2002, Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century.<ref>{{cite news|title= Keys, Destiny's Child, McGraw win at American Music Awards |newspaper= Lodi News-Sentinel |agency= Associated Press |date= January 10, 2002 |access-date= June 16, 2010 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Oc40AAAAIBAJ&pg=5669,889435}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Neva |last= Chonin |title= Awards recognize popular success / Keys, Destiny's win as expected |newspaper= San Francisco Chronicle |date= January 11, 2002 |access-date= June 12, 2019 |url= https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Awards-recognize-popular-success-Keys-2885603.php}}</ref> {{Anchor|PrinceII}}Later that year, an anonymous [[surrogacy|surrogate mother]] gave birth to his third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket"), who had been conceived by [[artificial insemination]].{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=599–600}} On November 20, Jackson briefly held Blanket over the railing of his Berlin hotel room, four stories above ground level, prompting widespread criticism in the media. Jackson apologized for the incident, calling it "a terrible mistake."<ref name="Vineyard"/> On January 22, promoter Marcel Avram filed a breach of contract complaint against Jackson for failing to perform two planned 1999 concerts.<ref>{{cite news|first= Joe |last= D'Angelo |title= Jackson sued by promoter for attempting world tour without him |publisher= MTV |date= February 4, 2002 |access-date= June 12, 2019 |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/1452133/michael-jackson-sued-by-promoter-for-attempting-world-tour-without-him/}}</ref> In March, a Santa Maria jury ordered Jackson to pay Avram $5.3{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite news|first= William |last= Overend |title= Officials Revisit Tax Break for Jackson's Neverland as Cattle Ranch |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= March 21, 2003 |access-date= June 12, 2019 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-21-me-jackson21-story.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson's Legal Troubles |newspaper= The Wall Street Journal |date= June 13, 2005 |access-date= June 12, 2019 |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111783026976850589}}</ref> On December 18, 2003, Jackson's attorneys dropped all appeals on the verdict and settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Stephen M. |last= Silverman |title= Jackson Settles Old Lawsuit Against Him |magazine= People |date= May 10, 2004 |access-date= June 12, 2019 |url= https://people.com/celebrity/jackson-settles-old-lawsuit-against-him/}}</ref>

On April 24, 2002, Jackson performed at Apollo Theater. The concert was a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee and former President Bill Clinton.<ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson fans celebrate at Apollo |work= BBC News |date= July 1, 2009 |access-date= May 28, 2020 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8127971.stm}}</ref> The money collected would be used to encourage citizens to vote. It raised $2.5{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite news|first= Christine |last= Haughney |title= For the DNC, It's Showtime at the Apollo |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |date= April 25, 2002 |access-date= May 28, 2020 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/04/25/for-the-dnc-its-showtime-at-the-apollo/af00ce7a-e0fd-452d-8e58-5bed3cdffd26/}}</ref> The concert was called Michael Jackson: Live at the Apollo and this would be Jackson's final on-stage performance.<ref>{{cite news|first= André |last= Wheeler |title= HBO's The Apollo: 'The story of how black America lifted itself through music' |newspaper= The Guardian |date= November 2, 2019 |access-date= May 28, 2020 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/nov/02/apollo-theater-documentary-hbo-roger-ross-williams}}</ref>

In July 2002, Jackson called Sony Music chairman [[Tommy Mottola]] "a racist, and very, very, very devilish," and someone who exploits black artists for his own gain, at [[Al Sharpton|Al Sharpton's]] [[National Action Network]] in Harlem. The accusation prompted Sharpton to form a coalition investigating whether Mottola exploited black artists.<ref name="Mottola">{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson Brands Recording Industry As Racist |magazine= Billboard |date= July 8, 2002 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/75178/michael-jackson-brands-recording-industry-as-racist}}</ref> Jackson also charged that Mottola had called his colleague [[Irv Gotti]] a "fat [[nigger]]".<ref>{{cite interview|first= Jermaine |last= Jackson |subject-link= Jermaine Jackson |interviewer= [[Connie Chung]] |title= Interview with Jermaine Jackson |date= December 31, 2002 |work= [[Connie Chung Tonight]] |url= http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0212/31/cct.00.html |access-date= July 2, 2008 |publisher= CNN}}</ref> Responding to those attacks, Sony issued a statement calling them "ludicrous, spiteful, and hurtful" and defended Mottola as someone who had championed Jackson's career for many years.<ref name="Mottola"/> Sony ultimately refused to renew Jackson's contract and claimed that a {{Nowrap|$25 million}} promotional campaign had failed because Jackson refused to tour in the US for ''Invincible''.<ref name="Burkeman"/>

===2002–2005: Second child sexual abuse allegations, trial, and acquittal===
{{Further|Living with Michael Jackson|Trial of Michael Jackson}}
[[File:Michaeljacksonmug1.jpg|thumb|Jackson's [[mug shot]], taken on November 20, 2003]]
Beginning in May 2002, a documentary film crew led by [[Martin Bashir]] followed Jackson for several months.<ref name="Vineyard">{{cite news|first= Jennifer |last= Vineyard |title= Michael Jackson Calls Baby-Dangling Incident A 'Terrible Mistake' |publisher= MTV |date= November 20, 2002 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458799/20021120/jackson_michael.jhtml}}</ref> The documentary, broadcast in February 2003 as ''[[Living with Michael Jackson]]'', showed Jackson holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a 12-year-old boy.<ref name="bbcnews"/>{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=640}} He also said that he saw nothing wrong with having sleepovers with minors and sharing his bed and bedroom with various people, which aroused controversy. He insisted that the sleepovers were not sexual and that his words had been misunderstood.<ref>{{cite news|first= Hugh |last= Davies |title= Jackson has children in his room for 'sleep-overs' |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |date= February 4, 2003 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1421082/Jackson-has-children-in-his-room-for-sleep-overs.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|title= Living with Michael Jackson |medium= television |date= February 6, 2003 |time= 0:51 |publisher= ITV |language= en |quote= "Who's the criminal? Who's the jack-the-ripper in the room?... I'm sleeping on a sleeping bag on the floor. I give him the bed, 'cause he has a brother named Star. So him and Star took the bed. And I'm on the floor on the sleeping bag."}}</ref>

On December 18, 2003, Santa Barbara authorities charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor with [[alcoholic drink]]s.<ref>{{cite news|first= John M. |last= Broder |title= Jackson Is Formally Charged With Child Molesting |newspaper= The New York Times |date= December 19, 2003 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/19/us/jackson-is-formally-charged-with-child-molesting.html}}</ref> Jackson denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.<ref>{{cite news|first1= Nick |last1= Madigan |first2= Terence |last2= Neilan |title= Michael Jackson Pleads Not Guilty to Molestation Charges |newspaper= The New York Times |date= January 16, 2004 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/16/national/michael-jackson-pleads-not-guilty-to-molestation-charges.html}}</ref> The ''[[Trial of Michael Jackson|People v. Jackson]]'' trial began on January 31, 2005, in [[Santa Maria, California]], and lasted until the end of May. Jackson found the experience stressful and it affected his health. If convicted, he would have faced up to 20 years in prison.<ref name="BBC health">{{cite news|first= Matthews |last= Davis |date= June 6, 2005 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4612897.stm |title= Trial health problems for Jackson |work= BBC News |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.<ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson cleared of child molestation |newspaper= The Guardian |agency= Associated Press |url= https://www.theguardian.com/jackson/story/0,15819,1505806,00.html |date= June 13, 2005 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> After the trial, he became reclusive<ref name="indie-auction"/> and moved to [[Bahrain]] as a guest of [[Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa|Sheikh Abdullah]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Habib |last= Toumi |date= January 23, 2006 |url= http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/jackson-settles-down-to-his-new-life-in-the-gulf-1.222403 |title= Jackson settles down to his new life in the Gulf |newspaper= [[Gulf News]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Jermaine Jackson later said the family had planned to send Michael there had he been convicted.<ref>{{cite news|title= Jermaine Jackson reveals escape plan for Michael |newspaper= [[The Washington Times]] |agency= Associated Press |date= September 10, 2011 |access-date= February 10, 2019 |url= https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/10/jermaine-jackson-reveals-escape-plan-for-michael/}}</ref>

On November 18, 2003, Sony released ''[[Number Ones (Michael Jackson album)|Number Ones]]'', a [[Number Ones (Michael Jackson album)|greatest hits compilation]]. It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA, and six times platinum in the UK, for shipments of at least 1.2{{nbsp}}million units.<ref name="Certifications"/><ref>{{cite news|title= Certified Awards |publisher= [[British Phonographic Industry]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx}}</ref>

===2006–2009: Closure of Neverland, final years, and ''This Is It''===
[[File:Michael Jackson 2006.jpg|upright|thumb|right|alt=Jackson is wearing an overcoat and walking from left to right. His face is obscured by his hair. His son is wearing a mask and a baseball cap. Two men are with them; a third person is holding an umbrella over the Jacksons.|Jackson and his son Blanket in [[Disneyland Paris]], 2006]]
In April 2006, Jackson agreed to use a piece of his ATV catalog stake, then worth about $1{{nbsp}}billion, as [[Collateral (finance)|collateral]] against his $270{{nbsp}}million worth of loans from [[Bank of America]]. Bank of America had sold the loans to [[Fortress Investment Group|Fortress Investments]], an investment company that buys distressed loans, the year before. As part of the agreement, Fortress Investments provided Jackson a new loan of $300{{nbsp}}million with reduced interest payments ({{Inflation|US|300000000|2006|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}). Sony Music would have the option to buy half of his stake, or about 25% of the catalog, at a set price. Jackson's financial managers had urged him to shed part of his stake to avoid bankruptcy.<ref name="sonydeal"/><ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson strikes deal over loans |work= BBC News |date= April 14, 2006 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4909412.stm}}</ref> The main house at Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure, while Jackson lived in Bahrain at the hospitality of Sheik Abdullah, the ruler's son.<ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson Closes Neverland House |url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jackson-closes-neverland-house/|publisher= CBS News |date= July 6, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> At least 30 of Jackson's employees had not been paid on time and were owed $306,000 in back wages; Jackson was ordered to pay $100,000 in penalties.<ref name="sonydeal"/>

In early 2006, it was announced that Jackson had signed a contract with a Bahrain-based startup, Two Seas Records; nothing came of the deal, and Two Seas CEO [[Gut Records|Guy Holmes]] later said it was never finalized.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/58713/michael-jackson-sails-with-two-seas |title= Michael Jackson Sails With Two Seas |magazine= Billboard |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Bahrain">{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5380654.stm |title= Jackson parts with Bahrain label |work= BBC News |date= September 26, 2006 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> That October, [[Fox News Channel|Fox News]] reported that Jackson had been recording at a studio in [[County Westmeath]], Ireland. It was not known what Jackson was working on, or who had paid for the sessions; his publicist stated that he had left Two Seas by then.<ref name="Bahrain"/><ref>{{cite news|first= Roger |last= Friedman |date= October 21, 2006 |title= Who's Funding Jackson's Retreat to Irish Recording Studio? |publisher= Fox News Channel |url= http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,222797,00.html |access-date= August 24, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090901060325/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,222797,00.html |archive-date= September 1, 2009 |url-status= dead}}</ref> During his period in Ireland he sought out [[Patrick Treacy]] for cosmetic treatment after reading about his experience with [[hyaluronic acid]] fillers and his charitable work in Africa.<ref>{{cite news|first= Rebecca |last= Maher |title= Michael Jackson's Irish doctor releases memoir |newspaper= [[Irish Examiner]] |date= October 9, 2015 |access-date= August 30, 2017 |url= http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/michael-jacksons-irish-doctor-releases-memoir-358363.html}}</ref> Treacy became Jackson's personal [[Dermatology|dermatologist]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Dr. Patrick Treacy's New Book : "Behind The Mask" (the Irishman who became Michael Jackson's doctor) |magazine= LMJ Magazine |date= August 4, 2015 |access-date= August 30, 2017 |url-status= dead |url= http://www.legendarymichaeljackson.nl/dr-patrick-treacys-new-book-behind-the-mask-the-irishman-who-became-michael-jacksons-doctor/ |archive-date= March 7, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160307200931/http://www.legendarymichaeljackson.nl/dr-patrick-treacys-new-book-behind-the-mask-the-irishman-who-became-michael-jacksons-doctor/}}</ref>

In November 2006, Jackson invited an ''[[Access Hollywood]]'' camera crew into the studio in Westmeath, and [[MSNBC]] reported that he was working on a new album, produced by [[will.i.am]].<ref name="Achievements"/> On November 15, Jackson performed at the [[2006 World Music Awards|World Music Awards]] in London and accepted the Diamond Award honoring the sale of over {{Nowrap|100 million}} records.<ref name="Achievements"/><ref>{{cite web|title= 2006 World Music Awards |url= http://www.chiff.com/pop-culture/world-music-awards.htm |archive-date= February 4, 2008 |publisher= Chiff |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080204051554/http://www.chiff.com/pop-culture/world-music-awards.htm}}</ref> He returned to the US in December 2006 to attend [[James Brown]]'s funeral in [[Augusta, Georgia]], where he gave a eulogy calling Brown his greatest inspiration.<ref>{{cite news|first= Shaheem |last= Reid |date= December 30, 2006 |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1549061/20061230/brown_james.jhtml |title= James Brown Saluted By Michael Jackson at Public Funeral Service |publisher= MTV |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>

In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought another music publishing company, [[Famous Music]] LLC, formerly owned by [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]. The deal gave him the rights to songs by [[Eminem]] and [[Beck]], among others.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson buys rights to Eminem tunes and more |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= May 31, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite interview|last= [[RedOne]] |interviewer= Jan Blumentrath |title= Interview with RedOne, producer and songwriter for Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Akon, Kat DeLuna and Darin |url= http://www.hitquarters.com/dev/index.php3?page=intrview/2009/March23_1_12_9.html |date= March 23, 2009 |publisher= [[HitQuarters]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In March 2007, Jackson gave a brief interview to the [[Associated Press]] in Tokyo, in which he said he had no regrets about his lifelong career despite difficulties and "deliberate attempts to hurt [him]".<ref>{{cite news|first= Eric |last= Talmadge |date= March 8, 2007 |url= http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/2007-03-08-2208485574_x.htm|title= Michael Jackson 'wouldn't change' career |newspaper= USA Today |agency= Associated Press |access-date= May 31, 2015 |quote= I've been in the entertainment industry since I was 6 years old, and as Charles Dickens would say, 'It's been the best of times, the worst of times.' But I would not change my career ... While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me.}}</ref> That month, Jackson visited a US Army post in Japan, [[Camp Zama]], to greet over 3,000 troops and their families.<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson Greets Troops in Japan |url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-jackson-greets-troops-in-japan/|publisher= CBS News |date= March 10, 2007 |access-date= February 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Michael Jackson wows US troops during lavish Japan stint |website= [[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |date= March 11, 2007 |access-date= February 25, 2019 |url= https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-03-11/michael-jackson-wows-us-troops-during-lavish-japan/2213766}}</ref>

In September 2007, Jackson was still working on his next album, which he never completed.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Elizabeth |last= Goodman |title= Will.i.am On Working With Michael Jackson |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= September 24, 2007 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/will-i-am-on-working-with-michael-jackson-were-taking-it-day-by-day-20070924}}</ref> In 2008, Jackson and Sony released ''[[Thriller 25]]'' to mark the album's 25th anniversary. Two remixes were released as singles: "[[The Girl Is Mine 2008]]" (with will.i.am), based on a demo version without Paul McCartney, and "[[Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008]]" with Akon.<ref>{{cite news|first= Roger |last= Friedman |date= May 16, 2008 |title= Jacko: Neverland East in Upstate New York |url= http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356282,00.html#3 |publisher= Fox News Channel |access-date= May 22, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080519112250/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356282,00.html#3 |archive-date= May 19, 2008 |url-status= dead}}</ref> For Jackson's 50th birthday, Sony BMG released a series of greatest hits albums titled ''[[King of Pop (album)|King of Pop]]''. Different versions were released in various countries, based on polls of local fans.<ref>{{cite web|title= Choose The Tracks On Michael Jackson's 50th Birthday Album! |url= http://www.sonybmg.com.au/news/details.do;.tomcat2?newsId=20030829005656 |date= June 20, 2008 |archive-date= June 28, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080628015938/http://www.sonybmg.com.au/news/details.do%3B.tomcat2?newsId=20030829005656 |publisher= [[Sony BMG]] |url-status= dead}}</ref>

[[File:NeverlandRides.jpg|thumb|alt=A view from above of a large property in a semi-desert. The landscape is pale with clumps of vegetation. The property shows circular structures between the buildings.|An aerial view of part of Jackson's 2,800-acre (11 km<sup>2</sup>) Neverland Valley Ranch near Los Olivos, California, showing the rides]]
In 2008, Fortress Investments threatened to [[Foreclosure|foreclose]] on Neverland Ranch, which Jackson had used as collateral for his loans. Fortress sold Jackson's debts to [[Colony Capital]] LLC.<ref>{{cite press release|title= Neverland Ranch Note Sold to Colony Capital |agency= [[Business Wire]] |date= May 11, 2008 |access-date= July 21, 2019|url= https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080511005036/en/Neverland-Ranch-Note-Sold-Colony-Capital}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Neverland escapes foreclosure hook |publisher= [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date= May 12, 2008 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/neverland-escapes-foreclosure-hook-1.729307}}</ref> In November, Jackson transferred Neverland Ranch's title to Sycamore Valley Ranch Company LLC, a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital LLC. The deal earned him {{Nowrap|$35 million}}.<ref>{{cite news|title= Neverland peters out for pop's Peter Pan |url= https://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/people/neverland-peters-out-for-pops-peter-pan/2008/11/13/1226318822205.html |newspaper= [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |agency= [[Press Association]] |date= November 13, 2008 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Jackson arranged to sell a large collection of his memorabilia of more than 1,000 items through [[Julien's Auctions|Julien's Auction House]]. On the eve of the first public exhibit, Jackson canceled the auction after earning between $200{{nbsp}}million to $300{{nbsp}}million of initial sales from a series of concerts to be held in London.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Susan |last= Adams |date= April 14, 2009 |title= Ten Most Expensive Michael Jackson Collectibles |magazine= Forbes |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.forbes.com/2009/04/14/michael-jackson-auction-lifestyle-collecting-michael-jackson.html}}</ref><ref name="indie-auction">{{cite news|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/michael-jackson-the-fantastic-possessions-revealed-1668969.html |title= Michael Jackson: The fantastic possessions revealed |newspaper= The Independent |agency= Reuters |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>

In March 2009, amid speculation about his finances and health, Jackson announced a series of comeback concerts, [[This Is It (concert residency)|This Is It]], at a press conference at [[The O2 Arena]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Guy |last= Adams |title= Michael Jackson: The final decline of a pop legend |newspaper= The Independent |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= April 13, 2019 |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/michael-jackson-the-final-decline-of-a-pop-legend-1720267.html}}</ref> The shows were to be his first major concerts since the HIStory World Tour that ended in 1997. Jackson suggested he would retire after the shows. The initial plan was for 10 concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York City and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of [[Anschutz Entertainment Group|AEG Live]], predicted the first 10 dates would earn Jackson £50{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite news|first= Patrick |last= Foster |date= March 6, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson grand finale curtain-raiser |url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5854735.ece |newspaper= [[The Times]] |archive-date= July 18, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110718131618/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5854735.ece}}</ref> The London residency was increased to 50 dates after record-breaking ticket sales; over one million were sold in less than two hours.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Daniel |last= Kreps |title= Michael Jackson's "This Is It!" Tour Balloons to 50-Show Run Stretching Into 2010 |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= March 12, 2009 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jacksons-this-is-it-tour-balloons-to-50-show-run-stretching-into-2010-20090312}}</ref> The concerts were to run from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer [[Kenny Ortega]], whom he worked with during his previous tours. Most rehearsals took place at the [[Staples Center]] owned by AEG.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson: The Last Rehearsal |magazine= [[Life (magazine)|Life]] |url= http://www.life.com/image/88744450/in-gallery/29532/michael-jackson-the-last-rehearsal |date= June 29, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |archive-date= July 4, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090704103521/http://www.life.com/image/88744450/in-gallery/29532/michael-jackson-the-last-rehearsal |url-status= dead}}</ref>

==Death==
{{Main|Death of Michael Jackson|Michael Jackson memorial service}}
[[File:Michael Jackson Star.JPG|upright|thumb|alt=Jackson's Star with flowers and notes on it|Fans placed flowers and notes on Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the day of his death]]
On June 25, 2009, less than three weeks before the first ''This Is It'' show was due to begin in London, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died from [[cardiac arrest]].<ref>{{cite press release|title= Michael Jackson dead at 50 after cardiac arrest |url= http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/michael.jackson/index.html |publisher= CNN |date= June 25, 2009 |access-date= August 31, 2009}}</ref> [[Conrad Murray]], his personal physician, had given Jackson various medications to help him sleep at his rented mansion in [[Holmby Hills, Los Angeles]]. Paramedics received a [[9-1-1|911]] call at 12:22 pm [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific time]] (19:22 UTC), and arrived three minutes later.<ref>{{cite news|title= Los Angeles Fire Department recording of the emergency phone call made from Michael Jackson's home |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= June 27, 2009 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8121884.stm}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= https://news.yahoo.com/partial-transcript-calif-911-call-210530808.html |title= Partial transcript of Calif. 911 call |publisher= Yahoo! News |agency= Associated Press |date= March 4, 2013}}</ref> Jackson was not breathing and [[Cardiopulmonary resuscitation|CPR]] was performed.<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson's life cut shockingly short |url= http://www.today.com/id/31552029 |agency= Associated Press |date= June 26, 2009}}</ref> Resuscitation efforts continued en route to [[Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center]], and for more than an hour after arriving there, but were unsuccessful,<ref>{{cite news|first1= Teri |last1= Whitcraft |first2= Kristin |last2= Pisarcik |first3= Kimberly |last3= Brown |date= June 23, 2010 |title= Timeline: Michael Jackson's Final Days |publisher= ABC News |access-date= March 19, 2017 |url= https://abcnews.go.com/2020/MichaelJackson/michael-jackson-final-days-timeline-year-death-king/story?id=10974394}}</ref><ref name="Times">{{cite news|first= Michael |last= Harvey |date= June 26, 2009 |title= Fans mourn artist for whom it didn't matter if you were black or white |url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6580897.ece |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110920052143/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6580897.ece |archive-date= September 20, 2011 |newspaper= The Times}}</ref> and he was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm Pacific time (21:26 UTC).<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news|first= Matthew |last= Moore |date= June 26, 2009 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5643916/Michael-Jackson-King-of-Pop-dies-of-cardiac-arrest-in-Los-Angeles.html |title= Michael Jackson, King of Pop, dies of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|first1= Dan |last1= Whitcomb |first2= Laura |last2= Isensee |date= June 26, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson death still unsolved after autopsy |work= Reuters |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/06/26/us-jackson-idUSTRE55O6AK20090626}}</ref>

Jackson had taken [[propofol]], [[lorazepam]], and [[midazolam]];<ref>{{cite news|first= Kathleen |last= Doheny |date= August 24, 2009 |url= http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20090824/propofol-linked-to-michael-jacksons-death |title= Propofol Linked to Michael Jackson's Death |publisher= [[WebMD]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> his death was caused by a propofol overdose.<ref>{{cite press release|first= Alan |last= Duke |title= Coroner releases new details about Michael Jackson's death |publisher= CNN |date= February 10, 2010 |access-date= February 23, 2019 |url= http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/09/michael.jackson.autopsy/index.html}}</ref><ref name="Times"/> News of his death spread quickly online, causing websites to slow down and [[crash (computing)|crash]] from user overload,<ref>{{cite press release|first1= Linnie |last1= Rawlinson |first2= Nick |last2= Hunt |title= Jackson dies, almost takes Internet with him |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/06/26/michael.jackson.internet/ |publisher= CNN |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= March 16, 2013}}</ref> and putting unprecedented strain<ref name="Wood">{{cite news|first= Daniel B. |last= Wood |date= June 27, 2009 |title= Outpouring over Michael Jackson unlike anything since Princess Di |url= http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0627/p25s09-usgn.html |newspaper= [[The Christian Science Monitor]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> on services and websites including Google,<ref name=":3"/> [[AOL Instant Messenger]],<ref name="Wood"/> Twitter, and Wikipedia.<ref name=":3">{{cite news|first= Maggie |last= Shiels |date= June 26, 2009 |title= Web slows after Jackson's death |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8120324.stm |work= BBC News |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Overall, [[web traffic]] rose by between 11% and 20%.<ref name="crash">{{cite news|first= David |last= Skok |title= Internet stretched to limit as fans flock for Michael Jackson news |newspaper= [[The Vancouver Sun]] |date= June 26, 2009 |archive-date= July 3, 2009 |url-status= dead |url= https://vancouversun.com/Entertainment/Internet+stretched+limit+fans+flock+Michael+Jackson+news/1736311/story.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090703075357/http://www.vancouversun.com/Entertainment/Internet+stretched+limit+fans+flock+Michael+Jackson+news/1736311/story.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1= Tom |last1= Krazit |first2= Declan |last2= McCullagh |date= June 26, 2009 |url= http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10273854-93.html |title= Debate: Can the Internet handle big breaking news? |publisher= [[CNET]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> MTV and [[BET]] aired [[Marathon (media)|marathons]] of Jackson's music videos.<ref>{{cite news|first= Brian |last= Dtelter |date= June 26, 2009 |url= http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/the-michael-jackson-channel/?scp=2&sq=MTV&st=cse |title= MTV's Jackson Marathon |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Jackson specials aired on television stations around the world.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://metro.co.uk/2009/06/26/jacko-news-spreads-to-eastenders-228251/ |title= Jacko news spreads to Eastenders |newspaper= [[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> MTV briefly returned to its original music video format,<ref name="Barnes"/> and aired hours of Jackson's music videos, with live news specials featuring reactions from MTV personalities and other celebrities.<ref name="Tylerc">{{cite web|title= More adds, loose ends, and lament |url= http://tylerc.com/2009/08/more-adds-loose-ends-lament/ |work= The 120 Minutes Archive |date= July 25, 2009 |access-date= February 15, 2014}}</ref>

===Memorial service===
[[File:Michael Jackson Grave.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=A large pink/cream-colored box in front of a stained glass window.|Jackson's unmarked crypt at the end of the Sanctuary of Ascension in the Holly Terrace of the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale]]
Jackson's memorial was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a private family service at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills#Court of Liberty|Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty]]. Over 1.6{{nbsp}}million fans applied for tickets to the memorial; the 8,750 recipients were drawn at random, and each received two tickets.<ref>{{cite press release|title= Over 1.6M apply for Jackson memorial tickets |date= July 4, 2009 |url= http://www.today.com/id/31710570/ns/today-entertainment/t/over-m-apply-jackson-memorial-tickets |agency= Associated Press |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> The memorial service was one of the most watched events in [[Streaming media|streaming]] history,<ref>{{cite press release|title= Michael Jackson memorial draws crowds online |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/07/michael.jackson.web.traffic/ |publisher= CNN |date= July 8, 2009 |access-date= June 11, 2012}}</ref> with an estimated US audience of 31.1{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite news|first= Andrew |last= Scott |date= July 9, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson Memorial Earns 31 Million Viewers & More TV News |url= http://www.aoltv.com/insidetv/2009/07/09/michael-jackson-memorial-earns-31-million-viewers/ |publisher= [[AOL TV]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url-status= dead |archive-date= July 23, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150723074833/http://www.aoltv.com/insidetv/2009/07/09/michael-jackson-memorial-earns-31-million-viewers/}}</ref>

Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, [[Jennifer Hudson]], and [[Shaheen Jafargholi]] performed at the event. [[Smokey Robinson]] and [[Queen Latifah]] gave eulogies.<ref>{{cite news|first= Nick |last= Allen |date= July 7, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson memorial service: the biggest celebrity send-off of all time |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5771156/Michael-Jackson-memorial-service-the-biggest-celebrity-send-off-of-all-time.html |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> [[Al Sharpton]] received a standing ovation with cheers when he told Jackson's children, "Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it anyway."<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Andrew |last= Potter |title= There was nothing strange about your daddy |magazine= [[Maclean's]] |url= http://www.macleans.ca/general/there-was-nothing-strange-about-your-daddy/ |date= July 7, 2009 |access-date= March 16, 2013}}</ref> Jackson's 11-year-old daughter [[Paris Jackson|Paris Katherine]], speaking publicly for the first time, wept as she addressed the crowd.<ref>{{cite news|first= Tania |last= Branigan |date= September 8, 2001 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/sep/08/taniabranigan |title= Jackson spends £20m to be Invincible |newspaper= The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.tvguide.com/News/Jackson-Memorial-Moments-1007748.aspx |title= Top Moments: Michael Jackson Memorial |magazine= TV Guide |date= July 7, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> The Rev. Lucious Smith provided a closing prayer.<ref>{{cite web|title= Rev Lucious Smith on conducting the memorial service for Michael Jackson |date= June 28, 2010 |url= http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Rev-Lucious-Smith-on-conducting-the-memorial-service-for-Michael-Jackson/tabid/506/articleID/14351/Default.aspx |publisher= [[Radio Live]] |access-date= March 16, 2013}}</ref> Jackson's body was entombed on September 3, 2009, at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Glendale, California]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Mark |last= Coleman |date= September 4, 2009 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/6136376/Michael-Jackson-finally-laid-to-rest-in-Los-Angeles.html |title= Michael Jackson finally laid to rest in Los Angeles |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>

On June 25, 2010, the first anniversary of Jackson's death, fans, family and friends visited Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his family home, and Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Many left tributes at the sites.<ref>{{cite news|first1= Jason |last1= Wells |first2= Veroniac |last2= Rocha |date= June 25, 2010 |url= http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-0626-jackson,0,4723051.story |title= One year later: Fans gather to pay tribute to Michael Jackson |newspaper= [[Glendale News-Press]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Anthony |last= McCartney |date= June 23, 2010 |title= A year after Michael Jackson's death, fan base remains committed to keeping memory alive |newspaper= The Gaea Times |agency= Associated Press |url= http://entertainment.gaeatimes.com/2010/06/23/a-year-after-michael-jacksons-death-fan-base-remains-committed-to-keeping-memory-alive-143386/}}</ref>

===Criminal investigation and prosecution of Conrad Murray===
{{Main|California v. Murray}}
[[Image:Neverland-ranch-memorial.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.13|alt=A group of people standing outside a gated area. There are trees, bushes, and grassed areas. A majority of the area the people and in are shadowed by the trees by the gate. |Fans visiting the makeshift memorial set up outside the Neverland Ranch entrance shortly after Jackson's death.]]

In August 2009, the [[Los Angeles County Coroner]] ruled that Jackson's death was a [[homicide]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Tim |last= Reid |date= August 25, 2009 |url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6808546.ece |title= LA coroner to treat Michael Jackson's death as a homicide |newspaper= The Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson 'had lethal drug levels' |work= BBC News |date= August 25, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8219362.stm}}</ref> Law enforcement officials [[California v. Murray|charged Murray]] with [[involuntary manslaughter]] on February 8, 2010.<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson's doctor denies manslaughter charge |date= February 9, 2010 |work= [[BBC News]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8499143.stm}}</ref>

Murray's trial took place from September 27 to November 7, 2011, and he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter<ref>{{cite web|title= Conrad Murray guilty of Michael Jackson manslaughter |work= BBC News |date= November 8, 2011 |access-date= January 24, 2019 |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-15624869}}</ref> and held without bail to await sentencing.<ref>{{cite news|first1= Jack |last1= Leonard |first2= Andrew |last2= Blankstein |first3= Richard |last3= Winton |title= Conrad Murray could face significant prison time |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= November 8, 2011 |access-date= January 24, 2019 |url= https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/conrad-murray-sentence-prison-term.html}}</ref> 22 days after the trial ended, Murray received the maximum sentence of four years in prison.<ref>{{cite news|first= Martin |last= Kasindorf |title= Conrad Murray sentenced to four years in Jackson death |newspaper= [[USA Today]] |date= November 29, 2011 |access-date= January 24, 2019 |url= https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-11-29/michael-jackson-doctor-murray-sentencing/51469570/1?csp=34news}}</ref> He was released on October 28, 2013<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson's doctor released from jail |magazine= [[Entertainment Weekly]] |agency= [[Associated Press]] |date= October 28, 2013 |access-date= January 24, 2019 |url= https://ew.com/article/2013/10/28/conrad-murray-released-from-jail/}}</ref> due to California [[prison overcrowding]] and good behavior.<ref>{{cite news|first1= Christina |last1= Cocca |first2= Jonathan |last2= Lloyd |first3= Gordon |last3= Tokumatsu |title= Conrad Murray 'Ready to Go On' After Release from Jail |publisher= [[KNBC]] |date= October 28, 2013 |access-date= January 24, 2019 |url= https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Conrad-Murray-to-Be-Released-From-Jail-229485661.html}}</ref>

===Posthumous sales===
At the [[American Music Awards of 2009|2009 American Music Awards]], Jackson won four posthumous awards, including two for his compilation album ''[[Number Ones (Michael Jackson album)|Number Ones]]'', bringing his total American Music Awards to 26.<ref>{{cite news|first= Todd |last= Martens |date= October 13, 2009 |title= Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson dominate American Music Awards nominations [Updated] |url= http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/10/taylor-swift-michael-jackson-dominate-american-music-awards-nominations.html |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= 2009 American Music Awards: Scorecard |url= http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/11/2009-american-music-awards-scorecard.html |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |agency= Associated Press |date= November 22, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In the year after his death, more than 8.2{{nbsp}}million of Jackson's albums sold in the US, and 35{{nbsp}}million albums worldwide, more than any other artist in 2009.<ref name="Swift-Boyle">{{cite magazine|first= Keith |last= Caulfield |title= Taylor Swift Edges Susan Boyle For 2009's Top-Selling Album |magazine= Billboard |date= January 6, 2010 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/960801/taylor-swift-edges-susan-boyle-for-2009s-top-selling-album}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Jackson sells 35 million albums since death |work= Today |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.today.com/id/37957972/ns/today-entertainment/}}</ref> He became the first artist to sell one million [[music download]]s in a week, with 2.6{{nbsp}}million song downloads. ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'', ''Number Ones'' and ''[[The Essential Michael Jackson]]'' became the first catalog albums to outsell any new album.<ref>{{cite web|first= Eliot |last= Van Buskirk |title= Michael Jackson First Artist to Sell Over 1 Million Downloads in a Single Week |website= [[Wired (website)|Wired]] |date= July 1, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/07/michael-jackson-first-to-sell-over-1-million-downloads-in-a-single-week/}}</ref> Jackson also became the first artist to have four of the top 20 best-selling albums in a single year in the US.<ref name="Swift-Boyle"/>

On March 16, 2010, following the surge in sales, Sony Music signed a $250{{nbsp}}million deal ({{Inflation|US|250000000|2010|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}) with the Jackson estate to extend their distribution rights to Jackson's back catalog until at least 2017; it had been due to expire in 2015. It was the most expensive music contract for a single artist in history.<ref name="Sony"/><ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson in 'record' $200m music deal |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/business/2010/03/100316_jackson_biz_music_deal.shtml |publisher= [[BBC]] |date= March 16, 2010 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> They also agreed to release ten albums of previously unreleased material and new collections of released work.<ref name="Sony">{{cite news|first= Ethan |last= Smith |date= March 16, 2010 |title= Sony Places Big Bet on a Fallen 'King' |newspaper= [[The Wall Street Journal]] |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704588404575124023860735864 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Daniel |last= Kreps |date= March 16, 2010 |title= Michael Jackson Estate, Sony Strike Massive $250 Million Deal to Release King of Pop's Music |magazine= Rolling Stone |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jackson-estate-sony-strike-massive-250-million-deal-to-release-king-of-pops-music-20100316}}</ref> In 2017, Sony Music Entertainment extended its deal with the estate;<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Ed |last= Christman |title= Michael Jackson Estate, Sony Music Extend Partnership for Recordings |magazine= Billboard |date= December 14, 2017 |access-date= February 11, 2019 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8070535/michael-jackson-sony-music-partnership-future-releases-recordings}}</ref> that July, a Los Angeles court awarded Jones $9.4{{nbsp}}million of disputed royalty payments for ''Off the Wall'', ''Thriller'' and ''Bad''.<ref name="Who's Bad"/> In July 2018, Sony/ATV bought the estate's stake in EMI for $287.5{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Ed |last= Christman |title= Sony Completes Acquisition of Michael Jackson Estate's Share of EMI Music Publishing |magazine= Billboard |date= July 31, 2018 |access-date= August 1, 2018 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8467902/sony-completes-acquisition-michael-jackson-estates-share-emi-music-publishing}}</ref>

In 2014, Jackson became the first artist to have a top ten single in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in five different decades.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Gary |last= Trust |title= Michael Jackson, Coldplay Hit Hot 100's Top 10; John Legend Still No. 1 |magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date= May 21, 2014 |access-date= May 23, 2014 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6092276/michael-jackson-coldplay-hot-100-top-10-john-legend-no-1}}</ref> In December 2015, ''Thriller'' was certified for 30{{nbsp}}million shipments by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]], one of only two albums to do so in the US.<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web|title= Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' First Ever 30X Multi-Platinum RIAA Certification |publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |date= December 16, 2015 |access-date= December 18, 2015 |url= https://www.riaa.com/michael-jacksons-thriller-first-ever-30x-multi-platinum-riaa-certification/}}</ref> A year later, it was certified at 33× platinum, after [[Soundscan]] added streams and audio downloads to album certifications.<ref name="Certified">{{cite magazine|first= Hugh |last= McIntyre |title= Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Has Now Been Certified 33-Times Platinum |magazine= Forbes |date= February 16, 2017 |access-date= July 9, 2017 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2017/02/16/michael-jacksons-thriller-has-now-been-certified-33-times-platinum/}}</ref>{{refn|In 2018, its US sales record was overtaken by [[Eagles (band)|the Eagles]]' album ''[[Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)|Greatest Hits 1971–75]],'' with 38× platinum.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Rhian |last= Daly |title= Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' is no longer the best-selling album of all time in the US |magazine= NME |date= August 20, 2018 |access-date= March 8, 2019 |url= https://www.nme.com/news/music/michael-jackson-thriller-best-selling-album-2368877}}</ref>|group=nb}}

===Posthumous releases and productions===
The first posthumous Jackson song, "[[This Is It (Michael Jackson song)|This Is It]]", co-written in the 1980s with [[Paul Anka]], was released in October 2009. The surviving Jackson brothers reunited to record backing vocals.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Dean |last= Goodman |title= 'New' Michael Jackson Single Written In 1983 |date= October 13, 2009 |magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date= March 8, 2019 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267087/new-michael-jackson-single-written-in-1983}}</ref> On October 28, 2009, Sony released a documentary film about the rehearsals, ''[[Michael Jackson's This Is It]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Joyce |last= Eng |date= August 10, 2009 |title= Judge Approves Michael Jackson Film |url= https://www.tvguide.com/news/michael-jackson-film-1008827/ |magazine= [[TV Guide]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Despite a limited two-week engagement, it became the highest-grossing documentary or concert film ever, with earnings of more than {{Nowrap|$260 million}} worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=michaeljacksonthisisit.htm |title= Michael Jackson's This Is It |publisher= [[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Jackson's estate received 90% of the profits.<ref>{{cite press release|title= Judge OKs Jackson performance film deal |url= http://www.today.com/id/32360110 |agency= Associated Press |date= August 10, 2010 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> The film was accompanied by a [[Michael Jackson's This Is It (album)|compilation album of the same name]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Monica |last= Herrera |date= September 23, 2009 |title= New Michael Jackson Song, Album Due In October |magazine= Billboard |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267308/new-michael-jackson-song-album-due-in-october |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In late 2010, Sony released the first posthumous album, ''[[Michael (album)|Michael]]'' and the promotional single "[[Breaking News (Michael Jackson song)|Breaking News]]". Jackson collaborator Will.i.am expressed "disgust" regarding the posthumous album, ''Michael'', explaining that Jackson was such a perfectionist that he would not release them without his approval.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Exclusive: Will.i.am Explains His 'Disgust' for New Michael Jackson Album |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= December 13, 2010 |access-date= March 23, 2019 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-will-i-am-explains-his-disgust-for-new-michael-jackson-album-20101213}}</ref>

Video game developer [[Ubisoft]] released a [[music video game]] featuring Jackson for the 2010 holiday season, ''[[Michael Jackson: The Experience]];'' it was among the first games to use [[Kinect]] and [[PlayStation Move]], the motion-detecting camera systems for [[Xbox 360]] and [[PlayStation 3]] respectively.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson Fans Will Moonwalk In Motion-Sensing Game |magazine= Billboard |agency= Associated Press |date= June 15, 2010 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957768/michael-jackson-fans-will-moonwalk-in-motion-sensing-game}}</ref> ''[[Xscape (album)|Xscape]]'', an album of unreleased material, was released on May 13, 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26824983 |title= New Michael Jackson album to be released in May |work= BBC News |date= March 31, 2014 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Later that year, [[Queen (band)|Queen]] released a duet recorded with Jackson and Freddie Mercury in the 1980s.<ref name=":0"/> A compilation album, ''[[Scream (Michael Jackson album)|Scream]]'', was released on September 29, 2017.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Elias |last= Leight |title= Michael Jackson's Estate Details 'Scream' Compilation |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= September 6, 2017 |access-date= September 29, 2017 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jacksons-estate-details-scream-compilation-w501394}}</ref>

In October 2011, the theater company [[Cirque du Soleil]] launched ''[[Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour]],'' a $57-million production,<ref>{{cite news|title= Cirque plans $57M touring Jackson show |publisher= CBC News |date= November 3, 2010 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/music/story/2010/11/03/cirque-michael-jackson-immortal-tour.html}}</ref> in Montreal, with a permanent show [[Residency show|resident]] in Las Vegas.<ref>{{cite news|first= Tony |last= Hicks |title= People: Cirque du Soleil mounting Michael Jackson tour |newspaper= San Jose Mercury News |access-date= November 7, 2010 |url= http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment-headlines/ci_16517946}}</ref> A larger and more theatrical Cirque show, ''[[Michael Jackson: One]],'' designed for residency at the [[Mandalay Bay]] resort in Las Vegas, opened on May 23, 2013 in a renovated theater.<ref>{{cite news|first= Chris |last= Jones |title= 'Michael Jackson ONE' in Las Vegas: Cirque du Soleil refinds its way |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |date= July 13, 2013 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-13/entertainment/ct-ae-0714-jones-20130713_1_viva-elvis-cirque-du-soleil-cirque-show}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Zack |last= O'Malley Greenburg |title= Michael Jackson's New Vegas Show 'One' Will Double The Fun |magazine= Forbes |date= February 2, 2013 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2013/02/22/michael-jacksons-new-vegas-show-one-will-double-the-fun/}}</ref> A [[jukebox musical]], ''[[Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (musical)|Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough]],'' is due to debut on Broadway in mid-2020.<ref name="Musical">{{cite news|first= Michael |last= Paulson |title= Michael Jackson Estate Cancels Chicago Musical Run |newspaper= The New York Times |date= February 14, 2019 |access-date= March 8, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/theater/michael-jackson-chicago-musical-cancelled.html}}</ref> The musical is directed and choreographed by [[Christopher Wheeldon]] and features a book by [[Lynn Nottage]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Darel |last= Jevens |title= Michael Jackson musical to premiere in Chicago before Broadway |newspaper= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date= January 23, 2019 |access-date= March 8, 2019 |url= https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/michael-jackson-musical-dont-stop-lynn-nottage-christopher-wheeldon/}}</ref> A developmental lab for the musical was delayed and a pre-Broadway run in Chicago was canceled in the wake of the renewed claims of child sexual abuse.<ref name="Musical"/><ref name="PR blitz"/><ref>{{cite web|title= Breaking: Michael Jackson Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough Cancels Chicago Premiere, Opens Cold on Broadway Summer 2020 |website= [[BroadwayWorld]] |date= February 14, 2019 |access-date= March 8, 2019 |url= https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-Michael-Jackson-DONT-STOP-TIL-YOU-GET-ENOUGH-Cancels-Chicago-Premiere-Opens-Cold-on-Broadway-Summer-2020-20190214}}</ref>

In April 2011, [[Mohamed Al-Fayed]], chairman of [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham Football Club]], unveiled a [[statue of Michael Jackson|statue of Jackson]] outside the club stadium, [[Craven Cottage]].<ref name="Fulham">{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson Fulham FC statue defended by Al Fayed |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12950708 |work= BBC News |date= April 3, 2011 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> It was moved to the [[National Football Museum]] in Manchester in May 2014,<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/27302594 |title= Michael Jackson statue moves to National Football Museum |work= BBC News |date= May 6, 2014 |access-date= February 13, 2016}}</ref> then removed from display in March 2019 following renewed sexual assault allegations.<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson statue: National Football Museum removes artwork |work= BBC News |date= March 6, 2019 |access-date= March 8, 2019 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-47468074}}</ref>

In 2012, in an attempt to end a family dispute, Jackson's brother [[Jermaine Jackson|Jermaine]] retracted his signature on a public letter criticizing executors of Jackson's estate and his mother's advisers over the legitimacy of his brother's will.<ref>{{cite news|title= Jermaine calls for an end to Jackson family feud |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19091521 |work= BBC News |date= August 2, 2012 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> T.J. Jackson, son of Tito Jackson, was given co-guardianship of Michael Jackson's children after false reports of Katherine Jackson going missing.<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson nephew made co-guardian of children |work= BBC News |date= August 23, 2012 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19353588}}</ref>

A duet between Jackson and [[Justin Timberlake]] titled "[[Love Never Felt So Good]]" was released in 2014, which made him the first artist to have a top 10 single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in five different decades when the single reached number 9.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Gary |last= Trust |title= Michael Jackson, Coldplay Hit Hot 100's Top 10; John Legend Still No. 1 |magazine= Billboard |date= May 21, 2014 |access-date= May 1, 2020 |url= http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6092276/michael-jackson-coldplay-hot-100-top-10-john-legend-no-1}}</ref>

In November 2019, it was reported that a Jackson biopic, produced by ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]'' (2018) producer [[Graham King]], was in the works, with the screenplay written by [[John Logan (writer)|John Logan]]. Jackson's estate granted King the rights to his music and will work with King.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Mia |last= Galuppo |title= Michael Jackson Biopic in the Works from 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Producer |magazine= Billboard |date= November 22, 2019 |access-date= November 25, 2019 |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/movies/8544515/michael-jackson-biopic-bohemian-rhapsody-producer}}</ref>

===''Leaving Neverland'' and posthumous child sexual abuse allegations===
{{main| Leaving Neverland}}
[[File:Michaeljackson1.jpg|thumb|alt=A smiling Jackson wears a blue baseball cap and a red shirt. On his right are two women. One holds a pen, and one a small purse. On his left a young boy looks off-camera. He is dressed in a red shirt too. Jackson's hand is on his shoulder.|Jackson and Safechuck (right) in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1988]]

In 2013, choreographer [[Wade Robson]] filed a lawsuit alleging that Jackson had sexually abused him for seven years, beginning when he was seven years old.<ref>{{cite news|title= Choreographer: Michael Jackson 'sexually abused me' |work= [[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]] |url= https://www.today.com/video/choreographer-michael-jackson-sexually-abused-me-30450243877 |date= May 16, 2013 |access-date= October 21, 2017}}</ref> In 2014, a case was filed by James Safechuck, alleging sexual abuse over a four-year period from the age of ten.<ref>{{cite news|first= Alroy |last= Menezes |title= James Safechuck Alleges Sexual Abuse By Michael Jackson, Sues Singer's Estate |work= [[International Business Times]] |date= August 6, 2014 |access-date= May 30, 2019 |url= https://www.ibtimes.com/james-safechuck-alleges-sexual-abuse-michael-jackson-sues-singers-estate-1650260}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Ken |last= Stone |title= Sex abuse by long-dead Michael Jackson? Judge rejects lawsuit |website= MyNewsLA.com |date= July 7, 2017 |access-date= March 15, 2019 |url= https://mynewsla.com/crime/2017/07/07/sex-abuse-by-long-dead-michael-jackson-judge-rejects-lawsuit/}}</ref><ref name="indie abuse">{{cite news|first= Jenn |last= Selby |title= Michael Jackson hit with new child sex abuse claims more than five years after his death |newspaper= The Independent |date= August 6, 2014 |access-date= March 15, 2019 |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/michael-jackson-hit-with-new-sex-abuse-claims-five-years-after-his-death-9650832.html}}</ref> Both had testified in Jackson's defense during the 1993 allegations; Robson did so again in 2005.<ref>{{cite news|first= John M. |last= Broder |title= 2 Witnesses Say They Shared Jackson's Bed and Were Never Molested |date= May 6, 2005 |newspaper= The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/06/us/2-witnesses-say-they-shared-jacksons-bed-and-were-never-molested.html |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Nicole |last= Sperling |title= 'Michael Is Everywhere': Two Michael Jackson Accusers Explain Why They're Speaking Out in HBO's ''Leaving Neverland'' |magazine= [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date= February 21, 2019 |access-date= March 15, 2019 |url= https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/02/michael-jackson-accusers-explain-speaking-out-hbo-leaving-neverland}}</ref> In 2015, Robson's case against Jackson's estate was dismissed on the grounds of being filed too late. Safechuck's claim was also time barred.<ref>{{cite web|title= Safechuck Ruling Demurrer Dismissal |via= [[Scribd]] |date= June 28, 2017 |access-date= May 28, 2019 |url= https://www.scribd.com/document/353219745/Safechuck-Ruling-Demurrer-Dismissal}}</ref> In 2017, it was ruled that Jackson's corporations could not be held accountable for his alleged past actions.<ref>{{cite press release|first= Andrew |last= Dalton |title= APNewsBreak: Michael Jackson Sex Abuse Lawsuit Dismissed |agency= Associated Press |date= December 20, 2017 |access-date= December 21, 2017 |url= https://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2017-12-19/apnewsbreak-michael-jackson-sex-abuse-lawsuit-dismissed}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson sex abuse lawsuit dismissed |publisher= [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date= December 19, 2017 |access-date= December 21, 2017 |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/michael-jackson-molestation-lawsuit-dismissed-1.4457632}}</ref> The rulings were appealed, and on October 20, 2020, Safechuck's lawsuit against Jackson's corporations was again dismissed, with the presiding judge ruling that there was no evidence that Safechuck had a relationship with Jackson's companies.<ref>{{cite press release|title= Lawsuit of Michael Jackson sexual abuse accuser dismissed |work= Associated Press |date= October 23, 2020 |access-date= October 26, 2020 |url= https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lawsuits-james-safechuck-michael-jackson-california-4cd85607e8dc1366f09ae51a8af6d1d2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Kate |last= Feldman |title= Michael Jackson estate tries to block documentarian from filming 'Leaving Neverland' sequel: report |newspaper= [[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location= New York |date= October 21, 2020 |access-date= October 31, 2020 |url= https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-finding-neverland-michael-jackson-20201021-7dvxdgtqibbpvgkq2lcbg5srca-story.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Jake |last= Kanter |title= 'Leaving Neverland' Director Dan Reed Fights Subpoenas as He Shoots Sequel to Channel 4/HBO's Michael Jackson Film |website= [[Deadline Hollywood]] |date= October 21, 2020 |access-date= October 31, 2020 |url= https://deadline.com/2020/10/leaving-neverland-director-dan-reed-shooting-follow-up-film-1234599714/}}</ref>

Robson and Safechuck described the allegations in graphic detail in the documentary ''Leaving Neverland'', released in March 2019.<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson 'abused us hundreds of times' |date= February 28, 2019 |access-date= March 8, 2019 |work= BBC News |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47403951}}</ref> Radio stations in New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands removed Jackson's music from their playlists.<ref name="PR blitz">{{cite news|first= Lanre |last= Bakare |title= Michael Jackson estate launches PR blitz as documentary airs in UK |newspaper= The Guardian |date= March 7, 2019 |access-date= March 8, 2019 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/mar/07/michael-jackson-estate-adverts-lawsuits-interviews-leaving-neverland-airs |quote= ...and does not feature on the playlists of BBC Radio 2.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Eleanor Ainge |last= Roy |title= Michael Jackson songs pulled from radio stations in New Zealand and Canada |newspaper= The Guardian |date= March 6, 2019 |access-date= March 8, 2019 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/05/michael-jackson-abuse-allegations-canada-radio-stations-ban-music}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Janene |last= Pieters |title= First Dutch radio station boycotts Michael Jackson music |work= NL Times |date= March 6, 2019 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://nltimes.nl/2019/03/06/first-dutch-radio-station-boycotts-michael-jackson-music}}</ref> Jackson's family condemned the film as a "public lynching",<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson's Family Calls 'Leaving Neverland' Documentary a 'Public Lynching |magazine= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date= January 28, 2019 |access-date= January 29, 2019 |url= https://variety.com/2019/music/news/michael-jackson-family-leaving-neverland-public-lynching-1203120387/}}</ref> and the Jackson estate released a statement calling the film a "tabloid character assassination [Jackson] endured in life, and now in death".<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Daniel |last= Kreps |title= Michael Jackson Estate Slams 'Leaving Neverland': 'Tabloid Character Assassination' |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= January 26, 2019 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/michael-jackson-estate-leaving-neverland-tabloid-character-assassination-784968/}}</ref> Close associates of Jackson, such as [[Corey Feldman]], [[Aaron Carter]], Brett Barnes, and [[Macaulay Culkin]], said that Jackson had not molested them.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Corey Feldman Guards Michael Jackson After 'Leaving Neverland' Airs |magazine= Vibe |date= March 4, 2019 |access-date= September 21, 2019 |url= https://www.vibe.com/2019/03/corey-feldman-michael-jackson-leaving-neverland}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Maeve |last= McDermott |title= Aaron Carter defends Michael Jackson after saying the star did one 'inappropriate' thing |newspaper= USA Today |date= May 22, 2019 |access-date= September 21, 2019 |url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2019/05/22/aaron-carter-defends-michael-jackson-after-comment-makes-waves/3765213002/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Leaving Neverland: who is Brett Barnes, Michael Jackson's 'other boy'? |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |date= March 8, 2019 |access-date= September 21, 2019 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/leaving-neverland-brett-barnes-jacksons-boy/}}</ref> Rebuttal documentaries, such as ''[[Neverland Firsthand: Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary]]'' and ''[[Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth]]'', presented information countering the claims.<ref>{{cite news|first= Adam |last= Wallis |title= Jackson family responds to 'Leaving Neverland' in 30-minute YouTube documentary |publisher= [[Global News]] |date= April 8, 2019 |access-date= October 31, 2020 |url= https://globalnews.ca/news/5141785/neverland-firsthand/}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Andrew |last= Trendell |title= New documentary 'Chase the Truth' defending Michael Jackson is released |magazine= [[NME]] |date= August 15, 2019 |access-date= October 31, 2020 |url= https://www.nme.com/news/music/new-documentary-chase-truth-defending-michael-jackson-released-2538518}}</ref> Jackson's album sales increased following the documentary.<ref>{{cite news|first= Jack |last= Shepherd |title= Michael Jackson albums climb the charts following Leaving Neverland broadcast |newspaper= The Independent |date= March 9, 2019 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/michael-jackson-album-charts-leaving-neverland-child-sex-allegations-a8815081.html}}</ref> ''Billboard'' senior editor Gail Mitchell said she and a colleague interviewed about thirty music executives who believed Jackson's legacy could withstand the controversy.<ref>{{cite news|first= Jonathan Landrum |last= Jr. |title= Michael Jackson's popularity endures, even after new scandal |newspaper= [[The Japan Times]] |date= June 24, 2019 |access-date= July 21, 2019 |url= https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/06/24/entertainment-news/michael-jacksons-popularity-endures-even-new-scandal/}}</ref> In late 2019, some New Zealand and Canadian radio stations re-added Jackson's music to their playlists, citing "positive listener survey results".<ref>{{cite web|first= Teresa |last= Ramsey |title= Michael Jackson songs back on New Zealand radio airwaves |website= [[Stuff (company)|Stuff]] |date= November 14, 2019 |access-date= November 29, 2019 |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/117143093/michael-jackson-songs-back-on-new-zealand-radio-airwaves}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Marc-André |last= Lemieux |title= Fin du boycottage de Michael Jackson |newspaper= [[Le Journal de Montréal]] |date= October 29, 2019 |access-date= December 30, 2019 |url= https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/10/29/fin-du-boycott-de-michael-jackson |language= fr}}</ref>

On February 21, 2019, the Jackson estate sued HBO for breaching a non-disparagement clause from a 1992 contract. The suit sought to compel HBO to participate in a non-confidential arbitration that could result in $100{{nbsp}}million or more in damages rewarded to the estate.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Eriq |last= Gardner |title= Michael Jackson Estate Sues HBO Over 'Leaving Neverland' Documentary |magazine= [[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date= February 21, 2019 |access-date= September 21, 2019 |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/michael-jackson-estate-sues-hbo-violating-disparagement-deal-1188759}}</ref> HBO said they did not breach a contract and filed an anti-[[Strategic lawsuit against public participation|SLAPP]] motion against the estate. On September 20, Judge [[George H. Wu]] denied HBO's motion to dismiss the case, allowing the Jackson estate to arbitrate.<ref>{{cite web|title= MJ Estate v HBO Final Ruling on Arbitration {{!}} United States District Court {{!}} Government Information |via= [[Scribd]] |date= September 20, 2019 |access-date= September 21, 2019 |url= https://www.scribd.com/document/426736009/MJ-Estate-v-HBO-Final-Ruling-on-Arbitration}}</ref>

==Legacy and influence==
{{See also|Cultural impact of Michael Jackson|List of Michael Jackson records and achievements|List of artists influenced by Michael Jackson}} [[File:Michael Jackson.jpg|thumb|upright|Jackson's ''Bad'' era wax figure at [[Madame Tussauds]], London in 1992|214x214px]]Jackson has been referred to as the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|King of Pop]]" because he transformed the art of music videos and paved the way for modern pop music. For much of Jackson's career, he had an unparalleled worldwide influence over the younger generation.<ref name="ADL"/> His influence extended beyond the music industry; he impacted dance, led fashion trends, and raised awareness for global affairs.<ref>{{cite press release|title= Michael Jackson's music had impact around the globe |work= [[Reuters]] |date= July 4, 2009 |access-date= March 27, 2020 |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jackson-global-sb-idUSTRE5624OT20090704}}</ref> Jackson's music and videos fostered racial diversity in MTV's roster and steered its focus from rock to pop music and R&B, shaping the channel into a form that proved enduring.{{sfn|Young|2009|p=25}} In songs such as "[[Man in the Mirror]]", "[[Black or White]]", [[Heal the World]], "[[Earth Song]]" and "[[They Don't Care About Us]]", Jackson's music emphasized [[racial integration]] and [[environmentalism]] and protested injustice.<ref>{{cite news|first= Joseph |last= Vogel |title= Black and White: how Dangerous kicked off Michael Jackson's race paradox |newspaper= The Guardian |date= March 17, 2018 |access-date= January 13, 2020 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/17/black-and-white-how-dangerous-kicked-off-michael-jacksons-race-paradox}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Why Michael Jackson's songs on climate change and racial inequality need to be youth anthems now |work= [[India Today (TV channel)|India Today]] |date= August 29, 2018 |access-date= January 13, 2020 |url= https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/why-michael-jackson-s-songs-on-climate-change-and-racial-inequality-need-to-be-youth-anthems-now-1326217-2018-08-29}}</ref> He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by ''[[Guinness World Records]]''.<ref name="CityNews">{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson Named Most Successful Entertainer Of All Time |url= http://www.citynews.ca/2006/11/15/michael-jackson-named-most-successful-entertainer-of-all-time/ |work= [[CityNews]] |date= November 15, 2006 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Ditzian">{{cite news|first= Eric |last= Ditzian |title= Michael Jackson's Groundbreaking Career, By The Numbers |publisher= MTV |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= March 2, 2016 |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/1614815/michael-jacksons-groundbreaking-career-by-the-numbers/}}</ref> He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century,<ref>{{cite web|first= Howard |last= Dodson |title= Michael Jackson: Icon |website= [[New York Public Library]] |date= July 7, 2009 |access-date= November 26, 2018 |url= https://www.nypl.org/blog/2009/07/07/michael-jackson-icon}}</ref> and his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.<ref>{{cite news|first= Kasmin |last= Fernandes |title= Why Michael Jackson was a style icon |newspaper= [[The Times of India]] |date= June 25, 2014 |access-date= March 11, 2016 |url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/style-guide/Why-Michael-Jackson-was-a-style-icon/articleshow/37175580.cms?from=mdr}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|first= Don |last= Lemon |title= Michael Jackson's style influence lives on |publisher= [[CNN]] |date= June 23, 2010 |access-date= March 11, 2016 |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/06/23/michael.jackson.fashion/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Jocelyn |last= Vena |title= Michael Jackson's Style Legacy, From Military Jackets To One Glove |date= June 26, 2009 |publisher= MTV |access-date= March 11, 2016 |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/1614819/michael-jacksons-style-legacy-from-military-jackets-to-one-glove/}}</ref><blockquote>"Trying to trace Michael Jackson's influence on the pop stars that followed him is like trying to trace the influence of oxygen and gravity. So vast, far-reaching and was his impact — particularly in the wake of ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]''{{'}}s colossal and heretofore unmatched commercial success — that there weren't a whole lot of artists who ''weren't'' trying to mimic some of the Jackson formula." — J. Edward Keyes of ''[[Rolling Stone]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|first= J. Edward |last= Keyes |title= Michael Jackson's, Indelible Pop Legacy |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= July 7, 2009 |access-date= July 5, 2020 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/michael-jacksons-indelible-pop-legacy-105243/}}</ref></blockquote>Danyel Smith, chief content officer of Vibe Media Group and the editor-in-chief of ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]],'' described Jackson as "the Greatest Star".<ref>{{cite press release|first= Danyel |last= Smith |title= Commentary: Michael Jackson, the greatest star |publisher= CNN |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= July 4, 2020 |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/26/smith.jackson.appreciation/}}</ref> Steve Huey of AllMusic called him "an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the skills to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star power".<ref name="allmusic"/> BET said Jackson was "quite simply the greatest entertainer of all time" whose "sound, style, movement and legacy continues to inspire artists of all genres".<ref>{{cite web|title= Michael Jackson |url= http://www.bet.com/topics/m/michael-jackson.html |website= Search.bet.com |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>

In 1984, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' pop critic [[Jay Cocks]] wrote that "Jackson is the biggest thing since the Beatles. He is the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley. He just may be the most popular black singer ever." He described Jackson as a "star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style, and color too."<ref name="Time"/> In 2003, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' writer [[Tom Utley]] described Jackson as "extremely important" and a "genius".<ref>{{cite news|first= Tom |last= Utley |author-link= Tom Utley |date= February 7, 2003 |title= Of course Jackson's odd—but his genius is what matters |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3587259/Of-course-Jackson%27s-odd---but-his-genius-is-what-matters.html |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In 2007, Jackson said: "Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever."<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Bryan |last= Monroe |title= Michael Jackson in His Own Words |magazine= [[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date= December 2007 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WdMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94}}</ref> At Jackson's memorial service on July 7, 2009, Motown founder Berry Gordy called Jackson "the greatest entertainer that ever lived".<ref>{{cite web|title= Gordy Brings Mourners to Their Feet With Jackson Tribute |url= http://www.contactmusic.com/news/gordy-brings-mourners-to-their-feet-with-jackson-tribute_1108973 |date= July 7, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|first= Bob |last= Tourtellotte |date= July 8, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson hailed as greatest entertainer, best dad |url= http://uk.reuters.com/article/2009/07/08/us-jackson-idUKTRE5615KN20090708 |agency= Reuters UK |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In a June 28, 2009 ''[[Baltimore Sun]]'' article, Jill Rosen wrote that Jackson's legacy influenced fields including sound, dance, fashion, music videos and celebrity.<ref>{{cite news|first= Jill |last= Rosen |title= 7 Ways Michael Jackson Changed The World |date= June 28, 2009 |newspaper= [[The Baltimore Sun]] |access-date= April 24, 2016 |url= http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2009-06-28/news/0906260178_1_michael-jackson-jackson-changed-jackson-five}}</ref>

Pop critic [[Robert Christgau]] wrote that Jackson's work from the 1970s to the early 1990s showed "immense originality, adaptability, and ambition" with "genius beats, hooks, arrangements, and vocals (though not lyrics)", music that "will stand forever as a reproach to the puritanical notion that pop music is slick or shallow and that's the end of it". During the 1990s, as Jackson lost control of his "troubling life", his music suffered and began to shape "an arc not merely of promise fulfilled and outlived, but of something approaching tragedy: a phenomenally ebullient child star tops himself like none before, only to transmute audibly into a lost weirdo".<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Robert |last= Christgau |author-link= Robert Christgau |title= Michael Jackson: 'The Ultimate Collection' |magazine= [[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |date= December 2004 |access-date= March 12, 2019 |url= http://robertchristgau.com/xg/cdrev/jackson,m-ble.php}}</ref> In the 2000s, Christgau wrote: "Jackson's obsession with fame, his grotesque life magnified by his grotesque wealth, are such an offense to rock aesthetes that the fact that he's a great musician is now often forgotten".<ref>{{cite news|first= Robert |last= Christgau |title= Consumer Guide: Popstakes |newspaper= [[The Village Voice]] |date= January 15, 2002 |access-date= March 12, 2019 |url= https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv102-02.php}}</ref>

==Artistry==
===Influences===
[[File:Michael Jackson's "Bad" Jacket and Belt.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A black jacket with five round golden medals on its left and right shoulders, a gold band on its left arm sleeve, and two belt straps on the right bottom sleeve. Underneath the jacket is a golden belt, with a round ornament in its center.|Jackson's ''Bad'' era jacket on display at the [[Hollywood]] [[Guinness World Records#Museums|''Guinness World Records'' Museum]].|193x193px]]Jackson was influenced by musicians including James Brown, [[Little Richard]], [[Jackie Wilson]], Diana Ross, [[Fred Astaire]], Sammy Davis Jr., [[Gene Kelly]],<ref name="Tucker">{{cite news|first= Ken |last= Tucker |date= June 5, 1988 |title= Summer Reading; Firing Your Father Isn't Easy |newspaper= [[The New York Times]] |page= 751 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/05/books/summer-reading-firing-your-father-isn-t-easy.html |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> and [[David Ruffin]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title= 100 Greatest Singers: 65 – David Ruffin |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/david-ruffin-20101202 |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= November 27, 2008 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> Little Richard had a substantial influence on Jackson,<ref>{{cite news|first= Martin |last= Herron |date= June 27, 2009 |title= Michael Jackson saved my life |url= http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/39Michael-Jackson-saved-my-life39.5407768.jp |newspaper= [[The Scarborough News|Scarborough Evening News]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090628193111/http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/39Michael-Jackson-saved-my-life39.5407768.jp |archive-date= June 28, 2009 |url-status= dead}}</ref> but Brown was his greatest inspiration; he later said that as a small child, his mother would waken him whenever Brown appeared on television. Jackson described being "mesmerized".<ref>{{cite web|title= Jackson Attends Brown's Public Funeral |url= http://www.contactmusic.com/james-brown/news/jackson-attends-browns-public-funeral_1017673 |publisher= [[Contactmusic.com]] |date= January 2, 2007 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>

Jackson's vocal technique was influenced by Diana Ross; his use of the ''oooh'' interjection from a young age was something Ross had used on many of her songs with [[the Supremes]].{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=64}} She was a mother figure to him, and he often watched her rehearse.<ref>{{cite press release|first= Mallory |last= Simon |title= Jackson shared bond with 'very dear friend Diana Ross' |publisher= CNN |date= July 3, 2009 |access-date= December 1, 2016 |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/03/michael.jackson.diana.ross/index.html?iref=nextin}}</ref> He said he had learned a lot from watching how she moved and sang, and that she had encouraged him to have confidence in himself.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=60}}

Choreographer [[David Winters (choreographer)|David Winters]], who met Jackson while choreographing the 1971 Diana Ross TV special ''[[Diana!]]'', said that Jackson watched the musical ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'' almost every week, and it was his favorite film; he paid tribute to it in "Beat It" and the "Bad" video.{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|pages=6, 54}}<ref>{{cite web|first= David |last= Winters |date= June 26, 2009 |title= David Winters remembers Michael Jackson |url= http://www.magickpapers.com/blog/?p=400 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150702033511/http://www.magickpapers.com/blog/?p=400 |archive-date= July 2, 2015 |publisher= Magick Papers}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Eugene |last= Hernandez |title= Remembering Michael Jackson, On Screen |date= June 27, 2009 |url= https://www.indiewire.com/article/michael_jackson_on_screen |publisher= [[IndieWire]] |archive-date= June 27, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090627205050/http://www.indiewire.com/article/michael_jackson_on_screen}}</ref>

===Vocal style===
Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed. Between 1971 and 1975, his voice descended from boy [[soprano]] to high [[tenor]].{{sfn|Brackett|Hoard|2004|p=414}} He was known for his vocal range.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= 100 Greatest Singers of All Time |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= December 3, 2010 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-147019/michael-jackson-18-223970/}}</ref> With the arrival of ''Off the Wall'' in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded; ''Rolling Stone'' compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder, and wrote that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a startling [[falsetto]] that's used very daringly."<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Stephen |last= Holden |author-link= Stephen Holden |title= Michael Jackson: Off The Wall |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= November 1, 1979 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/off-the-wall-19791101}}</ref> By the time of 1982's ''Thriller'', ''Rolling Stone'' wrote that Jackson was singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".<ref name="Thriller"/>

The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album ''Dangerous''. ''The New York Times'' noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals.<ref name="NYT Dangerous"/> Of ''Invincible'', ''Rolling Stone'' wrote that, at 43, Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies".<ref>{{cite magazine|first= James |last= Hunter |title= Michael Jackson: Invincible |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= December 6, 2001 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/invincible-20011206}}</ref> [[Joseph Vogel]] notes Jackson's ability to use non-verbal sounds to express emotion.{{sfn|Vogel|2012|p=9}} [[Neil McCormick]] wrote that Jackson's unorthodox singing style "was original and utterly distinctive".<ref>{{cite news|first= Neil |last= McCormick |author-link= Neil McCormick |title= Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen & Bono |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |date= June 30, 2009 |access-date= February 16, 2016 |url= http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/neilmccormick/100000966/michael-jackson-bruce-springsteen-bono-great-singing-is-about-more-than-the-notes/}}</ref>

===Musicianship===
Jackson had no formal music training and could not read or write [[Musical notation|music notation]]. He is credited for playing guitar, keyboard and drums, but was not proficient in them.<ref name="NME">{{cite magazine|first= Lucy |last= Jones |title= The Incredible Way Michael Jackson Wrote Music |magazine= [[NME]] |date= April 2, 2014 |access-date= April 26, 2016 |url= https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-incredible-way-michael-jackson-wrote-music/}}</ref> When composing, he recorded ideas by beatboxing and imitating instruments vocally.<ref name="NME"/> Describing the process, he said: "I'll just sing the bass part into the tape recorder. I'll take that bass lick and put the chords of the melody over the bass lick and that's what inspires the melody." Engineer Robert Hoffman recalled Jackson dictating a guitar chord note by note and singing string arrangements part by part into a cassette recorder.<ref name="NME"/>

===Dance===
Jackson danced from a young age as part of the Jackson 5,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Roy|first=Sanjoy|date=2009-06-26|title=What Michael Jackson did for dance|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/26/dancing-michael-jackson-moves|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-27|website=[[The Guardian]]|language=en}}</ref> and incorporated dance extensively in his performances and music videos.<ref name=":2" /> According to Sanjoy Roy of the ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'', Jackson would "flick and retract his limbs like switchblades, or snap out of a tornado spin into a perfectly poised toe-stand".<ref name=":2" /> The [[Moonwalk (dance)|moonwalk]], taught to him by [[Jeffrey Daniel]],<ref name=":1" /> was Jackson's signature dance move and one of the most famous of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Rolling Stone|date=2011-07-14|title=Readers Poll: The Best Dancing Musicians|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rolling-stone-readers-pick-their-10-favorite-dancing-musicians-18885/|access-date=2020-12-27|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> Jackson is credited for coining the name "moonwalk"; the move was previously known as the "backslide".<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1907320,00.html "How to Moonwalk like Michael"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', June 25, 2009.</ref><ref name="Thriller25">''[[Thriller 25]]: The Book'', ML Publishing Group Ltd, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-9768891-9-9}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/news/how-michael-jackson-changed-dance-history|title=How Michael Jackson Changed Dance History|last=Catton|first=Pia|website=Biography|language=en-us|access-date=2019-06-06}}</ref> His other moves included the [[Robot (dance)|robot]],{{sfn|Mansour|2005|p=403|ps=: 'The Robot was a mimelike dance, popularized by The Jackson 5 and their Top Ten hit "Dancing Machine"'}} crotch grab, and the "anti-gravity" lean of the "Smooth Criminal" video.<ref name=":2" />

===Themes and genres===
[[File:Michael Jackson1 1988.jpg|thumb|alt=Black and white photo of Jackson holding a microphone and singing.|Jackson during his [[Bad (tour)|Bad]] tour in Vienna, June 1988]]

Jackson explored genres including pop,<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="Jet">{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson Turns 30! |magazine= Jet |volume= 74 |issue= 35 |date= August 29, 1988 |page= 58 |publisher= Johnson Publishing Company |issn= 0021-5996 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=L70DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58}}</ref> [[Soul music|soul]],<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="Bio2"/> [[rhythm and blues]],<ref name="Jet"/> [[funk]],<ref name="Help">{{cite web|first= M. |last= Heyliger |title= A State-of-the-Art Pop Album: Thriller by Michael |url= http://music.consumerhelpweb.com/artists/jackson/thriller.htm |archive-date= December 4, 2008 |quote= Not many artists could pull off such a variety of styles (funk, post-disco, rock, easy listening, ballads)... |website= Consumerhelpweb.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081204150926/http://music.consumerhelpweb.com/artists/jackson/thriller.htm}}</ref> rock,<ref name="Jet"/><ref name="Help"/> [[disco]],<ref name="AMOFW">{{cite web|first= Stephen Thomas |last= Erlewine |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/off-the-wall-mw0000190332 |title= Michael Jackson – Off the Wall – Overview |publisher= AllMusic |access-date= June 15, 2008}}</ref> [[post-disco]],<ref name="Help"/> [[dance-pop]]{{sfn|Palmer|1995|p=285}} and [[new jack swing]].<ref name="allmusic"/> Steve Huey of [[AllMusic]] wrote that ''Thriller'' refined the strengths of ''Off the Wall''; the dance and rock tracks were more aggressive, while the pop tunes and ballads were softer and more soulful.<ref name="allmusic"/> Its tracks included the ballads "The Lady in My Life", "[[Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)|Human Nature]]", and "[[The Girl Is Mine]]",<ref name="AMThriller">{{cite web|first= Stephen Thomas |last= Erlewine |author-link= Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title= Michael Jackson – Thriller – Overview |publisher= AllMusic. All Media Network |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/thriller-mw0000056882 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Thriller">{{cite magazine|first= Christopher |last= Connelly |title= Michael Jackson: Thriller |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= January 28, 1983 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/thriller-19830128}}</ref><ref name="Slant">{{cite web|first= Eric |last= Henderson |date= October 18, 2003 |title= Michael Jackson – Thriller |work= [[Slant Magazine]] |url= https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/michael-jackson-thriller |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> the funk pieces "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'",<ref name="AMThriller"/><ref name="Thriller"/> and the disco set "[[Baby Be Mine (Michael Jackson song)|Baby Be Mine]]" and "[[P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)]]".<ref name="Slant"/>

With ''Off the Wall'', Jackson's "vocabulary of grunts, squeals, hiccups, moans, and asides" vividly showed his maturation into an adult, [[Robert Christgau]] wrote in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981). The album's title track suggested to the critic a parallel between Jackson and [[Stevie Wonder]]'s "oddball" music personas: "Since childhood his main contact with the real world has been on stage and in bed."{{sfn|Christgau|1981|loc=Consumer Guide '70s: J}} With ''Thriller'', Christopher Connelly of ''Rolling Stone'' commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of [[paranoia]] and darker imagery.<ref name="Thriller"/> AllMusic's [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] noted this on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".<ref name="AMThriller"/> In "Billie Jean", Jackson depicts an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered her child,<ref name="allmusic"/> and in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media.<ref name="Thriller"/> "Beat It" decried gang violence in a homage to ''[[West Side Story]]'', and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="Bio"/> He also observed that the title track "[[Thriller (song)|Thriller]]" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the [[supernatural]], a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona.<ref name="allmusic"/>
{{Listen
 |filename     = 
 |title        = "Thriller"
 |description  = Jackson's song "Thriller", released as a single in 1984; Nelson George wrote that it uses cinematic sound effects, horror film motifs, and vocal trickery to convey a sense of danger.{{sfn|George|2004|p=23}}
 |filename2    = 
 |title2       = "Smooth Criminal"
 |description2 = A single from the album ''Bad'', released 1988, "Smooth Criminal" features digital drum sounds, keyboard bass, and other percussion elements; George said it gave the impression of a pulsing heart.{{sfn|George|2004|p=24}}
 |filename3    = 
 |title3       = "Black or White"
 |description3 = The lead single from ''Dangerous'', "Black or White" is a danceable rock song with hard rock elements.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.sonybmg.com.au/cd/releaseDetails.do?catalogueNo=5044242000 |title= Dangerous (Remastered) |archive-date= December 4, 2005 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051204230345/http://www.sonybmg.com.au/cd/releaseDetails.do?catalogueNo=5044242000 |publisher= Sony BMG |year= 2001}}</ref>{{sfn|Ramage|Bean|Johnson|2001|p=491|ps=: "Black or White, described by the record company as 'a rock 'n' roll dance song about racial harmony."}}}}

In ''Bad'', Jackson's concept of the predatory lover is seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana".<ref>{{cite news|first= Jon |last= Pareles |date= September 3, 1987 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/03/arts/critic-s-notebook-how-good-is-jackson-s-bad.html |title= Critic's Notebook; How Good Is Jackson's 'Bad'? |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> The lead single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, and "Man in the Mirror" is a ballad of confession and resolution. "[[Smooth Criminal]]" is an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely murder.<ref name="Time2"/> AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that ''Dangerous'' presents Jackson as a paradoxical person.<ref name="Dangerous">{{cite web|first= Stephen Thomas |last= Erlewine |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/dangerous-mw0000674875 |title= Michael Jackson – Dangerous – Overview |publisher= AllMusic. All Media Network |access-date= June 15, 2008}}</ref> The first half of the record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like "Jam" and "Remember the Time". It was the first Jackson album in which social ills became a primary theme; "Why You Wanna Trip on Me", for example, protests world hunger, AIDS, homelessness and drugs. ''Dangerous'' contains sexually charged songs such as "[[In the Closet]]". The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire. The second half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as "[[Will You Be There]]", "Heal the World" and "Keep the Faith".<ref name="NYT Dangerous">{{cite news|first= Jon |last= Pareles |date= November 24, 1991 |title= Recordings View; Michael Jackson in the Electronic Wilderness |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/24/arts/recordings-view-michael-jackson-in-the-electronic-wilderness.html |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In the ballad "[[Gone Too Soon]]", Jackson gives tribute to Ryan White and the plight of those with AIDS.<ref>{{cite news|first= Richard |last= Harrington |title= Jackson's 'Dangerous' Departures; Stylistic Shifts Mar His First Album in 4 Years |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= November 24, 1991}}</ref>

''HIStory'' creates an atmosphere of paranoia.<ref name="AMHIStory">{{cite web|first= Stephen Thomas |last= Erlewine |title= Michael Jackson – HIStory – Overview |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/history-past-present-and-future-book-i-mw0000123992 |publisher= AllMusic. All Media Network |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> In the new jack swing-funk rock tracks "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", and the R&B ballad "[[You Are Not Alone]]", Jackson retaliates against the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs his anger at the media.<ref name="RSHIStory">{{cite magazine|first= James |last= Hunter |title= Michael Jackson: HIStory: Past, Present, Future, Book I |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= August 10, 1995 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/history-past-present-future-book-i-19950810}}</ref> In the introspective ballad "[[Stranger in Moscow]]", Jackson laments his "fall from grace"; "Earth Song", "Childhood", "Little Susie" and "Smile" are operatic pop songs.<ref name="AMHIStory"/><ref name="RSHIStory"/> In the "[[D.S. (song)|D.S.]]", Jackson launched a verbal attack against the lawyer [[Thomas W. Sneddon Jr.|Tom Sneddon]], who had prosecuted him in both child sexual abuse cases. He describes Sneddon as an antisocial white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or alive". Sneddon said he had not listened to the song.<ref>{{cite web|title= Thomas W. (Tom) Sneddon Jr. |url= http://www.ndaa.org/ndaa/profile/tom_sneddon_jan_feb_2003.html |archive-date= June 27, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060627020903/http://www.ndaa.org/ndaa/profile/tom_sneddon_jan_feb_2003.html |publisher= [[National Defense Authorization Act]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> ''Invincible'' was produced by Rodney Jerkins.<ref name="allmusic"/> It includes urban soul tracks such as "[[Cry (Michael Jackson song)|Cry]]" and "The Lost Children", ballads such as "[[Speechless (Michael Jackson song)|Speechless]]", "Break of Dawn", and "Butterflies" and mixes hip hop, pop, and R&B in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible".<ref>{{cite web|first= Stephen Thomas |last= Erlewine |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/invincible-mw0000011263 |title= Michael Jackson – Invincible – Overview |publisher= AllMusic. All Media Network |access-date= September 9, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Mark |last= Beaumont |date= November 30, 2001 |url= https://www.nme.com/reviews/michael-jackson/5780 |title= Michael Jackson: Invincible |magazine= [[NME]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>

===Music videos and choreography===
[[File:Michaeljacksonphoto drewcohen.JPG|thumb|alt=A man is singing into a microphone under a spotlight. He wears a blue open-neck shirt over a white T-shirt, and dark pants. There are two colorfully-dressed men on either side of him.|Jackson (center) performing a dance sequence of "[[The Way You Make Me Feel]]" at the Bad tour in 1988.|254x254px]]
Jackson released "[[Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video)|Thriller]]", a 14-minute music video directed by [[John Landis]], in 1983.<ref name="Registry">{{cite press release|first= Alex |last= Dobuzinskis |title= Jackson "Thriller" film picked for U.S. registry |work= [[Reuters]] |date= December 30, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/12/30/us-thriller-idUSTRE5BT43W20091230?type=musicNews}}</ref> The [[zombie]]-themed video "defined music videos and broke racial barriers" on [[MTV]], which had launched two years earlier.{{sfn|Young|2009|p=25}} Before ''Thriller'', Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean," directed by Steve Barron, produced by Simon Fields & Paul Flattery |date= October 2005 |magazine= [[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]}}</ref> Pressure from CBS Records persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It", which led to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, and helped other black music artists gain recognition.<ref name="Video">{{cite news|first= Edna |last= Gundersen |title= Music videos changing places |newspaper= USA Today |date= August 25, 2005 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-08-25-mtv_x.htm}}</ref> The popularity of his videos on MTV helped the relatively new channel's viewing figures, and MTV's focus shifted toward pop and R&B.<ref name="Video"/><ref>{{cite news|first= Bryan |last= Robinson |title= Why Are Michael Jackson's Fans So Devoted? |publisher= ABC News |date= February 23, 2005 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/LegalCenter/story?id=464753&page=1}}</ref> His performance on ''Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever'' changed the scope of live stage shows, making it acceptable for artists to lip-sync to music video on stage.{{sfn|Inglis|2006|pp=119, 127|ps=: "That Jackson lip-synced 'Billie Jean' is, in itself, not extraordinary, but the fact that it did not change the impact of the performance is extraordinary; whether the performance was live or lip-synced made no difference to the audience."}} The choreography in ''Thriller'' has been copied in [[Cinema of India|Indian films]] and [[Thriller (viral video)|prisons in the Philippines]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Philippine jailhouse rocks to Thriller |work= BBC News |date= July 26, 2007 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6917318.stm}}</ref> ''Thriller'' marked an increase in scale for music videos, and was named the most successful music video ever by the ''Guinness World Records''.<ref name="World Records"/>

In "Bad"'s 19-minute video—directed by [[Martin Scorsese]]—Jackson used sexual imagery and choreography, and touched his chest, torso and crotch. When asked by Winfrey in the 1993 interview about why he grabbed his crotch, he said it was spontaneously compelled by the music. ''Time'' magazine described the "Bad" video as "infamous". It featured [[Wesley Snipes]]; Jackson's later videos often featured famous cameo roles.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=370–373}}<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Richard |last= Corliss |author-link= Richard Corliss |title= Michael Jackson: Who's Bad? |magazine= Time |url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,979177,00.html |date= September 6, 1993 |access-date= April 23, 2008}}</ref> For the "Smooth Criminal" video, Jackson experimented with leaning forward at a 45 degree angle, beyond the performer's center of gravity. To accomplish this live, Jackson and designers developed a special shoe to lock the performer's feet to the stage, allowing them to lean forward. They were granted {{US patent|src=uspto|5255452}} for the device.<ref>{{cite patent|US|5255452|Michael J. Jackson, Michael L. Bush, Dennis Tompkins: "Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion", filed June 29, 1992, issued October 26, 1993}}</ref> The video for "Leave Me Alone" was not officially released in the US, but in 1989 was nominated for three ''Billboard'' Music Video Awards{{sfn|Campbell|1993|p=273}} and won a Golden Lion Award for its special effects. It won a Grammy for [[Grammy Award for Best Music Video|Best Music Video, Short Form]].<ref name="grammy mj"/>

He received the [[Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award|MTV Video Vanguard Award]] in 1988; in 2001 the award was renamed in his honor.<ref name="MTV2">{{cite news|first= Kyle |last= Anderson |title= Michael Jackson's Video Vanguard Award, In MJ's Top MTV Moments |publisher= MTV |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/1614838/michael-jacksons-video-vanguard-award-in-mjs-top-mtv-moments/}}</ref> The "Black or White" video simultaneously premiered on November 14, 1991, in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500{{nbsp}}million people, the largest audience ever for a music video at the time.<ref name="Achievements"/> Along with Jackson, it featured [[Macaulay Culkin]], [[Peggy Lipton]], and [[George Wendt]]. It helped introduce [[morphing]] to music videos.{{sfn|Campbell|1993|p=303}} It was controversial for scenes in which Jackson rubs his crotch, vandalizes cars, and throws a garbage can through a storefront. He apologized and removed the final scene of the video.<ref name="ew1991"/>

"In the Closet" featured [[Naomi Campbell]] in a courtship dance with Jackson.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson Co-Directs Music Film, 'In the Closet' |magazine= Jet |page= 56 |date= April 27, 1992 |publisher= Johnson Publishing Company |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wbkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56}}</ref> "Remember the Time" was set in [[ancient Egypt]], and featured [[Eddie Murphy]], [[Iman (model)|Iman]], and [[Magic Johnson]].{{sfn|Campbell|1993|pp=313–314}} The video for "Scream", directed by [[Mark Romanek]] and production designer Tom Foden, gained a record 11 [[MTV Video Music Award]] Nominations, and won "Best Dance Video", "Best Choreography", and "Best Art Direction".{{sfn|Boepple|1995|p=52}} The song and its video are Jackson's response to being accused of child molestation in 1993.<ref>{{cite news|first= Ed |last= Bark |title= Michael Jackson Interview Raises Questions, Answers |newspaper= [[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |page= 06E |date= June 26, 1995}}</ref> A year later, it won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form. It has been reported as the [[List of most expensive music videos|most expensive music video ever made]], at $7{{nbsp}}million;<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Hugh |last= McIntyre |title= The 5 Most Expensive Music Videos of All Time |magazine= Forbes |date= August 24, 2014 |access-date= March 23, 2019 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2014/08/24/the-top-5-most-expensive-music-videos-of-all-time/}}</ref> Romanek has contradicted this.<ref>{{cite web|first= Steven |last= Gottlieb |title= "Scream" Gets Named Most Expensive Video Ever; Director Mark Romanek Disagrees |website= VideoStatic |date= August 28, 2014 |access-date= March 23, 2019 |url= https://www.videostatic.com/blog/2014/08/28/scream-gets-named-most-expensive-video-ever-director-mark-romanek-disagrees}}</ref> The "Earth Song" video was nominated for the 1997 Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form.<ref>{{cite news|first= Greg |last= Kot |title= Pumpkins a Smash Hit with 7 Grammy Nominations |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |date= January 8, 1997 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-01-08-9701080229-story.html}}</ref>

''[[Michael Jackson's Ghosts]],'' a short film written by Jackson and [[Stephen King]] and directed by [[Stan Winston]], premiered at the 1996 [[Cannes Film Festival]]. At over 38 minutes long, it held the Guinness world record for the longest music video until 2013, when it was eclipsed by the video for the [[Pharrell Williams]] song "[[Happy (Pharrell Williams song)|Happy]]".<ref>{{cite web|title= Longest music video |date= November 21, 2013 |access-date= March 23, 2019 |work= [[Guinness World Records]] |url= http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/71833-longest-music-video}}</ref> The 2001 video for "You Rock My World" lasts over 13 minutes, was directed by [[Paul Hunter (director)|Paul Hunter]], and features [[Chris Tucker]] and [[Marlon Brando]].<ref>{{cite news|first= James |last= Montgomery |title= Michael Jackson's Video Co-Stars: From Eddie Murphy to Marlon Brando |publisher= MTV |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= March 22, 2010 |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1614795/20090626/jackson_michael.jhtml}}</ref> It won an [[NAACP Image Award]] for Outstanding Music Video in 2002.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= NAACP Image Award Spotlight Black' Achievements |magazine= Jet |volume= 101 |issue= 13 |date= March 18, 2002 |page= 36 |publisher= Johnson Publishing Company |issn= 0021-5996 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=L70DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58}}</ref>

In December 2009, the [[Library of Congress]] selected "Thriller" as the only music video to be preserved in the [[National Film Registry]], as a work of "enduring importance to American culture".<ref>{{cite web|title= Zorro, Nemo, Muppets & More: Wide Variety Tapped for 2009 Film Registry |publisher= [[Library of Congress]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/10012/films.html}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite news|first= Dave |last= Itzkoff |title= 'Thriller' Video Added to U.S. Film Registry |date= December 30, 2009 |newspaper= [[The New York Times]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/arts/music/31arts-THRILLERVIDE_BRF.html}}</ref> Huey wrote that Jackson transformed the music video into an art form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameos, while breaking down racial barriers.<ref name="allmusic"/>

==Honors and awards==
{{See also|List of awards and nominations received by Michael Jackson}}

Jackson's estimated sales of over 350{{nbsp}}million records worldwide<ref>{{cite press release|first= Peter |last= Wilkinson |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/michael.jackson.world/index.html |title= Jackson was star the world could not ignore |publisher= [[CNN]] |date= June 26, 2009 |access-date= August 15, 2016}}</ref>{{ref label|Note 1|Note 1}} make him the best-selling pop act of all time and the third-[[List of best-selling music artists|best-selling music artist]] in history.<ref>{{cite news|first= David |last= Hinckley |title= Michael Jackson remembered 5 years later: How the Daily News covered the tragic story of icon's death |newspaper= [[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location= New York |date= June 25, 2014 |access-date= September 9, 2015 |url= http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/daily-news-covered-michael-jackson-tragic-death-article-1.1842401}}</ref> He had 13 [[List of artists who reached number one in the United States#J|number-one singles in the US]] in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Hot 100 Anniversary: Most No. 1s By Artist |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1044523/hot-100-anniversary-most-no-1s-by-artist |magazine= Billboard |date= August 6, 2008 |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref> He was invited and honored by a [[President of the United States]] at the [[White House]] three times. In 1984, he was honored with a "Presidential Public Safety Commendation" award by [[Ronald Reagan]] for his humanitarian endeavors.<ref>{{cite web|title= Remarks at a White House Ceremony Marking Progress Made in the Campaign Against Drunk Driving |publisher= [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum]]. [[University of Texas at Austin]] |date= May 14, 1984 |access-date= May 28, 2020 |url= http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/51484a.htm |archive-date= May 24, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110524122929/http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/51484a.htm}}</ref> In 1990, he was honored as the "Artist of the Decade" by [[George H. W. Bush]].{{sfn|George|2004|pp=44–45}} In 1992, he was honored as a "Point of Light Ambassador" by Bush for inviting disadvantaged children to his [[Neverland Ranch]].{{sfn|Campbell|1993|p=321}}

Jackson won [[List of awards and nominations received by Michael Jackson|hundreds of awards]], more than any other popular music recording artist.<ref>{{cite news|first= Monica |last= Lewis |date= June 14, 2007 |title= 20 People Who Changed Black Music: Michael Jackson, the Child Star-Turned-Adult Enigma |newspaper= [[The Miami Herald]] |access-date= March 16, 2013 |url= http://www.miamiherald.com/2007/06/14/139458/20-people-who-changed-black-music.html}}</ref> His awards include 39 Guinness World Records, including the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time,<ref name="CityNews"/><ref name="Ditzian"/> 13 [[Grammy Award]]s,<ref>{{cite press release|first= Mike |last= Collett-White |title= Michael Jackson to add concerts after sellout |work= Reuters |date= March 11, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE52A44W20090311}}</ref> as well as the [[Grammy Legend Award]]<ref>{{cite web|title= Grammy Legend Award |website= Grammy.org |publisher= [[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/legends |url-status= dead |archive-date= January 22, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110122042621/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/legends}}</ref> and the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]],<ref>{{cite web|title= Lifetime Achievement Award |publisher= National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/lifetime-awards}}</ref> and a record 26 American Music Awards, including the "Artist of the Century" and "Artist of the 1980s".<ref name="MTV"/> He also was honored with the [[World Music Awards]]' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium and the [[Bambi Award|Bambi]] Pop Artist of the Millennium Award.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Michael Jackson and Halle Berry Pick Up Bambi Awards in Berlin |magazine= [[Hello (magazine)|Hello!]] |date= November 22, 2002 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2002/11/22/michaeljackson/}}</ref> Jackson was inducted onto the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1980 as a member of the Jacksons, and in 1984 as a solo artist. He was [[List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees#Performers|inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] and [[Vocal Group Hall of Fame]] as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and 1999,<ref>{{cite web|title= The Vocal Group Hall of Fame: Album Categories 1999 Inductee |publisher= The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation |url= http://vocalgroup.org/album_category/1999-inductee/?events=next |archive-date= October 15, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171015150126/http://vocalgroup.org/album_category/1999-inductee/?events=next}}</ref> respectively, and again as a solo artist in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|first= Ed |last= Masley |title= Stevie Nicks is about to join these 22 men as a two-time Rock and Rock Hall of Fame inductee |newspaper= [[The Arizona Republic]] |date= March 28, 2019 |access-date= April 7, 2019 |url= https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/03/28/stevie-nicks-musicians-in-rock-roll-hall-fame-twice/3279589002/}}</ref> In 2002, he was added to the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Kelefa |last= Sanneh |title= Hall of Fame Inducts Songwriters |newspaper= The New York Times |date= June 15, 2002 |access-date= April 11, 2019 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/15/arts/hall-of-fame-inducts-songwriters.html}}</ref> In 2010, Jackson was the first recording artist to be inducted into the [[National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame|Dance Hall of Fame]],<ref>{{cite news|first= Tom |last= Keiser |title= Photos: Michael Jackson induction ceremony |newspaper= [[The News-Times]] |date= August 15, 2010 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Photos-Michael-Jackson-induction-ceremony-617034.php}}</ref> and in 2014 he was posthumously inducted into the [[Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|first= Chuck |last= Yarborough |date= August 19, 2014 |title= R&B Music Hall of Fame sets big weekend to induct sophomore class featuring Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Norm N. Nite and more |newspaper= [[The Plain Dealer]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/08/rb_hall_of_fame_sets_big_weeke.html}}</ref>

Jackson received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from [[Fisk University]] in 1988.<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Doctorates of Rock |magazine= Rolling Stone |date= July 19, 2011 |access-date= April 12, 2019 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/doctorates-of-rock-21401/michael-jackson-19-240445/}}</ref> In 1992, he was invested as a [[Title of honour|titular king]] of [[Kingdom of Sanwi|Sanwi]], a traditional [[Monarchy|kingdom]] located in the south-east of [[Republic of Ivory Coast|Ivory Coast]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Sanwi kingdom mourns passing of a prince |publisher= [[France 24]] |date= June 29, 2009 |access-date= November 28, 2019 |url= https://www.france24.com/en/20090629-sanwi-kingdom-mourns-passing-prince-}}</ref> In July 2009, the Lunar Republic Society named a crater on the Moon after Jackson.<ref>{{cite news|first= Ben |last= Leach |title= Moon crater named after Michael Jackson |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |date= July 9, 2009 |access-date= June 26, 2016 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5784734/Moon-crater-named-after-Michael-Jackson.html}}</ref> In August, for what would have been Jackson's 51st birthday, Google dedicated their [[Google Doodle]] to him.<ref>{{cite news|first= Tom |last= Chivers |title= Google's Doodles: 10 of the best including UFOs and Google |newspaper= The Daily Telegraph |date= September 28, 2009 |access-date= June 26, 2016 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/6239929/Googles-Doodles-10-of-the-best-including-UFOs-and-Googlle.html}}</ref> In December, the [[American Film Institute]] recognized Jackson's death as a "moment of significance".<ref>{{cite press release|first= Jill |last= Serjeant |title= Michael Jackson's death among 2009's major moments |work= [[Reuters]] |date= December 29, 2009 |access-date= November 28, 2019 |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-moments-idUSTRE5BS3CZ20091229}}</ref> In 2010, two university librarians found that there were references to Jackson in academic writing on music, popular culture, chemistry and other topics.<ref>{{cite web|first= Cory |last= Chandler |date= May 20, 2010 |title= Librarians Prove Michael Jackson Was a Rock Star in Academic Literature |url= http://today.ttu.edu/2010/05/librarians-prove-michael-jackson-was-a-rock-star-in-academic-literature |publisher= [[Texas Tech University]] |access-date= May 31, 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|Hidalgo|Weiner|2010|pp=14–28}} On December 19, 2014, the [[British Council]] of Cultural Relations deemed Jackson's life one of the 80 most important cultural moments of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|title= 80 Moments That Shaped the World |publisher= [[British Council]] |url= https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/80-moments-report.pdf |year= 2014 |access-date= November 26, 2017}}</ref> [[World Vitiligo Day]] has been celebrated on June 25, the anniversary of Jackson's death, to raise awareness of the auto-immune disorder that Jackson suffered from.<ref>{{cite web|first= John E. |last= Harris |title= Speaking of Vitiligo... |publisher= Vitiligo Clinic & Research Center |date= June 24, 2014 |access-date= November 24, 2019 |url= https://www.umassmed.edu/vitiligo/blog/blog-posts1/2014/06/world-vitiligo-day/}}</ref> On December 29, 2009, the American Film Institute recognized Jackson's death as a "moment of significance".<ref>{{cite press release|first= Jill |last= Serjeant |title= Michael Jackson's Death Among 2009's Major Moments |work= Reuters |date= December 29, 2009 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-moments/michael-jacksons-death-among-2009s-major-moments-idUSTRE5BS3CZ20091229}}</ref>

==Earnings==
In 1989, Jackson's annual earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts were estimated at $125{{nbsp}}million.<ref name="World Records">{{cite news|title= News – Jackson receives his World Records |publisher= Yahoo! |date= November 14, 2006 |url= http://uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna/article.html?a=/14112006/344/jackson-receives-world-records.html&e=l_news_dm |url-status= dead |archive-date= September 27, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110927165143/http://uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna/article.html?a=%2F14112006%2F344%2Fjackson-receives-world-records.html&e=l_news_dm}}</ref> ''[[Forbes]]'' placed Jackson's annual income at $35{{nbsp}}million in 1996 and $20{{nbsp}}million in 1997.<ref name="Finances">{{cite news|first= Edna |last= Gundersen |title= For Jackson, scandal could spell financial ruin |newspaper= USA Today |date= November 24, 2003 |access-date= March 14, 2010 |url= http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/2003-11-24-jackson-finances_x.htm}}</ref> Estimates of Jackson's net worth during his life range from negative $285{{nbsp}}million to positive $350{{nbsp}}million for 2002, 2003 and 2007.<ref>{{cite news|first= Linda |last= Deutsch |title= Forensic accountant tells court Jackson is in financial straits |newspaper= [[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |date= May 4, 2005 |access-date= March 25, 2017 |url= http://legacy.sandiegouniontribune.com/uniontrib/20050504/news_1n4jackson.html |archive-date= March 26, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170326051412/http://legacy.sandiegouniontribune.com/uniontrib/20050504/news_1n4jackson.html |url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Brett |last= Pulley |title= Michael Jackson's Ups And Downs |magazine= Forbes |date= November 21, 2003 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.forbes.com/2003/11/21/cz_1121jackson.html}}</ref> ''Forbes'' reported in August 2018 that Jackson's total career pretax earnings in life and death were $4.2{{nbsp}}billion.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Zack O'Malley |last= Greenburg |title= Michael Jackson at 60: The King of Pop by the Numbers |magazine= Forbes |date= August 29, 2018 |access-date= November 14, 2018 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2018/08/29/michael-jackson-at-60-the-king-of-pop-by-the-numbers/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Stress killed MJ, says ex-publicist |newspaper= [[The Times of India]] |date= June 27, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-interviews/Stress-killed-MJ-says-ex-publicist/articleshow/4709371.cms?referral=PM}}</ref> Sales of his recordings through Sony's music unit earned him an estimated $300{{nbsp}}million in royalties. He may have earned another $400{{nbsp}}million from concerts, music publishing (including his share of the Beatles catalog), endorsements, merchandising and music videos.<ref>{{cite news|first= Timothy L |last= O'Brien |title= What Happened to the Fortune Michael Jackson Made? |newspaper= The New York Times |page= 1 |date= May 14, 2006 |access-date= March 16, 2013 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/business/yourmoney/14michael.html}}</ref>

In 2013, the executors of Jackson's estate filed a petition in the [[United States Tax Court]] as a result of a dispute with the [[Internal Revenue Service]] (IRS) over [[Estate tax in the United States|US federal estate taxes]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Estate of Michael J. Jackson, Deceased, John G. Branca, Co-Executor and John McClain, Co-Executor |date= August 19, 2016 |url= https://www.ustaxcourt.gov/UstcDockInq/DocketDisplay.aspx?DocketNo=13017152}}</ref> The executors claim that it was worth about $7{{nbsp}}million, the IRS that it was worth over $1.1{{nbsp}}billion. In February 2014, the IRS reported that Jackson's estate owed $702{{nbsp}}million; $505{{nbsp}}million in taxes, and $197{{nbsp}}million in penalties.<ref name="Gottlieb">{{cite news|first= Jeff |last= Gottlieb |title= Michael Jackson estate embroiled in tax fight with IRS |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= February 7, 2014 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url= https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-jackson-taxes-20140208,0,3089248.story}}</ref> A trial was held from February 6 to 24, 2017,<ref>{{cite web|title= United States Tax Court: Washington, DC 20217 |date= February 2, 2016 |url= https://www.ustaxcourt.gov/UstcDockInq/DocumentViewer.aspx?IndexID=6774879}}</ref> and a decision was still pending as of 2020.<ref>{{cite press release|first= Amy |last= Forliti |title= Prince wrongful death case dismissed; estate case continues |publisher= [[WHSV-TV]] |agency= Associated Press |date= January 21, 2020 |access-date= May 25, 2020 |url= https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Prince-wrongful-death-case-dismissed-estate-case-continues-567163481.html}}</ref>

In 2016, ''Forbes'' estimated annual gross earnings by the Jackson Estate at $825{{nbsp}}million, the largest ever recorded for a celebrity, mostly due to the sale of the Sony/ATV catalog.<ref name="Forbes2016">{{cite magazine|first= Zack O'Malley |last= Greenburg |title= Michael Jackson's Earnings: $825 Million In 2016 |magazine= Forbes |date= October 14, 2016 |access-date= December 11, 2016 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2016/10/14/michael-jacksons-earnings-825-million-in-2016/}}</ref> In 2018 the figure was $400{{nbsp}}million.<ref name="Forbes2018">{{cite magazine|first1= Zack O'Malley |last1= Greenburg |first2= Natalie |last2= Robehmed |title= The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2018 |magazine= Forbes |date= October 31, 2017 |access-date= October 31, 2018 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2018/10/31/the-highest-paid-dead-celebrities-of-2018/}}</ref> It was the eighth year since his death that Jackson's annual earnings were reported to be over $100{{nbsp}}million, thus bringing Jackson's postmortem total to $2.4{{nbsp}}billion.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Zack O'Malley |last= Greenburg |title= The Real Reason Behind Michael Jackson's Earnings Drop |magazine= Forbes |date= October 30, 2019 |access-date= November 28, 2019 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2019/10/30/the-real-reason-behind-michael-jacksons-earnings-drop/}}</ref> In 2020, ''Forbes'' recognized Jackson as the [[Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrity|top-earning dead celebrity]] each year since his death except 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title= Michael Jackson tops list of top-earning dead celebs at $60 mn, Elvis Presley retains 2nd spot |newspaper= [[The Economic Times]] |date= November 1, 2019 |access-date= November 28, 2019 |url= https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/michael-jackson-tops-list-of-top-earning-dead-celebs-at-60-mn-elvis-presley-retains-2nd-spot/articleshow/71850461.cms}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first= Madeline |last= Berg |title= The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2020 |magazine= Forbes |date= November 13, 2020 |access-date= November 30, 2020 |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2020/11/13/the-highest-paid-dead-celebrities-of-2020/}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Michael Jackson albums discography|Michael Jackson singles discography}}
{{See also|The Jackson 5 discography}}
*''[[ABC (album)|Hello World : ABC]]'' (1970)
*''[[Got to Be There]]'' (1972)
*''[[Ben (Michael Jackson album)|Coming of Age]]'' (1973)
*''[[Music & Me|Moving Violation]]'' (1975)
*''[[Forever, Michael|Goin' Places]]'' (1977)
*''[[Destiny]]'' (1978)
*''[[Off the Wall]]'' (1979)
*''[[Triumph (The Jacksons album)|Triumph]]'' (1980)
*''[[Triumph (The Jacksons album)|Hot Street]]'' (1981)
*''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'' (1982)
*''[[Victory (The Jacksons album)|Victory]]'' (1984)
*''[[Bad (album)|Fly Away]]'' (1986)
*''[[Bad (album)|Bad]]'' (1987)
*''[[Dangerous (Michael Jackson album)|Serious Effect]]'' (1990)
*''[[Dangerous (Michael Jackson album)|Dangerous]]'' (1991)
*''[[HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I]]'' (1995)
*''[[Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix|Blood on the Dance Floor]]'' (1997)
*''[[Invincible (Michael Jackson album)|Invincible]]'' (2001)
*''[[Invincible (Michael Jackson album)|Infinite]]'' (2004)
*''[[Xscape (Michael Jackson album)|Xscape]]'' (2007)
<!--Please do not add anymore albums to this section. "Invincible" was Jackson's final studio album. Per [[WP:WikiProject Musicians/Article guidelines#Discography section]], only add STUDIO ALBUMS to this section. No EP's, live albums, compilation albums, etc. "Michael" and "Xscape" are NOT studio albums per consensus on their talk pages and should be excluded from this list.-->

==Filmography==
{{See also|Michael Jackson videography}}
*''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'' (1978)
*''[[Captain EO]]'' (1986)
*''[[Moonwalker]]'' (1988)
*''[[Michael Jackson's Ghosts]]'' (1997)
*''[[Men in Black II]]'' (2002)
*''[[Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls]]'' (2004)
*''[[Michael Jackson's This Is It]]'' (2009)
*''[[Bad 25 (film)|Bad 25]]'' (2012)
*''[[Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall]]'' (2016)

==Tours==
{{Main|List of concert tours by Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5}}
*[[Bad (tour)|Bad]] (1987–1989)
*[[Dangerous World Tour]] (1992–1993)
*[[HIStory World Tour]] (1996–1997)
*[[MJ & Friends]] (1999)

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==

===Citations===
{{reflist|25em}}

===Print sources===
{{refbegin|25em}}
*{{cite journal|first=Leanne|last=Boepple|year=1995|title=Scream: Space Odyssey, Jackson-Style. (video production; Michael and Janet Jackson video)|journal=TCI: Theatre Crafts International|volume=29|publisher=Theatre Crafts International|issn=1063-9497}}
*{{cite book|first1=Nathan|last1=Brackett|first2=Christian|last2=Hoard|year=2004|title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=[[Fireside Books|Fireside]]|isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8}}
*{{cite book|first=Fred|last=Bronson|year=2003|title=Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits|edition=3rd|publisher=Billboard Books|isbn=978-0-8230-7738-0}}
*{{cite book|first=Lisa D|last=Campbell|year=1993|title=Michael Jackson: The King of Pop|publisher=Branden|isbn=978-0-8283-1957-7}}
*{{cite book|first=Lisa D|last=Campbell|year=1995|title=Michael Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour|publisher=Branden|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVC9zltjf-EC&pg=PP1|isbn=978-0-8283-2003-0}}
*{{cite book|first=Robert|last=Christgau|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=0-89919-026-X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: J|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=J&bk=70|access-date=February 27, 2019}}
*{{cite book|first=Margo|last=DeMello|year=2012|title=Faces Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-1-59884-618-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39B8fpdg_NwC&pg=PA152}}
*{{cite AV media notes|first=Nelson|last=George|author-link=Nelson George|year=2004|title=[[Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection]]|type=booklet|publisher=[[Sony BMG]]}}
*{{cite journal|first1=Susan|last1=Hidalgo|first2=Robert G.|last2=Weiner|year=2010|title=Wanna Be Startin' Somethin': MJ in the Scholarly Literature: A Selected Bibliographic Guide|journal=The Journal of Pan African Studies|volume=3|issue=7|url=http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol3no7/3.7MJ-Wanna-3.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602050831/http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol3no7/3.7MJ-Wanna-3.pdf|archive-date=June 2, 2010}}
*{{cite book|first=Ian|last=Inglis|year=2006|title=Performance and Popular Music: History, Place and Time|publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-7546-4057-8}}
*{{cite book|first=Michael|last=Jackson|year=2009|title=Moonwalk|title-link=Moonwalk (book)|orig-year=First published 1988|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0-307-71698-9}}
*{{cite book|first=Steve|last=Knopper|year=2016|title= MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson|publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]]|isbn=978-1-4767-3037-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60p5DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA6}}
*{{cite book|first=Jel D.|last=Lewis Jones|year=2005|title=Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture: the Music! the Man! the Legend! the Interviews: an Anthology|publisher=Amber Books Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LuEPnk7irOMC|isbn=978-0-9749779-0-4}}
*{{cite book|first=David|last=Mansour|year=2005|title=From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century|publisher=[[Andrews McMeel Publishing]]|isbn=0-7407-5118-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hK0rPUF85loC&pg=PA403}}
*{{cite book|first=Robert|last=Palmer|author-link=Robert Palmer (writer)|year=1995|title=Rock & Roll: An Unruly History|publisher=[[Harmony Books]]|isbn=978-0-517-70050-1|url=https://archive.org/details/rockrollunrulyh00palm}}
*{{cite book|first=Radhika|last=Parameswaran|year=2011|title=Circuits of Visibility: Gender and Transnational Media Cultures|chapter=E-Race-ing Color: Gender and Transnational Visual Economies of Beauty in India|editor-last=Sarma Hegde|editor-first=Radha|publisher=[[NYU Press]]|isbn=978-0-8147-9060-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dXaPIHee5GkC&pg=PA75}}
*{{cite book|first1=John D.|last1=Ramage|first2=John C.|last2=Bean|first3=June|last3=Johnson|year=2001|title= Writing arguments: a rhetoric with readings |publisher=Allyn and Bacon|isbn=978-0-205-31745-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nDnUQkn28lUC}}
*{{cite book|first=Chris|last=Rojek|year=2007|title=Cultural Studies|publisher=[[Polity (publisher)|Polity]]|isbn=978-0-7456-3683-2}}
*{{cite book|first1=Rob|last1=Tannenbaum|first2=Craig|last2=Marks|year=2011|title=I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=978-1-101-52641-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrBolXPYq40C&pg=RA4-PT175}}
*{{cite book|first=J. Randy|last=Taraborrelli|author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli|year=2009|title=Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009|publisher=Grand Central Publishing, 2009|isbn=978-0-446-56474-8|url=https://archive.org/details/michaeljacksonma0000tara}}
*{{cite book|first=Joseph|last=Vogel|author-link=Joseph Vogel|year=2012|title=Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson|url=https://archive.org/details/maninmusiccreati0000voge|url-access=registration|location= New York|publisher=[[Sterling Publishing|Sterling]]|isbn=978-1-4027-7938-1}}
*{{cite journal|first=Julie|last=Young|date=Fall 2009|title=A Hoosier Thriller: Gary, Indiana's Michael Jackson|journal=Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History|volume=21|issue=4|publisher=Indiana Historical Society|location=Indianapolis|access-date=April 14, 2014|url=http://www.indianahistory.org/our-services/books-publications/magazines/michaeljackson|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415035650/http://www.indianahistory.org/our-services/books-publications/magazines/michaeljackson}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Michael Jackson-article.ogg|date=February 22, 2019}}
{{Sister project links|d=Q2831|n=Category:Michael Jackson|commons=Category:Michael Jackson|wikt=no|v=no|b=no|s=no|voy=no|collapsible=collapsed}}
*{{Official website|https://www.michaeljackson.com/}}
*{{Britannica|298845}}
*[http://vault.fbi.gov/Michael%20Jackson Michael Jackson] at the [[FBI]]'s website
*{{IMDb name|0001391}}

{{Michael Jackson}}
{{Michael Jackson songs}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Articles related to Michael Jackson
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{{The Jackson 5}}
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{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Michael Jackson|Awards for Michael Jackson]]
|list =
{{American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist}}
{{American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist}}
{{American Music Award of Merit}}
{{Brit British Album}}
{{Brit International Male}}
{{Grammy Award for Album of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Record of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Song of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Children's Album}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Music Film}}
{{Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical}}
{{Grammy Legend Award}}
{{Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award}}
{{MTV Europe Music Award for Best Male}}
{{MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography}}
{{NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year}}
{{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture}}
{{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Male Artist}}
{{1997 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{2001 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
}}
}}

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