Michael Jackson was born on August 28, 1958 into a large yet talented family. His father worked in a steel mill in Gary, Indiana yet had hopes of one day making a name for himself in the world of entertainment. In fact, Joseph (Joe) Jackson was part of a group called "The Falcons who performed in nightly venues throughout the state of Indiana but the group soon disband yet Joe Jackson's ambitions as a singer were channeled into his sons and thus, the group, The Jackson 5 began playing the "Chitlin" circuit in the early 1960's.

From the very outset, Joe Jackson managed his sons' fledging career: The boys would compete in talent competitions all over Indiana and the Midwest region. They would monopolize these competitions by running away with the top prize each and every time. Furthermore, their popularity as a premier yet amateur group was becoming known, and so the father orchestrated his sons' career to the point of their national television debut.

With the success of the Ed Sullivan Show, their career began to take off, but it wasn't until they had met up with Diana Ross of the Supremes that they were able to produce their first album: "Diana Ross presents the Jackson 5". Several of the songs on that album became stellar hits, and the Jackson 5 ensured their mark in the music industry. Consequently, their growing popularity in pop music further gave the brothers clout until Michael would declare his independence and become a solo act.

Michael's maiden success as a solo performer came in the fall of 1979 with "Off The Wall". On that album were songs that had been penned by Michael himself. These songs included such hits as "Ben" and "Childhood" in which Michael revealed some pungent secrets about his restive youth and the childhood he never had. Now, the road was paved for that colossal success story that would make recording history.

The Thriller album came out in 1982 followed by the video of the same name. On that album Michael would be at his mega best; the album would go on to reach platinum heights, and become the top-grossing album of the 80's and eventually the century. Still, Michael's streak wouldn't stop there; he would start appearing in those block-bluster videos, all of which would propel Michael into superstar status and cinched his career as the reigning king of pop.

Finally, Michael was preparing to make a comeback tour when he had a heart attack, and was pronounced dead at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 49, two months shy of his 50th birthday. The tour would have enabled him to pay off his mounting debt, and keep his title to his estate intact. Also, it was only in 2008 that Michael had to come up with a lofty payment in order to keep his property (Never Land) out of foreclosure. Yet the star leaves three children and a family who loved him to mourn his loss .

Learn more about this author, Roger Crain.
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