2. Early Beginnings and Jackson 5 Michael Jackson was born the seventh child out of nine children. He was born August 29,1958. He had five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. Plus, he had three sisters: Rebbie, Janet, and La Toya. His mother, Katherine Jackson, and his father, Joe Jackson, helped form a singing group made out of all the Jackson brothers. They decided to call the group The Jackson 5. Michael became the lead singer of the group. He was only eight years old when he started singing with The Jackson Five. The Jackson Five soon became extremely famous, and Michael soon began to feel lonely. He cried every night, knowing that he never had any time to spend with friends. Michael suffered loneliness because of all the rehearsals scheduled throughout the week.

3. Leaving the Jackson Five As Michael went on with his singing career with the group, he eventually decided to go solo. He slowly moved away from the group and kept his singing life going without the rest of the Jacksons. In 1979, he released his first solo album, Off The Wall. Although he was going solo, he still wrote songs for the group like Shake Your Body ( down to the ground) and Can You Feel It. He also kept singing with them, too.

4. Thriller the Epic Album In the year of 1982, Michael Jackson released his next album Thriller. Thriller came to be one of his most popular albums, and his song, Thriller, came to be one of his most popular songs. Thriller remained at the top 10 albums of the Billboard chart for 80 weeks straight. For 37 of those weeks, it was number one. Thriller currently is still the best-selling album, with 110 million copies sold worldwide. The Thriller performances drew the attention of 47 million viewers. This turnout brought attention and comparisons with The Beatles and Elvis Presley, other musical greats. Michael Jackson The Beatles Elvis Presley

5. Appearance and Diseases When Michael Jackson was born, he always had a light brown skin color. But in the middle of the 1980's, he was diagnosed with Vitiligo and Lupus. Some rumors started that he had gotten his skin bleached. He actually had these two diseases. Vitiligo is a disease that takes the color of your skin away. Lupus is a disease that makes the immune system attack the body's cells, which causes inflammation and rashes. Jackson's skin then became sensitive to sunlight. Michael Jackson Michael Jackson as a Michael Jackson Michael Jackson in March in his Jackson 5 teenager two years into his of 2009 years diseases of Vitiligo and Lupus

6. Child Abuse Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation in 1993. A boy named Jordan Chandler told the police and his father, Evan Chandler, that Jackson had sexually abused him. Jackson of course denied this and was sent to court. Evan Chandler sued Michael for about 60 million dollars. On January 1, 1994, Jackson again paid the Chandlers 22 million dollars. Michael Jackson was let out of court and was never charged due to the lack of evidence and the monetary settlement. The case was closed, and Michael kept going with his normal life. Jackson on his way to court Jordan Chandler

7. First marriage to Lisa Marie Presley First Wife In 1994, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, a singer- songwriter. Lisa Marie was the daughter of Elvis Presley, a singer who was as famous during his lifetime as Michael was during his. Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie divorced after two years, still remaining friendly. Second Wife and Children Michael Jackson married his second wife in 1996. He married a dermatology nurse, Deborah Rowe, who had helped him when he was first diagnosed with Vitiligo. She gave birth to Michael's first two children, Michael Joseph Jr. Jackson (also know as Prince) and Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson. Rowe divorced Michael, but still took full time care of his children. Lisa Marie Presley Debbie Rowe

8. Second Child Abuse Allegation In 2003, a boy named Gavin Arvizo accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing him. Gavin was also 13 years old, the same age as Jordan Chandler. Gavin Arvizo fought with Michael to get what he wanted until 2005. He finally gave up, leaving Michael with no charges. Gavin Arvizo

9. Final Years, Death, and Memorial Michael Jackson was planning another tour This Is It when he collapsed in his rented mansion in Los Angeles on June 25, 2009. Michael’s individual doctor tried to perform CPR, but was unsuccessful. He called 911 at 12:22 p.m. and three minutes later, the ambulance arrived. They rushed him into the hospital and at 1:13 p.m., they reached the hospital. At 2:26, he was announced dead. A memorial was held at the Staples Center, where Jackson's last rehearsal was, two days before he died. Michael Jackson's burial was held on September 7, 2009, and he is now buried and remembered at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles. Jackson being rushed to the hospital Michael Jackson's casket on display at Forest Lawn Memorial Park