"King of Pop" Michael Jackson

"King of Pop" Michael Jackson died at the hospital of the University of California of a heart attack on Thursday, June 25th. The famous artist was 50 years old. Scheduled for mid-July launch ambitious series of concerts of the singer. Michael Jackson was born on August 29 1958 in the town of Gary, Indiana in a big family, where, besides he had nine brothers and sisters. His father organized a family band "Jackson 5 ?, which brought the first success of a future legend. Michael was only 12 years old. He subsequently became one of the most commercially successful solo artists in the music industry, the singer won worldwide acclaim and the title "King of Pop". During his long musical career, Michael Jackson has received 19 awards Grammy, 13 times he climbed with his singles on the first line of American sales charts. His name is listed twice in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: as a solo artist and a member of Jackson 5.

The gathered here a selection of photos of different years can be observed the ups and downs of life and musical career of the legendary King of Pop.



This shot 12-year-old Michael Jackson was made back in 1971, but even then his career was already on the rise. Berry Gordy signed «Jackson Five» with a recording studio «Motown Records» in 1968, Michael and his brothers were on the top of the charts with songs «ABC» and «I'll Be There.». (Henry Diltz / Corbis)



Michael Jackson (left) and the other five brothers from Indiana, the band «Jackson Five» in 1972godu. (Frank Barratt / Getty Images file)



«Jackson Five» performing on the TV show Bob Hope. Michael will continue to perform with his brothers, but his solo career was already on the rise when he came in 1971 with the song «Got to Be There» (Neal Preston / Corbis)



Michael Jackson at the premiere of the musical «The Wiz». This musical, which appeared on the screens in 1978, became the first work of pop stars created in cooperation with the famous producer Quincy Jones. Later, he will also act as a producer of such well-known as the Jackson albums «Off the Wall» and «Thriller». In the musical «The Wiz» Jackson participated Diana Ross, a friend and mentor Dzhekosna, which introduced the Jackson Five to the public in 1968. (Bettmann / Corbis)



Michael Jackson performs during the tour with his brothers in 1981. During this tour, Michael began writing down ideas for his solo project, which later became the best-selling album in the world. (Susan Phillips / Corbis)



Michael Jackson and Diana Ross during the awarding ceremony American Music Awards (American Music Awards) in Los Angeles. Jackson received the award for best soul album, and Russia - as the best soul singer. (Juynh / AP)



Jackson with a group of dancers in the video shoot for the song "Thriller" in 1983. "Thriller" has revolutionized the music industry. Thanks to this video zombie general public learned about the channel MTV, and music videos have become an independent artistic genre. The album sold 25 million in the US alone. (Corbis / Sygma)



Michael Jackson is the first to show his famous "moonwalk" during the song «Billie Jean». This dance movement, which later became the hallmark of the singer stunned the audience, and Michael was crowned the title "King of Pop music» (Bettmann / Corbis)



Sealed in this picture next to his producer Quincy Johnson, Michael Jackson holds 6 of 8 Grammy awards, he received in 1984 for the album "Thriller." The suit, sequined, and big sunglasses have become the hallmark of Jackson. (AP)



May 1984, Jackson receives the award from US President Ronald Reagan in the White House. Jackson was honored as a model for American youth, and his hit «Beat It» has become the anthem of the company against drunk driving. (Bettmann / Corbis)



Michael Jackson (in the background) during the filming of advertising "Pepsi", when his hair caught fire, and his brother Jerman (foreground) continues to act, not knowing what was going on. (AP)



Police conducts Michael through the crowd during his tour in London in 1985. (Dave Hogan / Getty Images)



Stars of stage and cinema together sing a song «We Are the World», that to draw the world's attention on the famine in Ethiopia. Michael Jackson in the center, and with him were Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, and many others. Sister Jackson - Janet, in the lower right corner of the photo. (Bettmann / Corbis)



Guitarist Eddie Van Halen guitar solo performs during a concert by Michael Jackson in Irving, Texas. This immortal guitar riff was written specifically for the song guitarist Michael «Beat It», which is not happy teammate Van Halen, David Lee Roth, but the rest were delighted with the songs. (Carlos Osorio / AP)



Michael Jackson and his dancers during the tour for the promotion of the album «Bad» in Tokyo in 1987. A year earlier, Jackson starred in 3-D sci-fi musical film "Captain EO» (Captain EO), one of the most expensive and short films. Jackson became a target for gradually increasing criticism as his albums and videos became more expensive, but went out less and less. His next album, «Dangerous» was released only in 1991. (Neal Preston / Corbis)



Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey on the set in January 1993. This year, the first time Jackson was accused of sexually assaulting a minor, and hour and a half Oprah, he turned to the victim. Subsequently, charges against Jackson were dropped, but he reportedly paid $ 25 million to settle the case. (Neal Preston / Corbis)



Michael Jackson performs in front of 30 000 children in the concert «Super Bowl Half-Time Show» January 31, 1993. Despite the accusations against the singer, he was still on top of musical Olympus, releasing hits such as «Black or White», «Remember the Time», and his album «Dangerous» went multi-platinum. (Ralf-Finn Hestoft / Corbis)



Michael Jackson and French mime Marcel Marceau in the Theatre "Bacon" in New York on 4 December 1995. (Bob Strong / AFP - Getty Images)



Michael Jackson and his then wife Lisa Marie Presley at the ranch "Neverland" in preparation for the "Children's World Summit" in April 1995. Presley filed for divorce less than a year after the marriage, thereby causing a lot of gossip about what exactly was the cause of this marriage. (Steve Starr / Corbis)



Michael Jackson performs at the stadium Ericsson's newly zeladnskom Oakland in November 1996 during his world tour «HIStory». (Phil Walter / Getty Images)



A few months after his divorce from Lisa Marie Presley, Jackson married Debbie Rowe on November 13, 1996 in Sydney, Australia. His new wife was pregnant. Jackson and Rowe divorced after 3 years, and Debbie gave parental rights to Jackson. (Reuters / Corbis)



Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson arriving at the concert in honor of the 30th anniversary of his creative career Jackson September 7, 2001. The stars were old friends, and Taylor became the godmother of two children Jackson. (Jeff Christensen / Reuters / Corbis)



Michael Jackson gives evidence at the hearing November 13, 2002 in Santa Maria, California. The California Supreme Court ruled Jackson's accusations about the cancellation of their concerts, which cost several million dollars promoters. (- / AFP - Getty Images)



Michael Jackson poses for photographers during the presentation of his album «Invincible» Times Square in New York in November 2001 year. The new album, which was released on October 30 of that year, was the most expensive ever recorded albums and was received by the critics and the fans better than the album «HIStory» 1995. (Brad Rickerby / Reuters / Corbis)



Jackson holds his son Prince Michael II Serving a towel standing on the balcony of a Berlin hotel on Nov. 19, 2002. Jackson later called the incident "a terrible mistake", but this photo has shocked even the most loyal fans of the singer. His reputation has suffered irreversible damage. (Tobias Schwarz / Reuters)



Photo Jackson made at the police station in Santa Barbara County November 30, 2003. In 2003, Jackson documentary acknowledged that the boys slept in his bed. Soon, the prosecutor started checking on charges of corrupting the young Jackson. In November, the police appeared at the ranch "Neverland" for the search, and a few days later, Jackson was arrested. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's D / Reuters)



Michael (center) and his sister Latoya (left) and Janet during a break at the hearing in Santa Maria August 16, 2004. (Pool / Reuters)



Michael Jackson in pajama bottoms are accompanied by bodyguards at the hearing 10 March 2005 on charges of molesting minors since 2003. Jackson appeared in court after Judge Rodney Melville threatened to cancel the bail. (Kimberly White / pool via Reuters)



Jackson sang with his young fans at the time of awarding the World Music Awards in London November 16, 2006. (Graham Jepson / WireImage)



Michael Jackson received a written commendation from Colonel Robert M Valtmeera, garrison commander Zama in Japan March 10, 2007. Michael greeted thousands of US troops and their families. (U.S. Army via Getty Images)



Michael with his children Prince and Paris go through the parking lot a recording studio in Los Angeles in March 2009. Singer noticed entering the studio in the cold, rainy day. In the studio, he spent more than 2 hours with a lot of personnel, allegedly recording video. (Splash News / Splash News)



Fans watch the broadcast press conference on the singer's O2 Arena in London on March 5, 2009. Megastar announced his intention to hold a series of concerts in London in July, which would become his most significant performances of the last decade. (Ben Stansall / AFP / Getty Images)
 - Source: MSN News