Michael Jackson
Jackson in 1983
Born	Michael Joseph Jackson (1958-08-29)August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, US
Died	June 25, 2009(2009-06-25) (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, US
Cause of death	Cardiac arrest caused by acute propofol intoxication
Burial place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, US
Other names	Michael Joe Jackson
Occupations	Singer songwriter dancer philanthropist record producer
Spouses	Lisa Marie Presley (m. 1994; div. 1996) Debbie Rowe (m. 1996; div. 2000)
Children	3
Parents	Joe Jackson Katherine Jackson
Family	Jackson family
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop soul R&B funk rock disco post-disco dance-pop new jack swing
Instrument	Vocals
Discography	Albums singles songs
Years active	1964–2009
Labels	Steeltown Motown Epic Legacy Sony MJJ Productions
Formerly of	The Jackson 5
Musical artist
Website	michaeljackson.com
Signature

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant figures of the 20th century. Over a four-decade career, his music achievements broke racial barriers in America and made him a dominant figure across the world. Through songs, stages, and fashion, he proliferated visual performance for artists in popular music; popularizing street dance moves including the moonwalk, the robot, and the anti-gravity lean. Jackson is often deemed the greatest entertainer of all time based on his acclaim and records.^[1]

The eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his public debut in 1964 at age six, as a member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons). After signing with Motown in 1968, the band achieved worldwide success with him as its lead singer. Jackson achieved solo stardom with the release of his fifth album Off the Wall (1979). He followed it up with Thriller (1982), the best-selling album of all time, which aided in the popularization of MTV and revolutionized the music video medium with the videos for its title track along with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean". Jackson furthered his position as a global superstar with Bad (1987), the world's best-selling album of both 1987 and 1988, as well as the first album to produce five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana". Dangerous (1991) marked a new era for Jackson, lauded as his most artistic and socially conscious album. HIStory (1995) produced "You Are Not Alone", the first song to debut at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. His final album, Invincible, was released in 2001.

From the late 1980s, Jackson became a figure of controversy and speculation due to his changing appearance, relationships, behavior, and lifestyle. He was accused of sexually abusing the child of a family friend in 1993. In 2005, Jackson was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and all other charges. While preparing for This Is It (a series of comeback concerts), Jackson died in 2009 from an overdose of propofol administered by his personal physician Conrad Murray, who was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered reactions around the world, creating unprecedented surges of internet traffic and a spike in sales of his music. His televised memorial service, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, was estimated to have been viewed by more than 2.5 billion people.

Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 500 million records worldwide.^{[nb 1]} He had 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles (the fourth-highest in Hot 100 history) and is the first artist to have a top-ten single on the chart in five different decades. Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice), the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame (the only recording artist to be inducted). One of the most-awarded artists in popular music, his accolades include 13 Grammy Awards, the Grammy Legend Award, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; 26 American Music Awards, including Artist of the Century; 12 World Music Awards; six Brit Awards; the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award; and three presidential honors. In 1992, Jackson founded Heal the World Foundation, donating an estimated $500 million to charity throughout his lifetime. In 2024, half of his music catalogue sold to Sony for $600 million, the largest music acquisition for a single artist in history.

Life and career

[edit]

Early life and the Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

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Michael Joseph Jackson^[4]^[5] was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958.^[6]^[7] He was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family, a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street.^[8]^[9] His mother, Katherine Esther Jackson (née Scruse), played clarinet and piano, had aspired to be a country-and-western performer, and worked part-time at Sears.^[10] She was a Jehovah's Witness.^[11] His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a former boxer, crane operator at US Steel, and guitarist for local rhythm and blues band the Falcons.^[12]^[13] Joe's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a US Army scout; family lore held that he was also a Native American medicine man.^[14] Michael grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet) and five brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy).^[12] A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly after his birth.^[15]

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 congas and tambourine.^[16]^[17] Michael said his father told him he had a "fat nose",^[18] and 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 punish any mistakes.^[11]^[19] Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Michael.^[20] Katherine said that although whipping came to be considered abuse, it was a common way to discipline children when Michael was growing up.^[21]^[22] Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon denied that their father was abusive and said that the whippings, which had a deeper impact on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and out of trouble.^[23] Michael said that during his youth he was lonely and isolated.^[24]

Later in 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to the Jackson 5.^[25] In 1965, the group won a talent show; Michael performed the dance to Robert Parker's 1965 song "Barefootin'" and sang the Temptations' "My Girl".^[26] From 1966 to 1968, the Jacksons 5 toured the 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.^[27]^[28] In August 1967, while touring the East Coast, they won a weekly amateur night concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.^[29]

The Jackson 5 recorded several songs for a Gary record label, Steeltown Records; their first single, "Big Boy", was released in 1968.^[31] Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers brought the Jackson 5 to Motown after they opened for Taylor at Chicago's Regal Theater in 1968. Taylor produced some of their early Motown recordings, including a version of "Who's Lovin' You".^[32] After signing with Motown, the Jackson family relocated to Los Angeles.^[33] In 1969, Motown executives 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".^[34] The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance in 1969 in the Miss Black America pageant, performing a cover of "It's Your Thing".^[35] Rolling Stone later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer".^[36]

In January 1970, "I Want You Back" became the first Jackson 5 song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; it stayed there for four weeks. Three more singles with Motown topped the chart: "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There".^[37] In May 1971, the Jackson family moved into a large house at Hayvenhurst, a 2-acre (0.81 ha) estate in Encino, California.^[38] During this period, Michael developed from a child performer into a teen idol.^[39] Between 1972 and 1975, he released four solo studio albums with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973) and Forever, Michael (1975).^[40] "Got to Be There" and "Ben", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, sold well as singles, as did a cover of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".^[41]

Michael maintained ties to the Jackson 5.^[40] The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists".^[42] They were frustrated by Motown's refusal to allow them creative input.^[43] Jackson's performance of their top five single "Dancing Machine" on Soul Train popularized the robot dance.^[44]^[45]

Move to Epic and Off the Wall (1975–1981)

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The Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, signing with Epic Records and renaming themselves the Jacksons.^[46] Their younger brother Randy joined the band around this time; Jermaine stayed with Motown and pursued a solo career.^[47] 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)" (1978), "This Place Hotel" (1980), and "Can You Feel It" (1980).^[48]

In 1977, Jackson moved to New York City to star as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, a musical film directed by Sidney Lumet, alongside Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross.^[49] The film was a box-office failure.^[50] Its score was arranged by Quincy Jones,^[51] who later produced three of Jackson's solo albums.^[52] During his time in New York, Jackson frequented the Studio 54 nightclub, where he heard early hip hop; this influenced his beatboxing on future tracks such as "Working Day and Night".^[53] In 1978, Jackson felt unsatisfied with his nose, and decided to have a rhinoplasty.^[54] He was referred to Steven Hoefflin, who performed his operations.^[55]

Jackson's fifth solo album and first album as an adult, 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.^[39] It produced four top 10 entries in the US: "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".^[56] The album reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies worldwide.^[57] In 1980, Jackson won three American Music Awards 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".^[58]^[59] He also won a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".^[60] In 1981, Jackson was the American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.^[61]

Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.^[62] In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.^[63]

Thriller and Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and Pepsi incident (1982–1984)

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Jackson recorded with Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, recording demos of "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,^[64] and Jackson was upset by Mercury's drug use.^[65] "There Must Be More to Life Than This" was released in 2014.^[66] Jackson went on to record "State of Shock" with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' album Victory (1984).^[67]

In 1982, Jackson contributed "Someone in the Dark" to the audiobook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Jackson's sixth album, Thriller, was released in late 1982. It was the bestselling album worldwide in 1983,^[68]^[69] and became the bestselling album of all time in the US^[70] and the best-selling album of all time worldwide, selling an estimated 70 million copies.^[71]^[72] 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'".^[73]

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 47 million, and featured the Jacksons and other Motown stars.^[74] Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first Emmy Award nomination.^[75] Wearing a glove decorated with rhinestones,^[76] he debuted his moonwalk dance, which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier, and it became his signature dance in his repertoire.^[77] 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.^[78] Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore called the performance "extraordinary".^[39] Jackson's performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.^[79] Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times praised the perfect timing and technique involved in the dance.^[80] Gordy described being "mesmerized" by the performance.^[81] British Vogue called Jackson "a fashion pioneer [...] who gave new meaning to moonwalking, immortalised solitary, [and] sparkly gloves".^[82]

At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, Thriller won eight awards, and Jackson 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.^[60] 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.^[60]

Thriller won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording (Non Classical), acknowledging Bruce Swedien for his work on the album.^[83] At the 11th Annual American Music Awards, Jackson won another eight awards and became the youngest artist to win the Award of Merit.^[84] 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 won Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album.^[84]^[85] Thriller's sales doubled after the release of an extended music video, Michael Jackson's Thriller, which sees Jackson dancing with a horde of zombies.^[86]^[87]

The success transformed Jackson into a dominant force in global pop culture,^[87] and the album "conquered racial divides".^[88] Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, with about $2 for every album sold (equivalent to $6 in 2024), and was making record-breaking profits. Dolls modeled after Jackson appeared in stores in May 1984 for $12 each.^[89] In the same year, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, a documentary about the music video, won a Grammy for Best Music Video (Longform).^[60] 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."^[89] The New York Times wrote "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".^[90]

In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with PepsiCo in a $5 million promotional deal that broke records for a celebrity endorsement (equivalent to $15.8 million in 2024). 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.^[91]

On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial overseen by Phil Dusenberry,^[92] 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 second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter.^[93] Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $1.5 million (equivalent to $4.5 million in 2024) settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California; its now-closed Michael Jackson Burn Center was named in his honor.^[94]^[95] Jackson signed a second agreement with Pepsi in the late 1980s for $10 million (equivalent to $27.7 million in 2024). The second campaign covered 20 countries and provided financial support for Jackson's Bad album and 1987–1988 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.^[91]

The 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.^[96] Following controversy over the concert's ticket sales, Jackson donated his share of the proceeds, an estimated $3 to 5 million, to charity.^[97] 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".^[98]

"We Are the World" and other commercial activities (1985)

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With Lionel Richie, Jackson co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" (1985), which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa.^[99]^[100] It earned $63 million (equivalent to $184 million in 2024),^[100] and became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with 20 million copies sold.^[101] It won four Grammy Awards in 1985, including Song of the Year for Jackson and Richie.^[99] Jackson, Jones, and the promoter Ken Kragen received special awards for their roles in the song's creation.^[99]^[102]^[103]^[104]

Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was making $40 million a year from owning the rights to other artists' songs.^[100] 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 catalogs and song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included "Everyday People" (1968), Len Barry's "1-2-3" (1965), and Dion DiMucci's "The Wanderer" (1961) and "Runaround Sue" (1961). In 1984, Robert Holmes à Court announced he was selling the ATV Music Publishing catalog comprising the publishing rights to nearly 4,000 songs, including most of the Beatles' material.^[105] In 1981, McCartney had been offered the catalog for £20 million ($40 million) (equivalent to $138 million in 2024).^[100]^[106] Jackson submitted a bid of $46 million (equivalent to $139 million in 2024) on November 20, 1984.^[105] 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.^[107]^[106] Jackson's agents were unable to come to a deal, and in May 1985 left talks after having spent more than $1 million and four months of due diligence work on the negotiations.^[105]

In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman's and Marty Bandier's The Entertainment Company had made a tentative offer to buy ATV Music for $50 million; in early August, Holmes à Court contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson's increased bid of $47.5 million (equivalent to $139 million in 2024) was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence.^[105] Jackson agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon.^[108] His purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985.^[100]^[105]

Increased tabloid speculation (1986–1987)

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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 bleaching his skin.^[109]^[110]^[111] His dermatologist, Arnold Klein, said he observed in 1983 that Jackson had vitiligo,^[112] a condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment. He also identified discoid lupus erythematosus in Jackson. He diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year,^[112] and with vitiligo in 1986.^[113] Vitiligo's drastic effects on the body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup,^[114] and possibly skin-bleaching prescription creams,^[115] to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would depigment the blotches, and, with the application of makeup, he could appear very pale.^[116] 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."^[117] He became friends with Klein and Klein's assistant, Debbie Rowe. Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his first two children.^[118]

In his 1988 autobiography and a 1993 interview, 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.^[119] 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.^[120] After his death, Jackson's mother said that he first turned to cosmetic procedures to remedy his vitiligo, because he did not want to look like a "spotted cow". She said he had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he had become addicted to them.^[121]

In 1986, it was reported that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow aging. He denied the story,^[122] although it was alleged that Jackson leaked an image of him sleeping in a glass chamber (according to Jackson, this was a promotional shot from an upcoming space opera featuring himself) to The National Enquirer.^[123] It was also reported 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."^[124]

When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee Bubbles to tour in Japan, the media portrayed Jackson as an aspiring Disney cartoon character who befriended animals.^[125] It was also reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "Elephant Man").^[126] In June 1987, the Chicago Tribune reported Jackson's publicist bidding $1 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".^[127]

In September 1986, using the oxygen chamber story, the British tabloid The Sun branded Jackson "Wacko Jacko", a name Jackson came to despise.^[5]^[128] The Atlantic noted that the name "Jacko" has racist connotations, as it originates from Jacko Macacco, a monkey used in monkey-baiting matches at the Westminster Pit in the early 1820s, and "Jacko" was used in Cockney slang to refer to monkeys in general.^[129]

Jackson worked with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on the 17-minute $30 million 3D film Captain EO, which ran from 1986 at Disneyland and Epcot, and later at Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland.^[130] After having been removed in the late 1990s, it returned to the theme park for several years after Jackson's death.^[131] In 1987, Ebony reported that Jackson had disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses.^[132] Katherine Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed the Thriller video,^[133] which Michael denounced in a Witness publication in 1984.^[134] In 2001, Jackson told an interviewer he was still a Jehovah's Witness.^[135]

Bad, autobiography, and Neverland (1987–1990)

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Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting another major success.^[136] It became the first album to produce five US number-one singles: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana". Another song, "Smooth Criminal", peaked at number seven.^[56] 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".^[60]^[83] 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.^[137]^[138] The Bad tour ran from September 12, 1987, to January 27, 1989.^[139] In Japan, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record for a single tour.^[140] The 504,000 people who attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium set a new Guinness World Record.^[141] Bad cemented Jackson's status as a dominant music force;^[142] the album has sold over 45 million copies worldwide, which ranks it amongst the best-selling albums ever.^[143]^[144]^[145]^[146]^[147]

In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, Moonwalk, with input from Stephen Davis and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.^[148] It sold 200,000 copies,^[149] and reached the top of The New York Times bestsellers list.^[150] Jackson discussed his childhood, the Jackson 5, and the abuse from his father.^[151] He attributed his changing facial appearance to three plastic surgeries, puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and stage lighting.^[152]^[119] In June, Jackson was honored with the Grand Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris by the then Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac during his stay in the city as part of the Bad tour.^[153]^[154] On July 20, he became the first commoner in history to enter London's Guildhall through the building's Royal Entrance.^[155] 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 bestselling video cassette in the country.^[156]^[157] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as eight times Platinum in the US.^[158]

In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km²) of land near Santa Ynez, California, to build a new home, Neverland Ranch, at a cost of $17 million (equivalent to $45 million in 2024).^[159] He installed a Ferris wheel, a carousel, a movie theater and a zoo.^[159]^[160]^[161] A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds.^[160] Shortly afterwards, he appeared in the first Western television advertisement in the Soviet Union.^[162]

Jackson became known as the "King of Pop", a nickname that Jackson's publicists embraced.^[19]^[163]^[164] When Elizabeth Taylor presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, she called him "the true king of pop, rock and soul."^[165] President George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade".^[166] At the 38th BMI Awards in 1990, Jackson was the first person to be honored with an award named after its recipient.^[167] From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $455,000 to the United Negro College Fund,^[168] and all profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.^[169] His rendition of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration won Jackson a second Emmy nomination.^[75] Jackson was the bestselling artist of the 1980s.^[170]

Dangerous and public social work (1991–1993)

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In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $65 million (equivalent to $150 million in 2024), a record-breaking deal,^[171] beating Neil Diamond's renewal contract with Columbia Records.^[172] In 1991, he released his eighth album, Dangerous, co-produced with Teddy Riley.^[173] It was certified eight times platinum in the US, and by 2018 had sold 32 million copies worldwide.^[174]^[175] 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.^[176] The second single, "Remember the Time" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^[177] At the end of 1992, Dangerous was the bestselling album of the year worldwide and "Black or White" the bestselling single of the year worldwide at the Billboard Music Awards.^[170] In 1993, he performed "Remember the Time" at the Soul Train Music Awards in a chair, saying he twisted his ankle during dance rehearsals.^[178] In the UK, "Heal the World" made No. 2 on the charts in 1992.^[179]

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 $100 million (equivalent to $220 million in 2024); Jackson performed for over 3.5 million people in 70 concerts, all of which were outside the US.^[180]^[181] Part of the proceeds went to Heal the World Foundation.^[182] Jackson sold the broadcast rights of the tour to HBO for $20 million (equivalent to $45 million in 2024), a record-breaking deal that still stands.^[183]

Following the death of HIV/AIDS spokesperson and friend Ryan White, Jackson pleaded with the Clinton administration at Bill Clinton's inaugural gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research^[184]^[185] and performed "Gone Too Soon", a song dedicated to White, and "Heal the World" at the gala.^[186] 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",^[187] and was awarded an Officer of the National Order of Merit from President Omar Bongo.^[188]^[189] During his trip to Ivory Coast, Jackson drew larger crowds than Pope John Paul II on his previous visits.^[190] He was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief in the Ivorian village of Krindjabo, where he thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.^[187]

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.^[191]^[192] With 133.4 million viewers, it was the first Super Bowl whose halftime show drew greater audience figures than the game.^[193] Jackson played "Jam", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", and "Heal the World". Dangerous rose 90 places in the US albums chart after the performance.^[109]

Jackson gave a 90-minute interview with Oprah 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. After the interview, Dangerous re-entered the US albums chart in the top 10, more than a year after its release.^[19]^[109] The interview itself became the most-watched television interview in United States history to date, with more than 90 million viewers.^[194]

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.^[195]^[196] In February, he won the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.^[60] He attended the award ceremony with Brooke Shields.^[197] Dangerous was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (for "Black or White"), Best R&B Vocal Performance ("Jam") and Best R&B Song ("Jam"), and Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley won the Grammy for Best Engineered – Non Classical.^[83]

First child sexual abuse accusations and first marriage (1993–1995)

[edit]

In August 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, and his father, Evan Chandler.^[198] Jordan said he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex.^[199] While Jordan's mother initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested him, her position wavered a few days later.^[155]^[200] 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.^[200] Jackson's older sister La Toya accused him of being a pedophile;^[201] she later retracted this, saying she had been forced into it by her abusive husband.^[202]

Police raided Jackson's home in August and found two legal large-format art books featuring young boys playing, running and swimming in various states of undress.^[203] Jackson denied knowing of the books' content and claimed if they were there, someone had to have sent them to him and he did not open them.^[204] 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.^[205]^[206]^[207] In January 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for a reported total sum of $23 million.^[208] The police never pressed criminal charges.^[209] Citing a lack of evidence without Jordan's testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994.^[210]

Jackson had been taking painkillers 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.^[211] On November 12, 1993, Jackson canceled the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour due to health problems, stress from the allegations and painkiller addiction. He thanked his close friend Elizabeth Taylor for support, encouragement and counsel. The end of the tour concluded his sponsorship deal with Pepsi.^[212]

In late 1993, Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone.^[213] They were married in La Vega, Dominican Republic, in May 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez.^[214] The tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a publicity stunt to deflect away from Jackson's sexual abuse allegations and jump-start Presley's career as a singer.^[214]^[215] Their marriage ended little more than a year later, and they separated in December 1995.^[216] Presley cited "irreconcilable differences" when filing for divorce the next month and only sought to reclaim her maiden name as her settlement.^[215]^[217] After the divorce, Judge Pérez said, "They lasted longer than I thought they would. I gave them a year. They lasted a year and a half."^[214] Presley later said she and Jackson had attempted to reconcile intermittently for four years following their divorce, and that she had traveled the world to be with him.^[218]

Jackson composed music for the Sega Genesis video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), but left the project around the time the sexual abuse allegations surfaced and went uncredited. Jackson's involvement was the subject of fan speculation for decades until Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka confirmed it in 2022.^[219]^[220] Sega Technical Institute director Roger Hector and Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima said that Jackson was terminated and his music reworked following the allegations.^[221]^[222] However, Jackson's musical director Brad Buxer and other members of Jackson's team said he went uncredited because he was unhappy with how the Genesis replicated his music.^[223] The game's credits theme served as the basis for Jackson's 1996 song "Stranger in Moscow".^[224]

HIStory, second marriage, fatherhood and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1995–1997)

[edit]

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 eight million shipments in the US.^[225] It is the bestselling multi-disc album of all time, with 20 million copies (40 million units) sold worldwide.^[176]^[226] HIStory received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.^[60] The New York Times reviewed it as "the testimony of a musician whose self-pity now equals his talent".^[227]

The first single from HIStory was "Scream/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 reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100,^[177] and received a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals".^[60] 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.^[228] It received a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Performance" in 1995.^[60]

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 antisemitic. Jackson released a revised version of the song.^[229] In late 1995, Jackson was admitted to a hospital after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance, caused by a stress-related panic attack.^[230] 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 million up front (equivalent to $196 million in 2024) as well as the rights to more songs.^[231]^[232]

"Earth Song" was the third single released from HIStory, and topped the UK Singles Chart for six weeks over Christmas 1995.^[179] It became the 87th-bestselling single in the UK.^[233] At the 1996 Brit Awards, Jackson's performance of "Earth Song" was disrupted by 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".^[234]^[235]

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.^[60]^[236] In July 1996, Jackson performed for Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's fiftieth birthday at Jerudong Park Amphitheater, which was specifically built for that birthday concert.^[237] Jackson was reportedly paid $17 million (equivalent to $34 million in 2024).^[238] 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 million fans, his most attended tour. It grossed $165 million (equivalent to $323 million in 2024).^[139] During the tour, in Sydney, Australia, Jackson married Debbie Rowe, a dermatology assistant, who was six months pregnant with his first child.^[239]

Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997. His sister Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was born on April 3, 1998.^[240] Jackson and Rowe divorced in 2000, Rowe conceded custody of the children, with an $8 million settlement (equivalent to $15.1 million in 2024).^[241] In 2004, after the second child abuse allegations against Jackson, she returned to court to reclaim custody. The suit was settled in 2006.^[242]

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 6 million copies, making it the bestselling remix album. It reached number one in the UK, as did the single "Blood on the Dance Floor".^[243] In the US, the album reached number 24 and was certified platinum.^[174]

Label dispute and Invincible (1997–2002)

[edit]

From October 1997 to September 2001, Jackson worked on his tenth solo album, Invincible, which cost $30 million (equivalent to $53.3 million in 2024) to record, making it the most expensive album of all time.^[244] In June 1999, Jackson joined Luciano Pavarotti for a 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.^[245] Later that month, Jackson organized a series of "Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit concerts in Germany and Korea. Other artists involved included Slash, 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 Red Cross and UNESCO.^[246] In 1999, Jackson was presented with the "Outstanding Humanitarian Award" at Bollywood Movie Awards in New York City where he noted Mahatma Gandhi to have been an inspiration for him.^[247]^[248] From August 1999 to 2000, he lived in New York City at 4 East 74th Street.^[249] At the turn of the century, Jackson was awarded with the Artist of the 1980s Decade Award at the 27th American Music Awards,^[250] and the Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium Award at the 12nd World Music Awards.^[251] In 2000, Guinness World Records recognized him for supporting 39 charities, more than any other entertainer.^[252]

In September 2001, two 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, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Monica, Liza Minnelli and Slash. The first show was marred by technical lapses, and the crowd booed a speech by Marlon Brando.^[253] 45 million people watched the television broadcast of the shows in November according to Nielsen Media Research.^[254] After the September 11 attacks (in which Jackson narrowly avoided death by oversleeping and missing a scheduled meeting at the World Trade Center^[255]), Jackson helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., on October 21, 2001. Jackson performed "What More Can I Give" as the finale.^[256]

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.^[257] 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.^[257] It debuted at number one in 13 countries, and went on to sell eight million copies worldwide, receiving double-platinum certification in the US.^[174]^[258]^[259]

On January 9, 2002, Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century.^[260]^[261] Later that year, an anonymous surrogate mother gave birth to his third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket"^{[nb 2]}), who had been conceived by artificial insemination.^[262] 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".^[263] On January 22, promoter Marcel Avram filed a breach of contract complaint against Jackson for failing to perform two planned 1999 concerts.^[264] In March, a Santa Maria jury ordered Jackson to pay Avram $5.3 million (equivalent to $9.3 million in 2024).^[265]^[266] On December 18, 2003, Jackson's attorneys dropped all appeals on the verdict and settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.^[267]

On April 24, 2002, Jackson performed at Apollo Theater. The concert was a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee and former President Bill Clinton.^[268] The money collected would be used to encourage citizens to vote. It raised $2.5 million (equivalent to $3.8 million in 2024).^[269] The concert was called Michael Jackson: Live at the Apollo and was one of Jackson's final on-stage performances.^[270]

In July 2002, at Al Sharpton's National Action Network in Harlem, Jackson called the Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola "a racist, and very, very, very devilish", and accused him of exploiting black artists for his own gain. The accusation prompted Sharpton to form a coalition investigating whether Mottola exploited black artists.^[271] Jackson charged that Mottola had called his colleague Irv Gotti a "fat nigger".^[272] Sony issued a statement calling the accusations "ludicrous, spiteful, and hurtful" and said Mottola had championed Jackson's career for years.^[271] Sony refused to renew Jackson's contract and said that a $25 million (equivalent to $43.7 million in 2024) promotional campaign had failed because Jackson refused to tour in the US for Invincible.^[244]

Documentary, Number Ones, second child abuse allegations and acquittal (2002–2005)

[edit]

Beginning in May 2002, a documentary film crew led by Martin Bashir followed Jackson for several months.^[263] The documentary, broadcast in February 2003 as Living with Michael Jackson, showed Jackson holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a twelve-year-old boy.^[18]^[273] He 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.^[274]^[275]

In October 2003, Jackson received the Key to the City of Las Vegas from Mayor Oscar Goodman.^[276] On November 18, 2003, Sony released Number Ones, a greatest hits compilation. It was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, and ten times platinum in the UK, for shipments of at least 3 million units.^[174]^[277]

On December 18, 2003, Santa Barbara authorities charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor with alcoholic drinks.^[278] Jackson denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.^[279] The 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 twenty years in prison.^[280] On June 13, 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all counts.^[281] FBI files on Jackson, released in 2009, revealed the FBI's role in the 2005 trial and the 1993 allegations, and showed that the FBI found no evidence of criminal conduct on Jackson's behalf.^[282]^[283]

Final years, financial problems, Thriller 25 and This Is It (2005–2009)

[edit]

After the trial, Jackson became reclusive.^[284] In June 2005, he moved to Bahrain as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah.^[285] In early 2006, it was announced that Jackson had signed a contract with a Bahrain startup, Two Seas Records. Nothing came of the deal, and the Two Seas CEO, Guy Holmes, later said it was never finalized.^[286]^[287] Holmes also found that Jackson was on the verge of bankruptcy and was involved in 47 ongoing lawsuits.^[285] By September 2006, Jackson was no longer affiliated with Two Seas.^[287]

In April 2006, Jackson agreed to use a piece of his ATV catalog stake, then worth about $1 billion, as collateral against his $270 million worth of loans from Bank of America. Bank of America had sold the loans to 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 million with reduced interest payments (equivalent to $470 million in 2024). 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.^[232]^[288] The main house at Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure, while Jackson lived in Bahrain at the hospitality of Abdullah.^[289] At least thirty 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.^[232] Jackson never returned to Neverland after his acquittal.^[290]

In mid-2006, Jackson moved to Grouse Lodge, a residential recording studio near Rosemount, County Westmeath, Ireland. There, he began work on a new album with the American producers will.i.am and Rodney Jenkins.^[291] That November, Jackson invited an Access Hollywood camera crew into the studio in Westmeath.^[176] On November 15, Jackson briefly joined in on a performance of "We Are the World" at the World Music Awards in London, his last public performance, and accepted the Diamond Award for sales of 100 million records.^[176]^[292] He returned to the US in December, settling in Las Vegas. That month, he attended James Brown's funeral in Augusta, Georgia, where he gave a eulogy calling Brown his greatest inspiration.^[293]

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 km²) Neverland Valley Ranch near Los Olivos, California, showing the rides

In 2007, Jackson and Sony bought another music publishing company, Famous Music LLC, formerly owned by Viacom. The deal gave Jackson the rights to songs by Eminem and Beck, among others.^[294]^[295] In a brief interview, Jackson said he had no regrets about his career despite his problems and "deliberate attempts to hurt [him]".^[296] That March, Jackson visited a US Army post in Japan, Camp Zama, to greet more than 3,000 troops and their families.^[297]^[298] As of September, Jackson was still working on his next album, which he never completed.^[299]

In 2008, for the 25th anniversary of Thriller, Jackson and Sony released Thriller 25, with two remixes released as singles: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008".^[300] Thriller 25 was the last recorded work released during his life which he was extensively involved with, with Jackson co-producing the album's remix tracks. For his 50th birthday, Sony BMG released a series of greatest hits albums, King of Pop, with different tracklists for different regions.^[301] That July, Fortress Investments threatened to foreclose on Neverland Ranch, which he had used as collateral for his loans. Fortress sold Jackson's debts to Colony Capital LLC.^[302] 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 $35 million.^[303] In 2009, Jackson arranged to sell a collection of his memorabilia of more than 1,000 items through Julien's Auction House, but canceled the auction in April.^[304]

In March 2009, amid speculation about his finances and health, Jackson announced a series of comeback concerts, This Is It, at a press conference at the O2 Arena.^[305] The shows were to be his first major concerts since the HIStory World Tour in 1997. Jackson suggested he would retire after the shows. The initial plan was for ten concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York City and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, the president and chief executive of AEG Live, predicted the first ten dates would earn Jackson £50 million.^[306]

The London residency was increased to fifty dates after record-breaking ticket sales; more than one million were sold in less than two hours.^[307] The concerts were to run from July 13, 2009, to March 6, 2010. Jackson moved to Los Angeles, where he rehearsed in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of the choreographer Kenny Ortega, whom he had worked with during his previous tours. Rehearsals took place at the Forum and the Staples Center owned by AEG.^[308] By this point, Jackson's debt had grown to almost $500 million. By the time of his death, he was three or four months behind payments on his home in San Fernando Valley.^[309]^[310] The Independent reported that Jackson planned a string of further ventures designed to recoup his debts, including a world tour, a new album, films, a museum and a casino.^[305]

Death

[edit]

On June 25, 2009, less than three weeks before his concert residency was due to begin in London, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died from cardiac arrest, caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose.^[311]^[312] 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 911 call at 12:21 pm Pacific time (19:21 UTC) and arrived at the property four minutes later.^[313] Jackson was not breathing and CPR was performed.^[314] Resuscitation efforts continued en route to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for more than an hour after Jackson's arrival there, but were unsuccessful,^[315]^[316] and Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm Pacific time (21:26 UTC).^[317]^[318] Murray had administered propofol, lorazepam, and midazolam;^[319] Jackson's death was caused by a propofol overdose.^[312]^[316]

News of his death spread quickly online, causing websites to slow down and crash from user overload,^[320] and it put unprecedented strain^[321] on many services and websites including Google,^[322] AOL Instant Messenger,^[321] Twitter and Wikipedia.^[322] Overall, web traffic rose by between 11% and 20%.^[323]^[324] MTV and BET aired marathons of Jackson's music videos,^[325] and Jackson specials aired on television stations around the world.^[326] MTV briefly returned to its original music video format,^[6] and they aired hours of Jackson's music videos, with live news specials featuring reactions from MTV personalities and other celebrities.^[327]

Memorial service

[edit]

Jackson's unmarked crypt at the end of the Sanctuary of Ascension in the Holly Terrace of the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale

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

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's Hall of Liberty. Over 1.6 million fans applied for tickets to the memorial; the 8,750 recipients were drawn at random, and each received two tickets.^[328] The memorial service was one of the most watched events in streaming history,^[329] with an estimated US audience of 31.1 million^[330] and a worldwide audience of an estimated 2.5 to 3 billion.^[331]^[332]

Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Hudson, and Shaheen Jafargholi performed at the memorial, and Smokey Robinson and Queen Latifah gave eulogies.^[333] 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."^[334] Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris Katherine, speaking publicly for the first time, wept as she addressed the crowd.^[335]^[336] Lucious Smith provided a closing prayer.^[337] On September 3, 2009, the body of Jackson was entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.^[338]

Criminal investigation and prosecution of Conrad Murray

[edit]

In August 2009, the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled that Jackson's death was a homicide.^[339]^[340] Law enforcement officials charged Murray with involuntary manslaughter on February 8, 2010.^[341] In late 2011, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter^[342] and held without bail to await sentencing.^[343] Murray was sentenced to four years in prison, but was released after one year and eleven months.^[344]

Posthumous sales

[edit]

At the 2009 American Music Awards, Jackson won four posthumous awards, including two for his compilation album Number Ones, bringing his total American Music Awards to 26.^[345]^[346] In the year after his death, more than 16.1 million copies of Jackson's albums were sold in the US alone, and 35 million copies were sold worldwide, more than any other artist in 2009.^[347]^[348] He became the first artist to sell one million music downloads in a week, with 2.6 million song downloads. Thriller, Number Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson became the first catalog albums to outsell any new album.^[349] Jackson also became the first artist to have four of the top-20 bestselling albums in a single year in the US.^[350] Within the year following his death, Jackson sold over 75 million records worldwide.^[351] By the end of 2013, Jackson had sold over 50 million albums worldwide since his death.^[352]

Following the surge in sales, in March 2010, Sony Music signed a $250 million deal (equivalent to $360 million in 2024) 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.^[353]^[354] They agreed to release ten albums of previously unreleased material and new collections of released work.^[353]^[355] The deal was extended in 2017.^[356] That July, a Los Angeles court awarded Quincy Jones $9.4 million of disputed royalty payments for Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad.^[52] In July 2018, Sony/ATV bought the estate's stake in EMI for $287.5 million.^[357]

In 2014, Jackson became the first artist to have a top-ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades.^[358] The following year, Thriller became the first album to be certified for 30 million shipments by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[359] A year later, it was certified 33× platinum after Soundscan added streams and audio downloads to album certifications.^[360]^{[nb 3]}

In February 2024, Sony Music acquired half of Jackson's publishing rights and recording masters for an estimated $600 million. The deal includes assets from Jackson's Mijac publishing catalog, but excludes royalties from several Jackson-related productions, including the MJ Broadway musical and the Michael biopic. The deal is possibly the largest transaction ever for a single musician's work.^[362]^[363]

Posthumous releases and productions

[edit]

Jackson's posthumous releases and productions are administered by the estate of Michael Jackson, which owns Jackson's trademarks and rights to his name, image and likeness.^[364] The first posthumous 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.^[365] It was followed by a documentary film about the rehearsals for the canceled This Is It tour, Michael Jackson's This Is It,^[366] and a compilation album.^[367] Despite a limited two-week engagement, the film became the highest-grossing documentary or concert film ever, with earnings of more than $260 million worldwide.^[368] Jackson's estate received 90% of the profits.^[369] In late 2010, Sony released the first posthumous album, Michael, and the lead single "Hold My Hand", a duet with Akon. The Jackson collaborator will.i.am expressed disgust, saying that Jackson would not have approved the release.^[370]

The video game developer Ubisoft released a music 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.^[371] In April 2011, Mohamed Al-Fayed, the chairman of Fulham Football Club, unveiled a statue of Jackson outside the club stadium, Craven Cottage.^[372] It was moved to the National Football Museum in Manchester in May 2014,^[373] and removed from display in March 2019 following renewed sexual assault allegations.^[374]

In October 2011, the theater company Cirque du Soleil launched Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, a $57-million production,^[375] in Montreal, with a permanent show resident in Las Vegas.^[376] 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.^[377]^[378]

In 2012, in an attempt to end a family dispute, Jackson's brother Jermaine retracted his signature on a public letter criticizing executors of Jackson's estate and his mother's advisors over the legitimacy of his brother's will.^[379] T.J. Jackson, the son of Tito Jackson, was given co-guardianship of Michael Jackson's children after false reports of Katherine Jackson going missing.^[380] Xscape, an album of unreleased material, was released on May 13, 2014.^[381] The lead single, a duet between Jackson and Justin Timberlake, "Love Never Felt So Good", reached number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making Jackson the first artist to have a top-10 single on the chart in five different decades.^[382]

Later in 2014, Queen released a duet recorded with Jackson in the 1980s.^[66] A compilation album, Scream, was released on September 29, 2017.^[383] A jukebox musical, MJ the Musical, premiered on Broadway in 2022.^[384] Myles Frost won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Jackson.^[385] On November 18, 2022, Epic released a 40th-anniversary edition reissue of Thriller.^[386]^[387] A biographical film based on Jackson's life, Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua, is scheduled for October 2025.^[388] Jackson is played by his nephew Jaafar Jackson. Deadline Hollywood reported that the film "will not shy away from the controversies of Jackson's life".^[389] Since Jackson's death, his estate has grossed $2 billion in ticket revenue from MJ the Musical, Michael Jackson's This Is It and two Cirque du Soleil productions.^[390]

Posthumous child sexual abuse allegations

[edit]

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 (1989–1996).^[391] In 2014, a case was filed by James Safechuck, alleging similar sexual abuse over a four-year period starting when Safechuck was ten (1988–1992).^[392]^[393]^[394] Both had previously testified in Jackson's defense during the 1993 allegations; Robson did so again in 2005.^[395]^[396] In 2015, Robson's case against Jackson's estate was dismissed as it had been filed too late. Safechuck's claim was also time-barred.^[397]

In 2017, it was ruled that Jackson's corporations could not be held accountable for his alleged past actions.^[398]^[399] The rulings were appealed. On October 20, 2020, Safechuck's lawsuit against Jackson's corporations was again dismissed. The judge ruled that there was no evidence that Safechuck had had a relationship with Jackson's corporation, nor was it proven that there was a special relationship between the two.^[400]^[401]^[402]^[403] On April 26, 2021, Robson's case was dismissed because of a lack of supporting evidence that the defendants exercised control over Jackson.^[404]

Robson and Safechuck's allegations were the subject of the documentary film Leaving Neverland, released in March 2019.^[405] Radio stations in New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands removed Jackson's music from their playlists.^[406]^[407]^[408] Jackson's family condemned the film as a "public lynching",^[409] and the Jackson estate released a statement calling the film a "tabloid character assassination [Jackson] endured in life, and now in death".^[410] Close associates of Jackson, such as Corey Feldman, Aaron Carter, Brett Barnes, and Macaulay Culkin, defended Jackson in the wake of the documentary's release, saying that Jackson had never molested them.^[411]^[412]^[413]

Documentaries such as Square One: Michael Jackson, Neverland Firsthand: Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary and Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth, presented information countering the claims suggested by Leaving Neverland.^[414]^[415]^[416] Jackson's album sales increased following the documentary screenings.^[417] Billboard senior editor Gail Mitchell said she and a colleague interviewed about thirty music executives who believed Jackson's legacy could withstand the controversy.^[418] In late 2019, some New Zealand and Canadian radio stations re-added Jackson's music to their playlists, citing "positive listener survey results".^[419]^[420]

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 million or more in damages awarded to the estate.^[421] HBO said they did not breach a contract and filed an anti-SLAPP motion against the estate. In September 2019, Judge George H. Wu denied HBO's motion to dismiss the case, allowing the Jackson estate to arbitrate.^[422] HBO appealed, but in December 2020 the appeals court affirmed Wu's ruling.^[423]

In 2020, a state law passed in California which granted plaintiffs in child sex abuse cases an additional period to file lawsuits. In October 2020 and again in April 2021, the Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled that MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc. employees were not legally obligated to protect the two men from Jackson. In August 2023, California's Second District Court of Appeal overturned the ruling, and the case was approved to move forward to trial court.^[424]

Legacy

[edit]

Jackson has been referred to as the "King of Pop" for having transformed the art of music videos and paving the way for modern pop music. For much of Jackson's career, he had an unparalleled worldwide influence over the younger generation.^[426] His influence extended beyond the music industry; he impacted dance, led fashion trends, and raised awareness for global affairs.^[427] Jackson's music and videos fostered racial diversity in MTV's roster and steered its focus from rock to pop music and R&B, leading to the discontinuation of the album-oriented rock format previously dominant on the channel.^[39]^[428] In songs such as "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.^[429]^[430] He is considered one of the most significant figures of the 20th century,^[431] 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.^[432]^[433]^[434]^[435]

Jackson's meteoric rise in the 1980s catapulted him to global stardom, and his influence transcended borders. In Africa, his influence was compared to Nelson Mandela for his ability to inspire and unite diverse audiences through his music.^[436]^[437] Similarly, in India, Jackson was likened to Mahatma Gandhi, with his art championing themes of social justice and humanitarianism,^[438] and his influence extending to Bollywood where it was said that anyone who danced well was compared to Jackson.^[436] In Europe, Jackson's impact was compared to that of the Pope, drawing huge crowds of people who gathered to see the singer in public and even more to his concerts, which spread messages of love and healing during rough economic and political times.^[439] His presence in the Middle East was considered as widespread as Coca-Cola, symbolizing a shared global culture through his music.^[440] Additionally, Jackson is considered the backbone of the K-pop industry in South Korea, influencing countless artists and shaping the genre's development.^[441]^[442]

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'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^[443]

Danyel Smith, chief content officer of Vibe Media Group and the editor-in-chief of Vibe, described Jackson as "the greatest star".^[444] 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".^[5] 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".^[445] In 1984, 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."^[89] In 2003, The Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley described Jackson as "extremely important" and a "genius".^[446] At Jackson's memorial service on July 7, 2009, Motown founder Berry Gordy called Jackson "the greatest entertainer that ever lived".^[447]^[448] Jackson is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records.^[449]^[450] He has also appeared on Rolling Stone's lists of the Greatest Singers of All Time.^[451]^[452]

Craig Glenday, the Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records, called Jackson the most famous person in the world in 2006. Following Jackson's death, Glenday wrote in an obituary that Jackson had maintained this status up until his death,^[453] later remarking that his fame had exceeded that of Confucius.^[454] The Guardian wrote that he was in a league of his own in terms of fame, noting that Jackson had become so famous that the number of people who might not know who he was had become statistically insignificant.^[455] Due to his unprecedented influence, Jackson is recognized today as one of the most globally renowned figures in history. Reports of his fame extend from the Middle East,^[456]^[457] Africa,^[436]^[458] India,^[459]^[460] and China^[461]^[462] to tribes in the Amazon.^[463] His influence even reaches remote corners of the world such as São Tomé and Príncipe, or Tristan da Cunha, where tribute artists keep his legacy alive by celebrating his music.^[464]^[465]

In 2018, the National Portrait Gallery named Jackson the most depicted cultural figure of the century,^[466] later stating that Jackson's influence on art rivaled that of Jesus Christ.^[467] Nicholas Cullinan, director of the National Portrait Gallery and curator of the Michael Jackson: On the Wall exhibition, described Jackson's impact on art as unprecedented and claimed in 2018 that Jackson was the most depicted figure in the history of contemporary art.^[468] In 2014, a comprehensive study conducted by researcher Young-Ho Eom at the University of Toulouse identified Jackson as one of the most influential people of all time.^[469] The study utilized advanced ranking methods, including 2D Rank and PageRank algorithms, to analyze the impact of historical figures. Jackson was prominently placed on the list of top influencers, alongside Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, Adolf Hitler, and Jesus Christ. An additional study conducted in 2013 also identified Jackson as one of the most influential people of all time. This study ranked Jackson at the top of the list, alongside Napoleon Bonaparte, highlighting the extraordinary influence and global recognition that Jackson achieved throughout his career.^[470] Additionally, numerous publications and academic studies ^[471] have recognized Michael Jackson as one of the most influential figures in history, noting his impact beyond music in fields such as psychology, law, chemistry, and engineering. ^[472]^[473]^[474]

Philanthropy and humanitarian work

[edit]

President Ronald Reagan rewarding Jackson in 1984 for his support of alcohol and drug abuse charities

Jackson is widely regarded as having been a prolific philanthropist and humanitarian.^[475]^[476]^[477]^[478] Jackson's early charitable work has been described by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as having "paved the way for the current surge in celebrity philanthropy",^[479] and by the Los Angeles Times as having "set the standard for generosity for other entertainers".^[475]

By some estimates, he donated over $500 million, not accounting for inflation, to various charities over the course of his life.^[475] In 1992, Jackson established his Heal the World Foundation, to which he donated several million dollars in revenue from his Dangerous World Tour.^[480]

Jackson's philanthropic activities went beyond just monetary donations. He also performed at benefit concerts, some of which he arranged.^[481] He gifted tickets for his regular concert performances to groups that assist underprivileged children.^[482] He visited sick children in hospitals around the world.^[483]

Jackson donated valuable, personal and professional paraphernalia for numerous charity auctions. He received various awards and accolades for his philanthropic work, including two bestowed by presidents of the United States. The vast breadth of Jackson's philanthropic work has earned recognition in the Guinness World Records.^[475]^[484]^[485]

On May 14, 1984, President Ronald Reagan gave Jackson an award recognizing his support of alcohol and drug abuse charities,^[486] 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.^[487]

Artistry

[edit]

Vocal style

[edit]

Jackson was known as an expressive vocalist with absolute pitch.^[488]^[489]^[490] Critics describe his vocal theatricality having a range from clear and soft to harsh and aggressive,^[491]^[492]^[493]^[494] depending on the genre sung. Principally in history, Jackson is the sole recipient to receive Grammy Awards for three different genres of vocal performance (as a soloist), winning Pop Vocal for "Thriller", Rock Vocal for "Beat It", and Rhythm and Blues Vocal with both "Billie Jean" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Bruce Swedien, his long-time sound engineer, emphasized that a critical element of their vocal recordings are of him and Jackson trying numerous approaches to rhythmic, emotional and technical distinctions to consummate a "sonic character".^[495] His stylings, such as common use of staccato, legato, falsetto as well as vocal hiccups,^[496] adlibs, wailings and growls are all signature to his sound.^[497]^[498]

Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed. Between 1971 and 1975, his voice descended from boy soprano to lyric tenor.^[499] He was known for his intonation and vocal range.^[451] Through each music release, his vocal development and changes were positively narrated by music journalists. With the arrival of Off the Wall in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities in his coming-of-age period had Rolling Stone comparing 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."^[500] By the time of 1982's Thriller, Rolling Stone wrote that Jackson was singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".^[501] 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.^[502] Of Invincible, Rolling Stone wrote that, at 43, Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies".^[503] Joseph Vogel notes Jackson's ability to use non-verbal sounds to express emotion.^[504] Neil McCormick wrote that Jackson's unorthodox singing style "was original and utterly distinctive".^[505]

Influences

[edit]

Jackson was influenced by musicians including James Brown, Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, Diana Ross, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr., Gene Kelly,^[506] and David Ruffin.^[507] Little Richard had a substantial influence on Jackson,^[508] but Brown was his greatest inspiration. When Jackson was a small child, his mother would wake him whenever Brown appeared on television. Jackson described being "mesmerized".^[509]

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.^[510] She was a mother figure to him, and he often watched her rehearse.^[511] 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.^[512]

Choreographer David Winters, who met Jackson while choreographing the 1971 Diana Ross TV special Diana!, said that Jackson watched the musical West Side Story almost every week, and it was his favorite film; he paid tribute to it in "Beat It" and the "Bad" video.^[513]^[514]^[515]

Musicianship

[edit]

Jackson had no formal music training and could not read or write music notation. He is credited for playing guitar, keyboard, and drums, but was not proficient in them.^[516] When composing, he recorded ideas by beatboxing and imitating instruments vocally.^[516] 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." These were shown in his demos for "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" where he vocalized the melody, bass instrumentals as well as lead and backing vocals by overlaying each component. The engineer Robert Hoffman recalled that after Jackson came in with a song he had written overnight, Jackson sang every note of every chord to a guitar player. Hoffman also remembered Jackson singing string arrangements part by part into a cassette recorder.^[516]

Dance

[edit]

Jackson danced from a young age as part of the Jackson 5,^[517] and incorporated dance extensively in his performances and music videos.^[517] According to Sanjoy Roy of The Guardian, Jackson would "flick and retract his limbs like switchblades, or snap out of a tornado spin into a perfectly poised toe-stand".^[517] The moonwalk, taught to him by Jeffrey Daniel,^[77] was Jackson's signature dance move and one of the most famous of the 20th century.^[518] Jackson is credited for coining the name "moonwalk" for this street dance move, previously known as the "backslide".^[519]^[520] His other moves included the robot,^[45]^[521] crotch grab, and the "anti-gravity" lean of the "Smooth Criminal" video.^[517]

Themes and genres

[edit]

Jackson explored genres including pop,^[5]^[522] soul,^[5]^[160] rhythm and blues,^[522] funk,^[523] rock,^[522]^[523] disco,^[524] post-disco,^[523] dance-pop,^[525] and new jack swing.^[5] 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.^[5] Its tracks included the ballads "The Lady in My Life", "Human Nature", and "The Girl Is Mine",^[501]^[526]^[527] the funk pieces "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'",^[501]^[526] and the disco set "Baby Be Mine" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)".^[527]

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."^[528] With Thriller, Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery.^[501] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted this on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".^[526] In "Billie Jean", Jackson depicts an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered her child,^[5] and in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media.^[501] "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.^[5]^[36] He observed that "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.^[5]

In Bad, Jackson's concept of the predatory lover is seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana".^[529] 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.^[136] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Dangerous presents Jackson as a paradoxical person.^[530] 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".^[502] In the ballad "Gone Too Soon", Jackson gives tribute to Ryan White and the plight of those with AIDS.^[531]

HIStory creates an atmosphere of paranoia.^[532] 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.^[533] In the introspective ballad "Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments his "fall from grace"; "Earth Song", "Childhood", "Little Susie", and "Smile" are operatic pop songs.^[532]^[533] In "D.S.", Jackson attacks lawyer Thomas W. Sneddon Jr., who had prosecuted him in both child sexual abuse cases; he describes Sneddon as a white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or alive".^[534] Invincible includes urban soul tracks such as "Cry" and "The Lost Children", ballads such as "Speechless", "Break of Dawn", and "Butterflies", and mixes hip hop, pop, and R&B in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker", and "Invincible".^[535]^[536]

Music videos and choreography

[edit]

Jackson released "Thriller", a 14-minute music video directed by John Landis, in 1983.^[537] The zombie-themed video "defined music videos and broke racial barriers" on MTV, which had launched two years earlier.^[39] Before Thriller, Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American.^[538] 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.^[539] 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.^[539]^[540] 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.^[541] The choreography in Thriller has been copied in Indian films and prisons in the Philippines.^[542] Thriller marked an increase in scale for music videos, and was named the most successful music video ever by the Guinness World Records.^[228]

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.^[543]^[544] 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 U.S. patent 5,255,452 for the device.^[545] The video for "Leave Me Alone" was not officially released in the US, but in 1989 was nominated for three Billboard Music Video Awards^[546] and won a Golden Lion Award for its special effects. It won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form.^[60]

He received the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 1988; in 2001 the award was renamed in his honor.^[547] The "Black or White" video simultaneously premiered on November 14, 1991, in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest audience ever for a music video at the time.^[176] Along with Jackson, it featured Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton, and George Wendt. It helped introduce morphing to music videos.^[548] 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.^[164]

"In the Closet" featured Naomi Campbell in a courtship dance with Jackson.^[549] "Remember the Time" was set in ancient Egypt, and featured Eddie Murphy, Iman, and Magic Johnson.^[550] 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".^[551] The song and its video are Jackson's response to being accused of child molestation in 1993.^[552] A year later, it won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form. It has been reported as the most expensive music video ever made, at $7 million;^[553] Romanek has contradicted this.^[554] The "Earth Song" video was nominated for the 1997 Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form.^[555]

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".^[556] The 2001 video for "You Rock My World" lasts over 13 minutes, was directed by Paul Hunter, and features Chris Tucker and Marlon Brando.^[557] It won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video in 2002.^[558]

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".^[559]^[560] Huey wrote that Jackson transformed the music video into an artform and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameos, while breaking down racial barriers.^[5]

Honors and awards

[edit]

Jackson is one of the best selling music artists in history,^[561] with sales estimated of over 500 million records worldwide.^[562]^[563]^[564]^{[Note 2]} He had 13 number-one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era at the time of his death.^[565] 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.^[566] In 1990, he was honored as the "Artist of the Decade", which was awarded by the National Children's Museum, by George H. W. Bush.^[567] In 1992, he was honored as a "Point of Light Ambassador" by Bush for inviting disadvantaged children to his Neverland Ranch.^[568]

Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him one of the most-awarded artists in popular music.^[569] His awards include 39 Guinness World Records, including the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time,^[449]^[450] 13 Grammy Awards,^[570] as well as the Grammy Legend Award^[571] and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,^[572] and 26 American Music Awards, including the Artist of the Century and Artist of the 1980s.^[250] He also received the World Music Awards' Best-Selling Male Artist of the Millennium and the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award.^[251]^[573] 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 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,^[574] respectively, and again as a solo artist in 2001.^[575] In 2002, he was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[576] In 2010, he was the first recording artist to be inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame,^[577] and in 2014, he was posthumously inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.^[578] In 2021, he was among the inaugural inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.^[579]

In 1988, Fisk University honored him with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.^[580] In 1992, he was invested as a titular king of Sanwi, a traditional kingdom located in the south-east of Ivory Coast.^[581] In July 2009, the Lunar Republic Society named a crater on the Moon after Jackson.^[582] In August, for what would have been Jackson's 51st birthday, Google dedicated their Google Doodle to him.^[583] In 2012, the extinct hermit crab Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni was named in his honor.^[584] In 2014, the British Council of Cultural Relations deemed Jackson's life one of the 80 most important cultural moments of the 20th century.^[585] 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.^[586]

Earnings

[edit]

In 1989, Jackson's annual earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts were estimated at $125 million.^[228] Forbes placed Jackson's annual income at $35 million in 1996 and $20 million in 1997.^[587] Jackson has been one of the wealthiest celebrities and musical artists; estimates of Jackson's net worth during his life range from negative $285 million to positive $350 million for 2002, 2003 and 2007.^[588]^[589] Forbes reported in August 2018 that Jackson's total career pretax earnings in life and death were $4.2 billion.^[590]^[591] Sales of his recordings through Sony's music unit earned him an estimated $300 million in royalties. He may have earned another $400 million from concerts, music publishing (including his share of the Beatles catalog), endorsements, merchandising and music videos.^[592]

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 taxes.^[593] The executors claimed that it was worth about $7 million, while the IRS that it was worth over $1.1 billion. In February 2014, the IRS reported that Jackson's estate owed $702 million; $505 million in taxes, and $197 million in penalties.^[594] In 2021, the Tax Court issued a ruling in favor of the estate, ruling that the estate's total combined value of the estate was $111.5 million and that the value of Jackson's name and likeness was $4 million.^[595]

In 2016, Forbes estimated annual gross earnings by the Jackson Estate at $825 million, the largest ever recorded for a celebrity, mostly due to the sale of the Sony/ATV catalog.^[596] In 2018, the figure was $400 million,^[597] bringing Jackson's postmortem total to $2.4 billion.^[598] Forbes has consistently recognized Jackson as one of the top-earning dead celebrities, and placed him at the top spot from 2013 to 2023.^[599]^[600]

Discography

[edit]

Got to Be There (1972)
Ben (1972)
Music & Me (1973)
Forever, Michael (1975)
Off the Wall (1979)
Thriller (1982)
Bad (1987)
Dangerous (1991)
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
Invincible (2001)

Filmography

[edit]

The Wiz (1978)
Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)
Captain EO (1986)
Moonwalker (1988)
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues (1989)
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 (2012)
Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016)
Thriller 40 (2023)

Tours

[edit]

Bad World Tour (1987–1989)
Dangerous World Tour (1992–1993)
HIStory World Tour (1996–1997)

See also

[edit]

List of dancers

Notes

[edit]

^ The estimates of Michael Jackson's record sales vary up to 1 billion records worldwide.^[2]^[3]
^ Blanket changed his name to "Bigi" in 2015.
^ In 2018, its US sales record was overtaken by the Eagles' album Greatest Hits 1971–75, with 38× platinum.^[361]

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]

^ Villarreal, Yvonne (June 29, 2009). "Remembering Michael Jackson: "The Greatest Entertainer of All Time"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2025. "Michael Jackson Was The Most Influential Entertainer Of The 20th Century & Shaped The Future Of Music, Dance & Film". OK!. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2024. Satariano, Adam (July 8, 2009). "Family, Fans Mourn Jackson at Site of Final Rehearsal". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 16, 2025. the greatest entertainer that ever lived. Bennett, Jessica (December 31, 2024). "The Greatest Live Performer Of Every Decade, 1950-Present". Vibe. Retrieved January 16, 2025. Widely considered the greatest performer of all time, Michael Jackson Ratliff, Michaela (August 29, 2024). "'The greatest artist who ever lived': Michael Jackson leaves impact 15 years after death". Yahoo! News. Retrieved January 16, 2025. Stone, Rolling (June 5, 2010). "Michael Jackson Immortalized". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 25, 2024. Michael Jackson, the greatest pop artist that ever lived
^ "Billboard Music Awards 2014: Michael Jackson hologram steals the show". The Daily Telegraph. May 19, 2014. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
^ "New Michael Jackson Song, 'Love Never Felt So Good,' Features Justin Timberlake". HuffPost. Reuters. May 1, 2014. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
^ County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services (2009). Michael Jackson death certificate.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Huey, Steve. "Michael Jackson – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Barnes, Brokes (June 25, 2009). "A Star Idolized and Haunted, Michael Jackson Dies at 50". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
^ "Michael Jackson: 10 Achievements That Made Him The King of Pop". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. June 24, 2014. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
^ Jackson 2009, p. 26.
^ Young 2009, p. 18.
^ Young 2009, pp. 17, 19.
^ ^a ^b Petridis, Alexis (June 27, 2018). "Joe Jackson was one of the most monstrous fathers in pop". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Sweeting, Adam (June 27, 2018). "Joe Jackson obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
^ Young 2009, pp. 18–19.
^ Knopper 2016, p. 6. Note: No tribal affiliation named in source.
^ Morris, Chris (June 27, 2018). "Joe Jackson, Jackson Family Patriarch, Dies at 89". Variety. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
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^ Major Academic Fields influenced by Michael Jackson Economics, Zoology, Dermatology, Music, Kinesiology, Semiotics, Ethics, Anthropology, Medicine, Law, Criminology, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Cultural Psychology, Audiometry, Media, Accounting, Language, Neuropsychology, Psychology, Film Studies, Dance, Rhetoric, Cultural Studies, Linguistics, Humanism, Ethnology, Film Studies, Jewish Studies, Divinity, Peace and Conflict Studies, Environmental Studies, Communication Studies, Marketing, Theater, Visual Arts, Library Studies, Fashion, Political Science, Computer Science, Physics, Neuroscience, History, Forensic Science, Engineering, Geography, International Relations, Education, Complex Systems, African American Studies, Hermeneutics, Cross-Culture Communication, Race Studies, Pragmatics, Gender Studies, Biomechanics, Complex Systems, Critical Theory
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^ Chivers, Tom (September 28, 2009). "Google's Doodles: 10 of the best including UFOs and Google". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
^ Kent State University (January 19, 2012). "Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni: Fossil hermit crab named after Michael Jackson". Phys.org. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
^ "80 Moments That Shaped the World" (PDF). British Council. 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
^ Harris, John E. (June 24, 2014). "Speaking of Vitiligo..." Vitiligo Clinic & Research Center. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
^ Gundersen, Edna (November 24, 2003). "For Jackson, scandal could spell financial ruin". USA Today. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
^ Deutsch, Linda (May 4, 2005). "Forensic accountant tells court Jackson is in financial straits". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
^ Pulley, Brett (November 21, 2003). "Michael Jackson's Ups And Downs". Forbes. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
^ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (August 29, 2018). "Michael Jackson at 60: The King of Pop by the Numbers". Forbes. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
^ "Stress killed MJ, says ex-publicist". The Times of India. June 27, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
^ O'Brien, Timothy L (May 14, 2006). "What Happened to the Fortune Michael Jackson Made?". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
^ "Estate of Michael J. Jackson, Deceased, John G. Branca, Co-Executor and John McClain, Co-Executor". August 19, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
^ Gottlieb, Jeff (February 7, 2014). "Michael Jackson estate embroiled in tax fight with IRS". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
^ Sisario, Ben (May 3, 2021). "Michael Jackson's Estate Is Winner in Tax Judge's Ruling". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
^ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (October 14, 2016). "Michael Jackson's Earnings: $825 Million In 2016". Forbes. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
^ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley; Robehmed, Natalie (October 31, 2017). "The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2018". Forbes. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
^ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (October 30, 2019). "The Real Reason Behind Michael Jackson's Earnings Drop". Forbes. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
^ Freeman, Abigail. "The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities 2021". Forbes. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
^ "The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2023". Forbes.

Print sources

[edit]

Boepple, Leanne (1995). "Scream: Space Odyssey, Jackson-Style. (video production; Michael and Janet Jackson video)". TCI: Theatre Crafts International. 29. Theatre Crafts International. ISSN 1063-9497.
Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Fireside. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
Bronson, Fred (2003). Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits (3rd ed.). Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-7738-0.
Campbell, Lisa D (1993). Michael Jackson: The King of Pop. Branden. ISBN 978-0-8283-1957-7.
Campbell, Lisa D (1995). Michael Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour. Branden. ISBN 978-0-8283-2003-0.
Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
DeMello, Margo (2012). Faces Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-618-8.
George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection (booklet). Sony BMG.
Inglis, Ian (2006). Performance and Popular Music: History, Place and Time. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7546-4057-8.
Jackson, Michael (2009) [First published 1988]. Moonwalk. Random House. ISBN 978-0-307-71698-9.
Knopper, Steve (2016). MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson. Scribner. ISBN 978-1-4767-3037-0.
Lehman, Christopher P. (2008). A Critical History of Soul Train on Television. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3669-9.
Lewis Jones, Jel D. (2005). Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture: the Music! the Man! the Legend! the Interviews: an Anthology. Amber Books Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9749779-0-4.
Mansour, David (2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-5118-2.
Palmer, Robert (1995). Rock & Roll: An Unruly History. Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-517-70050-1.
Parameswaran, Radhika (2011). "E-Race-ing Color: Gender and Transnational Visual Economies of Beauty in India". In Sarma Hegde, Radha (ed.). Circuits of Visibility: Gender and Transnational Media Cultures. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9060-1.
Ramage, John D.; Bean, John C.; Johnson, June (2001). Writing arguments: a rhetoric with readings. Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 978-0-205-31745-5.
Rojek, Chris (2007). Cultural Studies. Polity. ISBN 978-0-7456-3683-2.
St John, Graham (2004). Rave Culture and Religion. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-31449-7.
Tannenbaum, Rob; Marks, Craig (2011). I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1-101-52641-5.
Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2009). Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009. Grand Central Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-0-446-56474-8.
Vogel, Joseph (2012). Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson. New York: Sterling. ISBN 978-1-4027-7938-1.
Young, Julie (Fall 2009). "A Hoosier Thriller: Gary, Indiana's Michael Jackson". Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. 21 (4). Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.

Further reading

[edit]

Hidalgo, Susan; Weiner, Robert G. (2010). "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin': MJ in the Scholarly Literature: A Selected Bibliographic Guide" (PDF). The Journal of Pan African Studies. 3 (7).
How Michael Jackson Changed Dance History – biography.com

External links

[edit]

Listen to this article (1 hour and 50 minutes)

This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 22 February 2019, and does not reflect subsequent edits.

Michael Jackson at the FBI's website
Michael Jackson at IMDb

Michael Jackson

Studio albums

Got to Be There
Ben
Music & Me
Forever, Michael
Off the Wall
Thriller
Bad
Dangerous
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
Invincible

Posthumous albums

Michael
Xscape

Anniversary reissues

Remix albums

Soundtracks

Compilations

Box sets

Concert tours

Specials

Video albums

Films

Television

Video games

Books

Moonwalk
Dancing the Dream

Documentaries

Biographical films

The Jacksons: An American Dream (miniseries)
Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story
Searching for Neverland
Michael

Stage shows

Personal life

Health and appearance Personal relationships Jackson family Paris Jackson Lisa Marie Presley Debbie Rowe
Abuse allegations	1993 allegations 2005 trial Posthumous allegations FBI files
Death	Memorial service Conrad Murray trial

Influence

Related

Category

v t e Michael Jackson songs
Singles Songs Unreleased songs
1970s	"Got to Be There" "Ain't No Sunshine" "I Wanna Be Where You Are" "Rockin' Robin" "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" "You've Got a Friend" "Ben" "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" "My Girl" "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" "We've Got a Good Thing Going" "With a Child's Heart" "Morning Glow" "All the Things You Are" "Happy" "Too Young" "Music and Me" "We're Almost There" "Just a Little Bit of You" "You Can't Win" "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" "Rock with You" "Working Day and Night" "It's the Falling in Love"
1980s	"Off the Wall" "Girlfriend" "She's Out of My Life" "One Day in Your Life" "The Girl Is Mine" "Billie Jean" "Beat It" "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" "Human Nature" "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" "Thriller" "The Lady in My Life" "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" "Lonely Teardrops" "That's What Love Is Made Of" "Farewell My Summer Love" "Girl You're So Together" "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" "Bad" "The Way You Make Me Feel" "Speed Demon" "Liberian Girl" "Just Good Friends" "Another Part of Me" "Man in the Mirror" "Dirty Diana" "Smooth Criminal" "Leave Me Alone" "Twenty-Five Miles"
1990s	"Black or White" "Jam" "In the Closet" "Remember the Time" "Heal the World" "Who Is It" "Give In to Me" "Will You Be There" "Gone Too Soon" "Dangerous" "Come Together" "Scream" "Childhood" "They Don't Care About Us" "Stranger in Moscow" "This Time Around" "Earth Song" "D.S." "You Are Not Alone" "Tabloid Junkie" "HIStory" "Smile" "Mind Is the Magic" "Blood on the Dance Floor" "Ghosts" "Is It Scary" "On the Line"
2000s	"Speechless" "You Rock My World" "Heaven Can Wait" "Butterflies" "Cry" "One More Chance" "Cheater" "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" "Fall Again" "This Is It"
2010s	"Hold My Hand" "Hollywood Tonight" "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" "Behind the Mask" "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" "I'm So Blue" "Price of Fame" "Love Never Felt So Good" "Chicago" "Loving You" "A Place with No Name" "Slave to the Rhythm" "Do You Know Where Your Children Are" "Blue Gangsta"
2020s	"She's Trouble"
Other	"We Are the World" "What More Can I Give" "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" "Blood on the Dance Floor x Dangerous" "Diamonds Are Invincible"
Featured	"A Brand New Day" "Ease on Down the Road" "Night Time Lover" "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" "State of Independence" "Muscles" "Say Say Say" "Somebody's Watching Me" "Don't Stand Another Chance" "Centipede" "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)" "Eaten Alive" "Get It" "2300 Jackson Street" "Do the Bartman" "Whatzupwitu" "Why" "I Need You" "We Be Ballin'" "Girls, Girls, Girls" "All in Your Name" "There Must Be More to Life Than This" "Low" "Don't Matter to Me"
Category

Awards for Michael Jackson

American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist

Jim Croce (1974)
John Denver (1975)
John Denver (1976)
Elton John (1977)
Barry Manilow (1978)
Barry Manilow (1979)
Barry Manilow (1980)
Kenny Rogers (1981)
Kenny Rogers (1982)
John Mellencamp / Rick Springfield (1983)
Michael Jackson (1984)
Lionel Richie (1985)
Bruce Springsteen (1986)
Lionel Richie (1987)
Paul Simon (1988)
George Michael (1989)
Bobby Brown (1990)
Phil Collins (1991)
Michael Bolton (1992)
Michael Bolton (1993)
Eric Clapton (1994)
Michael Bolton (1995)
Michael Jackson (1996)
Eric Clapton (1997)
Babyface (1998)
Eric Clapton (1999)
Will Smith (2000)
Kid Rock (2001)
Lenny Kravitz (2002)
Eminem (2003)
Kid Rock (2003)
Usher (2004)
Will Smith (2005)
Sean Paul (2006)
Justin Timberlake (2007)
Chris Brown (2008)
Michael Jackson (2009)
Justin Bieber (2010)
Bruno Mars (2011)
Justin Bieber (2012)
Justin Timberlake (2013)
Sam Smith (2014)
Ed Sheeran (2015)
Justin Bieber (2016)
Bruno Mars (2017)
Post Malone (2018)
Khalid (2019)
Justin Bieber (2020)
Ed Sheeran (2021)
Harry Styles (2022)

American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist

Stevie Wonder (1974)
Stevie Wonder (1975)
Barry White (1976)
Stevie Wonder (1977)
Stevie Wonder (1978)
Teddy Pendergrass / Lou Rawls (1979)
Michael Jackson (1980)
Michael Jackson (1981)
Stevie Wonder (1982)
Lionel Richie (1983)
Michael Jackson (1984)
Lionel Richie (1985)
Stevie Wonder (1986)
Lionel Richie (1987)
Luther Vandross (1988)
George Michael (1989)
Luther Vandross (1990)
MC Hammer (1991)
Luther Vandross (1992)
Bobby Brown (1993)
Luther Vandross (1994)
Babyface (1995)
Luther Vandross (1996)
Keith Sweat (1997)
Babyface (1998)
Will Smith (1999)
R. Kelly (2000)
Brian McKnight (2001)
Luther Vandross (2002)
Eminem (2003)
Luther Vandross (2003)
Usher (2004)
R. Kelly (2005)
Jamie Foxx (2006)
Akon (2007)
Chris Brown (2008)
Michael Jackson (2009)
Usher (2010)
Usher (2011)
Usher (2012)
Justin Timberlake (2013)
John Legend (2014)
The Weeknd (2015)
Chris Brown (2016)
Bruno Mars (2017)
Khalid (2018)
Bruno Mars (2019)
The Weeknd (2020)
The Weeknd (2021)
Chris Brown (2022)

American Music Award of Merit

Bing Crosby (1974)
Berry Gordy (1975)
Irving Berlin (1976)
Johnny Cash (1977)
Ella Fitzgerald (1978)
Perry Como (1979)
Benny Goodman (1980)
Chuck Berry (1981)
Stevie Wonder (1982)
Kenny Rogers (1983)
Michael Jackson (1984)
Loretta Lynn (1985)
Paul McCartney (1986)
Elvis Presley (1987)
The Beach Boys (1988)
Willie Nelson (1989)
Neil Diamond (1990)
Merle Haggard (1991)
James Brown (1992)
Bill Graham (1993)
Whitney Houston (1994)
Prince (1995)
Tammy Wynette (1996)
Little Richard (1997)
Frank Sinatra (1998)
Billy Joel (1999)
Gloria Estefan (2000)
Janet Jackson (2001)
Garth Brooks (2002)
Alabama (2003)
Bon Jovi (2004)
Annie Lennox (2008)
Sting (2016)

v t e Billboard Year-End number one albums
1956–1975	1956: Calypso – Harry Belafonte 1957: Music from My Fair Lady – Original Cast 1958: Music from My Fair Lady – Original Cast 1959: The Music from Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini 1960: Music from The Sound of Music – Original Cast 1961: Music from Camelot – Original Cast 1962: West Side Story – Soundtrack 1963: West Side Story – Soundtrack 1964: Music from Hello, Dolly! – Original Cast 1965: Mary Poppins: Original Cast Soundtrack – Soundtrack 1966: Whipped Cream & Other Delights – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass 1967: More of the Monkees – The Monkees 1968: Are You Experienced – The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1969: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – Iron Butterfly 1970: Bridge over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel 1971: Jesus Christ Superstar – Soundtrack 1972: Harvest – Neil Young 1973: The World Is a Ghetto – War 1974: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John 1975: Greatest Hits – Elton John
1976–2000	1976: Frampton Comes Alive! – Peter Frampton 1977: Rumours – Fleetwood Mac 1978: Saturday Night Fever – Soundtrack 1979: 52nd Street – Billy Joel 1980: The Wall – Pink Floyd 1981: Hi Infidelity – REO Speedwagon 1982: Asia – Asia 1983: Thriller – Michael Jackson 1984: Thriller – Michael Jackson 1985: Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen 1986: Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston 1987: Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi 1988: Faith – George Michael 1989: Don't Be Cruel – Bobby Brown 1990: Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 – Janet Jackson 1991: Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey 1992: Ropin' the Wind – Garth Brooks 1993: The Bodyguard – Soundtrack 1994: The Sign – Ace of Base 1995: Cracked Rear View – Hootie & the Blowfish 1996: Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette 1997: Spice – Spice Girls 1998: Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture – James Horner 1999: Millennium – Backstreet Boys 2000: No Strings Attached – NSYNC
2001–present	2001: 1 – The Beatles 2002: The Eminem Show – Eminem 2003: Get Rich or Die Tryin' – 50 Cent 2004: Confessions – Usher 2005: The Massacre – 50 Cent 2006: Some Hearts – Carrie Underwood 2007: Daughtry – Daughtry 2008: As I Am – Alicia Keys 2009: Fearless – Taylor Swift 2010: I Dreamed a Dream – Susan Boyle 2011: 21 – Adele 2012: 21 – Adele 2013: The 20/20 Experience – Justin Timberlake 2014: Frozen – Soundtrack 2015: 1989 – Taylor Swift 2016: 25 – Adele 2017: Damn – Kendrick Lamar 2018: Reputation – Taylor Swift 2019: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish 2020: Hollywood's Bleeding – Post Malone 2021: Dangerous: The Double Album – Morgan Wallen 2022: Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny 2023: One Thing at a Time – Morgan Wallen 2024: The Tortured Poets Department – Taylor Swift

v t e Billboard Year-End Top Artist
1981–1999	1981: REO Speedwagon 1982: The Go-Go's 1983: Michael Jackson 1984: Lionel Richie 1985: Madonna 1986: Whitney Houston 1987: Bon Jovi 1988: George Michael 1989: New Kids on the Block 1990: New Kids on the Block 1991: Mariah Carey 1992: Garth Brooks 1993: Garth Brooks 1994: Ace of Base 1995: TLC 1996: Alanis Morissette 1997: LeAnn Rimes 1998: Usher 1999: Backstreet Boys
2000–2019	2000: Destiny's Child 2001: Destiny's Child 2002: Nelly 2003: 50 Cent 2004: Usher 2005: 50 Cent 2006: Chris Brown 2007: Akon 2008: Chris Brown 2009: Taylor Swift 2010: Lady Gaga 2011: Adele 2012: Adele 2013: Bruno Mars 2014: One Direction 2015: Taylor Swift 2016: Adele 2017: Ed Sheeran 2018: Drake 2019: Post Malone
2020-present	2020: Post Malone 2021: Drake 2022: Bad Bunny 2023: Taylor Swift 2024: Taylor Swift

Brit Award for British Album of the Year

1977–2000

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1977)
Kings of the Wild Frontier – Adam and the Ants (1982)
Memories – Barbra Streisand (1983)
Thriller – Michael Jackson (1984)
Diamond Life – Sade (1985)
No Jacket Required – Phil Collins (1986)
Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits (1987)
...Nothing Like the Sun – Sting (1988)
The First of a Million Kisses – Fairground Attraction (1989)
The Raw and the Cooked – Fine Young Cannibals (1990)
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 – George Michael (1991)
Seal – Seal (1992)
Diva – Annie Lennox (1993)
Connected – Stereo MC's (1994)
Parklife – Blur (1995)
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis (1996)
Everything Must Go – Manic Street Preachers (1997)
Urban Hymns – The Verve (1998)
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours – Manic Street Preachers (1999)
The Man Who – Travis (2000)

2001–present

Parachutes – Coldplay (2001)
No Angel – Dido (2002)
A Rush of Blood to the Head – Coldplay (2003)
Permission to Land – The Darkness (2004)
Hopes and Fears – Keane (2005)
X&Y – Coldplay (2006)
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not – Arctic Monkeys (2007)
Favourite Worst Nightmare – Arctic Monkeys (2008)
Rockferry – Duffy (2009)
Lungs – Florence and the Machine (2010)
Sigh No More – Mumford & Sons (2011)
21 – Adele (2012)
Our Version of Events – Emeli Sandé (2013)
AM – Arctic Monkeys (2014)
x – Ed Sheeran (2015)
25 – Adele (2016)
Blackstar – David Bowie (2017)
Gang Signs & Prayer – Stormzy (2018)
A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships – The 1975 (2019)
Psychodrama – Dave (2020)
Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa (2021)
30 – Adele (2022)
Harry's House – Harry Styles (2023)
My 21st Century Blues – Raye (2024)
Brat – Charli XCX (2025)

Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist

Michael Jackson (1989)
Michael Hutchence (1991)
Lenny Kravitz (1994)
Prince (1995)
Prince (1996)
Beck (1997)
Jon Bon Jovi (1998)
Beck (1999)
Beck (2000)
Eminem (2001)
Shaggy (2002)
Eminem (2003)
Justin Timberlake (2004)
Eminem (2005)
Kanye West (2006)
Justin Timberlake (2007)
Kanye West (2008)
Kanye West (2009)
Jay-Z (2010)
CeeLo Green (2011)
Bruno Mars (2012)
Frank Ocean (2013)
Bruno Mars (2014)
Pharrell Williams (2015)
Justin Bieber (2016)
Drake (2017)
Kendrick Lamar (2018)
Drake (2019)
Tyler, the Creator (2020)
The Weeknd (2021)

v t e Brit Award for International Artist
International Artist Kid Creole and the Coconuts (1983) Michael Jackson (1984) Prince and The Revolution (1985)
International Solo Artist Bruce Springsteen (1986) Paul Simon (1987) Michael Jackson (1988) Neneh Cherry (1990) Prince (1992) Prince (1993)
International Artist Billie Eilish (2022) Beyoncé (2023) SZA (2024) Chappell Roan (2025)

v t e Grammy Award for Album of the Year
1950s	The Music from Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini (1958) Come Dance with Me! – Frank Sinatra (1959)
1960s	The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart – Bob Newhart (1960) Judy at Carnegie Hall – Judy Garland (1961) The First Family – Vaughn Meader (1962) The Barbra Streisand Album – Barbra Streisand (1963) Getz/Gilberto – Stan Getz & João Gilberto (1964) September of My Years – Frank Sinatra (1965) A Man and His Music – Frank Sinatra (1966) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1967) By the Time I Get to Phoenix – Glen Campbell (1968) Blood, Sweat & Tears – Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969)
1970s	Bridge over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel (1970) Tapestry – Carole King (1971) The Concert for Bangladesh – George Harrison & Friends (1972) Innervisions – Stevie Wonder (1973) Fulfillingness' First Finale – Stevie Wonder (1974) Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon (1975) Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder (1976) Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1977) Saturday Night Fever – Various Artists (1978) 52nd Street – Billy Joel (1979)
1980s	Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross (1980) Double Fantasy – John Lennon & Yoko Ono (1981) Toto IV – Toto (1982) Thriller – Michael Jackson (1983) Can't Slow Down – Lionel Richie (1984) No Jacket Required – Phil Collins (1985) Graceland – Paul Simon (1986) The Joshua Tree – U2 (1987) Faith – George Michael (1988) Nick of Time – Bonnie Raitt (1989)
1990s	Back on the Block – Quincy Jones and Various Artists (1990) Unforgettable... with Love – Natalie Cole (1991) Unplugged – Eric Clapton (1992) The Bodyguard – Whitney Houston (1993) MTV Unplugged – Tony Bennett (1994) Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette (1995) Falling into You – Celine Dion (1996) Time Out of Mind – Bob Dylan (1997) The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill (1998) Supernatural – Santana (1999)
2000s	Two Against Nature – Steely Dan (2000) O Brother, Where Art Thou? – Various Artists (2001) Come Away with Me – Norah Jones (2002) Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – Outkast (2003) Genius Loves Company – Ray Charles & Various Artists (2004) How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – U2 (2005) Taking the Long Way – Dixie Chicks (2006) River: The Joni Letters – Herbie Hancock (2007) Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (2008) Fearless – Taylor Swift (2009)
2010s	The Suburbs – Arcade Fire (2010) 21 – Adele (2011) Babel – Mumford & Sons (2012) Random Access Memories – Daft Punk (2013) Morning Phase – Beck (2014) 1989 – Taylor Swift (2015) 25 – Adele (2016) 24K Magic – Bruno Mars (2017) Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves (2018) When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish (2019)
2020s	Folklore – Taylor Swift (2020) We Are – Jon Batiste (2021) Harry's House – Harry Styles (2022) Midnights – Taylor Swift (2023) Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé (2024)

v t e Grammy Award for Record of the Year
1950s	"Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (1958) "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959)
1960s	"Theme from A Summer Place" – Percy Faith (1960) "Moon River" – Henry Mancini (1961) "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" – Tony Bennett (1962) "Days of Wine and Roses" – Henry Mancini (1963) "The Girl from Ipanema" – Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz (1964) "A Taste of Honey" – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965) "Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra (1966) "Up, Up and Away" – The 5th Dimension (1967) "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel (1968) "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension (1969)
1970s	"Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel (1970) "It's Too Late" – Carole King (1971) "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack (1972) "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Roberta Flack (1973) "I Honestly Love You" – Olivia Newton-John (1974) "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille (1975) "This Masquerade" – George Benson (1976) "Hotel California" – Eagles (1977) "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (1978) "What a Fool Believes" – The Doobie Brothers (1979)
1980s	"Sailing" – Christopher Cross (1980) "Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes (1981) "Rosanna" – Toto (1982) "Beat It" – Michael Jackson (1983) "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Tina Turner (1984) "We Are the World" – USA for Africa (1985) "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood (1986) "Graceland" – Paul Simon (1987) "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1988) "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Bette Midler (1989)
1990s	"Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins (1990) "Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole (1991) "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton (1992) "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston (1993) "All I Wanna Do" – Sheryl Crow (1994) "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (1995) "Change the World" – Eric Clapton (1996) "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin (1997) "My Heart Will Go On" – Celine Dion (1998) "Smooth" – Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)
2000s	"Beautiful Day" – U2 (2000) "Walk On" – U2 (2001) "Don't Know Why" – Norah Jones (2002) "Clocks" – Coldplay (2003) "Here We Go Again" – Ray Charles & Norah Jones (2004) "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" – Green Day (2005) "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Dixie Chicks (2006) "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (2007) "Please Read the Letter" – Alison Krauss & Robert Plant (2008) "Use Somebody" – Kings of Leon (2009)
2010s	"Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum (2010) "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2011) "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2012) "Get Lucky" – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers (2013) "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – Sam Smith (2014) "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015) "Hello" – Adele (2016) "24K Magic" – Bruno Mars (2017) "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018) "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish (2019)
2020s	"Everything I Wanted" – Billie Eilish (2020) "Leave the Door Open" – Silk Sonic (2021) "About Damn Time" by Lizzo (2022) "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus (2023) "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar (2024)

v t e Grammy Award for Song of the Year
1950s	"Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (songwriter) (1958) "The Battle of New Orleans" – Jimmy Driftwood (songwriter) (1959)
1960s	"Theme of Exodus" – Ernest Gold (songwriter) (1960) "Moon River" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1961) "What Kind of Fool Am I?" – Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley (songwriters) (1962) "Days of Wine and Roses" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1963) "Hello, Dolly!" – Jerry Herman (songwriter) (1964) "The Shadow of Your Smile" – Paul Francis Webster & Johnny Mandel (songwriters) (1965) "Michelle" – John Lennon & Paul McCartney (songwriters) (1966) "Up, Up, and Away" – Jimmy Webb (songwriter) (1967) "Little Green Apples" – Bobby Russell (songwriter) (1968) "Games People Play" – Joe South (songwriter) (1969)
1970s	"Bridge over Troubled Water" – Paul Simon (songwriter) (1970) "You've Got a Friend" – Carole King (songwriter) (1971) "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Ewan MacColl (songwriter) (1972) "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox (songwriters) (1973) "The Way We Were" – Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch (songwriters) (1974) "Send In the Clowns" – Stephen Sondheim (songwriter) (1975) "I Write the Songs" – Bruce Johnston (songwriter) (1976) "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" – Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams (songwriters) / "You Light Up My Life" – Joe Brooks (songwriter) (1977) "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (songwriter) (1978) "What a Fool Believes" – Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald (songwriters) (1979)
1980s	"Sailing" – Christopher Cross (songwriter) (1980) "Bette Davis Eyes" – Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon (songwriters) (1981) "Always on My Mind" – Johnny Christopher, Mark James & Wayne Carson (songwriters) (1982) "Every Breath You Take" – Sting (songwriter) (1983) "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Graham Lyle & Terry Britten (songwriters) (1984) "We Are the World" – Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) (1985) "That's What Friends Are For" – Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager (songwriters) (1986) "Somewhere Out There" – James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songwriters) (1987) "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (songwriter) (1988) "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar (songwriters) (1989)
1990s	"From a Distance" – Julie Gold (songwriter) (1990) "Unforgettable" – Irving Gordon (songwriter) (1991) "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1992) "A Whole New World" – Alan Menken & Tim Rice (songwriters) (1993) "Streets of Philadelphia" – Bruce Springsteen (songwriter) (1994) "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (songwriter) (1995) "Change the World" – Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick & Tommy Sims (songwriters) (1996) "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin & John Leventhal (songwriters) (1997) "My Heart Will Go On" – James Horner & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1998) "Smooth" – Itaal Shur & Rob Thomas (songwriters) (1999)
2000s	"Beautiful Day" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2000) "Fallin'" – Alicia Keys (songwriter) (2001) "Don't Know Why" – Jesse Harris (songwriter) (2002) "Dance with My Father" – Richard Marx & Luther Vandross (songwriters) (2003) "Daughters" – John Mayer (songwriter) (2004) "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2005) "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Emily Burns Erwin, Martha Maguire, Natalie Maines Pasdar & Dan Wilson (songwriters) (2006) "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (songwriter) (2007) "Viva la Vida" – Guy Berryman, Jonathan Buckland, William Champion & Christopher Martin (songwriters) (2008) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart (songwriters) (2009)
2010s	"Need You Now" – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott (songwriters) (2010) "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth (songwriters) (2011) "We Are Young" – Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess (songwriters) (2012) "Royals" – Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor (songwriters) (2013) "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith (songwriters) (2014) "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge (songwriters) (2015) "Hello" – Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin (songwriters) (2016) "That's What I Like" – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip (songwriters) (2017) "This Is America" – Donald Glover, Ludwig Göransson & Jeffery Lamar Williams (songwriters) (2018) "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2019)
2020s	"I Can't Breathe" – Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas (songwriters) (2020) "Leave the Door Open" – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters) (2021) "Just Like That" – Bonnie Raitt (songwriter) (2022) "What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2023) "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar (songwriter) (2024)

v t e Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album
1958−1974	"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" – Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (1958) Peter and the Wolf – Peter Ustinov (1959) Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks – Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (1960) Prokofiev: Peter and The Wolf – Leonard Bernstein (1961) Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals/Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra – Leonard Bernstein (1962) Bernstein Conducts for Young People – Leonard Bernstein (1963) Mary Poppins: Original Cast Soundtrack – Dick Van Dyke & Julie Andrews (1964) Dr. Seuss Presents: "Fox in Sox" and "Green Eggs and Ham" – Marvin Miller (1965) Dr. Seuss Presents - "If I Ran the Zoo" and "Sleep Book" – Marvin Miller (1966) Dr. Seuss: How The Grinch Stole Christmas – Boris Karloff (1967) No Award (1968) Peter, Paul and Mommy – Peter, Paul and Mary (1969) Sesame Street – Joan Cooney & Thomas Z. Shepard (producers) (1970) Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs – Bill Cosby (1971) The Electric Company – Bill Cosby & Rita Moreno (1972) Sesame Street Live! – Joe Raposo (producer) (1973) Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too – Paul Winchell, Sebastian Cabot & Sterling Holloway (1974)
1975−1992	The Little Prince – Richard Burton (1975) Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf / Saint-Saëns: "Carnival of the Animals" – Hermione Gingold & Karl Böhm (1976) Aren't You Glad You're You – Christopher Cerf & Jim Timmens (producers) (1977) The Muppet Show – Jim Henson (producer) (1978) The Muppet Movie – Jim Henson & Paul Williams (producers) (1979) In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record – David Levine & Lucy Simon (producers) (1980) Sesame Country – Jim Henson & Dennis Scott (producers) (1981) In Harmony 2 – David Levine & Lucy Simon (producers) (1982) E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones (producer) (1983) Where the Sidewalk Ends – Shel Silverstein and Ron Haffkine (producer) (1984) Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird – Jim Henson & Steve Buckingham (producers) (1985) The Alphabet – Jim Henson, Geri Van Rees & Kathryn King (producers) (1986) The Elephant's Child – Bobby McFerrin & Jack Nicholson (1987) Pecos Bill – Robin Williams and Ry Cooder (1988) The Rock-A-Bye Collection, Volume 1 – Tanya Goodman (1989) The Little Mermaid: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack – Alan Menken & Howard Ashman (songwriters) (1990) A Cappella Kids – Clifford "Barney" Robertson (producer) (1991) Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Alan Menken & Howard Ashman (songwriters) (1992)
2011−present	All About Bullies... Big and Small – Gloria Domina, James Cravero, Kevin Mackie, Patrick Robinson & Steve Pullara (producers) (2011) Can You Canoe? – The Okee Dokee Brothers (2012) Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well – Jennifer Gasoi (2013) I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World – Neela Vaswani (2014) Home – Tim Kubart (2015) Infinity Plus One – Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (2016) Feel What U Feel – Lisa Loeb (2017) All the Sounds – Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats (2018) Ageless Songs for the Child Archetype – Jon Samson (2019) All the Ladies – Joanie Leeds (2020) A Colorful World − Falu (2021) The Movement – Alphabet Rockers (2022) We Grow Together Preschool Songs – 123 Andrés (2023) Brillo, Brillo! – Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band (2024)
From 1993–2010, the category was split into Best Musical Album for Children and Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

v t e Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
1950s	"Catch a Falling Star" – Perry Como (1958) Come Dance with Me! – Frank Sinatra (1959)
1960s	"Georgia on My Mind" – Ray Charles / The Genius of Ray Charles – Ray Charles (1960) "Lollipops and Roses" – Jack Jones (1961) "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" – Tony Bennett (1962) "Wives and Lovers" – Jack Jones (1963) "Hello, Dolly!" – Louis Armstrong (1964) "It Was a Very Good Year" – Frank Sinatra (1965) "Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra (1966) "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" – Glen Campbell (1967) "Light My Fire" – José Feliciano (1968) "Everybody's Talkin'" – Harry Nilsson (1969)
1970s	"Everything Is Beautiful" – Ray Stevens (1970) "You've Got a Friend" – James Taylor (1971) "Without You" – Harry Nilsson (1972) "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" – Stevie Wonder (1973) Fulfillingness' First Finale – Stevie Wonder (1974) Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon (1975) Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder (1976) "Handy Man" – James Taylor (1977) "Copacabana (At the Copa)" – Barry Manilow (1978) 52nd Street – Billy Joel (1979)
1980s	"This Is It" – Kenny Loggins (1980) Breakin' Away – Al Jarreau (1981) "Truly" – Lionel Richie (1982) Thriller – Michael Jackson (1983) "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" – Phil Collins (1984) No Jacket Required – Phil Collins (1985) "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood (1986) Bring On the Night – Sting (1987) "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1988) "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" – Michael Bolton (1989)
1990s	"Oh, Pretty Woman (live 1987)" – Roy Orbison (1990) "When a Man Loves a Woman" – Michael Bolton (1991) "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton (1992) "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" – Sting (1993) "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Elton John (1994) "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (1995) "Change the World" – Eric Clapton (1996) "Candle in the Wind 1997" – Elton John (1997) "My Father's Eyes" – Eric Clapton (1998) "Brand New Day" – Sting (1999)
2000s	"She Walks This Earth" – Sting (2000) "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – James Taylor (2001) "Your Body Is a Wonderland" – John Mayer (2002) "Cry Me a River" – Justin Timberlake (2003) "Daughters" – John Mayer (2004) "From the Bottom of My Heart" – Stevie Wonder (2005) "Waiting on the World to Change" – John Mayer (2006) "What Goes Around... Comes Around" – Justin Timberlake (2007) "Say" – John Mayer (2008) "Make It Mine" – Jason Mraz (2009)
2010s	"Just the Way You Are" – Bruno Mars (2010)

v t e Grammy Award for Best Music Film
1983–1986	Duran Duran – Duran Duran (1983) Making Michael Jackson's Thriller – Michael Jackson (1984) Huey Lewis & The News: The Heart of Rock 'n Roll – Huey Lewis and the News (1985) Bring On the Night – Sting (1986)
Best Performance Music Video (1987−1988)	The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert – Various Artists (1987) "Where the Streets Have No Name" – U2 (1988)
1989–2009	Rhythm Nation 1814 – Janet Jackson (1989) Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie – MC Hammer (1990) Live! – Blond Ambition World Tour 90 – Madonna (1991) Diva – Annie Lennox (1992) Ten Summoner's Tales – Sting (1993) Zoo TV: Live from Sydney – U2 (1994) Secret World Live – Peter Gabriel (1995) The Beatles Anthology – The Beatles (1996) Jagged Little Pill, Live – Alanis Morissette (1997) American Masters: Lou Reed: Rock & Roll Heart – Lou Reed (1998) Band of Gypsys: Live at Fillmore East – Jimi Hendrix (1999) Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine Album – John Lennon (2000) Recording The Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks – Mel Brooks (2001) Westway to the World – The Clash (2002) Legend – Sam Cooke (2003) Concert for George – Various Artists (2004) No Direction Home – Bob Dylan (2005) Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen (2006) The Confessions Tour – Madonna (2007) Runnin' Down a Dream – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (2008) The Beatles Love – All Together Now – The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil (2009)
2010–present	When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors – The Doors (2010) Back and Forth – Foo Fighters (2011) Big Easy Express – Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show (2012) Live Kisses – Paul McCartney (2013) 20 Feet from Stardom – Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill (2014) Amy – Amy Winehouse (2015) The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years – The Beatles (2016) The Defiant Ones – Various Artists (2017) Quincy – Quincy Jones (2018) Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé – Beyoncé (2019) Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice – Linda Ronstadt (2020) Summer of Soul – Various Artists (2021) Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story – Various Artists (2022) Moonage Daydream – David Bowie (2023) American Symphony – Jon Batiste (2024)

v t e Grammy Award for Best Music Video
Video of the Year (1981−1982)	Elephant Parts – Michael Nesmith (1981) Olivia Physical – Olivia Newton-John (1982)
1983–1986	"Girls on Film" / "Hungry Like the Wolf" – Duran Duran (1983) "Jazzin' for Blue Jean" – David Bowie (1984) "We Are the World" – USA for Africa (1985) "Brothers in Arms" – Dire Straits (1986)
Best Concept Music Video (1987−1988)	"Land of Confusion" – Genesis (1987) "Fat" – "Weird Al" Yankovic (1988)
1989–2009	"Leave Me Alone" – Michael Jackson (1989) "Opposites Attract" – Paula Abdul (1990) "Losing My Religion" – R.E.M. (1991) "Digging in the Dirt" – Peter Gabriel (1992) "Steam" – Peter Gabriel (1993) "Love Is Strong" – The Rolling Stones (1994) "Scream" – Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson (1995) "Free as a Bird" – The Beatles (1996) "Got 'til It's Gone" – Janet Jackson (1997) "Ray of Light" – Madonna (1998) "Freak on a Leash" – Korn (1999) "Learn to Fly" – Foo Fighters (2000) "Weapon of Choice" – Fatboy Slim featuring Bootsy Collins (2001) "Without Me" - Eminem (2002) "Hurt" – Johnny Cash (2003) "Vertigo" – U2 (2004) "Lose Control" – Missy Elliott featuring Ciara & Fatman Scoop (2005) "Here It Goes Again" – OK Go (2006) "God's Gonna Cut You Down" – Johnny Cash (2007) "Pork and Beans" – Weezer (2008) "Boom Boom Pow" – Black Eyed Peas (2009)
2010–present	"Bad Romance" – Lady Gaga (2010) "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2011) "We Found Love" – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris (2012) "Suit & Tie" – Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z (2013) "Happy" – Pharrell Williams (2014) "Bad Blood" – Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar (2015) "Formation" – Beyoncé (2016) "Humble" – Kendrick Lamar (2017) "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018) "Old Town Road" – Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (2019) "Brown Skin Girl" – Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & Wizkid (2020) "Freedom" – Jon Batiste (2021) All Too Well: The Short Film – Taylor Swift (2022) "I'm Only Sleeping" – The Beatles (2023) "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar (2024)

Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Thom Bell (1974)
Arif Mardin (1975)
Stevie Wonder (1976)
Peter Asher (1977)
Bee Gees (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb & Robin Gibb), Albhy Galuten & Karl Richardson (1978)
Larry Butler (1979)
Phil Ramone (1980)
Quincy Jones (1981)
Toto (1982)
Michael Jackson & Quincy Jones (1983)
James Anthony Carmichael & Lionel Richie / David Foster (1984)
Phil Collins & Hugh Padgham (1985)
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (1986)
Narada Michael Walden (1987)
Neil Dorfsman (1988)
Peter Asher (1989)
Quincy Jones (1990)
David Foster (1991)
Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois / L.A. Reid & Babyface (1992)
David Foster (1993)
Don Was (1994)
Babyface (1995)
Babyface (1996)
Babyface (1997)
Rob Cavallo (1998)
Walter Afanasieff (1999)
Dr. Dre (2000)
T Bone Burnett (2001)
Arif Mardin (2002)
The Neptunes (2003)
John Shanks (2004)
Steve Lillywhite (2005)
Rick Rubin (2006)
Mark Ronson (2007)
Rick Rubin (2008)
Brendan O'Brien (2009)
Danger Mouse (2010)
Paul Epworth (2011)
Dan Auerbach (2012)
Pharrell Williams (2013)
Max Martin (2014)
Jeff Bhasker (2015)
Greg Kurstin (2016)
Greg Kurstin (2017)
Pharrell Williams (2018)
Finneas O'Connell (2019)
Andrew Watt (2020)
Jack Antonoff (2021)
Jack Antonoff (2022)
Jack Antonoff (2023)
Dan Nigro (2024)

v t e Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
1960s	"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" – Otis Redding & Steve Cropper (songwriters) (1968) "Color Him Father" – Richard Lewis Spencer (songwriter) (1969)
1970s	"Patches" – Ronald Dunbar & General Johnson (songwriters) (1970) "Ain't No Sunshine" – Bill Withers (songwriter) (1971) "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" – Barrett Strong & Norman Whitfield (songwriters) (1972) "Superstition" – Stevie Wonder (songwriter) (1973) "Living for the City" – Stevie Wonder (songwriter) (1974) "Where Is the Love" – Harry Wayne Casey, Willie Clarke, Richard Finch & Betty Wright (songwriters) (1975) "Lowdown" – Boz Scaggs & David Paich (songwriters) (1976) "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" – Leo Sayer & Vini Poncia (songwriters) (1977) "Last Dance" – Paul Jabara (songwriter) (1978) "After the Love Has Gone" – David Foster, Jay Graydon & Bill Champlin (songwriters) (1979)
1980s	"Never Knew Love Like This Before" – Reggie Lucas & James Mtume (songwriters) (1980) "Just the Two of Us" – Bill Withers, William Salter & Ralph MacDonald (songwriters) (1981) "Turn Your Love Around" – Jay Graydon, Steve Lukather & Bill Champlin (songwriters) (1982) "Billie Jean" – Michael Jackson (songwriter) (1983) "I Feel for You" – Prince (songwriter) (1984) "Freeway of Love" – Jeffrey E. Cohen & Narada Michael Walden (songwriters) (1985) "Sweet Love" – Anita Baker, Louis A. Johnson & Gary Bias (songwriters) (1986) "Lean on Me" – Bill Withers (songwriter) (1987) "Giving You the Best That I Got" – Anita Baker, Randy Holland & Skip Scarborough (songwriters) (1988) "If You Don't Know Me by Now" – Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff (songwriters) (1989)
1990s	"U Can't Touch This" – MC Hammer, Rick James & Alonzo Miller (songwriters) (1990) "Power of Love/Love Power" – Marcus Miller, Luther Vandross & Teddy Vann (songwriters) (1991) "End of the Road" – Babyface, L.A. Reid & Daryl Simmons (songwriters) (1992) "That's the Way Love Goes" – Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (songwriters) (1993) "I'll Make Love to You" – Babyface (songwriter) (1994) "For Your Love" – Stevie Wonder (songwriter) (1995) "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" – Babyface (songwriter) (1996) "I Believe I Can Fly" – R. Kelly (songwriter) (1997) "Doo Wop (That Thing)" – Lauryn Hill (songwriter) (1998) "No Scrubs" – Kandi Burruss, Kevin Briggs & Tameka Cottle (songwriters) (1999)
2000s	"Say My Name" – Beyoncé, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson & Kelly Rowland (songwriters) (2000) "Fallin'" – Alicia Keys (songwriter) (2001) "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" – Erykah Badu, Glenn Standridge, James Poyser, Madukwu Chinwah, Raphael Saadiq, Lonnie Lynn & Robert Ozuna (songwriters) (2002) "Crazy in Love" – Beyoncé, Shawn Carter & Rich Harrison (songwriters) (2003) "You Don't Know My Name" – Alicia Keys, Harold Lilly & Kanye West (songwriters) (2004) "We Belong Together" – Mariah Carey, Johntá Austin, Manuel Seal Jr. & Jermaine Dupri (songwriters) (2005) "Be Without You" – Bryan-Michael Cox, Jason Perry, Johntá Austin & Mary J. Blige (songwriters) (2006) "No One" – Alicia Keys, George M. Harry & Kerry "Krucial" Brothers (songwriters) (2007) "Miss Independent" – Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen & Ne-Yo (songwriters) (2008) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart (songwriters) (2009)
2010s	"Shine" – John Legend (songwriter) (2010) "Fool for You" – CeeLo Green, Melanie Fiona & Jack Splash (songwriters) (2011) "Adorn" – Miguel Pimentel (songwriter) (2012) "Pusher Love Girl" – James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake (songwriters) (2013) "Drunk in Love" – Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé Knowles, Timothy Mosley, Andre Eric Proctor & Brian Soko (songwriters) (2014) "Really Love" – D'Angelo, Gina Figueroa & Kendra Foster (songwriters) (2015) "Lake by the Ocean" – Hod David & Musze (songwriters) (2016) "That's What I Like" – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip (songwriters) (2017) "Boo'd Up" – Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane (songwriters) (2018) "Say So" – PJ Morton (songwriter) (2019)
2020s	"Better Than I Imagined" – Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello & Gabriella Wilson (songwriters) (2020) "Leave the Door Open" – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters) (2021) "Cuff It" – Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Beyoncé, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers & Raphael Saadiq (songwriters) (2022) "Snooze" – Kenny B. Edmonds, Blair Ferguson, Khris Riddick-Tynes, Solána Rowe & Leon Thomas III (songwriters) (2023) "Saturn" – Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon & Scott Zhang (songwriters) (2024)

v t e Grammy Legend Award
Andrew Lloyd Webber / Liza Minnelli / Willie Nelson / Smokey Robinson (1990) Johnny Cash / Aretha Franklin / Billy Joel / Quincy Jones (1991) Barbra Streisand (1992) Michael Jackson (1993) Curtis Mayfield / Frank Sinatra (1994) Luciano Pavarotti (1998) Elton John (1999) Bee Gees (2003)

v t e Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
1963–1990	1963 Bing Crosby 1965 Frank Sinatra 1966 Duke Ellington 1967 Ella Fitzgerald 1968 Irving Berlin 1971 Elvis Presley 1972 Louis Armstrong Mahalia Jackson 1984 Chuck Berry Charlie Parker 1985 Leonard Bernstein 1986 Benny Goodman The Rolling Stones Andrés Segovia 1987 Roy Acuff Benny Carter Enrico Caruso Ray Charles Fats Domino Woody Herman Billie Holiday B. B. King Isaac Stern Igor Stravinsky Arturo Toscanini Hank Williams 1989 Fred Astaire Pablo Casals Dizzy Gillespie Jascha Heifetz Lena Horne Leontyne Price Bessie Smith Art Tatum Sarah Vaughan 1990 Nat King Cole Miles Davis Vladimir Horowitz Paul McCartney
1991–2000	1991 Marian Anderson Bob Dylan John Lennon Kitty Wells 1992 James Brown John Coltrane Jimi Hendrix Muddy Waters 1993 Chet Atkins Little Richard Thelonious Monk Bill Monroe Pete Seeger Fats Waller 1994 Bill Evans Aretha Franklin Arthur Rubinstein 1995 Patsy Cline Peggy Lee Henry Mancini Curtis Mayfield Barbra Streisand 1996 Dave Brubeck Marvin Gaye Georg Solti Stevie Wonder 1997 Bobby "Blue" Bland The Everly Brothers Judy Garland Stéphane Grappelli Buddy Holly Charles Mingus Oscar Peterson Frank Zappa 1998 Bo Diddley The Mills Brothers Roy Orbison Paul Robeson 1999 Johnny Cash Sam Cooke Otis Redding Smokey Robinson Mel Tormé 2000 Harry Belafonte Woody Guthrie John Lee Hooker Mitch Miller Willie Nelson
2001–2010	2001 The Beach Boys Tony Bennett Sammy Davis Jr. Bob Marley The Who 2002 Count Basie Rosemary Clooney Perry Como Al Green Joni Mitchell 2003 Etta James Johnny Mathis Glenn Miller Tito Puente Simon & Garfunkel 2004 Van Cliburn The Funk Brothers Ella Jenkins Sonny Rollins Artie Shaw Doc Watson 2005 Eddy Arnold Art Blakey The Carter Family Morton Gould Janis Joplin Led Zeppelin Jerry Lee Lewis Jelly Roll Morton Pinetop Perkins The Staple Singers 2006 David Bowie Cream Merle Haggard Robert Johnson Jessye Norman Richard Pryor The Weavers 2007 Joan Baez Booker T. & the M.G.'s Maria Callas Ornette Coleman The Doors The Grateful Dead Bob Wills 2008 Burt Bacharach The Band Cab Calloway Doris Day Itzhak Perlman Max Roach Earl Scruggs 2009 Gene Autry The Blind Boys of Alabama The Four Tops Hank Jones Brenda Lee Dean Martin Tom Paxton 2010 Leonard Cohen Bobby Darin David "Honeyboy" Edwards Michael Jackson Loretta Lynn André Previn Clark Terry
2011–2020	2011 Julie Andrews Roy Haynes Juilliard String Quartet The Kingston Trio Dolly Parton Ramones George Beverly Shea 2012 The Allman Brothers Band Glen Campbell Antônio Carlos Jobim George Jones The Memphis Horns Diana Ross Gil Scott-Heron 2013 Glenn Gould Charlie Haden Lightnin' Hopkins Carole King Patti Page Ravi Shankar The Temptations 2014 The Beatles Clifton Chenier The Isley Brothers Kraftwerk Kris Kristofferson Armando Manzanero Maud Powell 2015 Bee Gees Pierre Boulez Buddy Guy George Harrison Flaco Jiménez The Louvin Brothers Wayne Shorter 2016 Ruth Brown Celia Cruz Earth, Wind & Fire Herbie Hancock Jefferson Airplane Linda Ronstadt Run-DMC 2017 Shirley Caesar Ahmad Jamal Charley Pride Jimmie Rodgers Nina Simone Sly Stone The Velvet Underground 2018 Hal Blaine Neil Diamond Emmylou Harris Louis Jordan The Meters Queen Tina Turner 2019 Black Sabbath George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic Billy Eckstine Donny Hathaway Julio Iglesias Sam & Dave Dionne Warwick 2020 Chicago Roberta Flack Isaac Hayes Iggy Pop John Prine Public Enemy Sister Rosetta Tharpe
2021–present	2021 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five Lionel Hampton Marilyn Horne Salt-N-Pepa Selena Talking Heads 2022 Bonnie Raitt 2023 Bobby McFerrin Nirvana Ma Rainey Slick Rick Nile Rodgers The Supremes Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson 2024 Laurie Anderson The Clark Sisters Gladys Knight N.W.A Donna Summer Tammy Wynette 2025 Frankie Beverly The Clash Bobby Jones Taj Mahal Prince Roxanne Shante Frankie Valli

Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

The Beatles and Richard Lester (1984)
David Bowie (1984)
David Byrne (1985)
Russell Mulcahy (1985)
Godley & Creme (1985)
Madonna (1986)
Zbigniew Rybczyński (1986)
Peter Gabriel (1987)
Julien Temple (1987)
Michael Jackson (1988)
George Michael (1989)
Janet Jackson (1990)
Bon Jovi and Wayne Isham (1991)
Guns N' Roses (1992)
The Rolling Stones (1994)
Tom Petty (1994)
R.E.M. (1995)
LL Cool J (1997)
Mark Romanek (1997)
Beastie Boys (1998)
Red Hot Chili Peppers (2000)
U2 (2001)
Duran Duran (2003)
Hype Williams (2006)
Britney Spears (2011)
Justin Timberlake (2013)
Beyoncé (2014)
Kanye West (2015)
Rihanna (2016)
Pink (2017)
Jennifer Lopez (2018)
Missy Elliott (2019)
Nicki Minaj (2022)
Shakira (2023)
Katy Perry (2024)

v t e MTV Europe Music Award for Best Male
Bryan Adams (1994) Michael Jackson (1995) George Michael (1996) Jon Bon Jovi (1997) Robbie Williams (1998) Will Smith (1999) Ricky Martin (2000) Robbie Williams (2011) Eminem (2002) Justin Timberlake (2003) Usher (2004) Robbie Williams (2005) Justin Timberlake (2006) Eminem (2009) Justin Bieber (2010-2015) Shawn Mendes (2016)

MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography

Michael Jackson and Michael Peters (1984)
David Atkins (1985)
Prince (1986)
Paula Abdul (1987)
Barry Lather (1988)
Paula Abdul (1989)
Janet Jackson and Anthony Thomas (1990)
Jamale Graves (1991)
Frank Gatson, Travis Payne and LaVelle Smith Jr. (1992)
Frank Gatson, LaVelle Smith Jr. and Travis Payne (1993)
Frank Gatson and Randy Connor (1994)
LaVelle Smith Jr., Tina Landon, Travis Payne and Sean Cheesman (1995)
Michael Rooney (1996)
Peggy Hickey (1997)
Madonna and Jonas Åkerlund (1998)
Richard Koufey and Michael Rooney (1999)
Darrin Henson (2000)
Michael Rooney, Spike Jonze and Christopher Walken (2001)
Michael Rooney (2002)
Frank Gatson and LaVelle Smith Jr. (2003)
Fatima Robinson (2004)
Kishaya Dudley (2005)
Shakira (2006)
Marty Kudelka (2007)
Michael Rooney (2008)
Frank Gatson and JaQuel Knight (2009)
Laurieann Gibson (2010)
Frank Gatson, Sheryl Murakami and Jeffrey Page (2011)
Anwar "Flii" Burton (2012)
Bruno Mars (2013)
Ryan Heffington (2014)
OK Go, air:man and Mori Harano (2015)
Chris Grant, JaQuel Knight and Dana Foglia (2016)
Teyana Taylor, Guapo, Matthew Pasterisa, Jae Blaze and Derek Watkins (2017)
Sherrie Silver (2018)
Charm La'Donna (2019)
The Lab and Son Sung Deuk (2020)
Paul Roberts (2021)
Fullout Cortland (2022)
Kiel Tutin, Sienna Lalau, Lee Jung and Taryn Cheng (2023)
Charm La'Donna (2024)

v t e MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice
1980s	Michael Jackson – "Thriller" (1984) USA for Africa – "We Are the World" (1985) A-ha – "Take On Me" (1986) U2 – "With or Without You" (1987) INXS – "Need You Tonight/Mediate" (1988) Madonna – "Like a Prayer" (1989)
1990s	Aerosmith – "Janie's Got a Gun" (1990) Queensrÿche – "Silent Lucidity" (1991) Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge" (1992) Aerosmith – "Livin' on the Edge" (1993) Aerosmith – "Cryin'" (1994) TLC – "Waterfalls" (1995) Bush – "Glycerine" (1996) The Prodigy – "Breathe" (1997) Puff Daddy and the Family (featuring The Lox, Lil' Kim, The Notorious B.I.G., and Fuzzbubble) – "It's All about the Benjamins" (1998) Backstreet Boys – "I Want It That Way" (1999)
2000s	NSYNC – "Bye Bye Bye" (2000) NSYNC – "Pop" (2001) Michelle Branch – "Everywhere" (2002) Good Charlotte – "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (2003) Linkin Park – "Breaking the Habit" (2004) Green Day – "American Idiot" (2005) Fall Out Boy – "Dance, Dance" (2006)

NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year

Dionne Warwick (1985)
Patti LaBelle (1986)
Dionne Warwick (1987)
Lionel Richie (1988)
Eddie Murphy (1989)
Oprah Winfrey (1990)
Patti LaBelle (1991)
Michael Jackson (1992)
Whitney Houston (1993)
Quincy Jones (1995)
Denzel Washington (1996)
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (1997)
Will Smith (1998)
Halle Berry (1999)
Steve Harvey (2000)
Beyoncé (2003)
Jamie Foxx (2012)
Kevin Hart (2013)
Taraji P. Henson (2014)
Michael B. Jordan (2015)
Dwayne Johnson (2016)
Ava DuVernay (2017)
Beyoncé (2018)
Lizzo (2019)
D-Nice (2020)
Jennifer Hudson (2021)
Angela Bassett (2022)
Usher (2023)
Keke Palmer (2024)

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Raymond St. Jacques (1969)
Jim Brown (1970)
Donald Sutherland (1971)
Billy Dee Williams (1972)
No Award (1973)
Bernie Casey (1974)
James Earl Jones (1975)
Bill Cosby (1976)
Billy Dee Williams (1977)
Paul Winfield (1978)
Michael Jackson (1979)
LeVar Burton (1980)
Richard Pryor (1981)
Louis Gossett Jr. (1982)
Eddie Murphy (1983)
Prince (1984)
Adolph Caesar (1985)
Gregory Hines (1986)
Danny Glover (1987)
Denzel Washington (1988)
Morgan Freeman (1989)
No Award (1990)
Wesley Snipes (1991)
Denzel Washington (1992)
Denzel Washington (1993)
No Award (1994)
Denzel Washington (1995)
Denzel Washington (1996)
Djimon Hounsou (1997)
Danny Glover (1998)
Denzel Washington (1999)
Denzel Washington (2000)
Denzel Washington (2001)
Denzel Washington (2002)
Cuba Gooding Jr. (2003)
Jamie Foxx (2004)
Samuel L. Jackson (2005)
Forest Whitaker (2006)
Denzel Washington (2007)
Will Smith (2008)
Morgan Freeman (2009)
Denzel Washington (2010)
Laz Alonso (2011)
Denzel Washington (2012)
Forest Whitaker (2013)
David Oyelowo (2014)
Michael B. Jordan (2015)
Denzel Washington (2016)
Daniel Kaluuya (2017)
Chadwick Boseman (2018)
Michael B. Jordan (2019)
Chadwick Boseman (2020)
Will Smith (2021)
Will Smith (2022)
Colman Domingo (2023)
Martin Lawrence (2024)

v t e NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album
1980s	Bad – Michael Jackson (1987) Giving You the Best That I Got – Anita Baker (1988) Back on the Block – Quincy Jones (1989)
1990s	No Award (1990) Power of Love – Luther Vandross (1991) Boomerang: Original Soundtrack Album – Various Artists (1992) The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album – Whitney Houston (1993) No Award (1994) Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album – Whitney Houston (1995) The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album – Whitney Houston (1996) Soul Food – Various Artists (1997) The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill (1998) The Best Man: Music from the Motion Picture – Various Artists (1999)
2000s	At the Close of a Century – Stevie Wonder (2000) Songs in A Minor – Alicia Keys (2001) The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin – Kirk Franklin (2002) Dance with My Father – Luther Vandross (2003) Musicology – Prince (2004) The Emancipation of Mimi – Mariah Carey (2005) Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture – Various Artists (2006) As I Am – Alicia Keys (2007) Jennifer Hudson – Jennifer Hudson (2008) Stronger with Each Tear – Mary J. Blige (2009)
2010s	Wake Up! – John Legend and The Roots (2010) I Remember Me – Jennifer Hudson (2011) I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston (2012) Love, Charlie – Charlie Wilson (2013) Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics – Aretha Franklin (2014) Woman – Jill Scott (2015) Lemonade – Beyoncé (2016) DAMN. – Kendrick Lamar (2017) Ella Mai – Ella Mai (2018) Homecoming: The Live Album – Beyoncé (2019)
2020s	Chilombo – Jhené Aiko (2020) Heaux Tales – Jazmine Sullivan (2021) Renaissance – Beyoncé (2022) Jaguar II – Victoria Monét (2023) Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé (2024)

v t e NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Male Artist
1970s	Larry Graham (1979)
1980s	Lionel Richie (1982) Michael Jackson (1987) Lou Rawls (1988) Luther Vandross (1989)
1990s	Luther Vandross (1991) Stevie Wonder (1992) Luther Vandross (1993) Luther Vandross (1995) Babyface (1996) Babyface (1997) Luther Vandross (1998) Brian McKnight (1999)
2000s	R. Kelly (2000) Luther Vandross (2001) LL Cool J (2002) Luther Vandross (2003) Usher (2004) Jamie Foxx (2005) Prince (2006) Chris Brown (2007) Jamie Foxx (2008) Maxwell (2009)
2010s	Usher (2010) CeeLo Green (2011) Usher (2012) John Legend (2013) Pharrell Williams (2014) Pharrell Williams (2015) Maxwell (2016) Bruno Mars (2017) Bruno Mars (2018) Bruno Mars (2019)
2020s	Drake (2020) Anthony Hamilton (2021) Chris Brown (2022) Usher (2023) Chris Brown (2024)

v t e NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video
1990s	"Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole (1991) "Black or White" – Michael Jackson (1992) "I'm Every Woman" – Whitney Houston (1993) No Award (1994) "Waterfalls" – TLC (1995) "I Believe I Can Fly" – R. Kelly (1996) "Stomp" – God's Property (1997) "Just the Two of Us" – Will Smith (1998) "Wild Wild West" – Will Smith (1999)
2000s	"I Wish" – R. Kelly (2000) "You Rock My World" – Michael Jackson (2001) "Little Things" – India Arie (2002) "Dance with My Father" – Luther Vandross (2003) "If I Ain't Got You" – Alicia Keys (2004) "Unbreakable" – Alicia Keys (2005) "Be Without You" – Mary J. Blige (2006) "Like You'll Never See Me Again" – Alicia Keys (2007) "Yes We Can" – will.i.am (2008) "I Look to You" – Whitney Houston (2009)
2010s	"Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" – Alicia Keys (2010) "Where You At?" – Jennifer Hudson (2011) "Girl on Fire" – Alicia Keys (2012) "Q.U.E.E.N." – Janelle Monáe featuring Erykah Badu (2013) "You & I (Nobody in the World)" – John Legend (2014) "Shame" – Tyrese Gibson (2015) "Formation" – Beyoncé (2016) "That's What I Like" – Bruno Mars (2017) "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018) "Juice" – Lizzo (2019)
2020s	"Brown Skin Girl" – Beyoncé, Saint Jhn, and Wizkid featuring Blue Ivy Carter (2020) "Essence" – Wizkid featuring Tems (2021) "Lift Me Up" – Rihanna (2022) "Sensational" – Chris Brown featuring Davido & Lojay (2023) "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar (2024)

v t e Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Class of 1997
Performers	Bee Gees Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb Buffalo Springfield Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, Bruce Palmer, Stephen Stills, Neil Young Crosby, Stills, & Nash David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills The Jackson 5 Jackie Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Michael Jackson, Tito Jackson Joni Mitchell Parliament-Funkadelic Jerome Brailey, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Raymond Davis, Tiki Fulwood, Glenn Goins, Michael Hampton, Fuzzy Haskins, Eddie Hazel, Walter Morrison, Cordell Mosson, Billy Bass Nelson, Garry Shider, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas, Bernie Worrell The (Young) Rascals Eddie Brigati, Felix Cavaliere, Gene Cornish, Dino Danelli
Early influences	Mahalia Jackson Bill Monroe
Non-performers (Ahmet Ertegun Award)	Syd Nathan

v t e Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Class of 2001
Performers	Aerosmith Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford Solomon Burke The Flamingos Jake Carey, Zeke Carey, Johnny Carter, Tommy Hunt, Terry "Buzzy" Johnson, Sollie McElroy, Nate Nelson, Paul Wilson Michael Jackson Queen John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor Paul Simon Steely Dan Walter Becker, Donald Fagen Ritchie Valens
Non-performers (Ahmet Ertegun Award)	Chris Blackwell
Sidemen	James Burton Johnnie Johnson

Articles related to Michael Jackson

The Jackson 5 / The Jacksons

Jackie Jackson
Marlon Jackson

Studio albums

The Jackson 5	Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969) ABC (1970) Third Album (1970) Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970) Maybe Tomorrow (1971) Lookin' Through the Windows (1972) Skywriter (1973) G.I.T.: Get It Together (1973) Dancing Machine (1974) Moving Violation (1975)
The Jacksons	The Jacksons (1976) Goin' Places (1977) Destiny (1978) Triumph (1980) Victory (1984) 2300 Jackson Street (1989)

Soundtrack album

Goin' Back to Indiana (1971)

Live albums

Compilations

Greatest Hits (1971)
Anthology (1976)
Joyful Jukebox Music (1976)
Boogie (1979)
18 Greatest Hits (1983)
Soulsation! (1995)
Jackson 5: The Ultimate Collection (1995)
20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Jackson 5 (1999)
The Essential Jacksons (2004)
The Very Best of The Jacksons (2004)
The Motown Years (2008)
I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters (2009)
J Is for Jackson 5 (2010)
Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls (2012)

Concert tours

Associated people

Specials

Television

Related articles

Category

v t e Jackson family
Parents	Joe Jackson Katherine Jackson
Children	Rebbie Jackson Jackie Jackson Tito Jackson Jermaine Jackson La Toya Jackson Marlon Jackson Michael Jackson Randy Jackson Janet Jackson
Grandchildren	Taj Jackson Austin Brown Jaafar Jackson Paris Jackson
Musical groups	The Jackson 5 3T
Television	The Jacksons The Jacksons: An American Dream The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty The Jacksons: Next Generation
Category

v t e 3T
Taj Jackson Taryll Jackson T. J. Jackson
Studio albums	Brotherhood Identity Chapter III
Singles	"Anything" "Tease Me" "24/7" "Why" (featuring Michael Jackson) "I Need You" "Gotta Be You" (featuring Herbie Crichlow) "Stuck on You"
Guest appearances	"2300 Jackson Street" "We Are the World 25 for Haiti"
Related articles	Jackson family Michael Jackson

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