Michael Jackson

Micheal Jackson is one of the most successful musicians of all time. He has sold more than 750 million records worldwide, making him the most successful singer in history. Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, the eighth of nine children. His mother Katherine Jackson worked as a secretary, and his father Joseph Jackson was a steelworker and talented jazz guitarist. Micheal grew up in humble circumstances and had to work hard at an early age. At the age of five, he performed for the first time with his older siblings Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon in a talent contest and won the competition.

This victory was the beginning of a steep career that made him a world-famous superstar. At the age of 11, Jackson signed with the Epic Records record label and released his first solo album, "Got to Be There." This was followed by other successful albums such as "Off the Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad". With the album "Thriller" Jackson achieved the international breakthrough: It is the best-selling album of all time and was awarded eight Grammys.

In the 1980s, Jackson became the pop phenomenon par excellence. With his spectacular stage shows and unique dance style, he thrilled millions of fans worldwide. Jackson also changed a lot visually during this time: he had his nose operated on and bought more and more cosmetics to get closer to his vision of perfect beauty.

But Jackson also suffered privately from his success: in the 1990s he was suspected of sexual molestation of underage boys, but this was never proven against him. His marriage to actress Lisa-Marie Presley also failed after only two years. In the last years of his life, Jackson withdrew more and more and lived in seclusion in a luxury mansion in Los Angeles. On June 25, 2009 Micheal Jackson died at the age of 50 from an overdose of medication.