Michael Jackson: His weird and wonderful life in pictures
- 00:01:24
- ITN
Michael Jackson: His weird and wonderful life in pictures
Music fans across the world are paying tribute to Michael Jackson who has died, aged 50. It brings to an end a life which saw a child star turn into a global pop icon and arguably the most famous man in the world. He was born in 1958 in Gary, Indiana, and gave his first performance at the age of five. Aged ten, he joined his brothers in The Jackson Five who signed to Motown Records and went on to record classics from I Want You Back to Can You Feel It and ABC. But it's his phenomenal solo career which made him the King of Pop, and a household name all over the planet. He released Off The Wall in 1979, followed by Thriller in 1982 which became the best-selling album of all-time and gave the world's dancefloors Beat It and Billie Jean. Despite his glittering career as the King of Pop, it's the bizarre behaviour of Wacko Jacko which kept him in the headlines. From oxygen chambers to pet chimps and baby dangling, the singer was never far from controversy. In 2002, he was forced to admit he made a "terrible mistake" in holding his young son Prince Michael II over a balcony in Germany. Concerns over Jackson's strange behaviour reached fever pitch after a 2003 documentary in which he said sharing a bedroom with a child was "charming". He added: "It's a beautiful thing. It's very right, it's very loving. Because what's wrong with sharing a love?" A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of sexually molesting 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo. Jackson surrendered himself to police amid a media storm. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations and after a trial conducted in the full glare of the global media, Jackson was cleared of all the charges. After his acquittal in 2005, Jackson kept a low profile. Jackson's short-lived marriage to nurse Debbie Rowe resulted in two children - Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Michael Katherine. His third child, Prince Michael II, was born to a mystery surrogate mother he never even met. His famous Neverland ranch in California, which he bought in 1987, was closed in 2006. Jackson always denied undergoing extensive plastic surgery, claiming instead he suffered from a skin condition. The star had been scheduled to play a mammoth 50 date residency at London's O2, beginning in July. Four of the dates were changed to give him more time to prepare.
ITN | June 26, 2009
