Entertainer Michael Jackson died after suffering cardiac arrest on Thursday 25th June 2009. The music icon from Gary, Indiana, is known as the "King of Pop", and first set foot on stage at the tender age of 11 with The Jackson 5. He is the seventh of nine children in the well-known musical family.
He was a recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. In the early 1980s, he was a dominant figure in the music industry and his videos are credited with helping bring the relatively new music channel in the 1990's, MTV, to fame.
Controversy dogged Michael throughout his life in particular the dramatic changes of appearance and personality, his sexuality and the state of his finances. In 1993 he was accused of child sexual abuse but was not charged, and again in 2005 he was tried and acquitted for other sexual abuse allegations.
He leaves a legacy of songs, videos and dance moves (the moonwalk and robot) that made him an icon. Enduring songs such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Thriller", "Black or White" and "Scream" will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come.
Jackson married twice and leaves behind three children.

Image/Souce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson. National Archives and Records Administration (ARC Identifier: 198548) 1984 image cropped from image of Michael Jackson with the Reagans.