Michael Jackson - King of pop forever     

• He started out singing with his brothers for Motown in 1968; 20 years later, he was on top of the world as the 'King of Pop'.

• Thriller was the number one record in the US for 37 weeks.

• Michael Jackson, the singer who became known as “The King of Pop” and perhaps once the most famous individual on the planet, has died suddenly.

• Adored by fans and ridiculed by critics throughout his life, Jackson’s story is one of highs and lows, leaving us reflecting on the damaging nature of celebrity.

• With Thriller (1982), Michael Jackson has easily the most successful album of all time with well over 100 million copies sold.

• No other musical release even comes close. At the time of the album’s record-breaking launch Michael  Jackson was 24 and already a veteran having toured and recorded from the age of six.

• The oddities of his adult life would often be attributed to the effects of a lost childhood.

• The phenomenon of his success made him “The King of Pop”.

• Following the soaring successes of the 1980s, Michael Jackson’s lifestyle was in the public eye as much as his music.

• Despite all the controversy that surrounded him, armies of fans would follow him right up to his announcement this year of a string of comeback shows in London.

• The Michael Jackson faithful are already calling 25 June “the day the music died”.

• In person, Michael Jackson was shy, quiet and retiring – all unlikely qualities for the most popular entertainer on the planet.

• His lack of adult social skills would also be attributed to his childhood, during which he would watch other kids playing from the windows of recording studios.Born in Gary, Indiana, brothers Michael, Jermaine, Marlon, Jackie and Tito became The Jackson Five in 1966.

• Their father Joe Jackson was the creator of the band and a harsh disciplinarian who made the brothers rehearse long into the night.