Unit 25

Michael Jackson: A Life in the Spotlight

On the Motown Records' 25th anniversary special -- a May 1983 TV extravaganza -- it was Michael Jackson who stopped the show.

At the time Jackson was the most popular musician in American, riding high with his No. 1 album "Thriller". But something about his exciting performance of "Billie Jean", complete with the patented backward dance moves, raised his stardom to a new level.

Michael Jackson became ubiquitous.

People copied his Jheri-curled hair and single-gloved, zippered-jacket look. He posed for photos with Ronald and Nancy Reagan at the White House. He became a Pepsi spokesman, and when his hair caught fire while making a commercial, it was worldwide news.

It all happened very fast -- within a couple of years of the Motown special. He hadn't even turned 25 yet, but he'd been a star for more than half his life.

Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958, to Joe Jackson, a steelworker, and his wife, Katherine. By the time he was 6 he had joined his brothers in a musical group organized by his father, and by the time he was 10, the group -- the Jackson 5 -- had been signed to Motown.

Jackson, a natural performer, soon became the group's front man. The group's popularity waned in the 1970s, and Michael eventually went solo, releasing the album "Off the Michael eventually became the best-selling album in history.

But, as the showbiz saying has it, when you're on top of the world there's nowhere to go but down. The pop music landscape was changing, opening up for rap and hip-hop. Jackson was seen as out of step.

His 1991's release, "Dangerous", only produced one top-ranking single -- "Black or White" -- and that song earned criticism for its violent ending, in which Jackson was seen smashing car windows and clutching his crotch. And then "Dangerous" was knocked out of its No.1 spot on the album charts by Nirvana's "Nevermind." A 2001 album, "Invincible," did even worse.

More attention has been paid to Jackson's private life than his music career, which has faltered. People started focusing on his eccentricities. He was rumored to sleep in a hyperbaric chamber and to have bought the bones of John Merrick, the "Elephant Man". (Neither was true) He did have a pet chimpanzee; underwent many plastic surgeries; established an estate filled with zoo animals and amusement park rides. Meanwhile, Jackson has found himself popular for his short-lived marriages, the first to Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. Today the 46-year-old singing icon heads to trial on child-molestation charges.