Michael Jackson Through The Years

On August 29, 1958, the legendary Michael Jackson was born. At the young age of 7, Michael joined his brothers in The Jackson 5 and the world quickly fell in love with his charisma and smooth vocals. In 1982, Michael released his revolutionary sixth album, Thriller, and by the time of his death on June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson was revered as one of the most popular entertainers in the world, dubbing him the King of Pop.

Though he's been gone for nearly 10 years now, his legacy lives on through his timeless music. In honor of iHeartRadio's new addition to iHeart90s, we're revisiting some of the superstars that rose to mega-fame during the decade. Keep scrolling to take a look at some flashback photos of the legend throughout his life. May he rest in power.

1. Michael Joseph Jackson was the seventh of nine children and was born in Gary, Indiana. He began performing with his siblings at the age of five. Once the family signed a deal with Motown records they relocated to Los Angeles. From oldest to youngest - Toriano Adaryll (Tito, born in 1953), Jermaine La Jaune (1954), La Toya Yvonne (1956), Marlon David (1957), Brandon (1957-1957), Michael Joseph (1958–2009) Steven Randall (Randy, 1961), Janet Damita Jo (1966).

Photo: Getty Images

2. Joseph Jackson, who also managed and trained the Jackson 5, required that all his children call him by his first name, rather than Dad.

Photo: Getty Images

3. Michael Jackson is the Most-Awarded Artist Of All Time. He's won more awards than any other artist alive or deceased including 23 Guinness World Records, 40 Billboard Awards, 13 Grammys, and 26 American Music Awards. The Guinness World Records named the "highest-earning deceased artist" category after Michael!

Photo: Getty Images

4. Jackson won eight Grammy's in 1984, which is the highest amount ever won by an individual in a year. Santana tied Jackson's record in 2000.

Photo: Getty Images

5.  "Billie Jean" was one of the first videos by a black artist to be aired regularly by MTV.

Photo: YouTube

6. Michael patented custom shoes in order to achieve his famous gravity defying lean in the "Smooth Criminal"music video.

Photo: YouTube

7. Michael Jackson's famous dance move, the moonwalk, is said to have been based on the routine of mime artist Marcel Marceau.

Photo: Getty Images

8. Jackson wore a black armband to signify the suffering of children around the world.

Photo: Getty Images

9. Jackson was close friends with actor Macaulay Culkin. The child star appeared in the video of "Black Or White." Culkin is also the godfather to Jackson's children Prince and Paris.

Photo: Instagram

10. Michael had a love of animals and had many pets at his Neverland Ranch. He had a python named Crusher, two llamas named Louis and Lola, and his most famous pet was Bubbles, the chimpanzee. Michael had Bubbles from 1988-2005. After Michael’s children were born, Bubbles was relocated to the Center for Great Apes, where he still resides.

Photo: Getty Images

11. In 1997, the Jackson Five was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Photo: Getty Images

12. On September 7 and 10, 2001 Michael Jackson celebrated "Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, The Solo Years," with concerts at Madison Square Garden. Performances included a variety of artist from Destiney’s Child, Usher, Britney Spears, and Liza Minnelli, to Whitney Houston and NYSNC. These were Michael’s first performances in the continental US since 1989.

Photo: Getty Images

13. Jackson announced his comeback "This Is It" tour on March 5, 2009. After much planning and pre-production, the tour was cancelled due to Michael’s sudden death. Michael Jackson's This Is It documentary was released following Jackson’s untimely death and gives fans insight into his creative process and dedication to his craft.  

Photo: Getty Images

14. Just a day after rehearsals for his tour, on June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson was rushed to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center by ambulance after going into cardiac arrest.

Photo: Getty Images

15. In October of 2016 he was named number one on the 2016 Forbes List of Top Earning Dead Celebrities, with earnings of $825 million.

Photo: Getty Images


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