Remembering the King of Pop Michael Jackson

On August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson was born, a man whose name has become synonymous with global pop culture. His creativity, music and dance changed the music industry forever. From his early years with The Jackson 5 to his solo career filled with hits and records, Michael Jackson left an unforgettable mark on the hearts of millions of fans. We invite you to immerse yourself in his creative path through photographs that captured key moments in the life and career of the King of Pop.

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, into a large family, where he had nine other children. His father organized the family group Jackson 5, which brought the future legend his first success. Michael was only 12 years old at the time. He later became one of the most commercially successful solo artists in the music industry, the singer won worldwide recognition and the title of "King of Pop". During his long musical career, Michael Jackson received 19 Grammy Awards, and 13 times he reached the first line of the American sales charts with his singles. His name is twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: as a solo artist and as a member of the Jackson 5.

This photo of 12-year-old Michael Jackson was taken back in 1971, but his career was already on the rise. Berry Gordy signed the Jackson Five to Motown Records in 1968, and Michael and his brothers topped the charts with "ABC" and "I'll Be There." (Henry Diltz/Corbis)

Michael Jackson (far left) and the other five Indiana brothers, members of the Jackson Five, in 1972. (Frank Barratt/Getty Images file)

The Jackson Five perform on the Bob Hope TV show. Michael continued to perform with his brothers, but his solo career was already on the rise when he performed "Got to Be There" in 1971. (Neal Preston/Corbis)

Michael Jackson at the premiere of The Wiz. The musical, which opened in 1978, was the pop star's first collaboration with famed producer Quincy Jones, who would later produce Jackson's seminal albums Off the Wall and Thriller. Jackson's friend and mentor, Diana Ross, who introduced the Jackson 5 to the public in 1968, appeared in The Wiz with Jackson. (Bettmann/Corbis)

Michael Jackson performs during a tour with his brothers in 1981. During the tour, Michael began writing down ideas for his solo project, which would later become the best-selling album in the world. (Susan Phillips/Corbis)

Michael Jackson and Diana Ross attend the American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Jackson won for best soul album and Ross won for best soul female vocalist. (Juynh/AP)

Jackson with a group of dancers during the filming of the video for "Thriller" in 1983. "Thriller" revolutionized the music industry. The zombie video introduced MTV to the public and made music videos a genre in their own right. The album sold 25 million copies in the U.S. alone. (Corbis/Sygma)

Michael Jackson debuts his famous "moonwalk" during his performance of "Billie Jean." The dance move, which would later become the singer's signature move, stunned audiences and Michael was crowned "King of Pop." (Bettmann/Corbis)

Pictured here with his producer Quincy Johnson, Michael Jackson holds six of the eight Grammy Awards he won for his 1984 album "Thriller." The sequined suit and oversized sunglasses became Jackson's signature look. (AP)

May 1984: Michael Jackson accepts an award from U.S. President Reagan at the White House. Jackson was hailed as a role model for American youth, and his hit "Beat It" became an anthem for an anti-drunk driving campaign. (Bettmann/Corbis)

Michael Jackson (background) during the filming of a Pepsi commercial when his hair caught on fire while his brother German (foreground) continued performing, unaware of what was happening. (AP)

A police officer escorts Michael through a crowd during his tour in London in 1985. (Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Pop and film stars perform "We Are the World" together to draw attention to the famine in Ethiopia. Michael Jackson is in the center. Also performing with him were Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor and many others. Jackson's sister Janet is in the lower right corner of the photo. (Bettmann/Corbis)

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen plays a guitar solo during a Michael Jackson concert in Irving, Texas. The guitarist recorded the timeless riff specifically for Michael's song "Beat It," which Van Halen's bandmate David Lee Roth was not happy about, but everyone else loved the song. (Carlos Osorio/AP)

Michael Jackson and his dancers during the Bad tour in Tokyo in 1987. The previous year, Jackson had starred in the 3D science fiction musical Captain EO, one of the most expensive and shortest films ever made. Jackson became the target of increasing criticism as his albums and videos became more expensive and less frequent. His next album, Dangerous, was not released until 1991. (Neal Preston/Corbis)

Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey on set in January 1993. That year, Jackson was first accused of sexually molesting minors, and he addressed the victims on Oprah's 90-minute show. The charges against Jackson were later dropped, but he reportedly paid $25 million to settle the case. (Neal Preston/Corbis)

Michael Jackson performs in front of 30,000 children at the Super Bowl Halftime Show on January 31, 1993. Despite the allegations against the singer, he was still at the top of the music scene, releasing hits such as Black or White, Remember the Time, and his album Dangerous went multi-platinum. (Ralf-Finn Hestoft/Corbis)

Michael Jackson and French mime Marcel Marceau at the Bacon Theatre in New York on December 4, 1995. Michael's face has already been completely transformed by plastic surgery. (Bob Strong/AFP - Getty Images)

Michael Jackson and his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley at Neverland Ranch during preparations for the Children's World Summit in April 1995. Presley filed for divorce less than a year after their wedding, sparking a flurry of speculation about what exactly led to it. (Steve Starr/Corbis)

Michael Jackson performs at Ericsson Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, in November 1996 during his HIStory World Tour. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

A few months after his divorce from Lisa Marie Presley, Jackson married Debbie Rowe on November 13, 1996, in Sydney, Australia. His new wife was pregnant. Jackson and Rowe divorced three years later, and Debbie signed over custody of the child to Jackson. (Reuters/Corbis)

Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson arrive for a concert to celebrate Jackson's 30th anniversary on September 7, 2001. The stars were longtime friends and Taylor was godmother to Jackson's two children. (Jeff Christensen/Reuters/Corbis)

Michael Jackson testifies during a court hearing on November 13, 2002, in Santa Maria, California. The California Supreme Court ruled against Jackson for canceling concerts that cost promoters millions of dollars. (AFP/Getty Images)

Michael Jackson poses for photographers at the launch of his album Invincible in Times Square in New York in November 2001. The new album, which was released on October 30 that year, became the most expensive album ever recorded and was better received by critics and fans than 1995's HIStory. (Brad Rickerby/Reuters/Corbis)

Jackson holds his son Prince Michael II, covered with a towel, on the balcony of a Berlin hotel on November 19, 2002. Jackson later called the incident a "terrible mistake," but the photo shocked even his most devoted fans. His reputation was irreparably damaged. (Tobias Schwarz/Reuters)

A mugshot of Jackson taken at a Santa Barbara County police station on Nov. 30, 2003. In 2003, Jackson documented that the boys had slept in his bed. Soon, prosecutors began investigating Jackson for child molestation. In November, police raided the Neverland ranch, and Jackson was arrested days later. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's D/Reuters)

Michael (center) and his sisters La Toya (left) and Janet during a break in their court hearing in Santa Maria on August 16, 2004. (Pool/Reuters)

Michael Jackson, wearing pajama bottoms, walks with bodyguards into court on March 10, 2005, on charges of child molestation dating back to 2003. Jackson appeared in court after Judge Rodney Melville threatened to revoke his bail. (Kimberly White/pool via Reuters)

Jackson sings with his young fans during the World Music Awards in London on November 16, 2006. (Graham Jepson/WireImage)

Michael walks through the parking lot of a Los Angeles recording studio with his children Prince and Paris in March 2009. The singer was spotted entering the studio on a cold, rainy day. He spent more than two hours in the studio with a large number of staff, presumably recording a video. (Splash News/Splash News)

Fans watch a live broadcast of the singer's press conference at the O2 Arena in London on March 5, 2009. In a press release, the megastar announced his intention to stage a series of concerts in London in July that would be his biggest shows in a decade. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

The concerts were not destined to take place. On the morning of June 25, 2009, Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray gave the singer an injection of the sleeping drug propofol and left. Returning some time later, he found that the singer was not breathing. Murray called an ambulance, which pronounced Michael Jackson dead.

On July 7, 2009, a public farewell ceremony for Michael Jackson was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The singer's bronze and gold-plated coffin was placed on stage. Funeral speeches were given by Nelson Mandela and the children of Martin Luther King, among others.