Michael Jackson (1958–2009) was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer who was the most popular entertainer in the world in the early and mid-1980s. Widely regarded as the “King of Pop,” he transformed popular music and shattered racial barriers for Black singers and musicians with his multiplatinum albums Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982).
Jackson began performing as a child in the Motown group the Jackson 5, which included four of his brothers. All nine children in the Jackson family became entertainers, and as a solo star Jackson continued to perform with his brothers in the 1980s. He also recorded with his youngest sister, Janet Jackson. He became a controversial figure in the 1990s because of accusations against him involving child molestation. In 2003 he was arrested and charged, but he was acquitted in 2005.