Michael Joseph Jackson

Early childhood Jackson was born the seventh of nine children in Gary, Indiana, to Joseph and Katherine Jackson. The entire family - including older siblings, Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya and Marlon, and younger siblings Randy and Janet - lived together in a tiny two-bedroom house, and Jackson's father earned a meager living working in a steel mill. At the behest of their mother, but against Joseph's wishes, the Jackson children were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses and practiced door-to-door evangelism.

In accordance with Joseph Jackson's strict rules, the children were kept locked in their house while he worked the night shift. However, the children would regularly sneak out of the house to their neighbors' homes, where they practiced singing and playing music. The older Jackson brothers would sometimes play Joseph's prized guitar without his permission while he was at work. Eventually, Joseph found out about their musical abilities and decided to capitalize upon it, in order to leave Gary for California. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

Solo Career At the age of 13, Jackson launched a solo career in addition to his work with the Jackson 5. He made the charts in 1971 with "Got to Be There" from the album of the same name. His 1972 album, Ben, featured the eponymous ballad about a rat. The song became Jackson's first solo No. 1 single.

Working with producer Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson wowed the music world with his next solo album, 1979's Off the Wall. It featured an infectious blend of pop and funk with such hit tracks as the Grammy Award-winning "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough," "Rock with You," and the title track. He also found success with the ballad "She's Out of My Life."

"Beat It", Billie Jean Thriller In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", were credited with breaking down racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. The popularity of these videos helped to bring the then relatively new television channel MTV to fame Billie Jean eventually a No. 1 hit —and debuted his soon-to-be-famous dance move called "The Moonwalk." Thriller is the best-selling album of all time.

Personal life Jacko has come a long way from the two-bedroomed house in Indiana that he grew up in. Today he lives in a £15m ranch in California's Santa Ynez Valley. The house, which has seventeen rooms downstairs and sixteen rooms upstairs, stands in 2,700 acres of ground. In addition to the house itself, the property includes guest houses, a golf course, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a football pitch, stables, gardens, forests, lakes and a zoo. There's even a helipad so that Jackson can travel to and from his home by helicopter.

Jackson is famous for keeping his distance from the crowds and this has created some strange stories about him. It has been said that he takes female hormones to make his voice higher; that his jerky dance style was caused when a tarantula bite affected his nervous system; that he's had his whole face changed by plastic surgery. Fact or fiction? It's very difficult to find out, because he never gives interviews and is rarely seen in public, except on stage. Jackson's manager, Frank'Dileo, says that the superstar has only had two operations - one on his nose and one on his chin. He says all the other stories are just media fantasies

Nevertheless Jackson's behaviour can be eccentric Nevertheless Jackson's behaviour can be eccentric. They don't call him 'Wacko Jacko' for nothing. In public he often wears a face mask to protect himself from germs and he has been photographed sleeping inside an oxygen capsule, which he believes will help him live longer. One of his best friends is a chimpanzee called Bubbles, who travels everywhere with him. It is also said that he has got a bedroom which is full of shop dummies

Dileo says that Jackson isn't eccentric. He's just shy Dileo says that Jackson isn't eccentric. He's just shy. He's been in show business since he was seven years old, when he sang with his brothers in the Jackson Five. He can't relate to ordinary people any more. Jackson himself says that he feels afraid in crowds and can only really be natural on stage. Off-stage he feels happiest with animals and children.

Whether he's crazy, eccentric or just shy, it must be said that Jacko is no fool. He has created a brilliantly successful image and he has learnt how to live with success. He hasn't suffered the nervous breakdowns or drug and alcohol problems that other rock stars have. He's made a lot of money and he spends it on the things that he wants, even if those things are a little unusual. And if we were honest, wouldn't we all like to be able to do the same?