HIStory: JACKO TIMELINE

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1958Michael Joseph Jackson is born in Gary, Ind., on Aug. 29, the seventh child in the family. Father Joe was a steel mill employee who performed in an R&B band, while his mother Katherine was a devout Jehovah’s Witness.

1964-
Michael along with brother Marlon join the Jackson Brothers, a band started by older siblings Jackie, Tito and Jermaine.

1968-The group – now called The Jackson 5  signs with big music label Motown Records. The group becomes the first act to have its first four singles reach No. 1 on the charts. They are: "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I’ll Be There."  The Jackson 5’s first album was titled Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 as the former Supremes lead was instrumental in getting Barry Gordy to sign them..

1978-Michael stars as Scarecrow in the movie The Wiz with Diana Ross adapted from the Broadway hit musical.

1979-The performer breaks his nose during a dance routine and has rhinoplasty surgery but complains of breathing difficulties.

1982– Michael’s sixth album Thriller is released on Nov. 30, featuring hits such as "Billie Jean" and "Beat It." It becomes the best-selling record of all time with 109 million copies sold to date.  The long-form "Thriller" video directed by John Landis is a non-stop MTV video hit.  The video also features horror legend Vincent Price rapping.

1983– His trademark dance move "Moonwalk" makes its debut on March 25, when he performs it live on the TV special Motown 25.

1984-Pyrotechnics set the star’s hair on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in Los Angeles on Jan. 27. Michael suffers second-degree burns to his scalp and is rushed to the hospital.

1987
– Michael releases Bad, the follow-up to Thriller. While its sales can’t match those of its predecessor, it includes hits such as "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Man in the Mirror."

1988
-Michael purchases some a 3,000-acre property in Los Olivos, Calif., to create the Neverland Ranch. Once thought to be worth more than $100 million, the ranch has since faced foreclosure threats and long gone are the carnival rides and zoo.

1991
–  Elizabeth Taylor gives Michael the nickname "The King of Pop" and he releases an album featuring the single "Black or White." Dangerous reaches multi-platinum status.

1993-His mega success is threatened when Michael is accused of child molestation by 13-year-old Jordan Chandler and his father, Evan, once a friend of the singer. Jackson settles with the Chandlers out of court for multi millions.

1994-In May, Michael marries Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley. They divorce in January 1996.

1996-1998– During the world tour for his album HIStory, Jackson marries dermatological nurse Debbie Rowe. They have a son, Michael Jr. (also known as Prince), in 1997, and a daughter, Paris, in 1998. They divorce in 1999, and Michael gets full custody of the kids.

2001 Invincible is released, which will turn out to be Michael’s last album.

2002
– Michael adds a third child to his family, Prince Michael Jackson II, known as "Blanket" in February. The child is conceived with a surrogate through artificial insemination, and the identity of the mom is a mystery. In November, Jackson dangles the infant over the edge of his hotel balcony in Berlin, Germany, to the horror of the public worldwide.

2003-2005-In 2003, a television documentary titled Living with Michael Jackson sheds light on the singer’s close relationship with cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo, who accuses Michael of molesting him at the Neverland ranch when the boy was 13. Michael maintains his innocence, and on June 13, 2005, a jury finds the singer not guilty at a headline-making criminal trial. 

JUNE 25, 2009- With a string of comeback concerts set to begin in July, Michael collapses at his rented Beverly Hills mansion. A 911 call is placed at 12:21 p.m., and paramedics arrive to find the 50-year-old superstar in cardiac arrest. He is rushed by ambulance to a hospital where he lapses into a coma before he dies.