Michael Jackson's "Thriller" Album Cover

Published: June 26, 2009 12:14 AM EST

By: Isaac Davis Jr., BGS, MBA

His very name is known throughout the world. He is loved by millions of enduring fans. And even though he was plagued by many strange, bizarre, and controversial events in his life, fans will remember Michael Jackson as an iconic pop legend. He started in the music business at an early age with his brothers in a group that many fans know very well; The Jackson Five went on to create many memorable hits including one of their signature songs, ABC. Jackson, who was the seventh child of the Jackson family, began a solo career in 1971. Coined [1] as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, Jackson enjoyed huge success with his solo best-selling records albums: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

When MTV was just in its infancy, African-American entertainers were non-existent on the popular music channel. Jackson's dynamic musical presence spotlighted the entertainer into the front burner of the musical channel where he became the 1st black entertainer to be featured on MTV. With this, came a long list of amazing videos such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller, that literally transformed the way music videos were created. One of Jackson's biggest appeals was his stage performances. The way he would move across the stage would mesmerize thousands sometimes millions of fans. One of his signature moves was the moonwalk. I remember seeing a concert on TV where he did the moonwalk and even dances on his toes. WOW! The level of energy from Jackson was and still be incomparable to say the least.

Some of Jackson's [2] biggest successes as a solo artist included induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. Jackson also achieved critical success with 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career, and the sales of over 750 million albums worldwide. Jackson is easily recognized as one of the world's most famous men.

My blog tonight will remember the man who touched so many lives with his charisma and charm. And like it has been pointed out by the media, there were many controversial moments in his life including charges of child molestation. However, Jackson will always be the magical performer that I grew to admire and love while I was growing up. I salute Jackson for being the "King of Pop" and making my childhood and teenage life fun and exciting to be called a fan of Michael Jackson.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50.