Michael Jackson: Age, Net Worth, Biography and Facts

Michael Jackson (1958–2009) was an American singer, songwriter and dancer, known worldwide as the King of Pop. He created "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time, and left a lasting mark on music, dance, music videos and fashion. This biography covers his years with The Jackson 5, his solo albums and songs, his movies, his skin condition, his death and its cause, his children and the record-breaking 2026 biopic "Michael."

Age and earnings

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 and died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50.

Forbes estimated his estate earned $105 million in the 12 months to September 2025, topping its list of highest-paid dead celebrities (Forbes). Figures like this are published estimates, not official statements of wealth.

Who was Michael Jackson?

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of the best-selling music artists in history. His 1982 album "Thriller" is the best-selling album ever, and his music videos, choreography and stage performances changed the pop music industry.

Jackson began performing as a child as the lead singer of the family group The Jackson 5 and became one of the most successful solo artists of all time, with 13 solo No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. He died in 2009, less than three weeks before the first of his planned comeback concerts in London, from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol administered by his personal physician.

Michael Jackson in Numbers

Metric	Value
Born and died	August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana – June 25, 2009, Los Angeles
"Thriller"	Commonly estimated at around 70 million copies, the best-selling album in history
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles	13 as a solo artist
Grammy Awards	13 competitive Grammys, plus the Grammy Legend Award (1993) and the Lifetime Achievement Award (2010)
Grammys in one night	8 (1984), a record at the time
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame	Inducted twice: with The Jackson 5 (1997) and as a solo artist (2001)
Children	3: Prince, Paris and Bigi
Biopic "Michael" (2026)	About $1.03 billion worldwide, the highest-grossing biopic ever

Childhood and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, the eighth of ten children in a working-class African American family. His mother, Katherine Jackson, was a devout Jehovah's Witness who played clarinet and piano, and his father, Joe Jackson, was a steelworker and crane operator who had boxed and played guitar in a local band. The family lived in a small two-bedroom house at 2300 Jackson Street.

Around 1964 Michael and Marlon joined the group their father had formed with their older brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine. Michael soon became the lead singer, and the group became The Jackson 5. He later said his father had beaten him and pushed the boys hard in rehearsals, and he described his childhood as lonely. In 1969 the group signed with Motown, and its first four singles, "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There," all reached No. 1 in the US. Michael also released solo records at Motown, including "Ben" (1972), his first solo No. 1.

Solo Career: Off the Wall and Thriller (1979–1984)

In 1975 the brothers moved to Epic Records and became The Jacksons. In 1978 Michael played the Scarecrow in the film musical "The Wiz," where he met producer Quincy Jones. Their first album together, "Off the Wall" (1979), with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You," established him as an adult solo star.

"Thriller," released on November 29, 1982, became the best-selling album of all time. It spent 37 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and seven of its nine tracks reached the US top 10. The videos for "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and the 14-minute "Thriller" short film transformed the music video and helped break the color barrier on MTV. On the "Motown 25" television special in 1983 he performed "Billie Jean" and introduced the moonwalk. At the 1984 Grammys he won eight awards in one night, a record at the time.

In January 1984, while filming a Pepsi commercial, his hair caught fire from pyrotechnics and he suffered serious burns to his scalp. He later said that treatment for the injuries marked the start of his use of prescription painkillers.

Bad, Dangerous and HIStory (1985–1997)

In 1985 he co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie to raise money for famine relief in Africa. That year he also bought the ATV music catalog, which included most of the Beatles' songs. "Bad" (1987) became the first album to produce five Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana." His Bad World Tour included seven sold-out shows at London's Wembley Stadium in 1988, attended by 504,000 people, which Guinness World Records recognized as a record. In 1988 he also published his autobiography, "Moonwalk," and bought the Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, California, which he equipped with an amusement park and a zoo.

In 1991 he released "Dangerous," produced partly with Teddy Riley, whose lead single "Black or White" spent seven weeks at No. 1. Part of the proceeds of the Dangerous World Tour went to his Heal the World Foundation. His Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in January 1993 drew one of the largest television audiences in US history and changed how the NFL booked halftime performers. In 1995 he released the double album "HIStory," with "Scream" (with Janet Jackson), "You Are Not Alone," the first song ever to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100, "Earth Song" and "They Don't Care About Us." His last studio album released in his lifetime, "Invincible," followed in 2001.

Accusations and Acquittal

In 1993 Jackson was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy. He denied the allegations, and a civil lawsuit was settled out of court in 1994; no criminal charges were filed. In 2003 prosecutors in Santa Barbara County charged him in a separate case, and on June 13, 2005, a jury acquitted him on all counts. In the 2019 documentary "Leaving Neverland," two men alleged that Jackson had abused them as children; his estate and family have strongly denied the claims, and the allegations have not been proven in court. Civil lawsuits by the two men against companies connected to Jackson were still being litigated in the 2020s.

Final Years and Death (2005–2009)

After the 2005 trial Jackson lived for periods in Bahrain and Ireland and never returned to live at Neverland. He faced serious financial problems. In March 2009 he announced "This Is It," a series of 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena; the tickets sold out within hours.

How Michael Jackson Died: Cause of Death

Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at his rented home in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. He suffered cardiac arrest caused by acute propofol intoxication, combined with sedatives called benzodiazepines. His personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, had been giving him propofol, a surgical anesthetic, as a sleep aid for insomnia. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled the death a homicide. In November 2011 Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison; he was released after about two years.

News of his death caused one of the biggest surges in internet traffic ever recorded and a worldwide spike in sales of his music. His public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009, was watched by many millions of people around the world. He was entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Michael Jackson's Skin: Vitiligo

From the mid-1980s Jackson's skin became noticeably lighter, which led to years of speculation that he was trying to look "white." In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey he said he had vitiligo, a condition in which the skin loses its pigment in patches, and his autopsy confirmed the diagnosis. He used makeup to even out his skin tone as the patches spread. He was also diagnosed with lupus. He acknowledged having some cosmetic surgery on his nose but denied extensive procedures. In his memory, World Vitiligo Day is observed on June 25, the anniversary of his death.

Michael Jackson Movies

Jackson's film work ranged from musicals to concert films, and since 2026 his life has been told in one of the biggest films of the decade.

Year	Title	Role
1978	"The Wiz"	Scarecrow
1986	"Captain EO" (Disney theme park film)	Captain EO
1988	"Moonwalker"	Himself / Michael
1996	"Ghosts" (short film)	Maestro and other roles
2002	"Men in Black II"	Agent M (cameo)
2004	"Miss Cast Away"	Agent MJ
2009	"Michael Jackson's This Is It"	Himself (posthumous concert documentary)

"Michael" (2026)

"Michael," a biographical film directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson, the son of Jermaine, in the title role, opened in late April 2026. Despite weak reviews it took about $97 million in the US and Canada and $217 million worldwide in its opening weekend. In July 2026 it became the first biopic to pass $1 billion worldwide, overtaking "Oppenheimer" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," and it finished its theatrical run with about $1.03 billion, according to Box Office Mojo figures reported in October 2026.

Michael Jackson Songs

His solo Hot 100 No. 1 singles include "Ben," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Rock with You," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Say Say Say" (with Paul McCartney), "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror," "Dirty Diana," "Black or White" and "You Are Not Alone." Other signature songs include "Thriller," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Smooth Criminal," "Remember the Time," "Heal the World," "Earth Song" and "They Don't Care About Us." The "Thriller" video, with its zombie dance, was the first music video added to the US National Film Registry, in 2009.

Key Albums

Year	Album	Notable songs
1979	"Off the Wall"	"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Rock with You"
1982	"Thriller"	"Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
1987	"Bad"	"Bad," "Smooth Criminal," "Man in the Mirror," "Dirty Diana"
1991	"Dangerous"	"Black or White," "Remember the Time," "Heal the World"
1995	"HIStory"	"You Are Not Alone," "Earth Song," "They Don't Care About Us"
2001	"Invincible"	"You Rock My World"
2010	"Michael" (posthumous)	"Hold My Hand"
2014	"Xscape" (posthumous)	"Love Never Felt So Good"

Legacy and King of Pop

The title "King of Pop" became attached to him in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was used heavily in his own promotion. "Michael Jackson's This Is It" (2009), assembled from rehearsal footage for the London shows, became one of the highest-grossing concert films of its time. Cirque du Soleil created the shows "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" and "Michael Jackson: One," and the Broadway musical "MJ" opened in 2022 and won four Tony Awards. His influence can be heard in artists from Justin Timberlake and Usher to Bruno Mars, Beyoncé and The Weeknd.

Charity

Jackson supported many charities throughout his career. In 1992 he founded the Heal the World Foundation, which brought underprivileged children to Neverland and supported children affected by war, poverty and disease. US Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush honored him for his humanitarian work, and at Bill Clinton's inaugural gala in 1993 he called for more funding for HIV/AIDS research.

Family and Children

Jackson was married twice. From 1994 to 1996 he was married to Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley's daughter. From 1996 to 1999 he was married to Debbie Rowe, a nurse, with whom he had two children: son Prince Michael Jackson, born in February 1997, and daughter Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson, born in April 1998. His third child, Prince Michael Jackson II, known as Blanket and later as Bigi, was born in 2002 to a surrogate mother. After his death his mother, Katherine, became the children's legal guardian. Paris Jackson works as a model, actress and singer. His siblings include Janet Jackson, one of the best-selling female artists of all time, and La Toya and Rebbie Jackson.

Quick Facts

Full name	Michael Joseph Jackson
Born	August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, USA
Died	June 25, 2009, Los Angeles (acute propofol intoxication)
Parents	Joe and Katherine Jackson
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, dancer
Notable albums	"Off the Wall" (1979), "Thriller" (1982), "Bad" (1987), "Dangerous" (1991), "HIStory" (1995)
Awards	13 Grammy Awards plus Legend and Lifetime Achievement awards; two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions
Court verdicts	Acquitted on all charges in 2005
Spouses	Lisa Marie Presley (1994–1996), Debbie Rowe (1996–1999)
Children	Prince, Paris, Bigi

Timeline

• August 29, 1958: Born in Gary, Indiana.
• 1964: Began singing with his brothers in what became The Jackson 5.
• 1969: The Jackson 5 signed with Motown.
• August 10, 1979: Released "Off the Wall."
• November 29, 1982: Released "Thriller."
• May 16, 1983: "Motown 25," featuring the first televised moonwalk, aired.
• February 28, 1984: Won eight Grammys in one night.
• 1985: Co-wrote "We Are the World."
• August 31, 1987: Released "Bad."
• November 1991: Released "Dangerous."
• January 31, 1993: Performed at the Super Bowl halftime show.
• May 1994: Married Lisa Marie Presley.
• June 1995: Released "HIStory."
• 2001: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist; released "Invincible."
• June 13, 2005: Acquitted on all charges.
• March 5, 2009: Announced the "This Is It" concerts in London.
• June 25, 2009: Died in Los Angeles.
• November 7, 2011: Dr. Conrad Murray convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
• 2019: "Leaving Neverland" released.
• April 2026: The biopic "Michael" opened in theaters.
• July 2026: "Michael" became the first biopic to gross $1 billion.

Photo: Matthew Rolston / Epic Records, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons