MJ Timeline
Aug. 29, 1958: Michael Jackson is born in Gary, Ind.
1964: Forms the Jackson 5 with his four older brothers: Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito.
1968: Jackson 5 signs to Motown Records and the family moves to Los Angeles.
1970: Jackson 5 release four No. 1 singles: “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There.”
1976: The Jackson 5 leave Motown for Epic and change their name to the Jacksons.
1978: Jackson makes film debut playing the scarecrow in “The Wiz.”
1979: Releases first solo album, “Off the Wall,” which goes on to sell more than 7 million copies.
December 1982: Releases “Thriller,” which is No. 1 in the U.S. for 37 straight weeks, wins eight Grammys and becomes the best-selling album of all time.
1984: Hair catches fire during filming of Pepsi commercial. Rejoins his brothers for Jacksons’ Victory album and tour.
1985: Co-writes “We Are the World” with Lionel Richie, a benefit single for the USA for Africa charity. Also invests $40 million in the catalog that controls the rights to the Beatles’ songs.
1987: Releases the album “Bad,” another international hit that sets the record for the most No. 1 singles by a solo artist on one album.
March 1991: Releases “Dangerous.” Although it sells more than 20 million, it is considered a drop-off from the previous two.
Jan. 31, 1993: Halftime performance at Super Bowl XXVII draws the largest viewing audience in the history of American television.
Feb. 1993: On “Oprah Winfrey Show” appearance, Jackson explains changing skin color is due to condition called vitiligo. On the same show, he says his father beat him as a child.
Aug. 17, 1993: 13-year-old L.A. boy alleges Jackson sexually molested him.
Sept. 14, 1993: Civil suit against Jackson is filed by same boy.
Nov. 12, 1993: Jackson cancels world tour, citing addiction to painkillers stemming from the Pepsi commercial incident almost a decade earlier.
Jan. 25, 1994: Civil suit settled for between $10 million and $20 million.
Aug. 1, 1994: After weeks of speculation, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley confirm they’d married.
Sept. 8, 1994: Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley kiss on stage at the 11th annual MTV Video Music Awards.
Sept. 21, 1994: Prosecutors say no criminal charges will be filed because the Los Angeles boy refuses to testify.
Jan. 18, 1996: He and Presley divorce.
Nov. 15, 1996: Marries nurse Deborah Rowe, then six months pregnant by artificial insemination.
Feb. 13, 1997: Son Prince Michael is born.
April 3, 1998: Daughter Paris Michael Katherine is born.
Oct. 8, 1999: Jackson and Rowe divorce. Jackson gets full custody of children in settlement.
2001: Latest album “Invincible,” is a flop, only selling 6 million worldwide.
Nov. 2002: Jackson is criticized for dangling his second son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony to show fans. The mother of the child is an anonymous surrogate.
February 2003: Tells British journalist Martin Bashir in TV documentary “Living With Michael Jackson” that he let young boys sleep in his bed but that there was nothing sexual about it.
Nov. 18, 2003: Law enforcement officers search Neverland Ranch, citing an “ongoing criminal investigation.”
Nov. 20, 2003: Arrested on charges of child molestation.
April 21, 2004: Indicted by grand jury on charges that he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor. Jackson pleads not guilty.
June 13, 2004: Jackson is acquitted of all charges.
Summer 2005: Jackson and his three children begin vacation at a prince’s palace in Bahrain where they stay for about a year.
March 2006: Neverland Ranch is closed down.
Oct. 2006: Settles lawsuit with former wife Rowe who said Jackson hadn’t paid what was agreed to in settlement.
Mar. 5, 2009: Jackson announces a series of concerts in London, saying it is “the final curtain call.” Tickets sell out within hours.
June 25, 2009: Michael Jackson is pronounced dead after being found unconscious at his Bel-Air mansion.
Sources: CNN, Los Angeles Times, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Associated Press
