Largely referred to as the 'King of Pop', Michael Jackson rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 in the 1970s - made up of himself and his brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon. As an enormously talented singer/songwriter, it wasn't a huge risk for Michael to go solo after enjoying great success with his brothers; 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' and 'Rock With You' were two of his earliest solo hits. Michael then went on to define the music video, with his accompanying video for 'Thriller' - a mammoth, 13-minute short film costing his record label a whopping $500,000. Featuring spoof-style 'zombies' dancing with Michael, intricate choreography and expensive prosthetics and make-up, it was - and remains - a music video of epic proportions. Despite his continued success as a recording artist, with other hits including 'Billie Jean', 'Beat It' and 'Bad', Michael's life was dogged by controversy; he suffered child abuse at the hands of his dad as a youngster, was plagued by accusations of child molestation (of which he was later acquitted) and garnered as much media interest for his plastic surgery as for his music. Whatever his flaws, one thing is for certain; the industry has lost one of the greatest musical geniuses the stage and recording studio has ever seen. We just hope those who hounded him throughout his life don't pay hypocritical tributes to him - Martin Bashir better keep his mouth firmly shut. Rest in peace, Jacko - we love you.
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