#Michaeljackson, the One & Only King of Pop and the greatest entertainer of All Time, left this world 16 years ago today! 🐐🤍
Michael is the best-selling Solo Artist of All Time and the 2nd Best-selling Act after the Beatles, with over 500 Million records sold. He has had 13 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, and is the first artist to have a top-ten single on the chart in five different decades! 'Thriller' (1982) is still the Best-selling Album of All Time, having surpassed 70 Million units and was certified 34× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2021. 'Thriller' made Michael the biggest Star in the world, revolutionizing the music video medium with the videos for its title track, "Beat It" and "Billie Jean". Michael's music broke both sales records and racial barriers across the planet! He is one of the most culturally significant artists of the 20th century, popularizing street dance moves, and in particular, the moonwalk, the robot, and the anti-gravity lean.
Michael became an even bigger global superstar with Bad (1987), the world's best-selling album of 1987 and 1988, and the first album to produce 5 US 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". 'Bad' has sold over 45 Million units and has been certified 11× platinum by the RIAA!
'Dangerous' (1991), Michael's 8th studio album, marked a new Era, with his music focusing on more socially conscious material, and including a broader range of sounds and styles. 'Dangerous' debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and was outpacing both Thriller (1982) and 'Bad' in sales, certified 4× platinum in the US within two months of its release! It reached No. 1 in 13 other countries and became the best-selling album worldwide of 1992 with Michael honoured as the World's best-selling Artist of the year Award at the 1993 World Music Awards. The album produced 4 global smash hit singles: "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", "Will You Be There" and "Black or White". 'Dangerous' has sold over 32 Million copies! It was certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2018. The album been included in several publications' lists of the greatest albums of all time, and its artistry and thematic content have been praised as Jackson's finest! 'HIStory' (1995) spawned the mega hit "You Are Not Alone", the first of Michael's singles to debut at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. 'HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I' has sold over 30 million copies worldwide as a double album, and is the best-selling double album in history by a solo artist! Michael's last album, 'Invincible" (2001) has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and has been certified 2× platinum in the U.S. for 2 over million units.
Michael is one of the most-awarded artists in music history! He has won 39 Guinness World Records, including the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time; 13 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; 12 World Music Awards including the Legend Award, the Diamond Award for album sales of over 100 Million and the Millennium Award for the Best-selling Artist of the Millennium; 26 American Music Awards, including Artist of the Century; 6 Brit Awards, the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award and three presidential honors. Michael was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 as a member of the Jacksons, and in 1984 as a solo artist. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of the Jackson 5 in 1997 and 1999, respectively, and as a solo artist in 2001. In 2002, he was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2010, he was the first recording artist to be inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame, and in 2014, he was posthumously inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was among the first inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame!
In 1992, Michael founded the Heal the World Foundation and has donated an estimated $500 million to charity over the years, recognised by Guinness World Records as the Artist who has supported the most charities in music history!
We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father Tito Jackson @titojackson5 was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being. Please remember to do what our father always preached, “Love One Another.” We love you Pops and will forever miss you.