Who is known as the King of Pop?
Quick answer
Michael Jackson (1958–2009) is known as the “King of Pop.” His 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, and his music videos, dance moves like the moonwalk, and global fame reshaped pop music in the 1980s and beyond.
Key facts
- Born
- August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana
- Died
- June 25, 2009, Los Angeles
- Best-selling album
- Thriller (1982)
- Grammy Awards
- 13
Where the nickname came from
The title became popular around 1989, when actress Elizabeth Taylor introduced him as the “true King of Pop, Rock and Soul” at an awards show. His team promoted the nickname from then on.
Career highlights
- 1964Joins his brothers in the Jackson 5, with hits like “ABC” and “I Want You Back”
- 1979Solo album Off the Wall
- 1982Thriller is released
- 1983Performs the moonwalk on TV during “Billie Jean” at the Motown 25 special
- 1987Bad becomes the first album with five US No. 1 singles
- 1991Dangerous
- 2001Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist (twice inducted overall)
Thriller’s records
- An estimated 70 million copies sold worldwide
- Seven of its nine songs became US Top 10 singles, including “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller”
- Eight Grammys in one night (1984)
- The 14-minute “Thriller” video helped make MTV a cultural force and broke barriers for Black artists on the channel
A complicated legacy
Jackson’s later life was marked by allegations of child sexual abuse. He was acquitted at a 2005 criminal trial, but the allegations, and later documentaries, remain the subject of strong debate. He died in 2009 from an overdose of a medicine given by his personal doctor, who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Other music “royalty”
| Nickname | Artist |
|---|---|
| King of Rock and Roll | Elvis Presley |
| Queen of Pop | Madonna |
| Queen of Soul | Aretha Franklin |
| Godfather of Soul | James Brown |
For a modern best-seller, see who released the album 1989.
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