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How the once-charmed life fell apart
26 Jun 2009From the moment Michael Jackson was launched into the limelight at the age of five he was destined to live his life in glare of the public eye.
As a young showman with the Jackson Five he entranced audiences with his precocious singing talent and incredible dance moves.
But it was after he broke away from the control of his family and the Motown management system that the world saw the true extent of his unique talent and began to get a taste of his unusual personal foibles.
The world watched as he became the brightest superstar in the pop world and was still watching as his once-charmed life fell apart.
His fans and music bosses put up with reported eccentric habits like sleeping in a oxygen tent and keeping a pet chimp - that earned him the nickname Wacko Jacko - while the hits were still rolling in.
But as his physical appearance and behaviour became increasingly bizarre he slid into a parody of his former self. Cash-strapped and isolated in his later years he cut a pathetic figure who inspired pity and reverence in equal measure.
His concerts at the O2 arena were not only meant to be a triumphant comeback but were also reportedly driven by dire economic necessity.
At the height of his fame he paid 47 million dollars (£28.5 million) for the right to the Beatles back catalogue and bought the Neverland ranch in California in 1987 but by 2006 Jackson's fantasy theme-park style home was closed and record-breaking album sales were a distant memory.
Jackson's love of the childish thrills of Neverland's roller coaster rides and Ferris wheel and his devotion to Bubbles the chimp seemed to be an attempt to recapture the childhood he missed as he grew up in the spotlight.
He often appeared isolated and his relationship with his family was strained. After he went solo in 1979 he spoke of the tough regime his father enforced and claimed he beat him and his brothers.
But there was no doubting Jackson's ability to sell records. His solo debut album Off the Wall was a success but nothing compared to the impact when Thriller was released in 1982.
It became the biggest selling album of all time and contained a string of stand-out hits like Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller.
His next album, Bad - released in 1987 - was also packed with dance-floor fillers including Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal.
Dangerous, released in 1991, kept the hits coming and shot to number one in the album charts after just three days.
The next two albums were a mixture of new material and greatest hits and it was not until 2001 that he released an album of original songs - Invincible - but it did not replicate his earlier chart success.
There was speculation that his fanbase had been hit by accusations of sexual abuse of young boys.
In 1993 he paid millions out of court to 13-year-old Jordan Chandler who claimed he was sexually abused at the Neverland ranch. Despite the settlement Jackson always denied the claims.
Then in a 2003 interview with Martin Bashir the singer said of sharing a bed with a young boy: "It's a beautiful thing.
"It's very right, it's very loving. Because what's wrong with sharing a love?"
A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of sexually molesting 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo. Jackson surrendered himself to police amid a media furore.
He pleaded not guilty to the allegations and after a trial conducted in the full glare of the world's media, Jackson was cleared of all the charges.
After his acquittal in 2005, Jackson kept a low profile.
Jackson always denied undergoing extensive plastic surgery, claiming he suffered from a skin condition called vitiligo and he had treatment to improve his breathing and singing.
He often conveyed an androgynous image and his 1994 marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, was greeted with some surprise.
Jackson's second short-lived marriage, in contrast to the high profile of his first, was to nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996.
He named their two children after himself - Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Michael Katherine. After the couple divorced in 1999, Jackson took on sole responsibility for their children's upbringing.
His third child, Prince Michael II, was born to a mystery surrogate mother he never even met.
In 2002, Jackson caused a public outcry by dangling the baby - referred to as "Blanket" - out of a third-floor hotel balcony in front of the world's press.
In November last year, Jackson and an Arab sheikh suing him at the High Court in London for £4.7 million parted "amicably" after agreeing a settlement to their dispute.
Jackson was invited with his children and entourage to Bahrain by Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who lavished money on them and built a recording studio, which he believed would be used to record material the sheikh had helped to write.
But Jackson insisted there was no valid agreement and that the sheikh's case was based on "mistake, misrepresentation and undue influence".
He said sums of money paid out by the sheikh were "gifts".
