MUSIC

Michael Jackson: Key events in singer's life

Aug. 29, 1958. Michael Jackson, the seventh of nine children, is born in Gary Ind.

1969: As part of the Jackson 5, he has his first hit, 'I Want You Back.'

1972: As a solo act, he has his first No. 1 hit, 'Ben,' about a rat in a movie.

1979:'Off the Wall' album makes him a pop superstar.

1982: 'Thriller' is released, selling more than 26 million copies.

1984: During the filming of a Pepsi commercial, Jackson suffers burns after a spark causes his hair to catch fire.

1987: Makes his comeback with the 'Bad' album.

1988: First reports of plastic surgery begin to emerge, with a noticeable cleft in his chin.

1991: 'Dangerous' album continues his dominance of the pop charts.

1993:Addresses the changes in the color of his skin on an episode of 'Oprah' and says that he suffers from vitiligo.

1994: Marries Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis, and faces the first in a series of child-molestation accusations.

1996:He and Presley divorce, and Jackson marries Debbie Rowe, a nurse.

1997:First son, Prince Michael, is born.

1998:First daughter, Paris, is born.

1999: He and Rowe divorce.

2001: 'Invincible' album released to disappointing sales, amid rising speculation about his private life.

2002: Prince Michael II born, later dangled from a balcony in Berlin. His mother is never identified.

2003:More child-molestation accusations emerge, with Santa Barbara, Calif., sheriffs taking him into custody and filing charges.

2004:Reports emerge of Jackson's financial difficulties and other strange behaviors.

2005: Jury acquits Jackson of molestation charges. Financial difficulties continue, and Jackson goes to Bahrain to live for a while.

2006-2009:Numerous efforts at a comeback fail to materialize, and Jackson abandons Neverland, his California theme-park home.

June 25, 2009:Jackson is rushed to a hospital from a Southern California residence, suffering from suspected cardiac arrest, and is later pronounced dead.