INDEPTH: MICHAEL JACKSON
Timeline
CBC News Online | June 13, 2005
1958
Born Aug. 28 to Katherine Esther Scruse and Joseph Walter Jackson, in Gary, Ind.
1963
Michael and his brothers form the Jackson 5. Their father is instrumental in shaping the group and promoting their talents in New York and Philadelphia.
1969
The Jackson 5 signs a recording contract with Motown Records.
1970
The band records some of its top hits including "I'll Be There," "I Want You Back" and "ABC."
1970
Jackson embarks on a solo career.
1972
Jackson records his first solo hit, "Ben." It's a love song to a pet rat.
1976
Personnel changes push the group to rename itself The Jacksons.
1976
The Jacksons get their own television show.
1978
Jackson appears on stage as the scarecrow in the musical The Wiz.
1979
Jackson's solo album, Off the Wall, produced by Quincy Jones, is released. It sells seven million copies.
1982
Jackson releases Thriller, also produced by Quincy Jones. More than 40 million copies are sold. The album contains chart-topping singles such as "The Girl Is Mine," "Billie Jean," and "Beat It." Thriller's success is owed in great part to a formidable marketing campaign that redesigned Jackson's fashion style and promoted his effortless dancing.
1984
Jackson begins to remodel his African features, starting with the reduction of his nostrils. His skin colour begins to lighten, as well.
1985
Jackson takes part in the ensemble hit, "We Are The World."
1987
Jackson's album Bad is released.
1988
Moonwalk, Jackson's first autobiography, is published.
1988
Jackson pays $17 million US for a ranch outside Santa Barbara, Calif., and turns it into a real-life Neverland, which includes an amusement park with a merry-go-round and a ferris wheel.
1991
Jackson's album Dangerous is released.
1994
Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley in a secret ceremony on May 26. The marriage lasts 18 months.
1994
Jackson reaches a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement in a 1993 sexual molestation lawsuit that arose from his friendship with a 13-year-old boy. Jackson denied the allegations. No criminal charges were ever filed.
1995
Jackson's compilation HIStory - Past, Present and Future, Book I, suffers from poor sales.
1996
Jackson marries Australian nurse Debbie Rowe. They produce two children, a son, Prince Michael, and a daughter, Paris. The marriage would end in 1999.
2001
Jackson releases his sixth solo album, Invincible which cost $30 million US to make. It receives a cool reception from music critics.
2002
Jackson fathers another son, but the identity of the mother is not released.
2003
Jackson is accused of multiple counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, punishable by three to eight years in prison.
2004
On April 30, Jackson is charged with 10 counts, including child molestation, extortion, child abduction, false imprisonment and giving a minor an intoxicating agent.
January 31, 2005
Michael Jackson's trial opens with jury selection.
February 28, 2005
The prosecution opens its case, accusing Jackson of being a closet pervert who used wine and pornography to lower the inhibitions of a 13-year-old boy. The defense counters that authorities investigating the allegations of child molestation found no DNA from his accuser when they searched the pop star's bedroom.
March 10, 2005
The presiding judge issues an arrest warrant and threatens to revoke Jackson's $3 million bail when Jackson fails to appear in court on time. The judge holds off an hour on executing the order as Jackson's lawyer tracks down his client. Jackson was in hospital with back problems. He arrives in court and the trial resumes.
The Jacksons (with Michael singing, second from right) performing on CBC's "Disco Showtime: All-Star Disco Extravaganza." The show took place in Leysin Switzerland on Sunday December 30, 1979.
May 12, 2005
Actor Macaulay Culkin testifies on Jackson’s behalf and denies the pop singer ever abused him while he was a child star. Culkin, 24, made many visits to Jackson's Neverland estate in the early 1990s. Culkin told the trial he slept in Jackson’s bed several times but said it was simply because he fell asleep in the bedroom.
June 3, 2005
The case against Michael Jackson goes to the jury. In closing arguments, the prosecution tried to paint the picture of a serial child molester who plied children with alcohol at his sprawling Neverland Ranch home. Jackson’s lawyers argued he was the victim of an attempted extortion.
June 13, 2005
A jury finds Michael Jackson not guilty on all the counts against him. A member of the jury later says in an interview that he believes Jackson "probably has molested boys," but there wasn't enough evidence to convict him.
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