Michael Joseph Jackson August 29 1958 June 25 2009 was an American recording artist dancer singersongwriter musician and philanthropist Referred to as the King of Pop Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records His contribution to music dance and fashion along with a muchpublicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Jackson licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia