On June 25, 2009, the music world stopped spinning when news broke of the death of Michael Jackson˳ Jackson’s unparalleled place in music history was quickly solidified as millions of fans around the world mourned the loss˳ The GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles subsequently sprang into action with the unveiling of the special exhibit, Michel Jackson: A Musical Legacy, which served as a follow-up to the Michael Jackson: HIStyle exhibit that opened in February of that year˳
On the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2010, GRAMMY winners Smokey Robinson, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Usher, and Jennifer Hudson teamed for an all-star 3-D rendition of “Earth Song” in tribute to Jackson, who that year was honored posthumously with a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award˳
With more than 75 million albums sold in the United States, Jackson ranks No˳ 7 on the RIAA’s list of top-selling artists of all time˳ As we approach the five-year anniversary of his death, we look back on 10 royal achievements that made Jackson the King of Pop˳
1970: First Four No˳ 1 Hits
Jackson made history with his brothers in the Jackson 5 when they became the first group in pop history to have their first four singles hit No˳ 1˳ The songs were “I Want You Back,” “I’ll Be There,” “The Love You Save,” and “ABC˳” The latter earned the Jackson 5 their first GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus˳
1982: Thriller Is Released
Following the release of his 1979 hit album Off The Wall, Jackson released Thriller on Nov˳ 30, 1982˳ Both albums were inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008, but Thriller is widely considered Jackson’s most successful album˳ Co-produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson, the landmark album became the first album to generate seven Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100˳ With sales of 29 million copies, Thriller is tied with the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 as the best-selling album of all time according to the RIAA˳
1983: The Moonwalk
Jackson debuted what would become his signature dance move, the moonwalk, during a performance of “Billie Jean” on the May 16, 1983, TV special “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” in celebration of the label’s 25th anniversary˳
Later that year, on Dec˳ 2 Jackson changed the music video world for good when he released the music video for “Thriller˳” The near 14-minute epic unlocked the unlimited possibilities of music video, while helping to cement the viability of the medium˳
1984: Eight GRAMMYs, One Night
Jackson made history when he became the first artist to win eight GRAMMYs in one night at the 26th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb˳ 28, 1984˳ The King of Pop’s haul included Album Of The Year for Thriller and Record Of The Year for “Beat It˳” Jackson is among the artists with the most GRAMMYs won in the ’80s with 11˳
1984: Hollywood Walk Of Fame X 2
Jackson became the first celebrity to have two stars in the same category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame˳ Before receiving a recording star as a solo artist, he earned his name in cement as part of the Jacksons (previously known as the Jackson 5) in 1980˳
1988: GRAMMY Solo Performance Debut
Jackson made his solo GRAMMY stage debut on the 30th Annual GRAMMY Awards, which took place in New York on March 2, 1988˳ Arguably one of the greatest performances in GRAMMY history, Jackson performed a medley featuring “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Man In The Mirror˳”
1993: GRAMMY Legend Award
To date, only 15 individuals have been awarded the prestigious GRAMMY Legend Award — a Recording Academy Special Merit Award that is presented to individuals or groups for ongoing contributions and influence in the recording field˳ Jackson became the 10th individual to earn this honor in 1993˳
1997: The Jackson 5 Enter The Rock Hall
Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time as part of the Jackson 5 with his brothers Jackie Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson, and Tito Jackson˳ He was later inducted as a solo artist in 2001˳
2009: 2˳6 Million Downloads Sold
In the week following his death, Jackson became the first artist to sell more than 1 million digital tracks in one week˳ (He sold 2˳6 million tracks, easily breaking the old record˳) He also became the first artist to have the three best-selling albums in the United States˳ Two weeks later, he became the first artist to have six of the 10 best-selling albums˳
2014: Jackson Makes History … Again
On May 21 Jackson became the first artist in history to score a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when “Love Never Felt So Good” (from his posthumous release, Xscape) reached No˳ 9˳
