Michael Josegh Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city near Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.

Background information

1 Birth name: Michael Joseph Jackson
2 Also known as: Michael Joe Jackson, MJ, King of Pop
3 Born: August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, U.S.
4 Died: June 25, 2009 (aged 50)Los Angeles, California, U.S.
5 Genres: R&B, pop, rock, soul, dance, funk, disco, new jack swing
6 Occupations: Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
7 Instruments: Vocals
8 Years active: 1964–2009
9 Labels: Motown, Epic, Legacy, MJJ Productions
10 Associated acts: The Jackson 5.