Highs And Lows Of Star's Life

Michael Jackson, the hugely talented pop star who produced a string of Number One hits, has died aged 50 after suffering a heart attack.

From a fresh-faced young showman with the Jackson Five to a massive pop icon adored by fans around the globe, Jackson was a constant source of fascination, filling newspapers and magazines.

Tales of oxygen chambers, chimp chums, mad shopping sprees and physical transformation have also brought intrigue and amusement and earned the singer the nickname Wacko Jacko.

Disquiet over his behaviour turned to alarm after a documentary in which the singer revealed sharing a bedroom with a child and an incident in Germany in which he dangled his baby son Prince Michael II over a balcony.



In a 2003 interview with Martin Bashir, which was supposed to bolster Jackson's image, the singer said of sharing a bed with a young boy: "It's a beautiful thing.

"It's very right, it's very loving. Because what's wrong with sharing a love?"

A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of sexually molesting 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo. Jackson surrendered himself to police amid a media furore.

He pleaded not guilty to the allegations and after a trial conducted in the full glare of the world's media, Jackson was cleared of all the charges.

After his acquittal in 2005, Jackson kept a low profile and his famous Neverland ranch in California, which he bought in 1987, was closed in 2006.

Jackson was launched into the limelight at the tender age of five.

The talented Jackson children had a tough upbringing and as he grew up, his appearance altered drastically.

Jackson denied undergoing extensive plastic surgery, claiming instead he suffered from a skin condition called vitiligo and he had treatment to improve his breathing and singing.

The Neverland ranch was a child-like fantasy complete with a zoo, Ferris wheel, roller-coaster and video arcade.

Eyebrows were further raised when Jackson took to sleeping in an oxygen chamber and adopted a chimp named Bubbles as a companion.

He often conveyed an androgynous image and his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, was greeted with some surprise.

The union in 1994, which lasted 19 months, came shortly after the singer's reputation was rocked by allegations of child abuse by 13-year-old Jordy Chandler.

He reportedly settled the case out of court for $20m (£11m) although he always denied wrong-doing.

Jackson's second short-lived marriage, in contrast to the high profile of his first, was to nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996.

He named their two children after himself - Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Michael Katherine - and took an unusual approach to protecting them from the media glare by covering their faces.

After the couple divorced in 1999, Jackson took on sole responsibility for their children's upbringing.

His third child, Prince Michael II, was born to a mystery surrogate mother he never even met.

In 2002, Jackson caused a public outcry by dangling the baby - referred to as "Blanket" - out of the third-floor balcony of a Berlin hotel in front of the world's press. He later said he regretted the incident.

Michael Jackson Chart Numbers

:: He sold more than 11 million singles in the UK.
:: He had eight number one albums including releases with the Jackson Five.
:: His albums Thriller and Bad are the eighth and ninth best-selling albums in
the UK. Both sold more than 3.5 million.
:: He holds the record for the most Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart in one
year, registering 19 in 2006.
:: He had seven number one singles