Michael Jackson's rollercoaster life of steep extremes

Michael Jackson (far right) in The Jackson Five in 1972. Photo / Supplied

Michael Jackson was born into one of the most infamous musical dynasties of modern times.

Raised in the grim, industrial city of Gary, Indiana, by their steel-worker father, Joe, and their mother, Katherine, a devout Jehovah's Witness, the Jackson children proved to be gifted performers from an early age.

Michael made his professional debut at 11, as the lead singer of the Jackson Five alongside his brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon. The siblings signed a lucrative deal with Motown Records in 1969, enabling the family to move to an upmarket Los Angeles neighbourhood.

Joe Jackson was a ruthless disciplinarian, a man who allegedly beat his sons with leather belts when they failed to pick up dance routines with sufficient speed. The young Michael was frequently on tour, performing in strip clubs and sharing hotel accommodation with his older brothers who reportedly would occasionally have sex with groupies in the same room.

It was a difficult upbringing. "Michael is a product of his twisted childhood, of a mother who failed to protect him from his abusive father, and parents who exploited his talent for their own financial benefit," says Dr Carole Lieberman, the US psychiatrist who filed the original 2003 complaint with the Protective Services of Santa Barbara that led to Jackson's investigation for child molestation. "His need to perform comes from his earliest experiences of being loved for performing. This was the only way he was able to feel loved and appreciated as a child."

His death robs fans of his return to the stage after living as a virtual recluse since he was acquitted in 2005 on charges of child molestation and plotting to kidnap his young accuser. The trial was a body blow from which the pop music superstar never recovered.

Through the years, he has made out-of-court settlements totalling US$25.5 million ($39.6 million) with the families of boys who accused him of child abuse. And yet, if the reception to his press conference is anything to go by, Jackson's popularity among a core group of loyal fans remains undiminished. According to public relations expert Mark Borkowski, who once represented the singer, any ethical discomfort the public might feel over Jackson's chequered past is overshadowed by his enormous commercial clout.

"Michael Jackson does have those incredibly committed fans who worship him in a way that few artists can achieve," he says. "They give his brand strength, because, whatever uncomfortable aspects there may be, whatever peculiarities he may have... he is still selling records."

Ever the consummate showman, Jackson has also been savvy enough to keep out of the limelight in recent months. In the four years since the trial, he has pursued a nomadic and solitary existence. For six months, he was the guest of Sheik Adbullah bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, the son of Bahrain's king, who recently sued him for allegedly reneging on a US$7 million ($10.8 million) album deal - the case was settled out of court. From Bahrain, he flitted to Europe and then to Dubai, where he took to wearing traditional female Arab dress and caused a stir by using a woman's public lavatory. Spells in Ireland, Las Vegas and New Jersey followed. When he did appear in public - in a woman's floppy sunhat and high heels in St Tropez or signing autographs for £600 ($1500) a throw in Japan - he looked pale and gaunt; a cartoonish allegory of what happens when fame goes wrong.

BEST OF TIMES

Thriller, released in 1982, won a record eight Grammys and was the first album to use music videos as successful promotional tools. In just over a year, Thriller became and remains the best-selling album of all time - it is said to have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.

WORST OF TIMES

A five-month trial in 2005 on charges of child molestation destroyed the star's already controversial image, leaving him isolated and reportedly £100m ($255 million) in debt.

THEY SAY

"What is a genius? What is a living legend? What is a megastar? Michael Jackson - that's all ... I think he is one of the finest people to hit this planet, and, in my estimation, he is the true King of Pop, Rock and Soul." Elizabeth Taylor

HE SAYS

"I've been in the entertainment industry since I was six ... It's been the best of times, the worst of times. But I would not change my career ... While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me."
- From an interview with Associated Press, 2007

- OBSERVER