Until his early demise in 2009, Michael Jackson was seen by some as the undisputed King of Pop Music.
Since the early 1960s when he was part of the boy band, The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson was getting young people singing and dancing along with the catchy simple tunes.
In the 1970s Michael Jackson launched his solo career, and that is when he rocketed to the top of the UK charts. He was one of the first pop music artists to use music videos as an extension of the music and really made them into an art form.
The Thriller album from 1982 is the best selling popular music album of all time and took the worldwide and UK charts by storm with sales between 65 and 100 million since release.
Being one of the most recognisable men in pop music did not make life simple for Michael Jackson. His personal life became as newsworthy as his pop music did and he was the subject of many pages of intense scrutiny.
This however did not appear to damage his reputation as a pop music artist and single and album sales never saw a decline, regardless of what the press said.
Pop music nowadays would not be the same without the huge influence that Michael Jackson has had on the pop world. Anyone listening to Justin Timberlake will be able to sense the strong influence that has been asserted onto the younger artist.
Michael Jackson was also a massive influence on the dance styles of the era. He choreographed many distinct and original moves which have long been imitated and aspired to. Just looking at the dance moves on shows like X Factor and you will be able to identify Michael Jackson classic moves.
Even since his death, Michael Jackson is topping the UK charts as his record label has managed to sign a deal with the MJ estate to release previously unreleased material until 2017.