Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 and he had just turned 50 yesterday. The seventh children of the Jackson family started to gain his fame on the professional scene when he was only 11 years old as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his solo career in 1971, but he didn’t give up the group. Five of his solo albums quickly became the world’s best-selling records.

“Off the Wall” (1979), “Thriller” (1982), “Bad” (1987), “Dangerous” (1991) and “HIStory” (1995) provided him the “King of Pop” name during so many years. Since the 1980s, he became a dominant image in the popular music and his videos airing on MTV, such as “Billy Jean” or “Thriller” turned his figure into music video art.

Through his “Dangerous World Tour” Michael Jackson raised and donated millions of dollars for 39 charity causes. Still, he had been involved in a lot of scandals regarding his personal life. His changing appearance and his eccentric behavior led him to controversy which damaged his image.

In 1993 he was accused of child abuse, but even if the problem was resolved in court, this matter has followed him during the years and ruined his public figure. Michael Jackson married twice and is the father of three children. His health concerns turned him in a fading image of what he had been in the late 1980s.

The ex-pop-star turned 50 on Friday and he stated that he would spend this day together with his children. “I’ll just have a little cake with my children, and we’ll probably watch some cartoons.” He added that he tries very hard to offer his children a happy childhood. “I let them go to the arcade and go to the movies and do things. I think that comes naturally. I want them to get to do things I didn’t get to do.”