Singer, songwriter. Born August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, as the seventh of nine children. Jackson and his brothers Jackie, Tito, Marlon, and Jermaine were assembled into a simmnging group when Michael was only five years old. Despite his extremely young age, he soon distinguished himself as a singer and dancer of prodigious ability.
Despite investigation of a second boy who said he'd slept in the same bed with Jackson—but alleged no improper behavior on the entertainer's part—the Los Angeles District Attorney brought his investigation to a close in 1994. Jackson's attorney said this was due to lack of evidence, though others claimed it was the boy's refusal to testify that weakened the case
 The rumor-mongering over the alleged molestation continued, as the media and industry insiders played the age-old game of trying to pin down Michael Jackson's personal life. In 1994, Jackson shocked the public again—in a very different way. He and Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock innovator and cultural icon Elvis Presley, were married in a secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic. The unexpected union was the cause of further speculation: had Jackson married to divert attention from his alleged homosexuality and/or pederasty? Was he hoping to save his career by establishing himself as a "normal" and adult man? A very staged kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards added fuel to the fire. Yet the record could scarcely be considered a failure, given that it was a double album and promised to issue singles for at least another year. One, the ballad "Childhood," also appeared on the soundtrack of the family film Free Willy 2, promising an even wider audience. "There will probably be nine singles," pronounced Epic executive David Glew to Billboard. "That puts us through two Christmases ... I think this will be one of the biggest albums of all time, [but] we know it will take the full weight of this company. Jackson announced that he harbored no prejudice toward anyone, though his remark that "my lawyers are Jewish" scarcely banished all doubt. A smaller ripple came from the revelation that Lisa Marie's two children from her previous marriage were unhappy living at Neverland. The couple would divorce amicably in 1996. Later that same year, Jackson announced that Deborah Rowe, an assistant to his dermatologist, was pregnant with his child. The couple were married in Australia soon after his announcement, and Rowe subsequently gave birth to a son, Prince Michael Jackson Jr. A daughter, Paris Michael Katherine, was born in the spring of 1998. Jackson and Rowe announced their intention to divorce in the fall of 1999. In 2002, under a veil of secrecy, a second son named Prince Michael II was added to the brood. The child's mother remains unnamed
In 1997, Jackson released Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, a combination of some new and some remixed material. His first new studio album in six years, titled Invincible, hit stores in October of 2001.