Michael Jackson, “The King of Pop”, 50, died Thursday, June 25, 2009 in the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He arrived at the center in a coma, later dying at 2:26 pm. The definite cause of death has not yet been discovered.

The news of Jackson’s death came as a surprise to much of the world. Thousands of fans assembled at the various memorial sites, such as his star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, to leave notes, photos and even moonwalk in his memory.

While he had a fairly bumpy history during his stardom, Jackson didn’t fail to leave his footprint on much of the music industry and beyond. Almost all of Jackson’s short life was spent entertaining the masses. He was born in 1958 and at only age six he joined his brothers and created the group known as “The Jackson 5.” The boys were hugely popular, and some of their hits, like “ABC” can still be heard on the radio today.

In the 80’s however, Jackson began to stray away from his pop-star youth band, instead turning towards a solo career. In 1982, Jackson released the best-selling album of all time, “Thriller.” The album included various hits such as “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.” The album still continues to sell about 130,000 copies in the US per year and in the 2007 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records it is said to have sold 65 million copies.

But Jackson’s genius reached far beyond simply the recording studio. He is responsible for numerous dance moves that are still popular today. He created “the moonwalk” and also started the trend of dancing “robotically.”

Not long after his career took off, Jackson’s popularity began to dwindle. His life was haunted by sexual abuse charges, failed marriages, and skin disorders. Although, his legacies still remain today. He was inducted in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984, inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won 13 Grammy awards in one year, and accomplished various other achievements throughout his lifetime.

July 13, 2009 was supposed to be the first date of Jackson’s comeback tour—This Is It. Jackson had planned to start touring in London, England where all 50 tour dates sold out.

The Mayor of Gary, Indiana is trying to convince Jackson’s father to hold the funeral there, in Jackson’s hometown; however, the official arrangements have not been made.