Michael Joseph Jackson was an African-American man. He was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. His mother worked at Sears part-time. His father Joseph Jackson was a crane operator for US Steel. Having been a guitarist, he formed his sons into a musical group in the early 1960s, when he discovered their musical talents. At first, the group only included Michael's older brothers: Ito, Jermaine and Jackie. Michael joined his siblings at the age of five and became the lead singer. Their older brother, Marlon, also joins the group. They were known as the Jackson 5. Michael impressed the audience with his remarkable voice. He was a natural center of attention. He loved to dance and sing and had a moving expression. He was the center of attention when the Jackson 5 performed. Early in their career, the Jackson 5 played local concerts. Joseph entered them in talent competitions which they barely won. In 1966, Joseph had the Jackson 5 play Gary's Black nightclubs and even some in Chicago. These nightclubs served alcohol and even had strippers. Michael remembers standing in the wing of one of these nightclubs and watching a lady named Mary Rose perform. He watched her strip and throw her panties at the audience. Jackson 5 watched and watched, taking it all in and their father didn't seem to care at all. Joseph Jackson wanted the group to succeed and his methods were known to be violent. All his children...... middle of paper ...... at the same time, Michael Jackson announced that he would perform a series of concerts in London as his "final encore". It included 50 concerts. The debut was scheduled for July 8, 2009 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Michael Jackson was never able to complete his comeback tour. On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles. He was 50 years old. Memorials to Michael Jackson have been erected all over the world. On July 12, 2009, a televised memorial was held for fans of the "King of Pop" at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. People all over the world felt grief, sympathy, and many people cried. On September 3, 2009, the Jackson family held a private funeral. A sad tragedy for a legendary.