Earlier this week, Michael Jackson's biographer said the King of Pop can 'barely speak' and is in desperate need of a lung transplant because he is suffering from a deadly genetic disease. While we await official confirmation of the latest twist to the King of Pop's spectacular - and often - troubled career, here's a look at him throughout the years.
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The seventh child of the Jackson family, Michael Jackson debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5, and became their biggest star.
MJ, (background), is seen with his hair on fire during a taping of a Pepsi TV commercial in Los Angeles on February 1984 as brother Germaine Jackson (foreground), continues to perform apparently unaware of the situation.
A fresh-faced Jacko performing at a concert in Berlin, still sporting curls as his crowning glory.
Obsessed with staying young, Michael Jackson is photographed inside a hyberbaric oxygen chamber in 1986, He apparently purchased one such chambers at the cost of $125,000 so he can sleep in it at home in an effort to slow down the ageing process.
In the 1990s, Michael Jackson kept his hair long, and surgically enhanced his facial features so that they could look sharp.
Michael Jackson steps into the historic Raffles hotel in 1996 as he arrived here to perform for a second time.
Jacko performing during the Singapore-stop of his HIStory tour in 1996, complete with his signature crotch-grabbing antics.
Jackson's success resulted in his being dubbed the "King of Pop", a nickname conceived by actress and friend Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with an "Artist of the Decade" award in 1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul".
MJ's renowned and somewhat peculiar love of children often landed him on the wrong side of the law. Here, he is seen enjoying a ride on a roller coaster along with German kids during his visit to an amusement park in Germany in the late 90s.
Sadly, Jackson's eccentric behavior and allegations of child sexual abuse overshadowed his legacy. A fervent promoter of charitable causes, the entertainer (seen in a meeting with then-South African President Nelson Mandela), often use his connections to canvass for support.
Michael Jackson performing "The Way You Make Me Feel" with then-teen sensation Britney Spears during Jackson's "30th Anniversary Celebration, The Solo Years" concert at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2001.
MJ didn't do his reputation for being an eccentric any favours when he dangled his youngest son, Prince Michael II, out of a third-storey window of a Berlin hotel in 2002.
In 2003, Michael Jackson was charged with seven counts of molesting Gavin Arvizo, who was under 14 at the time of the alleged crime. Jackson denied the sexual abuse allegations, saying that the sleepovers Arvizo would have at his place were in no way sexual in nature. The star is seen here arriving with his father, Joe Jackson, left, and mother, Katherine Jackson, at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse for defense testimony in the trial, two years after the charges were mentioned.
Jacko displays his right arm in this undated photo. The entertainer claimed in a 2003 television interview that he was bruised and had his shoulder dislocated because of jailers' rough treatment during the course of his child molestation trial. He would later be acquitted of the charges.
At the age of 50, the King of Pop still cuts a cool figure as seen during his visit to Tokyo last year.
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