Michael Jackson

In this profile from All Things Considered aired on July 7, 1984, Lee Thorton travels to Kansas City, Mo. —where Michael Jackson's latest tour began in support of the album Thriller — to find out if the expensive concert extravaganza lived up to the hype.

In this profile from Morning Edition — which originally aired on February 27, 1984 — Steve Proffitt looks at the growing phenomenon of pop music's hottest property, Michael Jackson, whose album Thriller was the best selling album in America.

Choreographer and dancer Jeffrey Daniel worked with Michael Jackson on his hit videos Bad and Smooth Criminal. He also taught Jackson "the backslide," which the king of pop later developed into the famous "moonwalk."

In this commentary that originally aired on All Things Considered on July 7, 1984, writer Vertamae Grosvenor says that while counts herself a longtime fan of the musical Jackson family, she doesn't plan to attend to see what the Jackson brothers, and especially Michael have created.

He was a dazzling singer, iconic dancer and regular tabloid fixture. He sold massive numbers of records and established milestones for fashion, music videos and celebrity culture. On WNYC's Soundcheck, guests and callers remember his unique genius.

The world is mourning the loss of a music icon. Michael Jackson died yesterday at the age of 50. Duke Professor Mark Anthony Neal and Journalist Bryan Monroe, former Editorial Director of Ebony Magazine, share their thoughts about Michael Jackson, his influence and his legacy.

When Michael Jackson first entered commentator Marie Nelson's house, her entire family was struggling to adjust to life in America after fleeing a military coup in Liberia. Nelson was a lonely 10-year-old girl. She says Jackson healed her heart and brought her family together.

Fresh Air TV critic David Bianculli remembers pop icon Michael Jackson, who died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 50.

Critic Margo Jefferson says Michael Jackson wrote perfectly constructed pop songs, reviving Motown and pushing black performers back into the main arena of pop culture. The author of On Michael Jackson reflects on the entertainer's impact and stage presence.

We watched Michael Jackson grow up and morph into a modern-day song-and-dance man; we danced to his beat until he began to change and we weren't sure what to make of it; and then we witnessed his long, strange fall from grace.

Without question, Michael Jackson shattered some major racial barriers in the music and entertainment industry. But the pop idol has had a complicated relationship with African Americans. Now, as plans are finalized for Jackson's memorial in Los Angeles on Tuesday, many of the old racial rifts, if not gone, at least seem to be fading.

Friends, family, fans and luminaries remembered the King of Pop and performed his songs during Tuesday's star-studded memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event is widely considered the largest celebrity memorial ever.

Michael Jackson's memorial service was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday. You can read the chat that took place while the service was streaming on NPR.org.

It's been a week since Michael Jackson's death at 50 stunned the world. But seven days after the King of Pop stepped off stage and left us behind, it's clear we just can't seem to get enough of him.

As fans worldwide reeled from the news of Michael Jackson's passing, the Los Angeles County Coroner said an autopsy performed Friday was inconclusive. The coroner's office says determining the precise cause of Jackson's death will take four to six weeks.

Investigators are trying to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the death of the pop music legend. An autopsy performed Friday was inconclusive, and more tests were ordered. Jackson has a history of addiction to painkillers.

Choreographer and dancer Jeffrey Daniel worked with Michael Jackson on his hit videos Bad and Smooth Criminal. He also taught Jackson "the backslide," which the king of pop later developed into the famous "moonwalk."

The last few decades have not been easy on the city of Gary, Ind., just outside of Chicago. Crime and high unemployment plague the manufacturing city of less than 100-thousand. But even through the difficult times, Gary residents remained proud to live in the hometown of superstar Michael Jackson.

Kenny Gamble, producer and co-writer of the Jackson's first two albums after leaving Motown, and Howard Hewett, lead singer of the popular 70s R&B group Shalamar, reflect on their experience working with Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson's fame stretched around the world. In Africa, he was a legend and an inspiration. NPR's Africa Correspondent Ofeibea Quist-Arcton remembers meeting Jackson when he visited Ivory Coast in 1992. She says Africans all across the continent are mourning the loss.

Fans around the world are mourning the loss of pop icon Michael Jackson, who died Thursday at the age of 50. Jackson was hoping for a comeback after years of personal and financial setbacks. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.

Critic Margo Jefferson says Michael Jackson wrote perfectly constructed pop songs, reviving Motown and pushing black performers back into the main arena of pop culture. The author of On Michael Jackson reflects on the entertainer's impact and stage presence.

We watched Michael Jackson grow up and morph into a modern-day song-and-dance man; we danced to his beat until he began to change and we weren't sure what to make of it; and then we witnessed his long, strange fall from grace.

He was a child star, an international icon, a running late-night talk show joke. But in his prime, his overbearing talent and ambition made him a musical genius. Jackson was 50 years old when he died after going into cardiac arrest.

The Library of Congress is known for its collection of the written word, but it also has a mandate to preserve the country's most culturally significant audio recordings. Sociology professor and cultural critic Oliver Wang reviews some of the library's key musical acquisitions from the past year.

Nov. 30 marks the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Chris Connelly, who first reviewed the album in Rolling Stone, recalls his first thoughts about the songs and the trajectory of Jackson's career since 1982.

The Michael Jackson concert film This Is It — cut together from rehearsals filmed in the months before the pop star's death — is just the latest venture to highlight how valuable the coin of celebrity can remain even after a star's life is over. Nate DiMeo looks at the big business of posthumous brand management.

This review originally aired on Weekend Edition on September 6, 1987. In the ephemeral world of pop music, the five years between Thriller and it's follow-up, add up to light years. The musical question is whether Michael Jackson's star still shines. Is Bad the new album, bad or good? Milwaukee, Wisc. high school student and music reviewer Geylin Polivka says the album suffers from overproduction and an overuse of synthesizers.

In this Fresh Air review that originally aired on September 3, 1987, Ken Tucker says Michael Jackson's follow-up to Thriller is an attempt to overcome the curse of being a superstar in an era that eats up superstars, and then spits them out. The album is called Bad, and it's good.

Peter Sagal once worked as an extra in a Michael Jackson music video. The video was "Remember the Time." The set was a version of ancient Egypt. The King of Pop entered in a gold costume. Then he started to dance.

Nov. 30 marks the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Chris Connelly, who first reviewed the album in Rolling Stone, recalls his first thoughts about the songs and the trajectory of Jackson's career since 1982.

The self-proclaimed "King of Pop" is absolved of all 10 criminal counts accusing him of sexually molesting a 13-year-old boy in 2003, giving the boy wine and conspiring to hold his family captive to get them to rebut a damaging documentary. Follow NPR coverage:

Since Michael Jackson died last week, his trading cards, old albums and autographs are selling for huge amounts of money. A letter Michael Jackson wrote to an unknown "Greg" sold for $20,000, and an album signed by all of the Jackson 5 sold for $27,000.