Michael Jackson Facts

Narrowing down a list of Michael Jackson facts is like trying to list how many people were MJ fans to begin with. The extraordinary legacy this grandiose pop star left behind in his 50 years set the standard for musicians to a "beyond the clouds" level. These particular Michael Jackson facts consist of a mix of stunning achievements and interesting insights into his colorful existence.

1. Pre-"Thriller" Michael Jackson's life was beyond most of our wildest fantasies and fantasy played a huge role in his life. His favorite stories as a child were "Pinocchio," "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Old Man and the Sea." Let's not forget that he was only eight years old when he graduated to singing led vocals with his brothers in the legendary group The Jackson 5. Among their hit records were: "ABC," " “I Want You Back" and "I'll Be there," all chart toppers.
2. MJ's favorites Michael Jackson was a fan of "The Three Stooges," Mexican food, and Marvel Comics superhero Morph from X-Men. Michael Jackson was definitely not a fan of feasting on meat; he was a vegetarian. His anti-animal eating habits may help explain his affection for them. His pets included Bubbles the chimpanzee, Muscles the boa constrictor, Louis and Lola the llamas, Mr. Tibbs the ram and Crusher the python.
3. Amazing milestones How many celebrities can claim to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and two inductions into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? This was made possibly thanks to his solo career and his membership in The Jackson 5. His "Thriller" album held the number one spot on the US Billboard chart under lock and key for a mind-blowing 37 weeks. This Quincy Jones-produced miracle became the best-selling album in the world with approximately 50 million copies sold. Michael's musical magic also surpassed The Beatles, Mariah Carey and Elvis Presley in the US Billboard charts department—he had thirteen number one hits.
4.  Major money In 1985, Michael Jackson spent a whopping 47 million dollars for ownership of the publishing rights to The Beatles music catalogue. Ten years later Jackson was able to more than double that invest after selling a portion of this collection to Sony for $95 million. Michael's music earnings during his lifetime have been tallied at an estimated 500 million dollars. Jackson also spared no expense when it came to the place he called home. He bought the 2,700 acres of land that would become his famous Neverland Ranch in 1988 for 17 million dollars.