Michael Jackson was a child prodigy, a musical genius and remains one of the most idolised artists on Earth.

But for all his fame and legions of fans, Jackson lived as a virtual recluse since he was acquitted in 2005 on charges of child molestation and plotting to kidnap his young accuser.

Despite his acquittal, the trial was a body blow from which the pop music superstar never recovered.

The 50-year-old is still worshipped by fans for revolutionising music, dance and music videos at the peak of his success.

However the attention paid to him in recent years was less flattering, focusing on apparent cosmetic surgery – which he denied – his baby dangling antics and a decade of swirling child abuse allegations.

Born on August 29, 1958, Jackson made his show business debut with four of his older brothers in the Jackson Five pop group, and went on to lead the stage clan with a piping soprano and dazzling dance moves.

By 1969, the group had signed a contract with Motown Records, becoming one of the last great acts to emerge from the legendary label.

The Jacksons produced seven platinum singles for Motown, selling over a million, and three multi-platinum albums, selling more than two million. They moved to CBS’s Epic Records in 1976.

Despite the early success, Jackson was to recall those years as unhappy and lonely ones. Eventually the family act broke up, as Jackson went solo.

Going solo
In 1979, Quincy Jones produced Jackson’s first solo album for Epic, Off the Wall, a huge disco-oriented success that sold 10 million copies.

They teamed up again in 1982 for what would be Jackson’s breakthrough album as a composer and co-producer, Thriller, which became the top-selling album of all time, with sales exceeding 41 million.

According to Robert Thompson, an expert in pop culture at the University of Syracuse, New York, Jackson’s later problems can be traced back to the phenomenal success of Thriller.

“He got to the point that he was so rich, so powerful and so famous, that he was allowed to kind of withdraw from any kind of reality,” Mr Thompson said.

Thriller was followed by Bad in 1987 (20 million sold) and Dangerous in 1991 (21 million sold) with videos whose auto-erotic dance contrasted with Jackson’s sweet, childlike personality offstage.

A pop culture icon with enormous wealth, Jackson in 1991 signed a deal with Sony Music described as the most lucrative contract ever for a recording artist.

Although Jackson’s share was not disclosed, Sony estimated the potential in sales at a billion dollars.

Abuse allegations
But in 1993, a 13-year-old boy made sex abuse allegations against his former pal Jackson, and prosecutors and police launched an investigation.

A year later, Jackson struck an out-of-court agreement with the family under which he paid out a total $US23.3 million, a deal which Jackson later said he regretted.

The deal halted the criminal case, which was being pursued by Tom Sneddon, the chief prosecutor in Jackson’s trial.

As Jackson’s life was complicated by his meteoric rise to fame, he also started undergoing a dramatic physical transformation.

Over the years, his skin has become much lighter and he appeared to have had extensive plastic surgery on his face. Vanity Fair magazine reported in 2003 that the tip of his nose was actually a prosthesis.

Marriage and children
In 1994, he stunned the public by marrying Lisa Marie Presley, the 26-year-old daughter of Elvis Presley.

The marriage lasted less than two years and was a hot topic for the tabloids. However, the renewed interest in Jackson’s love life did not spark interest in his music.

In June 1995, he released the double album HIStory, Past, Present and Future – Book I to negative reviews and weak sales, despite Sony Music’s $US40 million investment. And Jackson’s next album, Invincible, flopped.

Jackson then married Debbie Rowe, a 37-year-old nurse he met while undergoing plastic surgery in 1997. They had two children, Prince Michael and Paris Michael Katherine, before divorcing in 1999.

Jackson had custody of the two children and of a third, Prince Michael II, born to an unknown woman, when in November 2002 he came under fierce public criticism for dangling his youngest child from a fourth-floor hotel balcony in Berlin for photographers.

Adding to his woes, Jackson was also hit by a flurry of lawsuits from former aides and promoters and from a slew of people suing over alleged unpaid bills.

Last November, Jackson and a Bahraini prince struck an “amicable” deal to avoid going to court in a seven-million-dollar lawsuit.

The extent of Jackson’s financial woes is unclear, with conflicting reports about the singer’s assets and debts.

But a treasure trove of Jackson memorabilia, including a wrought iron gate from his Neverland Ranch and his famous white glove, are to be auctioned off in Beverly Hills next month, reflecting the singer’s change in circumstances.