Michael Jackson: Major events in his career, recent developments

Oct. 28, 2013: Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of killing Michael Jackson, is released from jail after serving almost two years of a four-year sentence.

Oct. 2, 2013: AEG Live is cleared of negligence in a case that attempted to link Jackson's death to the company that promoted his comeback shows.

Sept. 25, 2013: Attorney Marvin Putnam presents his closing argument in the case against AEG Live on the charge of negligence in Jackson's death. Putnam, who is defending AEG Live, says Jackson died because of his own bad choices, not because of anything the company did. Putnam says the company did not know anything about Jackson's use of propofol as a sleep aid and did not hire Dr. Conrad Murray to be his physician.

Aug. 2, 2013: Michael La Perruque, one of Jackson's former security workers, tells the jury he was concerned the singer would overdose on prescription medications in the early 2000s.

July 11, 2013: Kenny Ortega, the director of Jackson's ill-fated comeback concerts, tells a jury he was frightened when Jackson was shivering and seemed lost at one of his final rehearsals for the This Is It shows.

May 22, 2013: A corporate lawyer for AEG Live says the company did not conduct any background checks or supervise Dr. Conrad Murray, who was later convicted of killing Jackson .

May 7, 2013: Jackson's doctor was not qualified to treat the singer for insomnia or drug addiction and botched resuscitation efforts, an expert cardiologist testifying for the singer's mother tells the jury.

April 29, 2013: Opening statements begin in a U.S. courtroom as lawyers for Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, attempt to convince a jury that the company promoting the pop superstar's 2009 comeback concerts, AEG Live, was responsible for his untimely death. AEG Live denies any wrongdoing and contests that it hired the physician who for months was giving Jackson doses of a powerful anesthetic in the singer's bedroom to help him sleep. The suit seeks $40 billion US in damages.

April 22, 2013: Eighteen months after Murray's involuntary manslaughter conviction, Jackson's doctor appeals his case, claiming there were multiple legal errors at his trial. His lawyer says there was insufficient proof that Jackson died of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol administered by Murray.

March 25, 2013: Jackson's famed Moonwalk celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Feb. 22, 2013: Cirque du Soleil announces it is combining the songs of Jackson and its own technology-enhanced theatrics for a second Las Vegas show centred on the King of Pop. It is scheduled to officially premiere June 29.

Dec. 3, 2012: Jackson costumes and memorabilia are auctioned in Los Angeles, bringing in more than $5 million US. According to auctioneer Darren Julien, sale highlights included $240,000 US paid for a jacket the King of Pop wore on his Bad tour, and two of the crystal-studded gloves favoured by Jackson (one hailing from his landmark 1983 performance at the Motown 25 show) that fetched more than $100,000 US each. The memorabilia came from the collection of costume designers Dennis Thompkins and Michael Bush, who worked with Jackson for years and to whom he gave many of his outfits.

Sept. 12, 2012: Jackson's former concert promoter, AEG Live, drops a $17.5-million US insurance claim over the concert tour that was cancelled due to the 2009 death of the pop superstar. AEG Live had sued London insurance company Lloyd’s, claiming it lost millions when Jackson failed to fulfill his contract for 50 "This is It" concerts. Lloyd’s had countersued, saying AEG made false claims about Jackson's health.

Aug. 22, 2012: A judge appoints Jackson's nephew, TJ Jackson, to share guardianship responsibilities for the late singer's three children. He shares the responsibilities with Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, who had cared for the children since the singer's death.

July 25, 2012: A judge removes Katherine Jackson as the guardian of Jackson's children because of a days-long absence from them.  Her grandson Tito Joe "TJ" Jackson is named temporary caretaker of the three children amid a bitter family dispute over Michael Jackson's estate. A Los Angeles judge re-appointed Katherine Jackson as guardian on Aug. 2.

Jan. 26, 2012: Jackson's children Prince, Paris and Blanket help honour their father's memory by impressing hand and footprints outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Dec. 17, 2011: The contents of the home where Jackson lived with his three children before his death in 2009 have sold for nearly $1 million at auction. The headboard from the bed where the pop star died at age 50 was removed from the sale at the family's request, but the rug that was beneath the bed sold for $15,360.

Nov. 29, 2011: Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, is sentenced to four years of incarceration for his involuntary manslaughter conviction. The doctor's sentence is automatically cut in half due to state laws, and sheriff's officials say Murray will serve a little less than two years, housed in a one-man cell and kept at a distance from other prisoners. Murray is also ordered to pay an $800 restitution fine, a $30 court security fee, and a $40 criminal conviction assessment.

Nov. 7, 2011: A jury in Los Angeles finds Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the singer’s death. The trial had taken 23 days. Murray gave Jackson the surgical anesthetic propofol to help him sleep nearly every night for the last two months of his life, according to testimony.

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Oct. 26, 2011: For the second year in a row, Jackson tops the Forbes annual list of the Top-Earning Dead Celebrities. In fiscal 2011, his estate brought in $170 million US from sales of his music and his stake in the Sony/ATV catalogue.

Aug. 25, 2011: Music industry executive Frank Dileo, who managed Jackson's career in the 1980s and returned as his manager in the superstar's final days, dies at age 63.

Oct. 26, 2010: Jackson hits the top of the Forbes 2010 earnings chart for dead celebrities, with $275 million US in licensing and sales revenue.

September 2010: Jackson's mother, Katherine, launches a lawsuit against AEG Live. It claims the company, which promoted Jackson's 2009 comeback tour, hired and controlled the doctor convicted of involuntary manslaughter over her son's demise.

Aug. 24, 2009: An initial report by the Los Angeles coroner reveals there were lethal levels of the powerful anesthetic propofol in Jackson's blood. The coroner reports that Jackson's death should be considered a homicide.

July 7, 2009: Private family memorials are held for Jackson, as well as a public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles that attracted hundreds of thousands. Jackson's closed casket was made of bronze and plated with gold. The service, featuring a host of celebrities, was broadcast around the world.

June 28, 2009: Katherine Jackson, 79, filed a petition in Los Angeles for guardianship of her son's three children: 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, 11-year-old Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and seven-year-old Prince Michael Jackson II, who the late singer had once dubbed Blanket. She also files papers requesting to be appointed as the administrator of her son's estate, with her 80-year-old husband, Joe Jackson, joining in on the petition. The judge approves the guardianship, and later the right to take control of the singer's personal property.

June 25, 2009: Jackson is pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. in a Los Angeles hospital at age 50. Paramedics had responded to a call at Jackson's rented mansion in Holmby Hills about 12:30 p.m. PT, but Jackson was not breathing when they arrived. The Los Angeles County coroner rules that his death was caused by "acute propofol intoxication" in combination with two sedatives.

June 10, 2009: Allgood Entertainment files a breach of contract lawsuit against Jackson in a U.S. federal court in Manhattan. The company alleges that it had signed a deal with Jackson's representatives for his participation in a Jackson 5 reunion concert. According to Allgood Entertainment, the deal specified that Jackson could not perform anywhere else before the event or for three months after it.

March 13, 2009: Tickets for Jackson's 50 London concerts sell out within hours of becoming available.

Nov. 13, 2008: Jackson gives up the title to the Santa Barbara County estate called the Neverland Ranch, transferring it to a firm called Sycamore Valley Ranch Co. — a joint venture between Jackson and an affiliate of Colony Capital LLC. The Los Angeles-based real estate investment company purchased a multimillion-dollar loan that Jackson had failed to pay just prior to an auction by Financial Title Co. February 2008: Financial Title Co. schedules an auction of the sprawling Neverland Ranch property — including all of Jackson's possessions still on site — after the singer failed to pay a more than $24-million US debt he owed.

Feb. 11, 2008: Jackson releases the 25th anniversary edition of "Thriller," featuring collaborations with Kanye West, Akon, Fergie and will.i.am.

March 2006: California authorities order the closure of Jackson's Neverland Ranch, and fine Jackson over failure to pay staff working at the ranch and maintain adequate insurance for the employees. After paying the overdue wages, the singer subsequently laid off the majority of the ranch's staff and largely closed down operations on the property.

June 13, 2005: A jury finds Jackson not guilty on all the counts against him. A member of the jury later says in an interview that he believes Jackson "probably has molested boys," but there wasn't enough evidence to convict him.

June 3, 2005: The case against Jackson goes to the jury. In closing arguments, the prosecution tried to paint the picture of a serial child molester who plied children with alcohol at his sprawling Neverland Ranch home. Jackson’s lawyers argued he was the victim of an attempted extortion.

May 12, 2005: Actor Macaulay Culkin testifies on Jackson’s behalf and denies the pop singer ever abused him while he was a child star. Culkin, 24, made many visits to Jackson's Neverland estate in the early 1990s. Culkin told the trial he slept in Jackson’s bed several times but said it was simply because he fell asleep in the bedroom.

March 10, 2005: The presiding judge issues an arrest warrant and threatens to revoke Jackson's $3 million US bail when Jackson fails to appear in court on time. The judge holds off an hour on executing the order as Jackson's lawyer tracks down his client. Jackson was in hospital with back problems. He arrives in court and the trial resumes.

February 28, 2005: The prosecution opens its case, accusing Jackson of being a closet pervert who used wine and pornography to lower the inhibitions of a 13-year-old boy. The defense counters that authorities investigating the allegations of child molestation found no DNA from his accuser when they searched the pop star's bedroom.

January 31, 2005: Jackson's trial opens with jury selection.

April 30, 2004: Jackson is charged with 10 counts, including child molestation, extortion, child abduction, false imprisonment and giving a minor an intoxicating agent.

2003:  Jackson is accused of multiple counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, punishable by three to eight years in prison.

2002: Jackson fathers another son, but the identity of the mother is not released.

2001: Jackson releases his sixth solo album, Invincible which cost $30 million US to make. It receives a cool reception from music critics.

1996: Jackson marries Australian nurse Debbie Rowe. They produce two children, a son, Prince Michael, and a daughter, Paris. The marriage would end in 1999.

1995: Jackson's compilation HIStory - Past, Present and Future, Book I, suffers from poor sales.

May 26, 1994: Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley in a secret ceremony on May 26. The marriage lasts 18 months. 1993: Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy. The case was eventually settled out of court and Jackson continued to maintain his innocence, but the scandal and his bizarre lifestyle choices cause his popularity and music sales to slide.

Jan. 25, 1994: Jackson reaches a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement in a 1993 sexual molestation lawsuit that arose from his friendship with a 13-year-old boy. Jackson denied the allegations. No criminal charges were ever filed.

Nov. 26, 1991: Jackson's album Dangerous is released.

1988: Jackson pays $17 million US for a ranch outside Santa Barbara, Calif., and turns it into a real-life Neverland, which includes an amusement park with a merry-go-round and a ferris wheel.

1988: Moonwalk, Jackson's first autobiography, is published.

1987: Jackson's album Bad is released.

1985: Jackson takes part in the ensemble hit, We Are The World.

1984: Jackson begins to remodel his African features, starting with the reduction of his nostrils. His skin colour begins to lighten, as well, and later a cleft appears in his chin.

March 25, 1983: A 26-year-old Jackson shocks the world during a performance at the Motown 25th anniversary special by rising up onto his toes and gliding backwards, almost as if he were defying gravity. The 'moonwalk' went on to become one of the most iconic dance moves of all time after that performance, turning Michael Jackson into a household name and forever cementing his title as the king of pop.

Nov. 30, 1982: Jackson releases Thriller, produced by Quincy Jones. More than 40 million copies are sold. The album contains chart-topping singles such as The Girl Is Mine, Billie Jean and Beat It. Thriller's success is owed in great part to a formidable marketing campaign that redesigned Jackson's fashion style and promoted his effortless dancing.

1979: Jackson's solo album, Off the Wall, produced by Quincy Jones, is released. It sells seven million copies.

1978: Jackson appears on stage as the scarecrow in the musical The Wiz.

1976: The Jacksons get their own television show.

1976: Personnel changes push the group to rename itself The Jacksons.

1972: Jackson records his first solo hit, "Ben." It's a love song to a pet rat.

1970: Jackson embarks on a solo career.

1970: The band records some of its top hits including "I'll Be There," "I Want You Back" and "ABC."

1969: The Jackson 5 signs a recording contract with Motown Records.

1963: Michael and his brothers form the Jackson 5. Their father is instrumental in shaping the group and promoting their talents in New York and Philadelphia.

Aug. 29, 1958: Michael Jackson is born to Katherine Esther Scruse and Joseph Walter Jackson, in Gary, Ind.