Michael Jackson Death 3 Years Later: Justin Bieber May Be the Next King of Pop

Michael Jackson, the "king of pop," died three years ago to the date on Monday. The anniversary of his death reminds us of his impact and irreplaceable persona in the music industry today.

Jackson was one of the most beloved entertainers of all time. He won America’s heart as the youngest child in the Jackson 5, the family Motown group that produced “I Want You Back,” and “ABC.”

In the 1980s, he smartly set himself apart from other pop artists by pairing his catchy tunes with his unmatchable dance skills in a new art form: the music video. The Moonwalk and the Robot dance moves were Jackson inventions; the horror film, wolf-themed “Thriller” music video made the music industry redefine how pop should be packaged. Music began to revolve around stories and personalities behind the music.

As an unhappy man who was highly pressured and physically beaten by his father as a child, he expressed regret publicly about his failed childhood. His child-like amusement park called Neverland, named after the Peter Pan fictional land where children never grow up, raised suspicion of Jackson as being obsessed with children; in 1993 and 2005, he faced allegations of child molestation. He also caused a media frenzy for undergoing facial plastic surgery to bleach his skin and reconstruct his nose. Other strange habits, such as sleeping in an oxygen chamber to maximize his physical beauty and longevity and having a pet chimpanzee, made him a target for ridicule.