Michael Jackson 1958-2009

Michael Jackson Remembered

How the child superstar grew into an icon beloved by the world – and the eccentricities that later defined him

  • AN ECCENTRIC STAR: TABLOID TALES photo | Michael Jackson

Credit: Michael Levine/Getty

Updated: Thursday Jun 25, 2009 | 11:00 PM EDT By: Serena Kappes, Aaron Parsley, Brian Orloff and Cara Shultz

21 of 30

AN ECCENTRIC STAR:
TABLOID TALES

Outrageous rumors about Jackson ran rampant in the '80s. Among them: He offered $1 million for the Elephant Man's bones and slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, hoping to live to be 150 years old. "He has a chamber," his manager Frank Dileo said at the time. "I don't know if he sleeps in it." Jackson later told Oprah Winfrey that the chamber was a "piece of technology used for burn victims" and that he decided to crawl inside and "hammer around." Other reports had him leaking the photo himself to conjure a sci-fi image ahead of the release of Captain EO.
Michael's Top 10 Iconic Looks | Michael Jackson

Michael's Top 10 Iconic Looks

From one glove to white socks to military jackets, see how Jackson set trends for a generation

See Photos