Michael Jackson (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
<p>Pop music icon <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/?s=Michael+jackson&;post_type=post" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Michael Jackson</strong></a> would have turned 64 years old today, and in honor of the belated King of Pop&#8217;s birthday, <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Shade Room</strong></a> is breaking down five of his most iconic moments.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Michael Jackson Receives The 1984 Presidential Special Achievement Award</h3>
<p>After lending his hit song &#8220;Beat It&#8221; to a campaign against drunk driving, Jackson was rewarded with a Presidential Special Achievement Award by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.</p>
<p>Photos show the King of Pop as he received the prestigious award, which was presented to him by then-President Reagan and his wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan.</p>
<p>&#8220;Beat It&#8221; went on receive the 1984 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, as well as two American Music Awards.</p>
<figure id="attachment_97253" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-97253" style="width: 1140px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-97253" src="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-515351308-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1140" height="755" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-97253" class="wp-caption-text">(Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Iconic Dance Moves Define The MTV Generation</h3>
<p>When he wasn&#8217;t busy singing, Jackson was a prolific dancer in his own right, and his patented dance moves have since come to define those of the MTV generation.</p>
<p>Whether it was the lean, the moonwalk, or even the crotch grab, MJ captivated and dazzled audiences with his well-timed and well-executed choreography, many of which undoubtedly evoke the late pop star whenever performed.</p>
<p>Take a look at The Shade Room&#8217;s breakdown of his six most iconic dance moves below!</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">&#8220;Thriller&#8221; Cements Jackson&#8217;s Legacy, Remains Best-Selling Album Worldwide</h3>
<p>His album &#8220;Thriller&#8221; basically reinvented the standards of commercial pop success after it was released 40 years ago back on November 30, 1982.</p>
<p>It debuted at number one and contained a whopping seven top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, led by tracks like Billie Jean,&#8221; &#8220;Beat It,&#8221; and the titular title track. The album cemented Jackson&#8217;s legacy as an entertainer, and made him the first artist to win eight Grammy Awards in a single night.</p>
<p>Thriller would remain at the top of the charts for nearly 40 weeks, which was another first, before skyrocketing back to number one after it&#8217;s infamous music video was released a year later.</p>
<p>The records continues to be the world&#8217;s best selling album, with conservative estimations sitting at around 66 million according to the Guinness Book of World Records.</p>
<figure id="attachment_97258" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-97258" style="width: 1140px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-97258" src="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-89218990-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1140" height="751" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-97258" class="wp-caption-text">Michael Jackson 1983 presented with the first Triple Platimum awards for the multi-platinum &#8216;Thriller&#8221; album by Jane Fonda.</figcaption></figure>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">King of Pop&#8217;s Hair Catches Fire During Infamous 1984 Pepsi Commercial</h3>
<p>Jackson&#8217;s hair caught on fire in an infamous accident while filming a Pepsi commercial back in January 1984, and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angles with second and third-degree burns.</p>
<p>The incident eventually gained worldwide attention, and remains a seminal moment in the King of Pop&#8217;s career.</p>
<p>Jackson went on to receive a massive compensation payout from the soft drink company, and several years later in 1988, then-Pepsi President Roger Enrico and Jackson attended a press conference where the two donated a check for $600,000 to The United Negro College Fund, per Jackson&#8217;s request according to reports at the time.m</p>
<figure id="attachment_97259" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-97259" style="width: 1140px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-97259" src="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-514704094-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1140" height="759" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-97259" class="wp-caption-text">Paramedics wheel Michael Jackson into Brotman Memorial Hospital after being burned during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. Exploding fireworks set his jacket and hair on fire giving him second degree burns on his scalp. | Location: Brotman Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles, California, USA.</figcaption></figure>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Michael Jackson At The 1994 And 1995 MTV Video Music Awards</h3>
<p>Michael Jackson and his then-Lisa Marie Presley famously opened the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards show with Michael saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m very happy to be here, and just think nobody thought this would last,&#8221; followed by an uncomfortable onstage kiss.</p>
<p>A year later at the 1995 VMAs, Michael and sister Janet Jackson took home three awards for their video for &#8220;Scream.&#8221; In addition, Michael performed a fifteen-minute medley of his main songs.</p>
<p>To honor her brother&#8217;s birthday, LaToya Jackson posted a clip of his classic 1995 VMA performance to her Twitter on Monday.</p>
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<p>Jackson would eventually pass away at the age of 50 on June 25, 2009 in his California home, after suffering from cardiac arrest caused by a tragic and fatal combination of drugs given to him by his personal doctor.</p>
<p>Roommates, what are some of your favorite Michael Jackson moments?</p>
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