▲His favorite animated character was Pinocchio.

▲His favorite books as a child included 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Old Man and the Sea.'

▲He and Lisa-Marie Presley were married for only 19 months.

▲He used to put spiders in his sister La Toya’s bed when they were young.

▲He owned a boa constrictor called Muscles.

▲He paid US$47 million for the publishing rights to the Beatles' back catalog in the 1980s. He later sold a share to Sony for US$95 million.

▲He won eight Grammys in 1984, the highest amount ever won by one person in a single year.

▲He was very ticklish.

▲His middle name was Joseph, after his father.

▲In 1993, his dermatologist announced MJ had a skin disease called vitiligo, which causes loss of skin color in blotches.

▲He was five years old when he gave his first public performance, singing 'Climb Every Mountain.'

▲'Thriller' is the world’s best-selling record of all time, with an estimated 66 million copies sold worldwide, according to the Guinness World Records. However, The Eagles’ 'Greatest Hits' has recently surpassed MJ’s 'Thriller' as best-selling album in the United States.

▲'Billie Jean' was the first video by a black artist to air on MTV.

▲He has not one but two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for himself and one for the Jackson Five.

▲His wax figures are found in five Madame Tussauds museums across the world, behind only those of Elvis Presley and Madonna.

▲He was a fan of Mexican food.

▲He once owned two llamas called Louie and Lola.

▲It is estimated that he earned around US$500 million from music in his lifetime.

▲MJ never owned the rights to the state's anthem, contrary to popular belief. He owned a good portion of The Beatles' catalog, possibly including 'Carolina In My Mind,' which is a likely explanation for the confusion.

▲His favorite superhero is Morph from X-Men.

▲The musician wanted to be played by Jackson in a biographical film.

▲The video for 'Scream' cost US$10.7 million (adjusted for inflation), making it the most expensive ever.

▲He won an MTV award for Best Movie Song in 1994 with 'Will You Be There' from 'Free Willy.'

▲A library once accused the singer of owing US$1 million in overdue book fees.

▲Before concerts, he liked to drink Ricola cough drops dissolved in hot water.

▲He was a best man at Liza Minnelli’s wedding to David Gest.

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The Kingdom of Sanwi (found in Côte d’Ivoire) named MJ king in 1992.

▲A fan in France committed suicide in 1984 because his mother refused to allow him to undergo surgery to look like the star.

▲A survey in 1997 declared him the Most Famous Person in the World.

▲He had a pet ram called Mr. Tibbs.

▲Macaulay Culkin is the godfather to MJ's three children.

▲The largest television audience in U.S. history watched him perform during the 1993 Super Bowl.

▲MJ is godfather to Nicole Richie.

▲Jackson once described Elizabeth Taylor as "a warm cuddly blanket that I love to snuggle up to."

▲MJ followed a strictly vegetarian diet.

▲MJ cowrote 'We Are The World' with Lionel Richie.

▲Jackson suffered burns when an explosion set his hair on fire during production of a 1984 Pepsi advertisement.

▲He was four-years-old when he joined his brothers Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie, and Tito in their band.

▲In 2002, he set the world ablaze when he dangled his infant son Prince Michael II, commonly known as Blanket, over a hotel balcony in Berlin in front of fans.

▲He once acknowledged sharing his bed with children but described it as sweet, and not sexual.

▲Jackson has 13 number-one hits on the US Billboard charts, behind only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Mariah Carey.

▲In 1993, MJ opened up in an interview with Oprah Winfrey about his traumatic childhood, including the loneliness he felt.

▲MJ's mother was a Jehovah's Witness and raised him as such.

▲And he is also godfather to Bee Gees singer Barry Gibb’s son Michael.

▲At age eight, MJ was promoted to joint lead vocals and the group became the Jackson 5.

▲The group's number-one hits included 'I Want You Back,' 'ABC,' and 'I’ll Be There.'

▲But he did admit to having had two nose jobs.

▲Michael Jackson patented a shoe device that allowed dancers to lean forward at gravity-defying angles.

▲He bought the land in California that became the Neverland Ranch for US$17 million in 1988.

▲Rumors about him included that he slept in an oxygen chamber and that he bought the bones of The Elephant Man.

▲The family band was originally called the Jackson Brothers.

▲The profits from his single 'Man in the Mirror' went to charity.

▲MJ bought Bubbles when he was three from a cancer research clinic in Texas.

▲He initially used his eccentric personality to promote his music, but he disliked the “Wacko Jacko” nickname.

▲American artist Jeff Koons made a series of sculptures of Jackson and Bubbles.

▲His most famous pet was Bubbles the chimpanzee.

▲He often wore a black armband to draw attention to the plight of children suffering around the world.

▲He has said weight loss and being a vegetarian contributed to the change in his looks.

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It's been 15 years since the world lost Michael Jackson - the King of Pop. For more than four decades, the world’s greatest entertainer moved us, amazed us, entertained us, and shocked us. To honor the one and only King of Pop, browse the gallery for some fast facts about his life, tastes, and controversies.