( CNN ) -- The `` King of Pop '' had been topping music charts long before he ever pulled on that white-sequined glove , made the moonwalk a household move and sent screaming fans into a frenzy . In spite of all of the rumors and his `` Wacko Jacko '' persona , Jackson 's musical draw remained strong . But the spotlight that followed Michael Jackson , earned him headlines and made him a tabloid favorite as an adult , often had little to do with the artistry . While filming a commercial for Pepsi in 1984 , a pyrotechnic accident set his hair ablaze , leaving him with second-degree burns on his scalp and igniting what would eventually became an odyssey of reconstructive work . Rumors about his face , the ever-changing nose and lightening skin fueled the `` Wacko Jacko '' persona , a moniker he 'd be given later and seem to embrace . There was , for instance , Bubbles , a chimpanzee he adopted , befriended and allowed to share his toilet . Jackson did n't fight and even perpetuated claims , even though they were n't true , that he 'd bought the remains of The Elephant Man and slept in a hyperbaric chamber -- although he would deny both years later during an interview with Oprah Winfrey . It was then , in that 1993 interview , that he also shot down rumors that he was dying his skin to make it lighter . Instead , he spoke for the first time about having vitiligo , a skin pigmentation disorder . iReport.com : Share your favorite Jackson memory . Meantime , he had designed his dream home , the Neverland Ranch in Santa Ynez , California , as if he were the Peter Pan he so admired . Replete with a zoo , his own amusement park and the bevy of children who surrounded , played and sometimes slept over with him , he proudly set out to recapture the childhood he publicly said he 'd never had . Allegations of what went on privately , however , landed him in a big-boy pool of legal hot water . He was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy . Soon after came talk about his addiction to prescription drugs . He settled the civil lawsuit with the accusing family in 1994 and was never charged criminally . Then came the shocking , albeit relatively short-lived , marriage to Lisa Marie Presley -- a move that set off a whole new round of speculations . More facts about Jackson 's life » . Did he tie the knot to fight the child abuse speculations that dogged him ? Was this eccentric `` King '' aspiring to be the son-in-law of `` The King , '' Elvis Presley ? Or could it have been true love ? Despite this two-year marriage , and the reported relationships he 'd had earlier with Tatum O'Neal , Stephanie Mills and Brooke Shields , Jackson remained sexually ambiguous and , in many people 's eyes , sexless altogether . He 'd later marry once more for several years , this time a nurse named Debbie Rowe . People debated whether they consummated that marriage or if artificial insemination played a role , but Jackson left in 1999 with custody of two children , a son known as Prince Michael and a daughter named Paris . For years when they appeared in public , the children wore veils or masks . Prince Michael II was born in 2002 . An unidentified woman gave birth after reportedly being artificially inseminated with Jackson 's sperm . His second son was semi-revealed to the public in Berlin , Germany , when Jackson momentarily dangled the baby , his face hidden beneath a blanket , over a balcony four stories above the ground and a mass of fans . Watch Jackson introduce Prince Michael II » . It was yet another move that spawned talk and accusations , and it was one he 'd apologize for later . In recent years there was yet another child sexual abuse accusation , one Jackson was acquitted of in May 2005 . The trial was a media spectacle , and one where the fashion icon wore his pajama bottoms to court and danced atop a car . He also had enormous financial problems to deal with and narrowly escaped bankruptcy and foreclosure on his Neverland property . But in spite of all of this , Jackson 's draw remained strong . More than 25 years after the release of his epic album , `` Thriller , '' it was being celebrated again . He was scheduled to start what he described at a March press conference as his `` final curtain call '' concert tour , which had recently been postponed to next year . See Jackson make his final tour announcement » . What Jackson would have brought to the stage then , and to the headlines before and after , will never be known . What is certain is that he 's one who 'll always be remembered .
Michael Jackson , the `` King of Pop , '' made headlines for more than his music . `` Wacko Jacko '' known for Bubbles the chimp , his changing nose and skin tone . At Neverland Ranch , he played Peter Pan , amid a zoo , rides and lots of kids . He was also famous as an actor in movies like " The Wizard Of Oz " and " A Boy Named Charlie Brown'( which is why they had to put him on ice ).