From a fresh-faced young showman with the Jackson Five to a massive pop icon followed around the globe by hordes of screaming fans, Jackson was always a source of fascination, filling newspapers and magazines.

Tales of oxygen chambers, chimp chums, shopping sprees and physical transformation have also brought intrigue and amusement and earned the hugely-talented singer the nickname Wacko Jacko.

Disquiet over the 50-year-old star's behaviour turned to alarm after a documentary in which the singer pronounced sharing a bedroom with a child to be "charming'' and an incident in Germany in which he dangled his baby son, Prince Michael II, over a balcony.

In a 2003 interview with Martin Bashir, which was supposed to bolster Jackson's image, the singer said of sharing a bed with a young boy: "It's a beautiful thing.

"It's very right, it's very loving. Because what's wrong with sharing a love?''

A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of sexually molesting 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo, and Jackson surrendered himself to police amid a media furore.

He pleaded not guilty to the allegations and, after a trial conducted in the full glare of the world's media, was cleared of all the charges in 2005. After this, Jackson kept a low profile.

His death last night, at the age of 50, brings to an end a life spent almost entirely in the glare of showbiz and celebrity.

Jackson was launched into the limelight at the age of five.

He and the rest of the talented Jackson children had a tough upbringing and, as Michael grew into a man, his appearance began to alter drastically.

Jackson denied undergoing extensive plastic surgery, claiming instead he suffered from a skin condition called vitiligo and he had treatment to improve his breathing and singing.

The Peter Pan of pop's Neverland ranch in California, which he bought in 1987, was a child-like fantasy complete with a zoo, Ferris wheel, roller-coaster and video arcade.

Eyebrows were further raised when Jackson took to sleeping in an oxygen chamber and adopted a chimp named Bubbles as a companion.

He often conveyed an androgynous image and his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, was greeted with some surprise.

The 1994 union, which collapsed after 19 months, came just months after the singer's reputation was rocked by allegations of child abuse by 13-year-old Jordy Chandler.

He reportedly settled the case out of court for £11 million, although he always denied wrong-doing.

Jackson's second short-lived marriage, in contrast to the high profile of his first, was to nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996.

He named their two children after himself – Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Michael Katherine, and took an unusual approach to protecting them from the media glare by covering their faces.

After the couple divorced in 1999, Jackson took on sole responsibility for their children's upbringing.

His third child, Prince Michael II, was born to a mystery surrogate mother he never even met.

In 2002, Jackson caused a public outcry by dangling the baby - referred to as "Blanket'' - out of a third-floor hotel balcony in front of the world's press.

He later said he regretted the incident.