American History23 Dec 2009 08:00 am

In Memoriam, Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

When the American History edition of the Intellectual Devotional was released in 2007, the entry on Michael Jackson included a brief parenthesis, “(1958-).” Now, sadly, the second part of that time line has been filled in.

Jackson died on June 25 of this year, at the age of 50. The last years of his life were dominated by bizarre scandals, but if there was any upside to his passing, it was the renewed focus on his remarkable body of work, from performing with the Jackson 5 from the age of 6 to creating such extraordinary albums as Off the Wall and Thriller in the years that followed.

Tomorrow, the holidays start in earnest. Before they begin, a look back at one of the great losses of the year:

Michael as a child: already a master dancer.