"Being onstage is magic. There's nothing like it. You feel the energy of everybody who's out there. You feel it all over your body. When the lights hit you, it's all over, I swear it is." – Michael Jackson

From the triumph of Thriller to the tragedy of his premature death, this landmark book, over thirty years in the making, tells the full story of Michael Jackson’s epic life. Chatting with the Michael over fried chicken and sweet potato pie at a Jackson family reunion in 1971 (Jackson was twelve years old at the time,) writer Ben Fong-Torres gives us our first glimpse of the young star in the making—the article would be the first of several Rolling Stone cover stories on Jackson. A decade later on the verge of releasing his mega-hit Thriller, Jackson tells Gerri Hirshey about the loneliness of stardom, confessing he had only two friends in the world and that he identified with Peter Pan.

Rich in detail and penetrating in scope, Michael weaves together reporting from the likes of Mikal Gilmore, Alan Light, David Ritz and Rob Sheffield. These stories, plus hundreds of rare photographs, compelling new pieces by Jon Dolan on the making of each of Jackson’s albums, the 25 essential moments of Jackson's career, and the chilling account of his final years offer the definitive account of one of music’s greatest, most enigmatic superstars.