Michael Jackson, in the Company of Stars

Michael Jackson appeared in LIFE when he was a mere 13 years old, but already famous as the lead singer of The Jackson Five. The photo, by John Olson, was part of a memorable cover story on musicians posing with their parents.

But soon after that photo ran, young Michael would branch out on his own, starting a solo career and transforming into the King of Pop. His 1982 record Thriller, featuring hits such as Billie Jean and Beat it, remains the best-selling album of all-time.

The biopic Michael, being released on April 24, 2026, traces Jackson’s rise to superstardom. What the movie does not deal with is the accusations of child molestation that came out against Jackson in the 1990s and shadowed him until his death in 2009.

The photos in this gallery are mostly from the 1980s and early 1990s, and come from Michael Jackson’s public appearances. While obviously giving a surface portrait, the pictures do demonstrate just how big a deal Michael Jackson was at the peak of his fame. Everyone wanted to be in his company.

The wide range of famous people he was photographed with includes Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Sophia Loren, Lionel Richie, Liza Minelli, Cher, Brooke Shields, and more. The most random pairing shows the King of Pop with The King and I star Yul Brenner. One photo of Michael Jackson with fellow pop icon Madonna remains among the top sellers in the LIFE photo store.

On more than one occasion Jackson was also photographed future president Donald Trump. The two were close enough that when Jackson died at age 50 due to acute propofol intoxication, Trump offered a remembrance of Jackson to TIME magazine. Trump praised the pop star’s talent, genius and overwhelming popularity while acknowledging Jackson’s troubled state in his later years. Trump predicted to TIME, “He’s not going to be remembered for the last 10 years; he’s going to be remembered for the first 35 years.”

The Jackson Five and their parents in 1970: (clockwise L-R): Jackie, parents Joe and Katherine, Marlon, Tito, Jermaine and Michael in their backyard.

John Olson /The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation