The Moves.

Amid all the hoopla and tabloid fodder over his various peccadilloes and peculiarities, one characteristic of the most public life of the entertainer Michael Jackson, who passed away last month at the age of 50, will always stand out.

The Moves.

It was 1983, and Motown was celebrating its anniversary with a television special entitled “Motown 25.” To say the company had a brilliant and highly influential musical legacy is blatantly obvious, but, truthfully, by the 80s, Motown’s hey day had arguably past. Yet, what a time it had been. The performers that night, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Temptations, the Four Tops and others, were some of the elite, if not the pillars, of popular music.

Yet, it could be argued their time was passé. Motown was in dire need of a swift kick in its artistic pants, and Michael Jackson gave it to them.

Michael re-united with his brothers Jackie, Marlon, Jermaine, & Tito, Motown’s own Jackson 5, on stage that night, for the first time in eight years, for a medley of their greatest hits. Brother Randy, who was not a part of the original Jackson 5, but was a part of the later group The Jacksons (minus Jermaine), also joined the group for the medley.

Then, after the brothers finished their set, Michael had his own solo spot, and, as soon has he hit the stage, his spark reignited the musical world.

In what is now acknowledged as one of the seminal live musical events of the 20th century, Jackson performed "Billie Jean", a track from his new solo album, “Thriller,” showcasing a new direction in his dancing and debuting the now signature Jackson move, the moonwalk, to a deliriously cheering audience and to the millions of observers around the world.

Viewers took their eyes off their television sets, looked at one another, and asked “did you see what I just saw?”

And, for a minute, all of us just seemingly blinked our eyes, as if seeing an apparition, as an astounding and astonishing entertainer swept us off our feet…..with his feet.

Jackson’s backward walk across that stage-something countless of us unsuccessfully and/or embarrassingly attempted to imitate in the coming years-heralded the rise of a new, and most welcome, popular music nova.

Fans copied his Jheri-curled hair and single-gloved, zippered-jacket look. No less a show business dance king than Fred Astaire praised his moves. Jackson posed for photos with President Ronald and First Lady Nancy Reagan at the White House. Former Beatle Paul McCartney teamed with him on three duets, two of which -- "The Girl Is Mine" and "Say Say Say" -- became top five hits. Jackson became a Pepsi spokesman, and it was worldwide news when his hair caught on fire while making a commercial for the company.

It all happened very fast, probably too fast, within a scant couple years of the Motown special. But even at the time of the "Motown 25" moonwalk, fame was old news for Jackson. He hadn't even turned 25, but he'd been a star for more than half his life. He was given the nickname the "King of Pop" -- a spin on Elvis Presley's status as "the King of Rock 'n' Roll" – and, while it may have reeked of hype, few questioned the title.

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, one of the sons of Joe Jackson, a Gary, Indiana, steelworker, and his wife, Katherine. By the time he was six, he had joined his brothers in a musical group organized by their father, and by the age of 10, the group, dubbed the Jackson 5, had been signed to Motown. Jackson made his first television appearance at age 11.

A natural performer, Jackson soon became the group's front man. Music critic Langdon Winner, reviewing the group's first album, "Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5," for Rolling Stone, praised Michael's versatile singing and added, jokingly, "who is this 'Diana Ross,' anyway?"

The group's first four singles -- "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There" -- went to Number One on the Billboard pop chart, the first time any group had pulled off that feat. There was even a Jackson 5 cartoon series on ABC.

In 1972, he made the top of the charts for the first time as a solo artist, with the song "Ben."

The group's popularity waned as the '70s continued, and Jackson eventually went solo full time. He played the Scarecrow in the 1978 movie version of "The Wiz," and released the album "Off the Wall" in 1979.

Sparked by his performance, and his signature, almost unworldly moves, on the Motown special that night, “Thriller” went on to become the greatest selling album in music history, spawning an unheard of seven hit singles. For the rest of the 1980s, Jackson was arguably the biggest star in the world. "Thriller's" follow-up, 1987's "Bad," sold almost as many copies. A new Jackson album, a new Jackson appearance, heck, just about every Jackson, there’s that word again, move, became a pop culture event.

Despite his immense popularity, though, the music landscape was changing, as it always does, opening up for rap, hip-hop and what came to be called "alternative," and critics, and some fans, began to whisper that Jackson was, well, out of step.

His next release, 1991's "Dangerous," debuted at Number One, but only produced one top-ranking single, "Black or White," and that song was criticized for its seemingly unwarranted violence and suggestiveness, in which Jackson was seen smashing car windows and grabbing his crotch.

"Dangerous" was knocked out of its perch on the album charts by grunge band Nirvana's "Nevermind," an occurrence noted for its symbolism by rock critics who were championing the new “alternative” sounds.

After that, more attention was paid to Jackson's private life than his music career, which faltered. A 1995 two-CD greatest hits, "HIStory," sold relatively poorly, given the huge expense of Jackson's recording contract, moving about seven million copies.

A 2001 album of new material, "Invincible," did even worse.

As his musical popularity waned in the face of new styles, the relentless attention given Jackson started focusing more soon his personal life, in part on wild, unsubstantiated rumors that were littered amid some rather, at times, odd facts.

It was reported that he slept in a hyperbaric chamber, and that he had purchased the bones of John Merrick, the "Elephant Man." Neither was true. However, what was strangely true was that he had a pet chimpanzee, named Bubbles; that he underwent a series of increasingly drastic plastic surgeries; that he established an estate, Neverland, filled with zoo animals and amusement park rides; and that he had managed to purchase the extremely lucrative Beatles song publishing catalog from under Paul McCartney's nose, which reportedly displeased the ex-Beatle immensely.

In 1990s and 2000s, Jackson found himself the poster boy of gossip media and paparazzi for his short-lived marriages, the first to Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie; his 2002 claim that then Sony Records head Tommy Mottola was racist; his behavior and statements during a 2003 interview with British journalist Martin Bashir for a documentary called "Living With Michael Jackson;" his changing physical appearance; and, disquietingly, the accusations that he sexually molested young boys at Neverland.

The first such accusation, in 1993, resulted in a settlement to the 13-year-old accuser rumored to be as high as $20 million, though no criminal charges were ever filed.