Courtesy MJJ Productions Inc./ Vevo. American singer Michael Jackson (19582009) debuted on the professional music scene at age five as a member of the American family music group The Jackson5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still part of the group. To his girlfriends horror, Jackson becomes a zombie, too. It won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. After an initial splash, the network struggled in its early years. MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. The AP set off to learn their identities. The short version of the video is 6 minutes and 34 seconds long; the full version is 9 minutes and 33 minutes in length. Thriller is also the is the most-downloaded Halloween-themed hit of all-time, according to data from Nielsen SoundScan. Melissa Ruggieri, I was 13 when MTV launched but unfortunately my house did not have cable TV. 0:00 / 2:55 Britney Spears & Michael Jackson (VMA 2002) 4K 60fps Victor Costa Productions 20.3K subscribers Subscribe 16K 1.2M views 2 years ago #BritneySpears #MichaelJackson #Remastered. Get the Poynter newsletter that's right for you. Nicki Minaj accepts the Best Hip-Hop Video award for "Anaconda" onstage during . Jackson's character appears to stand apart from the group in his approach to attracting the attention of their female counterparts. But when approached by Michael Jacksonsrecord label, would MTV agree to play hismusic videos? According to MTV, his name was attached to the award due to "Jackson's groundbreaking work as a video artist. He also showed young guns 'NSYNC how it was really done in a surprise performance at the '01 awards. In the music video, Jackson is featured falling in love with a high-priced escort and staring sadly at the city skyline. Released in its incomplete form, this video features Jackson dancing on tabletops for a group of fans standing on an elevated stage watching him perform. If We Cancel Michael Jackson, Must We Cancel 'Thriller' Too?