"Michael Jackson went from being Gary, Ind.'s most talented kid to one of the most recognizable human beings on the planet," Billboard magazine notes:  "And while his worldwide album sales were astounding, that wasn't the sole reason for his fame. his ascendancy went far beyond the cash register-he inspired dance moves, dictated fashion trends and raised awareness for social causes around the globe.
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"Less than a day after Michael Jackson's death, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, announced that the city would erect a statue of the singer in Dona Marta, a favela that was once notorious for drug dealing and is now a model for social development. The change was spurred partly by Jackson's 1996 visit to film the video for 'They Don't Care About Us.'"