King of Pop

English <dab!> Etymology The earliest known attestation of this term as a nickname for Michael Jackson is in a newspaper article in the New York Post of February 8, 1984.en Some Loving Balm on Injured New King of Pop w:New York Post https://web.archive.org/web/20150609191505im_/http://i11.pixs.ru/storage/0/7/2/Kingofpop8_6929211_17615072.jpg 1984-02-08 Proper noun King of Pop 1 en informal A nickname for the American singer-songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist Michael Jackson (1958–2009). en Michael Goldberg Michael Jackson: The Making of ‘The King of Pop’ w:Rolling Stone 1992-01-09 https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/michael-jackson-the-making-of-the-king-of-pop-240783/ The King of Pop.” That’s how Fox, Black Entertainment Television (BET) and MTV, the American TV outlets that got the rights to première Jackson’s “Black or White” video, now refer to him. That was the deal. You want to get “Black or White” first, you dub Jackson “the King of Pop.” en Jon Pareles POP VIEW; Michael Jackson Is Furious, Understand? w:The New York Times 1995-06-18 https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/18/arts/pop-view-michael-jackson-is-angry-understand.html When he billed himself as the King of Pop, no one contested the title. https://web.archive.org/web/20251010131353/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/18/arts/pop-view-michael-jackson-is-angry-understand.html 10 October 2025 en Todd Leopold Michael Jackson, pop music legend, dead at 50 w:CNN 2009-06-25 https://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/jackson/ He was given the nickname the "King of Pop" -- a spin on Elvis Presley's status as "the King of Rock 'n' Roll" -- and few questioned the moniker. https://web.archive.org/web/20260214022737/https://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/jackson/ 14 February 2026 References en Nicknames for individuals