Brittany Luce

But the music?

That was no longer the main draw.

His last studio album, Invincible, debuted at number one on Billboard in 2001.

And look, it's got some bangers.

Yet, it wasn't on the commercial level of thriller or bad because nothing could be.

Those bars he set for himself were just way too high.

And then, of course, came the new round of allegations, which led to the highly publicized 2005 trial.

NPR's Day to Day was among many outlets covering it at the time.

There are 14 charges under People v. Jackson, including child molestation, conspiracy, and providing alcohol to a minor.

The trial lasted five months, and the jury found Jackson not guilty.

He avoided a possible 20-year prison sentence.

And after the trial, he never returned to his home in Neverland.

He resided abroad for several years before landing in Los Angeles, where he died on June 25, 2009.

Here's NPR's All Things Considered reporting on the news.

I remember exactly where I was that day.

I'd just graduated from college a week or so earlier and had temporarily moved back home to live with my dad while I figured out my next moves.

I was devastated and practically lewd to my TV for days, binging the marathon of videos, tributes, and, of course, the Jacksons in American Dream.

They were all playing on all the major TV music channels.

Now he's been gone for almost 20 years.

And I'm wondering, where does he fit in in the culture today?