King Of Pop's Trademark Bizarre Behavior

He will always be known as the King of Pop, but Michael Jackson's bizarre behavior was also a trademark of his life.

CBS News correspondent Terrell Brown reported from Gary, Ind., Jackson's childhood home, on The Early Show Friday, as people remember the star's music and his controversial life.

Anthony DeCurtis, a contributing editor of Rolling Stone magazine, told CBS News, "The stranger he got, the less people were able to connect and relate with him."

As the lead singer of The Jackson Five, Jackson was always in the spotlight, Brown reported. But with the release of "Thriller" in 1982, Jackson became the world's best selling artist. But just a few years later, it wasn't his music that was making headlines, but his off-stage antics.

He would often appear in public wearing scarves or heavy makeup and his skin got lighter; rumors that Jackson had molested a child were even more damaging.

DeCurtis said, "Suddenly all of that strangeness darkened, and it became something very difficult for his audience to come to terms with."

But in 1993, Jackson settled with the family accusing him, and denied all the rumors.

Then Jackson married another pop icon's daughter: Lisa-Marie Presley. That ended after just two months. And a second marriage with Debbie Rowe that produced two children ended after just three years.

Other questions about Jackson's behavior surfaced in 2002 - this time about his parenting skills - when he dangled his third baby, Prince Michael "Blanket" Jackson II from a fourth-floor hotel balcony.

Then in 2003, Jackson faced a second round of child molestation charges. But this time, there was a trial. Brown reported Jackson's antics ruled the court proceedings. But Jackson was acquitted two years later.

Though he lost many of his fans in the United States, Jackson's popularity overseas remained strong after the trial. Jackson was rehearsing for a sold-out comeback tour in London when he died on Thursday.

"There's always going to be two Michael Jackson stories," Decurtis said. "The one story (is) about an artist who is as popular as any artist in popular music. And the other (is about a) person who suffered from a very troubled life, and a figure, who in a way, engineered his own demise."