Over the past few years, the limelight had finally started to dim on MichaelJackson, as attention focused more on his troubled personal life than hisunparalleled talents. But with yesterday's disheartening news of his tragicdeath at the age of only 50, the King of Pop is back in the forefront of ourminds as we remember not only our first experiences with his music — beingscared out of our wits when we saw the "Thriller" video for the first time,or trying to moonwalk across our kitchen floors — but also the role heplayed in the culture at large.

In this photo gallery, we show how his iconic status transcended the realmof music, leading some visual artists to immortalize him — whether earnestlyor with a raised eyebrow — in paint, clay, and film.