Jackson's sixth album, Thriller, was released in late 1982. It earned Jackson seven more Grammys^[62] and eight American Music Awards, and he became the youngest artist to win the Award of Merit.^[63] It was the best-selling album worldwide in 1983,^[64][65] and became the best-selling album of all time in the US^[66] and the best-selling album of all time worldwide, selling an estimated 66 million copies.^[67] It topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".^[68] In December 2015, Thriller was certified for 30 million shipments by the RIAA, the only album to do so in the US.^[69] Thriller won Jackson and Quincy Jones the Grammy award for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) for 1983. It also won Album of the Year, with Jackson as the album's artist and Jones as its co-producer, and a Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, award for Jackson. "Beat It" won Record of the Year, with Jackson as artist and Jones as co-producer, and a Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, award for Jackson. "Billie Jean" won Jackson two Grammy awards, Best R&B Song, with Jackson as its songwriter, and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, as its artist.^[62] Thriller also won another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work on the album.^[70] The AMA Awards for 1984 gave Jackson an Award of Merit and AMAs for Favorite Male Artist, Soul/R&B, and Favorite Male Artist, Pop/Rock. "Beat It" won Jackson AMAs for Favorite Video, Soul/R&B, Favorite Video, Pop/Rock, and Favorite Single, Pop/Rock. Thriller won him AMAs for Favorite Album, Soul/R&B, and Favorite Album, Pop/Rock.^[63][71]

Jackson released "Thriller", a 14-minute music video directed by John Landis, in 1983.^[72] The zombie-themed video "defined music videos and broke racial barriers" on MTV, a fledgling entertainment television channel at the time.^[34] In December 2009, the Library of Congress selected the "Thriller" music video to be preserved in the National Film Registry as a work of "enduring importance to American culture", the only music video to have been inducted into the registry.^{[73][74][72][75]}

The jacket and white sequined gloves worn by Jackson at Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever

Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, about $2 for every album sold, and was making record-breaking profits. The videocassette of the documentary The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. Dolls modeled after Jackson appeared in stores in May 1984 for $12 each.^[76] J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that "Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple."^[77] In 1985, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Longform.^[62] Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too".^[76] The New York Times wrote that "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".^[78]

On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for a performance at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, an NBC television special. The show aired on May 16, 1983, to an estimated audience of 47 million, and featured the Jacksons and other Motown stars.^[79] Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first Emmy nomination.^[80] Wearing a black-sequined jacket and a golf glove decorated with rhinestones, he debuted his signature dance move, the moonwalk, which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier.^[81] Jackson had originally turned down the invitation to perform at the show, believing he had been doing too much television; at the request of Motown founder Berry Gordy, he agreed to perform in exchange for time to do a solo performance.^[82] Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore called the performance "extraordinary".^[34] Jackson's performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.^[83] Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times wrote in 1988: "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing."^[84] Gordy described being "mesmerized" by the performance.^[85]

In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with PepsiCo in a $5 million promotional deal that broke records for a celebrity endorsement. The first Pepsi Cola campaign, which ran in the US from 1983 to 1984 and launched its "New Generation" theme, included tour sponsorship, public relations events, and in-store displays. Jackson, who was involved in creating the advertisement, suggested using his song "Billie Jean" as its jingle with revised lyrics.^[86] Brian J. Murphy, executive VP of branded management at TBA Global, said: "You couldn't separate the tour from the endorsement from the licensing of the music, and then the integration of the music into the Pepsi fabric."^[86]

On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial overseen by executive Phil Dusenberry,^[87] a BBDO ad agency executive, and Alan Pottasch, Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. During a simulated concert before a full house of fans, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter.^[46] Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $1.5 million settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California; its Michael Jackson Burn Center is named in his honor.^[88] Dusenberry recounted the episode in his memoir, Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising. Jackson signed a second agreement with Pepsi in the late 1980s for $10 million. The second campaign had a global reach of more than 20 countries and provided financial support for Jackson's Bad album and 1987–88 world tour.^[86] Jackson had endorsements and advertising deals with other companies, such as LA Gear, Suzuki, and Sony, but none were as significant as his deals with Pepsi, which later signed other music stars such as Britney Spears and Beyoncé to promote its products.^[86][89]

On May 14, 1984, Jackson was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug abuse,^[90] and in recognition of his support for the Ad Council's and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Drunk Driving Prevention campaign. Jackson donated the use of "Beat It" for the campaign's public service announcements.^[91]

President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan present Jackson with an award at the White House on May 14, 1984

Jackson inside the White House with President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan on the same day

Unlike later albums, Thriller did not have an official tour, but the Victory Tour of 1984 headlined the Jacksons and showcased much of Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. It was the last tour he did with his brothers.^[92] Following controversy over the concert's ticket sales, Jackson held a press conference and announced that he would donate his share of the proceeds, an estimated $3 to 5 million, to charity.^[93] His charitable work and humanitarian awards continued with the release of "We Are the World" (1985), co-written with Lionel Richie.^[94] The song was recorded on January 28, 1985^[95] and released worldwide in March 1985 to aid the poor in the US and Africa.^[96] It earned $63 million for famine relief,^[96] and became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with 20 million copies sold.^[97] It won four Grammys for 1985, including Song of the Year for Jackson and Richie as its writers.^[94] The American Music Awards directors removed the charity song from the competition because they felt it would be inappropriate, but the AMA show in 1986 concluded with a tribute to the song in honor of its first anniversary. The project's creators received two special AMA honors: one for the creation of the song and another for the USA for Africa idea. Jackson, Jones, and entertainment promoter Ken Kragan received special awards for their roles in the song's creation.^{[94][95][98][99]}

Jackson's financial interests in the music publishing business grew after he collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s and learned that McCartney was making $40 million a year from other people's songs.^[96] By 1983, Jackson had begun buying publishing rights to songs others had written, but he was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson's early acquisitions of music catalogs and song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included "Everyday People" (1968), Len Barry's "1-2-3" (1965), and Dion DiMucci's "The Wanderer" (1961) and "Runaround Sue" (1961).

In 1984 Robert Holmes à Court, the wealthy Australian investor who owned ATV Music Publishing, announced he was putting the ATV catalog up for sale.^[100] ATV had acquired the publishing rights to nearly 4000 songs, among them the Northern Songs catalog that included the majority of the Lennon–McCartney compositions recorded by the Beatles.^[100] In 1981, McCartney had been offered the ATV music catalog for £20 million ($40 million).^{[96][101][102]} According to Paul McCartney, he contacted Yoko Ono about making a joint purchase by splitting the cost at £10 million each, but Ono thought they could buy it for £5 million each.^[96][102] When they were unable to make a joint purchase, McCartney, who did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs, did not pursue an offer on his own.^[101][102] An attorney for McCartney assured Branca that McCartney was not interested in bidding. McCartney felt it was too expensive,^[96][101] but several other companies and investors were interested in bidding. Jackson submitted a bid of $46 million on November 20, 1984.^[100] His agents thought they had a deal several times, but encountered new bidders or new areas of debate. In May 1985, Jackson's team left talks after having spent more than $1 million and four months of due diligence work on the negotiations.^[100] In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman's and Marty Bandier's The Entertainment Company had made a tentative agreement with Holmes à Court to buy ATV Music for $50 million; in early August, Holmes à Court's team contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson raised his bid to $47.5 million, which was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence of ATV Music.^[100] Jackson also agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon.^[103] Jackson's purchase of ATV Music was finalized on August 10, 1985.^[100][96]

See also: Health and appearance of Michael Jackson

Jackson's skin had been a medium-brown color during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually grew paler. The change gained widespread media coverage, including rumors that he might have been bleaching his skin.^{[104][105][106]} According to J. Randy Taraborrelli's biography, in 1984 Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo, which causes white patches on the skin. Taraborrelli stated that Jackson had also been skin bleaching. He said that Jackson was diagnosed with lupus, which was in remission. Both illnesses made Jackson's skin sensitive to sunlight. The treatments Jackson used for his condition further lightened his skin, and, with the application of pancake makeup to even out blotches he could appear pale.^[107] Jackson stated that he used makeup to control the patchy appearance of his skin, but never purposely bleached his skin. He said of his vitiligo: "It is something I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me. It's a problem for me. I can't control it."^[108] Jackson was also diagnosed with vitiligo in his autopsy, though not lupus.^[109]

Jackson stated he had had only two rhinoplasties and no other facial surgery, but mentioned having had a dimple created in his chin. He lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet and a desire for "a dancer's body".^[110] Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was suffering from anorexia nervosa. Periods of weight loss would become a recurring problem later in life.^[111] During the course of his treatment, Jackson made two close friends: his dermatologist, Arnold Klein, and Klein's nurse Debbie Rowe. Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his two eldest children. He also relied heavily on Klein for medical and business advice.^[112]