MJHeart

1: Michael Jackson's favourite animated character was Pinocchio

2: When he was a child his favourite books included Rip Van Winkle and The Old Man and the Sea

3: Michael Jackson was very ticklish

4: Saint Vincent, an island in the Caribbean, once issued Michael Jackson stamps

5: The singer once owned a boa constrictor called “Muscles”

6: As a youngster he used to put spiders in sister La Toyah’s bed

7: He played a scarecrow in The Wiz, a movie version of the Wizard of Oz

8: He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (one for himself and one as part of the Jackson Five)

9: Quincy Jones nicknamed him “smelly” – a slang term similar to “funky”

10: Jackson described his own voice on early Jackson 5 records as “like Minnie Mouse

11: He had two llamas called Louis and Lola

12: Thriller spent 37 weeks at number one in the US Billboard chart.

13: In 1984 he won eight Grammys – the highest amount ever won by one person in a single year

14: Billie Jean was the first video by a black artist to air on MTV.

15: Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State Anthem, South Carolina on My Mind.

16: He has waxworks in five Madame Tussauds museums across the world. Only Elvis Presley and Madonna have more.

17: He has sold more than 1 billion records worldwide

18: His favourite superhero is Morph from X-Men

19: He had a pet ram called Mr Tibbs

20: Jackson regularly wore a black armband to remind people of children suffering around the world.

21: The moonwalk was picked up from street dancers

22: A library once accused the singer of owing $1 million in overdue book fines

23: Jackson was a vegetarian

24: MC Hammer once challenged Jackson to a dance off