Michael Jackson was also known as the "King of Pop."
Honorific nicknames in popular music are often religious , familial , or ( most frequently ) royal and aristocratic in nature and are used as a form of expression in the media , or to identify the significance of an artist by fans . Madonna and Michael Jackson have been closely associated with the terms Queen and King of Pop since the 1980s . Michael Jackson . Called the `` King of Pop '' , his contributions to music , dance , and fashion along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades .