Michael Jackson appeared in LIFE when he was a mere 13 years old, but already famous as the lead singer of The Jackson Five. The photo, by John Olson, was part of a memorable cover story on musicians posing with their parents.

But soon after that photo ran, young Michael would branch out on his own, starting a solo career and transforming into the King of Pop. His 1982 record Thriller, featuring hits such as Billie Jean and Beat it, remains the best-selling album of all-time.

The biopic Michael, being released on April 24, 2026, traces Jackson’s rise to superstardom. What the movie does not deal with is the accusations of child molestation that came out against Jackson in the 1990s and shadowed him until his death in 2009.

The photos in this gallery are mostly from the 1980s and early 1990s, and come from Michael Jackson’s public appearances. While obviously giving a surface portrait, the pictures do demonstrate just how big a deal Michael Jackson was at the peak of his fame. Everyone wanted to be in his company.

The wide range of famous people he was photographed with includes Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Sophia Loren, Lionel Richie, Liza Minelli, Cher, Brooke Shields, and more. The most random pairing shows the King of Pop with The King and I star Yul Brenner. One photo of Michael Jackson with fellow pop icon Madonna remains among the top sellers in the LIFE photo store.

On more than one occasion Jackson was also photographed future president Donald Trump. The two were close enough that when Jackson died at age 50 due to acute propofol intoxication, Trump offered a remembrance of Jackson to TIME magazine. Trump praised the pop star’s talent, genius and overwhelming popularity while acknowledging Jackson’s troubled state in his later years. Trump predicted to TIME, “He’s not going to be remembered for the last 10 years; he’s going to be remembered for the first 35 years.”

The Jackson Five and their parents in 1970: (clockwise L-R): Jackie, parents Joe and Katherine, Marlon, Tito, Jermaine and Michael in their backyard.

John Olson /The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation

Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.

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Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor.

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Michael Jackson and Liza Minnelli, 1981.

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Michael Jackson and Olivia Newton-John, 1983.

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Michael Jackson with Brooke Shields.

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Michael Jackson with Cher.

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Michael Jackson and Yul Brenner.

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Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, 1986.

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Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, 1988.

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Singer Michael Jackson and actor Eddie Murphy in Press Room at American Music Awards, 1989.

Kevin Winter/DMI

Michael Jackson and Sophia Loren.

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Michael Jackson with his sister Janet.

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Madonna and Michael Jackson (left) arrived at the Shrine Civic Auditorium for the 63rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony, March 25, 1991.

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Michael Jackson and Donald Trump.

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Michael Jackson and Donald Trump.

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Michael Jackson , Marla Maples and Donald Trump, 1992.

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Michael Jackson in concert.

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Michael Jackson in concert.

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The post Michael Jackson, in the Company of Stars appeared first on LIFE.

When it comes to clothing, red is not just another color. It is worn by monarchs and devils, and in general by people comfortable with having all eyes on them. A history of the red dress in Europe’s NSS magazine noted that “there are animals that have evolved to make their skin or their plumage red in the mating season, some flowers are red to attract the largest number of bees and birds – and even among humans red is the color of passion and danger.”

In its Feb. 27, 1950 issue LIFE ran a story headlined “The Little Red Dress” which declared that the color was having a moment, and that the red dress “may prove the ’50s first fashion classic.” The lead image of the story, taken by LIFE staff photographer Gjon Mili, showed models high-stepping to The Charleston, a 1920s dance craze that was again having a moment.

The brief story acknowledged the primacy of the little black dress even while talking about red becoming a popular alternative, and going on to explain in frank terms what it takes to pull off the new look:

The turn of the half-century has been brightened by a rash of short red evening dresses. “The little red dress” may be lace, crepe or chiffon, costs from $25 to $450. Designers feel it may take its place beside the “good little black” dress as a similar, if more specialized, fashion classic. The inconspicuous black dress covered a multitude of figure problems, was worn like a uniform with standard accessories (pearls, oyster pumps, white gloves). The red dress, definitely conspicuous, is developing its own requirements. The wearer must have a good figure, a sleek hairdo, matching shoes, and the dress itself must have simple lines to allow a solid concentration of color. This is set off my an emphatic splash of rhinestones.

While black remains king, red has certainly made its mark, including in the early 1950s. A ranking of classic red dresses throughout history had at the top of its list those worn by Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in the 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. LIFE actually had a photographer, Ed Clark, on the set of that movie. Alas, unlike Mili, Clark was shooting his photos of those red dresses in black and white.

in 1950 newly fashionable red dresses were modeled by women doing what LIFE called “the newly revivded Charleston.”

Gjon Mili/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

In a 1950 fashion shoot about the red dress, this model accentuated her look with red rhinestone-trimmed pumps.

Gjon Mili/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

This model accessorized her red dress with a red boa and rhinestone jewelry, 1950.

Gjon Mili/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post In 1950, Red Was the New Black appeared first on LIFE.

LIFE was into Carol Burnett early. Her first appearance in the magazine came in 1957, when she was just 24 years old and still building her name in show business. LIFE identified Burnett as a “singer” in a story about novelty song she had performed, “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles,” in which Burnett pretended to have an unrequited crush on President Eisenhower’s Secretary of State.

The next year Burnett would collaborate with LIFE staff photographer Nina Leen for a high-concept shoot that satirized a popular novel called The Best of Everything, about young career women in New York City. The shoot shows that even early on. Burnett was establishing a distinctive brand of wit. The next year Burnett would win a Tony award for her breakout performance in the musical Once Upon a Mattress, and land her first regular TV role, on a variety series knows as The Garry Moore Show.

Burnett would be before LIFE’s cameras many more times, including when she made the cover in 1971. That happened in the middle of her career-defining run on The Carol Burnett Show, which was the first variety show hosted by a female, and which would earn 23 Emmy awards over its 11 seasons.

Burnett reflected on her magnificent career in early 2026, at the age of 92, when she appeared on the podcast Good Hang with Amy Poehler. Much of the conversation centered on Burnett’s experiences in her early years in show business. After their chat was over, an emotional Poehler addressed the audience, reflecting on her conversation with the comedy pioneer, and said “…It just also makes me think about all the women that we talked about in this interview: Lucille Ball, Betty Grable, Linda Darnell, Phyllis Diller, Elaine May. All these different actresses, do yourself a favor and check them out.”

And so, inspired by that interview, we present this gallery of images of Carol Burnett and also all those other women Poehler named, each of whom posed for the photographers of LIFE.

As Ms. Poehler said, check them out.

Carol Burnett made her first appearance in LIFE magazine in 1957 for singing a comedic song called “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles,” about a woman who had a crush on the U.S. Secretary of State.

Yale Joel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett posed for a conceptual photo shoot inspired by the Rona Jaffe novel “The Best Of Everything,’ about young career women in Manhattan, 1958.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett posed for a conceptual photo shoot inspired by the Rona Jaffe novel “The Best Of Everything,’ about young career women in Manhattan, 1958.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett posed for a conceptual photo shoot inspired by the Rona Jaffe novel “The Best Of Everything,’ about young career women in Manhattan, 1958.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett posed for a conceptual photo shoot inspired by the Rona Jaffe novel “The Best Of Everything,’ about young career women in Manhattan, 1958.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett posed for a conceptual photo shoot inspired by the Rona Jaffe novel “The Best Of Everything,’ about young career women in Manhattan, 1958.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett during a TV appearance, 1959.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett during a TV appearance, 1959.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett guest starred on “The Jack Benny Program,” 1962.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett guest starred on “The Jack Benny Program,” 1962.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett guest starred on “The Jack Benny Program,” 1962.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett guest starred on “The Jack Benny Program,” 1962.

Allan Grant/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett performing on set, 1963.

Yale Joel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett performing on set, 1963.

Yale Joel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Lucille Ball, 1942

John Florea The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Lucille Ball, 1951

Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Original caption: “In the course of a day Betty’s legs walk, climb stairs, dance and are generally flexed like other legs. Here the legs are shown as she prepares morning shower at home.”

Walter Sanders The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Betty Grable, in her dressing room at 20th Century-Fox studios, pulled on black mesh stockings for a scene that would feature her famous legs, 1943.

Walter Sanders The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Actress Linda Darnell, 1950.

Ed Clark/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Actress Linda Darnell, 1950.

Ed Clark/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Comedian and actress Phyllis Diller read a copy of Vogue magazine, St. Louis, April 1963.

Francis Miller/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Phyllis Diller read the names of the well-known (including Frank Sinatra, Vic Damone and the Vagabonds) and the not so well-known on a wall after circling her own name (center), 1963.

Francis Miller/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Mike Nichols and Elaine May doing skit on recent TV scandals during “Fabulous Fifties” TV special, 1960.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Elaine May doing voice work for the movie “Luv,” a 1967 romantic comedy that also starred Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk..

Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Carol Burnett

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The post Comedy Pioneer Carol Burnett, Plus Her “Good Hang” Heroes appeared first on LIFE.

In the late 1950s Nikita Khruschev, the leader of the Soviet Union, wanted to show the world that he was less of an iron-fisted leader than his predecessor, Joseph Stalin. So he initiated what was called the Khrushchev Thaw, which gave Soviet citizens greater access to western media and culture. And one of fruits of this new policy was a visit to Moscow by the House of Dior for the first international fashion show in the USSR.

LIFE had extensively covered Christian Dior beginning with his rise in 1948. After Dior died in 1957, his house was in the able hands of chosen successor, a young designer named Yves St. Laurent. The prospect of Dior fashion shows in Moscow was a big enough deal that it was hyped in the Western press for weeks. The shows, which went on for five days, drew about 11,000 spectators total, with nearly as many people on the waiting list for tickets.

Among those covering the Dior exhibition was LIFE staff photographer Howard Sochurek. He came away from Moscow with some spectacular shots. While the images from the proper fashion shows are striking, what really stands out are the shots of the Dior models out on the town visiting Red Square and Moscow’s GUM department store. The reactions of the babushka-wearing women to the models in their expensive dresses is a literal snapshot of communism versus capitalism.

If you want to take a deep dive on the topic of this show, in 2021 a Barnard student named Erin Bronner wrote a thoroughly researched thesis on Dior’s Moscow show, looking at the event from all angles—including the politics, the fashion, and how Russian and Western media covered the event.

Khrushchev’s thaw came to an end when he was succeeded by Leonid Brezhnev in 1964. With that hard-liner coming into power, openness with the West was once again out of fashion.

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959; here some posed by soda vending machines.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959; here one posed by soda vending machines.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A model for Chrstian Dior posed during the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A model for Chrstian Dior posed during the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A model for Chrstian Dior posed during the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A model for Chrstian Dior posed during the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models for Chrstian Dior came to Moscow for the first international fashion show under Soviet rule, 1959.

Howard Sochurek/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post Dior Takes Moscow, 1959 appeared first on LIFE.

In 1968 Muhammad Ali had plenty of time to go see a show. The previous year he had refused his induction into the draft because of his religious beliefs and his objections to the war in Vietnam. As a result he was stripped of the heavyweight title and also his boxing license. He could no longer ply the trade that had made him famous around the world.

But he could go to the Broadway premiere of The Great White Hope. The shot by LIFE photographer Bob Gomel of Ali posing with his fists raised outside the theater marquee is the most popular image of Ali in the LIFE photo store, and it’s one that has deep resonance if you know the story behind it.

The play was a fictionalized version of the life of Jack Johnson, the first Black boxer to become heavyweight champion of the world. After becoming champ Johnson’s successful title defense against a heavily hyped white challenger set off race riots around the country. So like Ali, Johnson knew what it was like to be at the center of a national maelstrom.

LIFE’s story about Ali at the premiere happened to be written by a true journalistic heavyweight, Pete Hamill. Hamill captured the scene outside the theater of Ali being given a king’s welcome at a time when his political stances had made him a pariah to many Americans. “You see, they know who the real champion is,” Ali said as fans surrounded him. “They don’t forget. All the rest is sparring partners.”

Inside the theater Ali couldn’t help but notice the similarities between his own story and that of the embattled Johnson. “Hey, this play is about me,” Ali remarked. “…Only the details are different.”

After the show Ali went to meet to the star of the show, James Earl Jones. When Ali arrived backstage, Jones was in the shower. The boxer hollered, “Get out of the shower, Jack Johnson. Muhammad Ali’s here.”

Jones came out and the two men chatted while Jones was still in his bathrobe. Ali told the actor how with a few changes, the story of The Great White Hope would be the story of Ali. To which Jones responded, “Well, that’s the whole point.”

Even while Ali was at that moment in time caught up in strife and barred from boxing—he would come back in 1970 after losing three and a half years of his prime—Ali declared on the night of the premiere that he had no regrets about his choices.

“I’m happy,” Ali said, “’cause I’m free. I’ve made the stand all black people are gonna have to make sooner or later: whether or not they can stand up to the master.”

Muhammad Ali at the Broadway premiere of the play “Great White Hope,” 1968.

Bob Gomel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Muhammad Ali at the Broadway premiere of the play “Great White Hope,” 1968.

Bob Gomel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Muhammad Ali at the Broadway premiere of the play “Great White Hope,” 1968.

Bob Gomel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Muhammad Ali posed in front of a promotional image at the Broadway premiere of the play “Great White Hope,” 1968.

Bob Gomel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Muhammad Ali spoke with actor James Earl Jones after the Broadway premiere of “The Great White Hope,” in which Jones starred, 1968.

Bob Gomel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

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