As far as I know, there's no evidence he didn't write the songs that bear his name. I wasn't a big MJ fan but I see him as much a singer as many others. I'm a big Elvis fan and seems to me his "moves" were as big in the news as his songs were in the early days. I may not be the best one to say but I've only seen a few Michael Jackson videos. MTV began when he was around 22 which is still young enough to be "in the thick of things." I agree Michael Jackson was "a freak" but I also think he was an enormously talented individual. The worst thing I ever heard against his were the child abuse charges. I don't know what happened but I know a jury found him innocent of ALL charges he went to court on.

As for a Hey Jude moment, I think "Billie Jean" and the debut of the moonwalk was it for me. Now, I didn't like "Billie Jean" particularly but that was a moment. IIRC, it's when he made the big final break from the family act.