Michael Jackson Dead at 50
Thursday, June 25, 2009
AP REPORTS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the "King of Pop" and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50.
Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.
The circumstances of Jackson's death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. EDT, 1930 GMT), Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to the hospital, Ruda told the newspaper.
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
His 1982 album "Thriller" — which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," ''Billie Jean" and "Thriller" — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.
The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers. Among their No. 1 hits were "I Want You Back," ''ABC," and "I'll Be There."
He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.
"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced "Thriller." ''He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."
Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson's death immediately evoked that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.
As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.
"It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It's as if he was trying to defy gravity," said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a "disciple of P.T. Barnum" and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was "much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew."
Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.
The case followed years of rumors about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he had acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual.
Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.
Singer Dionne Warwick said: "Michael was a friend and undoubtedly one of the world's greatest entertainers that I fortunately had the pleasure of working with. ... We have lost an icon in our industry."
Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson's rented home, was roped off with police tape.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died," a woman boarding a Manhattan bus called out, shortly after the news was announced. Immediately many riders reached for their cell phones.
So many people wanted to verify the early reports of Jackson's death that the computers running Google's news section interpreted the fusillade of "Michael Jackson" requests as an automated attack for about half an hour Thursday evening.
In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.
"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."
CNN REPORTS
Multiple reports: Michael Jackson dies at 50
(CNN) -- Entertainer Michael Jackson has died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest, according to multiple reports including the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. CNN has not confirmed his death.
Jackson, 50, had been in a coma at the hospital, sources told CNN.
Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, said he was told by brother Randy Jackson that Michael Jackson collapsed at his home in west Los Angeles, California, Thursday morning.
Family members were told of the situation and were either at the hospital or en route, Oxman said.
Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.
Ruda said Jackson was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.
Asked specifics of the patient's condition, he said he could not discuss them because of federal privacy laws.
The music icon from Gary, Indiana, is known as the "King of Pop." Jackson had many No. 1 hits and his "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time. VideoJackson "as big as it gets" »
Jackson is the seventh of nine children in a well-known musical family. He has three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.
At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying.
A large crowd was also gathering outside the hospital, according to video footage.
Outside Jackson's Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home.
CNN's Alan Duke contributed to this report.
All AboutMichael Jackson
kuSportsPA (anonymous) says...
He's not dead, I won't accept that news... I really just think he's hanging out with Tupac and Elvis somewhere!
June 25, 2009 at 6:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lena (Lena Bass) says...
I agree with that.
he was so great in his younger years, and out sold all, regardless of anything else, he was great in the singing and dancing and moonwalk.
June 25, 2009 at 6:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
50 is so young. He was such a talented man. What a shame.
June 25, 2009 at 6:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chiefsfan (anonymous) says...
Good, another pedophile off this earth!!
June 25, 2009 at 7:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kuSportsPA (anonymous) says...
And another idiot in the comments section....
June 25, 2009 at 7:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
chiefsfan:
I'm with you!
On a side note, I wonder where that chimpanzee is and if he wants to be my friend??
June 25, 2009 at 7:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chiefsfan (anonymous) says...
Still a free country with free speech. We'll see how tolerant of this type of individual you are are when a close family member is molested at the age of 4!!
June 25, 2009 at 8:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kuSportsPA (anonymous) says...
I'm all for free speech, Molestation is a very terrible situation, but your 4 yr old family member was not molested by Michael Jackson, therefore it is unnecessary to discuss that portion of his life, which he was not charged with molestation, he was Accused.
June 25, 2009 at 8:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chiefsfan (anonymous) says...
I can discuss anything I like. No, my family member was not molested by Michael Jackson, doesn't change the fact that he was a pedophile. He admitted to sleeping in the same bed as those children he "entertained" at his Netherland estate. I suppose you think it's okay that he shared the same bed with those children. Oh, well, good for you. I'm still entitled to my opinion, which I can discuss if I want to. I was under the impression that was what these forums were about. My bad.
June 25, 2009 at 8:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joe_Strummer (anonymous) says...
Yes the man was a very talented artist, but he was also a pedophile. You can separate the bad out from the good all you want....that changes nothing. The man was a scumbag. No better than any other molester out there, and in no way deserving of my sympathy.
June 25, 2009 at 11:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Can't say I'll miss his weirdness, but he was very talented indeed early on.
June 25, 2009 at 11:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chiefsfan (anonymous) says...
Thank you Joe_Strummer!!!
June 26, 2009 at 5:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
been_there (anonymous) says...
Once again, people have to focus on the negative things in someone's life. As I recall, he was never convicted of the crimes of which he was accused. Yes, he was a very eccentric person in the last decade of his life but regardless, he was a very talented entertainer. I grew up with Michael Jackson and in my opinion, he was a child star that never got the opportunity to grow up. Say what you will as we are all entitled to our opinions but we have lost a great talent. Why can't we all just be friends?!?!
June 26, 2009 at 8:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
I really don't want to be friends with a pedophile. I wonder if this is going to be the event that starts the pedophiles demanding their civil liberties. It would appear that they have some support right here on the EG online. I'm against pedophiles.
June 26, 2009 at 9:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
I had hoped to die before Michael Jackson, so I wouldn't have to listen to the upcoming 7 days of tv radio and newspaper coverage on his death, life, trials and tribulations, Blah, Blah, Blah.
While sons and daughters, husbands and wives, are dying everyday seving their country in Iraq and Afganistan you just don't hear much about it from the press. Guess it is too difficult to report real news, tabloid journalism is so much easier.
June 26, 2009 at 9:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Yes, Jackson was extremely weird. We don't know if he was a pedophile or not. It doesn't matter now, does it? I think I still have a cassette tape of "Thriller" somewhere. I was in jr. high and high school during his peak and he was very influential on my generation. I was embarrassed for him the last 10-15 years or so and wished he could get a good therapist or something. That doesn't mean he wasn't a very good entertainer in his hey day.
June 26, 2009 at 9:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
The way I read it jackson was acquiited of the charges largely on technicalities.....In my mind the facts were pretty much proven. Such acquitals are not all that uncommon when you have vast sums of money to spend on attorneys but they don't mean you weren't guilty.
There is no lower life form than those that intentionally hurt small children. The problem with pedophiles is they often don't see that what they are doing is hurting them.....unfortunately Michael Jackson probably felt this way. But that makes it no less wrong.
June 26, 2009 at 9:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
biscuitboy, it goes both ways. People with large sums of money are often targets of people who want to blackmail them. Famous people are often accused of things just so the accuser can get some fame. We weren't there, we don't know what happened. I put pedophiles in the same category as what is pumped from the bottom of a septic tank. I think that is beside the point and we shouldn't speak ill of the dead.
June 26, 2009 at 10:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
giggles (anonymous) says...
Do you not speak ill of Hitler or Stalin? They are dead, but they were also terrible people.
I do not know either way if MJ was a pedophile as I agree with you that $$$ speaks volumes on both sides of this issue.
I found his early years to be excellent entertainment. I loved Thriller, Billy Jean, etc. As for the rest I don't know. I believe he will pay for any injustices he has commited, it is not in my hands.
June 26, 2009 at 10:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
You are absolutely right that people with lots of money have to deal with problems the rest of us never have to think about.
Same can be said of people with no money. I guess what I am often trying to say is if I am going to have to deal with problems.....I would rather deal with the problems of the very rich and talented than the problems of the poor and helpless.
June 26, 2009 at 10:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
I really dig this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLXYiF...
June 26, 2009 at 11:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I don't see how we can compare Michael Jackson to Hitler or Stalin! Plus we have proof what they did not just hearsay and speculation.
I too, would rather have the money to pay fancy lawyers if need be. We have to play the hand we're dealt. It seems to me most of the rich and famous aren't as happy with their lives as most of us regular people anyway.
June 26, 2009 at 1:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
madpoet......Your last sentence I certainly do agree with. It's like they say....be careful what you wish for.
June 26, 2009 at 1:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spensanity (anonymous) says...
A part of my childhood had died. The Jackson 5 were the Jonas Brothers of my day. The Teen Beat magazines I bought and kept and read over and over again were the "information highway" to young kids back then. Michael Jackson, Donny Osmond and David Cassidy were the posters I had in my room growing up. When I finally took them down, I rolled them up together with admiration and thoughts of those fabulous days gone by, but MJ stayed on----stronger in his musical talent each and every year, The year 1982 is still one of the best ever-----I graduated from college, got married and bought the "Thriller" album and played it all the time. My sons have come to respect and enjoy MJ's music and I am so glad that they got that chance. The greatest pop star in history---without a doubt---is and always will be Michael Jackson!!! Rest in Peace my childhood friend!
June 26, 2009 at 1:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lets_get_reasonable (anonymous) says...
No matter what people say about the scandals and the controversies he was involved in, there are things about him that rise above all that. It is completely undeniable that he was the biggest influence to ever hit the world of music. The proof is in the fact that he is the record-holder for the biggest selling album of all time, and in all of the awards and recognition he had received in his lifetime. All Michael Jackson wanted was for the world to be a better, peaceful place, and his music and his actions demonstrated that. For so many people, myself included, it feels that a piece of our childhood just died along with Michael. My brother and I used to sit in the guest bedroom of our great-grandmother's house and listen to the Thriller album from front to back (literally of course) over and over again. There wasn't a single song that didn't we didn't love, and every recording artist that we grew to love since, we've compared to Michael Jackson... no... I shouldn't say that... none compared to Michael Jackson. Musical genius, humanitarian, promoter of peace, we should all be thankful that we were so blessed to experience him and his legacy.
June 26, 2009 at 1:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Ahh cmon fellers, even Hank liked ole' Mikey, ole' Ronnie Reagan liked Mikey, y'all are just a bunch of haters.
June 26, 2009 at 4:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthinkin (anonymous) says...
Farrah Fawcett died and went to heaven. She was greeted by St. Peter at the pearly gates. Because she had lived a (mostly) good life of providing pleasure, working for good causes, and not bringing harm to others, she was granted one wish. Farrah wished for no harm and suffering to come to the children of the world. Now we know why Michael Jackson died.
June 28, 2009 at 11:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paulkersey (anonymous) says...
Hey Mike,
Don't let the door hit ya on your out.
June 28, 2009 at 11:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )