The King of Pop, Michael Jackson is dead. He took to the stage as a child star and went on to set the world dancing to the thumping rhythms of his music for decades, died Thursday, TMZ website reported. He was 50.
"We've just learned Michael Jackson has died," TMZ said.
"Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back," the entertainment site said.
There was no official confirmation of the reported death and spokespersons for Jackson could not be reached for comment.
Earlier, the Los Angeles Times said that the singer had been rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by fire department paramedics who found him not breathing when they arrived at the singer's home.
The newspaper said paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene before taking him to the UCLA Medical Center hospital.
Jackson had been due to start a series of comeback concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer, whose hits include "Thriller" and "Billie Jean," had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months.
The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within hours of going on sale in March.
Jackson started out as a child star in the band "The Jackson 5" more than 40 years ago.
He has lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation.
There have been concerns about Jackson's health in recent years but the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
Labels: Black Entertainment.
posted by ichbinalj at 3:14 PM
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Who dubbed Jackson the "King of Pop"?: Most people believe that Jackson anointed himself "The King of Pop," according to sources on the Web, Elizabeth Taylor actually coined the phrase at a 1989 awards gala. Jackson is rumored to have insisted that MTV call him by his royal nickname.
When did Elvis die?: The sudden and tragic death of Jackson brought back memories of another king who died too soon. Queries on "death of elvis," "when did elvis die," and "how did elvis die" all surged into breakout status. For the record, Presley passed away on August 16, 1977. He was 42 when he died of an apparent drug overdose. Also surging in search: "When did John Lennon die." The Beatle was killed on December 8, 1980.
Heart attack vs. cardiac arrest: Reports that Jackson had died of cardiac arrest spurred incredible interest in the difference between that and a heart attack. A heart attack is when a portion of the heart muscle dies due to a blockage of the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Cardiac arrest is when the heart actually stops beating. This can be caused by several things including medications and can also follow a heart attack if too much of the heart muscle dies.
What is vitiligo?: Though many believed that Jackson bleached his skin, the star actually suffered from vitiligo, a skin disorder that leads to de-pigmentation. You can learn more about the effect it had on Jackson and his revealing 1993 interview with Oprah from this article from CNN.
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