Jun 26 2009
The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Is Dead
- 2 Comment
Michael Jackson, the charismatic musician who came to be known as The "King of Pop,' has died at the age of 50.
"At about 13:00 hours today, Mr. Jackson was transported from this location by paramedics to UCLA Medical Center. At about 2:30 in the afternoon, Mr. Jackson was pronounced. Currently the L.A. County Coroner's office has taken possession of Mr. Jackson's body, and they will handle any other inquiries into the type of death or anything that relates to that at the time," a Los Angeles Police Department officer said during a brief press conference.
TMZ was the first to report the news. According to reports, the pop legend suffered a cardiac arrest this afternoon and medics were unable to revive him. A TMZ source said Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived, while the Times says he was in a deep coma upon arrival.
The 50-year-old singer was picked up this afternoon at his rented home in Bel Air around 12:26 p.m. where medics had to administer CPR before transporting him to UCLA hospital.
Capt. Steve Ruda of the Los Angeles Fire Dept. told the LA Times that Jackson was not breathing when help arrived at the house, which is about a two minute drive from the hospital.
Earlier, a Jackson family member told TMZ Michael is in "really bad shape." Joseph Jackson, the patriarch of the musical clan, also told media outlets his son was "not doing well."
A report in Britain's The Sun newspaper, citing a UCLA Medical Center source, claims that Jackson received an injection of Demerol -- a drug similar to morphine -- shortly before the incident and began breathing very shallow shortly after.
The 'Thriller' superstar has long been addled by health problems and has had addictions to painkillers in the past.
Jackson had three children, Michael Jr., Paris and Prince.
This year, Jackson mounted an effort to revive his career after several setbacks in the past decade. He announced he would perform 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena. Those sold out concerts were set to begin on July 13.
Jackson had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the London shows.
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."
Talking exclusively with Spinner.com, Smokey Robinson reflected on the loss, saying "it's always hard to lose a friend."
Read More: Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, Is Dead
Related posts:
- Michael Jackson On The Dating Game Show (1972) THIS IS IT! THE VIDEO YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN...
- Pure Cleanse Pro: Drop Your Dead Weight Fast! Pure Cleanse Pro, is a weight loss cleansing formula that...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
2 Comments on this post
Trackbacks
-
dental said:
Yeah just found this out myself. It’s amazing how fast word has spread over the net about Jackson’s death.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:27 am -
ugochukwu ifeanyi.D. said:
Indeed,he was a mentor,philanthropist and a great singer Africa and the world at large should emulate.Your memories in my heart is evergreen,I love you.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
