Michael Jackson, the pop superstar who dazzled the world with his dancing but also led a strange private life that included a child-molestation charge, died suddenly Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 50.
Jackson was taken to hospital Thursday afternoon after going into cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home, said brother Jermaine Jackson at an evening news conference. A personal physician who was with the icon at the time was unable to resuscitate him despite an hour-long attempt.
He was taken to UCLA Medical Center and was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. local time.
In his brief statement, an emotional Jermaine, said: "May Allah be with you always, Michael." He also asked for reporters and fans to "please respect our privacy during this tough time."
Hundreds of fans and reporters had gathered outside the hospital, waiting for any news about the singer after he was rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance.
"I just have tears," Jackson family lawyer Brian Oxman told CNN. "Michael Jackson is my friend and I am just heartbroken"
Tributes to the iconic singer quickly poured in online and to news outlets.
"I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news," said Quincy Jones, who produced Jackson's Thriller, the world's bestselling album. "For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words."
"I'm in shock, as I know everyone must be," Jackson's former mother-in-law, Priscilla Presley, told Entertainment Tonight. "What a tragic loss. My heartfelt thoughts are with his family at this very difficult time."
"Rarely has the world received a gift with the magnitude of artistry, talent and vision as Michael Jackson. He was a true musical icon whose identifiable voice, innovative dance moves, stunning musical versatility and sheer star power carried him from childhood to worldwide acclaim," said Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, the organization that produces the Grammy Awards.
His death was also felt north of the border.
Celine Dion, the Canadian pop singer, said it "feels like when (John F.) Kennedy died, when Elvis Presley died. We are not only talking about a talented person dying, it's an amazing loss."
"I'm fielding calls from all over Canada," said Donald Tarlton, the Montreal concert impresario who worked with Jackson many times over the years.
"Let's get one thing straight," he said. "He was one of the most creative forces that show business ever had. He was a leader in all areas. He had a wacky side that got in the way of his success. But at the same time, he was in constant turmoil from his handlers and family, never knowing who to trust."
The Calgary-based film company Nomadic Pictures found itself in the eye of the storm that always followed Jackson when they were blasted by the pop icon for the 2004 movie they produced about his life, Man In The Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story.
At that time Jackson was facing another round of child sexual abuse charges, a decade after a similar scandal haunted him in the '90s. Jackson condemned the made-for-TV movie, despite the fact that many thought it cast him in a favourable light and gave him the benefit of the doubt.
"He said it damaged his reputation and that he was vilified by the producers," said co-founder Chad Oakes. "But that movie was made with over a dozen lawyers. Every single thing was vetted. Every single word that was put in there came from Michael's mouth. From the Martin Bashir interview, the Oprah Winfrey interview, any interviews he did.
"We purposely did not do our own interpretation. We did not try to play judge and jury. . . . We were all big fans."
Former Calgarian Tommy Chong said he will always remember the gentle and talented little kid he first met back in 1968, when a then-unknown boy band called The Jackson 5 opened for Chong's group Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers.
"He was a little guy, very small for his age . . . but he was just the sweetest, hippest little guy ever," Chong said.
"There was nobody hipper. And he was a gentle little guy. All he cared about was singing and dancing. . . . That was his life, y'know?"
Known as for hits that included Rock With You and Billie Jean, Jackson's dramatic, one-gloved stage presence and innovative dance moves were imitated by legions of fans around the world.
His lifetime record sales tally was believed to be around 750 million, and with his 13 Grammy Awards and boundary-breaking music videos he was one of the most successful entertainers of all time.
But Jackson's belief that "I am Peter Pan in my heart," his preference for the company of children, his friendship with a chimp, his high-pitched voice and numerous plastic surgeries also earned him critics and the nickname "Wacko Jacko."
Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Ind., the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys — Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael — first performed together at a talent show when Michael was six. They walked off with first prize and went on to become the bestselling band, The Jackson 5.
Jackson made his first solo album in 1972, and released Thriller in 1982, which became a smash hit that yielded seven top-10 singles. The next year, he unveiled his signature "moonwalk" dance move, gliding across the stage and setting off an instant trend, while performing Billie Jean"during an NBC special.
Jackson was planning a comeback tour with a series of 50 sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena, with the first show scheduled to take place July 13. The first show was originally scheduled for July 8, but was later postponed. Three other shows set for July were reportedly delayed until March 2010.
The comeback tour has been marred in controversy after Jackson's manager previously signed a contract that would bring about a Jackson 5 reunion tour that conflicted with the planned London shows.
After years of bad press coverage of his trial and 2005 acquittal on child-molestation charges, Jackson had been hoping the 02 concerts would signal a comeback.
"This family has been trying for months and months and months to take care of Michael Jackson," Oxman said, addressing reports that said the cardiac arrest could be linked to medication, including sleeping pills.
"This is something that I feared, and it is something that I warned about. . . . Where there is smoke, there is fire. This is a case of abuse of medication, (as well as) other causes, which I don't know about," said Oxman, saying Jackson continued through rehearsals while using "extensive" medication to nurse a broken leg.
Oxman has a long history with the Jackson family, including as a lawyer for various members since 1989. He joined the King of Pop's defence team in 2004 during his child-molestation trial.
Jackson's former publicist Michael Levine echoed those concerns.
"Michael has been on an impossibly difficult and often self-destructive journey for years. His talent was unquestionable but, so too, was his discomfort with the norms of the world. A human simply cannot withstand this level of prolonged stress," he said in a statement.
Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said an autopsy would likely be done on the singer Friday.
Tags: 50, age, dies, JACKSON, Michael, suddenly