The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has died at the age of 50 after suffering cardiac arrest.
The massively popular and controversial entertainer was rushed to UCLA Medical Centre Thursday afternoon.
L.A. Fire Dept. Capt. Steve Ruda said emergency crews responded to a call at Jackson's home near Sunset Boulevard. When they arrived he wasn't breathing and couldn't be revived.
Jackson was in the midst of an ambitious comeback when tragedy struck. He is survived by three children, won 13 Grammys and had 13 number one hits during his solo career.
An American cultural icon for 40 years, word of Jackson's death sent immediate shockwaves through a country that took careful note of his many highs and lows over the decades.
Recent years were defined by relative obscurity as he suffered financial and physical setbacks that could be traced all the way to the time that followed the 1982 release of his Thriller album, still the world's biggest record of all-time having sold some 26 million copies.
Jackson also helped shatter the race barrier on MTV and was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals.
His single sequined glove and tight, military-style jacket were also trademarks, second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Jackson's looks were altered dramatically through plastic surgery and he became the subject of widespread curiosity following the purchase of a massive property he christened Neverland Ranch.
In 2005 he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. But the case took a toll on his career and image and helped plunge him further into the serious financial trouble.
There were also suggestions Jackson whitened his skin, although he insisted his sudden paleness was the result of a medical condition. Either way, by the end he looked nothing like the boy who first met the music world along with his brothers and sisters as part of The Jackson Five in the early 1970s.
Jackson's death Thursday coincided with that of another 1970s icon, Farrah Fawcett, who succumbed to cancer at age 62.
Crowds continue to gather outside the Los Angeles hospital where he died, the start of a lengthy stretch of vigils and tributes which will both celebrate and mourn the massive legacy Michael Jackson leaves behind.
Source: CityNews.ca
OUR TRIBUTE TO MJ:
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Michael Jackson "Walk of Fame" Jacket and infamous "Glittery Glove"
Michael Jackson "Victory Tour" Jacket
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