King of Pop Star Michael Jackson Dies at 50
Devastated fans rush to Holmby Hills estate in Los Angeles
Jun 25, 2009
Michael Jackson, the worldwide pop sensation was pronounced dead Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. pacific time at Ronald-Reagan - UCLA Medical Center. He was 50 years old (LA Times. com).
According to reports on the Los Angeles Times' web site, Jackson was rushed midday Thursday from his home to the Emergency Room at Ronald Reagan -UCLA Medical Center hospital, where he could not be revived. Doctors attempted to resuscitate him for more than an hour according to his brother Jermaine Jackson, who spoke briefly at a news conference at UCLA.
Thousands of shocked and heartbroken fans gathered outside the hospital in Westwood where crowd control officers had to be called in.
Concerts Sold Out In London
Jackson had been scheduled to perform 50 sell-out concerts at London's 02 arena beginning next week to March 2010. The concert had pre-sold an estimated 750,000 tickets. He called this tour "his final curtain call."
Brief Overview of Jackson's Discography
Jackson, the seventh child of the Jackson family, started in the music business at the age of 11 as a member of the Jackson 5 with his brothers. The group had a number of hits on Motown in the 1970s.
After leaving Motown, Michael Jackson signed with Columbia and went on to monumental fame with such hits as "Billie Jean" "Rock Wit You," Beat It," and "Thriller" which remains among the biggest selling songs of all time.
Five of his solo albums are some of the top-selling albums of all time: "Off the Wall," 1982's "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous" and "HIStory." His moonwalk and glittered glove legacy still loom large in the memories of his fans and have influenced such new artists as Usher, Ne-Yo, and Chris Brown who include dance moves innovated by Jackson in their acts.
He was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and had 13 Grammy awards and 13 number one singles. He has sold over 750 million albums worldwide. His total earnings have been estimated at $500 million dollars.
His music videos on MTV, such as "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" were some of the most influential early music videos, and his sound influenced numerous hip hop and R & B artists.
Michael Jackson's former wives and children
He married nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe, with whom he fathered a son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., also known as Prince, and a daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. After they divorced in 1999, he retained full custody of the children. Michael Jackson has a third child, Prince Michael, II, a son by a yet unidentified woman (CNN.com).
In the early 1990s, he was briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. "I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much," she writes of their 20 month union . (Myspace.com/lisamariepresley).
He lived at Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara from 1988 to 2005 and after his legal woes moved overseas until returning to California to rehearse for his upcoming tour. It would have been his first tour since 1997. (Sources: CNN, Los Angeles Times,People.com 6/25/09).
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