Tributes paid as Michael Jackson dies of cardiac arrest aged 50
POP icon Michael Jackson has died from a suspected cardiac arrest. He was 50 years old.
Jackson, who was due to perform a number of farewell concerts in London later this year, was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his Los Angeles home at 12.26pm local time,
He was given CPR before being taken to hospital, but - according to the LA Times and celebrity news site TMZ - failed to recover and was certified dead by doctors later in the afternoon.
Jackson leaves behind three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Junior, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.
Fans quickly gathered outside the UCLA medical centre in Los Angeles after news had broken to pay their respects to the musician.
Fears were sparked for Jackson's health last month when four of his This Is It concert dates were pushed back, but organisers insisted the dates were moved due to the sheer magnitude of the spectacle.
The first scheduled show was due to take place on July 8 and was pushed back to July 13. But the other three dates were rescheduled to spring 2010.
At the World Music Awards in London in November 2006 he performed just a few lines from We Are The World.
Jackson last toured 12 years ago when he played 82 shows in 58 cities for the HIStory tour.
He spent time living outside the United States since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.
One of nine children, Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958 and gave his first public performance aged just five years old. He shot to fame singing alongside his brothers in the Jackson Five, who signed with Motown Records in 1968, then found even greater fame as a solo artist.
His 1982 album Thriller, regarded as one of the all-time great pop records, became the biggest selling album of all time and spent 37 weeks at number 1 in the US charts.
But his life was not without controversy. In 1993 he was accused of sexually molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland ranch, and 12 years later was acquitted of molesting another boy.
He wed Lisa Marie Presley - daughter of Elvis Presley - in 1994 but the marriage lasted only 19 months before they divorced. He married a second time - in 1996, to nurse Debbie Rove - but they too divorced three years later.
In 2002 he caused outrage after dangling the then six-month old baby Prince Michael II off a balcony in Germany, and moved to Dubai in the aftermath of his molestation trial, amid claims of financial problems.
Reaction to the news of Jackson's death has been swift.
Music producer Quincy Jones paid tribute.
He told MSNBC: "I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news."
He said Jackson "had it all - talent, grace, professionalism and dedication".
He added: "I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."
Demi Moore paid tribute on Twitter, writing: "I am greatly saddened for the loss of both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Especially for their children!"
Her husband, Ashton Kutcher, also posted: "RIP. Sending love and light to family and friend but especially his kids."
He added: "Plea to the press to respect his wishes of maintaining the anonymity of his children. I plea to the public to refuse to consume media that does not respect the anonymity of Michaels children."
Foreign Secretary David Miliband wrote on Twitter: "Never has one soared so high and yet dived so low. RIP Michael."
Rev Al Sharpton, a leading US civil rights campaigner and friend of Jackson, told Sky News: "As a friend of Michael's for the past 35 years, I call on people from around the world to pray for him and his family."
Close friend Uri Geller told Sky News: "I'm absolutely devastated and shocked. He was a young man terribly fit and basically in good shape."
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