Michael Jackson has died at age 50

By James Dean Meyers
Posted Thursday, June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson has died at age 50 after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center. As the news reports ripple around the world about his death, it is hard not to reflect on the eternal and profound mark he left on music and pop culture at large.

Jackson, was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home about 12:26 p.m. Early reports indicated cardiac arrest, but a hospital spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment. city and law enforcement sources stated that he arrived at a hospital in a deep coma. Jackson who has been renting a mansion in the Bel Air neighborhood, a short distance from the hospital. At approximately 3:15 p.m. Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors.

For the last two months Jackson had been rehearsing for a series of shows in London starting on July 13th and running into March of 2010. The 50 London concerts sold out within minutes of going on sale in March.

With a lifetime record sales around 750 million and 13 Grammy Awards the singer whose hits include "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" is one of the most successful entertainers of all time.

Since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation, Jackson had withdrawn from the world and lived mostly in seclusion. Over the last years there have been concerns about his health, but in March Jackson passed a rigorous physical examination.

Music Was His Life
Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, he was the seventh of nine children. He first performed with his four brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon at a talent show when Michael was 6. They were known as The Jackson Five and took home first prize and then went on to become a best-selling band.

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 album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million worldwide.

The next year, he unveiled his signature “moonwalk” dance move while performing “Billie Jean” during an NBC special.