King Of Pop dead?

Reports are coming in that Micheal Jackson, 50, of Jackson 5 fame has died.

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BREAKING NEWS: Pop star Michael Jackson is reportedly dead after being found not breathing at his Los Angeles home.

Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times.

Jackson, 50, was pronounced dead by doctors on Thursday (7.21am Friday, NZT) after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told the LA paper.

Officials at UCLA Medical Centre where Jackson was treated also could not be reached for comment.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devin Gales would not confirm Jackson’s identity but said paramedics went to an address corresponding to the star’s home at 12:21pm (LA time) and the person was taken to UCLA Medical Centre.

“We’ve just learned Michael Jackson has died,” TMZ website said this morning.

“Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back,” the entertainment site said.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Captain Steve Ruda said Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30pm (7.30am NZ time).

The newspaper said paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene before taking him to the UCLA Medical Center hospital.

Hundreds of fans have begun gathering outisde the LA hospital.

Jackson had been due to start a series of comeback concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer, whose hits include “Thriller” and “Billie Jean,” had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months.

The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within hours of going on sale in March.

Jackson started out as a child star in the band “The Jackson 5″ more than 40 years ago.

He has lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation.

There have been concerns about Jackson’s health in recent years but the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.

Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys – Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael – first performed together at a talent show when Michael was 6. They walked off with first prize and went on to become a best-selling band, The Jackson Five, and then 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 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.

In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996. Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999. The couple never lived together.
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Jackson has three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.

– Reuters
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• https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/pop-star-michael-jackson-was-rushed-to-a-hospital-this-afternoon-by-los-angeles-fire-department-paramedics–capt-steve-ruda.html
• https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/2538179/Pop-star-Michael-Jackson-reported-dead

Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans worldwide.