Michael Jackson Passes Away At Age 50

Michael Jackson - The King Of Pop 1958-2009

On June 25, 2009, Jackson reportedly passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. While en route to the UCLA Medical Center, Jackson apparently stopped breathing. Jackson was originally reported in a coma but other sources pointed out that Jackson died. He died with his family surrounding him.

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958–June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Below is my tribute video to Michael followed by some of his greatest work.

FULL ARTICLE BELOW VIDEOS

By LYNN ELBER, Associated Press Writer Lynn Elber, Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the "King of Pop" and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50. Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.

The circumstances of Jackson's death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.

Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

His 1982 album "Thriller" — which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" — remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million copies worldwide.

The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers. Among their No. 1 hits were "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "I'll Be There."

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced "Thriller." "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. In fact, he united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie.

But as years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.

Singer Dionne Warwick said: "Michael was a friend and undoubtedly one of the world's greatest entertainers that I fortunately had the pleasure of working with........we have lost an icon in our industry."

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson's rented home, was roped off with police tape.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died," a woman boarding a Manhattan bus called out, shortly after the news was announced. Immediately many riders reached for their cell phones.

In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."

Michael Jackson Timeline:

Aug. 29, 1958: Michael Jackson is born in Gary, Ind.

Nov. 6, 1971: First solo single, "Got to Be There," is released.

Oct. 14, 1972: "Ben," the title song from a film about a beloved rat, becomes 14-year-old Jackson's first No. 1 single.

Aug. 5, 1979: "Off the Wall," the first album by the "adult" Jackson (who turned 21 in August), is released. It produces four hit singles and spends eight months in the Top Ten.

Dec. 1, 1982: "Thriller" is released.

Feb. 21, 1983: "Thriller" tops the album charts for the first of 37 weeks.

March 25, 1983: The TV special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever" is taped. The Jackson 5 perform a medley of their hits, then Jackson sings "Billie Jean" solo, premiering his "moonwalk" dance move. The show airs May 16.

Dec. 2, 1983: MTV debuts Michael Jackson's 14-minute "Thriller" film. "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller," released in time for Christmas, becomes the largest-selling music home video in history.

1984: Injured when a spark ignites his hair during filming of a Pepsi ad.

Aug. 31, 1987: "Bad," the follow-up to "Thriller," is released. It tops the charts for eight weeks and yields seven hit singles.

1988: Autobiography "Moonwalk" released. Jackson has surgery to put cleft in his chin.

1990: Attends funeral of Ryan White, a Kokomo, Ind., teenager who died of AIDS.

Nov. 14, 1991: Controversial 11-minute "Black or White" video debuts on television.

Jan. 31, 1993: Halftime performance at Superbowl XXVII draws the largest viewing audience in the history of American television.

Sept. 15, 1993: Lawyers for a 13-year-old boy file a civil suit against Jackson for seduction and sexual abuse. On Jan. 25, 1994, he settles out of court with his accuser for an undisclosed sum, estimated at $20 million.

1994: Marries Lisa Marie Presley.

1996: Presley files for divorce. Jackson marries nurse Debbie Rowe.

1997: Rowe gives birth to son, Prince Michael.

1998: Rowe gives birth to daughter Paris Michael Katherine.

1999: Rowe divorces Jackson.

Oct. 30, 2000: "Thriller" receives its 26th platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, representing 26 million copies sold in the U.S. It remains the second best-selling album in music history.

March 19, 2001: Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Sept. 25, 2001: "Invincible," Jackson's first album in four years, is released.

Jan. 16, 2004: Pleads not guilty to child molestation.

2005: Cleared of child molestation charges.

June 25, 2009: Dies in Los Angeles after suffering from cardiac arrest.

Sources: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, USA Today

Jackson was energetic, upbeat ahead of London tour

AP, Jun 26, 2009 10:43 pm PDT

The King of Pop seemed driven and upbeat in the weeks, even hours, before his death as he rehearsed rigorously for a series of 50 concerts in London that were to begin a late-career comeback.

Friends and colleagues said Friday that Jackson appeared in recent months to be rejuvenated by the prospect of performing again.

After years of seclusion following a child sex scandal, the pop icon was heavily involved in all aspects of the concert rehearsals. He had hired a personal trainer and was practicing with backup dancers and choreographers several hours a day, they said.

"He was working hard, setting the example, overseeing the choreography, kicking butt and taking names," said Johnny Caswell, president of CenterStaging Musical Productions Inc., a Burbank sound stage where Jackson rehearsed until late May. "He was ready to blow everybody out of the water. This was going to be the biggest extravaganza, entertainment spectacle ever."

Jackson was involved in all areas of planning, including watching auditions and choosing the backup dancers who would appear with him, said Maryss Courchinoux, a 29-year-old dancer from Paris who sought a place on stage with Jackson.

Courchinoux said she had been selected as a backup dancer for the London concerts and had been fitted for a costume. She had been invited to Thursday's rehearsal in Los Angeles to meet Jackson and watch the practice to help prepare for her role, she said.

On the same day, Jackson was pronounced dead after collapsing at his home in Holmby Hills, a swanky neighborhood near Bel Air.

Courchinoux recounted how Jackson was in the audience as she auditioned in April, when she performed a set routine and then was asked to do freestyle dances — a hip-hop style called "pop-ins."

From the stage, she could make out Jackson's profile and his glasses where he sat in the empty auditorium. Friends later told her that Jackson jumped up and applauded after her group performed.

"I knew it was him, and I knew I was in his presence," she said. "In a way, I feel blessed that we got to dance in his presence, and I was looking forward to meeting him yesterday," she said, choking back tears.

"It was my dream since I was six years old. I guess there was a different plan."

Rehearsals for the tour began in late March, Caswell said.

Jackson and his choreographers, band and dancers took over about four of the 11 studios at Centerstaging. Jackson would wander in and out of the studios, keeping tabs on the work and would often sit on a large black leather couch and listen to the band practice.

He frequently offered band members suggestions and took an interest in the mixing levels for the concert's soundtrack, according to those who worked with him at the sound stage. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they had signed confidentiality agreements.

Caswell and other workers at the studio said Jackson would arrive in an SUV, with another vehicle following, about four or five times a week. One of the SUVs ferried Jackson, but the second was to fake out the paparazzi and European fans who flocked outside the studio's doors. Jackson, an infamous recluse, would always crack a window and allow fans to pass CDs in for him to autograph.

"There would be tons of fans — European fans — they weren't sharing the information with anyone else that he was coming here with anyone else. They didn't want to spoil the exclusivity," Caswell said.

Max Miller, a dispatch manager at the studios, said he saw the singer work on a transition routine between two songs.

Miller's team aimed a spotlight at the stage area as Jackson, wearing a black suit, practiced the moves with no music and just a metronome clicking.

"He was totally dancing like top-notch. He seemed totally good," Miller said. "He seemed totally cool and really focused."

As focused as energized as he was in Burbank, Jackson seemed even more excited about his comeback as the concert date approached.

He recently moved his rehearsals to The Forum, the Los Angeles Lakers' former arena in Inglewood, and ultimately to the Staples Center, where he was rehearsing daily, sometimes for hours.

Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of Grammy Awards, said he met Jackson there on Wednesday for a business meeting and spoke to him for about 20 minutes before Jackson invited him to watch him rehearse.

Ehrlich, who has known Jackson for years, said he was amazed by the singer's vitality and focus as he practiced moves with backup dancers and a handful of choreographers.

The choreographers walked him through moves and gave him stage directions. They also introduced him to some new props and appeared to be working with Jackson to incorporate them into the show.

"Michael was digesting it all. He was learning, but even with that, there were times during the songs where his singing was full out," Ehrlich said. "I would watch him move across the floor like the Michael of old. I was convinced (the comeback) was going to be the Michael of old."

Ehrlich said he left after watching Jackson work through five or six numbers, but got chills from watching him — a memory that seems especially precious now. The star showed no signs that he would die less than 24 hours later, he said.

"There was this one moment, he was moving across the stage and he was doing these trademark Michael moves, and I know I got this big grin on my face, and I started thinking to myself, 'You know, it's been years since I've seen that,'" he said.

"There was that Michael that was just like no one else and no one else could touch," he said. "The shame is that new generation won't see that — but we all came close to being able to see it again."

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Associated Press writers Lynn Elber, Raquel Maria Dillon, Beth Harris, Solvej Schou and Thomas Watkins contributed to this report.