Michael Jackson, the iconic King of Pop music, has died after being rushed to a Los Angeles hospital in cardiac arrest, according to a report on the Los Angeles Times website.
The Los Angeles Times cited city and law enforcement sources in saying Jackson was dead. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda said Jackson, 50, was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home, the report said.
Michael Jackson, who died today at the age of 50, performs at Madison Square Garden in New York in this 2001 photo. Jackson was taken to UCLA Medical Center while the paramedics performed CPR, Ruda said.
L. Londell McMillan, a lawyer for Jackson, did not have any information. Messages left for other Jackson associates were not immediately returned.
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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 26 million copies.
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.
By some measures, he 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.
As years went by, he became an increasingly freakish figure -- a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grownup 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.
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