MICHAEL JACKSON
Jun 27, 2009
1958 – 2009<br><br><b>Mystery surrounds Jackson death</b><br><br>One day after Michael Jackson’s sudden death, speculation was already turning on Friday to what killed the 50-year-old “King of Pop†just weeks before his long-awaited series of
1958 – 2009
- What killed the King of Pop?
- A troubled life
- View our photoslide on the times of Michael Jackson: ::CLICK HERE::
- Tributes from Uganda
- His impact on Africa
- Greatest hits
- Reactions from around the world
- Ugandans who imitated him
Mystery surrounds Jackson death
One day after Michael Jackson’s sudden death, speculation was already turning on Friday to what killed the 50-year-old “King of Pop†just weeks before his long-awaited series of comeback concerts.
Jackson, a former child star who became one of the best-selling pop artistes of all time before a descending into a strange and reclusive lifestyle, died on Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital. He had been rushed to the hospital after a collapsing due to a cardiac arrest at his nearby rental home.
Few details were known early Friday about the circumstances surrounding his death, but the entertainer was reportedly unconscious and not breathing by the time he arrived at UCLA Medical Centre, and doctors.
His body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the coroner’s office late on Thursday.
Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, told the press on Thursday that the family had been concerned about his health and had tried in vain to take care of him for months.
“Michael appeared at rehearsals a couple of times, he was very seriously trying to be able to do those rehearsals,†Oxman said of Jackson’s preparations for a series of 50 concerts that were scheduled to begin in London in July.
“His use of medications had gotten in the way, his injuries which he had sustained performing, where he had broken a vertebrae and his leg from a fall on the stage, were getting in the way,†Oxman said.
Authorities cautioned that it could take weeks to determine the cause of the death, which will likely have to wait for the return of toxicology tests. Those tests will determine if Jackson had any drugs, alcohol or prescription medications in his system.
750 million record sales
Michael Jackson is considered one of the most successful entertainers of the past century, with a lifetime sales tally estimated at 750 million records and 13 Grammy Awards.
“Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived,†said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jackson’s first label boss. “He was exceptional, artistic and original. He gave the world his heart and soul through his music.â€
But Jackson’s reputation as a singer and dancer was overshadowed in recent years by his increasingly abnormal appearance and bizarre lifestyle, which included his friendship with a chimp and a preference for the company of children.
He named his estate in the central California foothills, Neverland Valley Ranch, in tribute to the J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan stories and filled it with amusement park rides and a petting zoo.
Jackson was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He became even more reclusive following his 2005 acquittal and vowed that he would never again live at Neverland.
Facing a battered reputation and mountain of debts that the Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson had spent the last two months rehearsing for the London concerts, including Wednesday night at the huge Staples Centre arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.
Despite reports of Jackson’s ill-health, 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.
His life
Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children and first performed with his brothers as a member of the Jackson Five.
His 1982 album, Thriller yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the U.S. and at least 27 million internationally.
The following year, he unveiled his signature “moonwalk†dance move, gliding across the stage and setting off an instant trend, while performing Billie Jean during an NBC special.
In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in a divorce in 1996.
Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999, and he later had another child with an unidentified surrogate mother.
He is survived by three children 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.
- What killed the King of Pop?
- A troubled life
- View our photoslide on the times of Michael Jackson: ::CLICK HERE::
- Tributes from Uganda
- His impact on Africa
- Greatest hits
- Reactions from around the world
- Ugandans who imitated him
Mystery surrounds Jackson death
One day after Michael Jackson’s sudden death, speculation was already turning on Friday to what killed the 50-year-old “King of Pop†just weeks before his long-awaited series of comeback concerts.
Jackson, a former child star who became one of the best-selling pop artistes of all time before a descending into a strange and reclusive lifestyle, died on Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital. He had been rushed to the hospital after a collapsing due to a cardiac arrest at his nearby rental home.
Few details were known early Friday about the circumstances surrounding his death, but the entertainer was reportedly unconscious and not breathing by the time he arrived at UCLA Medical Centre, and doctors.
His body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the coroner’s office late on Thursday.
Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, told the press on Thursday that the family had been concerned about his health and had tried in vain to take care of him for months.
“Michael appeared at rehearsals a couple of times, he was very seriously trying to be able to do those rehearsals,†Oxman said of Jackson’s preparations for a series of 50 concerts that were scheduled to begin in London in July.
“His use of medications had gotten in the way, his injuries which he had sustained performing, where he had broken a vertebrae and his leg from a fall on the stage, were getting in the way,†Oxman said.
Authorities cautioned that it could take weeks to determine the cause of the death, which will likely have to wait for the return of toxicology tests. Those tests will determine if Jackson had any drugs, alcohol or prescription medications in his system.
750 million record sales
Michael Jackson is considered one of the most successful entertainers of the past century, with a lifetime sales tally estimated at 750 million records and 13 Grammy Awards.
“Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived,†said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jackson’s first label boss. “He was exceptional, artistic and original. He gave the world his heart and soul through his music.â€
But Jackson’s reputation as a singer and dancer was overshadowed in recent years by his increasingly abnormal appearance and bizarre lifestyle, which included his friendship with a chimp and a preference for the company of children.
He named his estate in the central California foothills, Neverland Valley Ranch, in tribute to the J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan stories and filled it with amusement park rides and a petting zoo.
Jackson was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He became even more reclusive following his 2005 acquittal and vowed that he would never again live at Neverland.
Facing a battered reputation and mountain of debts that the Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson had spent the last two months rehearsing for the London concerts, including Wednesday night at the huge Staples Centre arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.
Despite reports of Jackson’s ill-health, 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.
His life
Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children and first performed with his brothers as a member of the Jackson Five.
His 1982 album, Thriller yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the U.S. and at least 27 million internationally.
The following year, he unveiled his signature “moonwalk†dance move, gliding across the stage and setting off an instant trend, while performing Billie Jean during an NBC special.
In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in a divorce in 1996.
Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999, and he later had another child with an unidentified surrogate mother.
He is survived by three children 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.