BREAKING NEWS
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 6:58 p.m. ET June 25, 2009
Michael Jackson has died at age 50 after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center, NBC News has confirmed.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told the L.A. Times that Jackson was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home and CPR was performed.
TMZ.com reported that he may have suffered cardiac arrest.
Jackson had been due to start a series of comeback concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer, whose hits included “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 minutes of going on sale in March.
His lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million, which, added to the 13 Grammy Awards he received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time.
He lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation.
There were 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.
"I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news," said Quincy Jones, a longtime friend of Jackson's and producer of his “Thriller” album. “For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words. ... I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."
Michael Jackson died
хотя, если судить по его сутулости и измождённой внешности, у него могла сложиться очень тяжёлая старость, так что вовремя умер.
