Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)[2] was an American recording artist and entertainer. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, four of his solo studio albums are among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995), while his 1982 Thriller is the world's best-selling record of all time.
In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.
One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades. Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009, aged 50.
Death
On the morning of June 25, 2009, Jackson reportedly collapsed at a rented home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles. After he collapsed, Jackson's personal physician, who was with him at the time, attempted to resuscitate him.[148] Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a 911 call at 12:21 pm (PST)[149] and arrived nine minutes later. Jackson was reportedly not breathing and CPR was quickly performed.[150] Resuscitation efforts continued both en route to the UCLA Medical Center, and after arrival at approximately 1:14 p.m (20:14 UTC), for a further hour.[148] He fell into a coma and died shortly after arrival.[151] The cause of death is reported to be cardiac arrest.[150] Jackson was pronounced dead at about 2:26 pm local time (21:26 UTC).[152]
Los Angeles Police Department homicide and robbery division detectives attended the scene as a matter of routine in high profile death cases.[153] The case was transferred to the Los Angeles coroner for investigation as there was no doctor in attendance to sign the death certificate.[148] Jackson's body was transported by helicopter from UCLA to the LA Coroners offices.[154][155] The autopsy is said to be scheduled for Friday, June 26, 2009.[152]
Prior to his death, Jackson had been scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts to over one million people, at London's O2 arena, from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010. During a publicity press conference, Jackson made suggestions of possible retirement.[156] Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, had stated that the first 10 dates alone would have earned the singer approximately £50 million.[157]
More also in the Los Angeles Times
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