Music icon Michael Jackson, whose fame spanned from his childhood with the legendary Jackson 5 to a superstar solo career that earned him the nickname 'King of Pop,' died Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital, a source close to the family told FOX News. He was 50.
Debra Opri, a former Jackson family attorney, confirmed the singers death after other media reported that he had fallen into a coma. He reportedly was taken by ambulance at 12:30 p.m. local time to UCLA Medical Center, where he died at 3:15 p.m.
Multiple reports said he had gone into cardiac arrest, though the official cause of death wasn't immediately known. A news conference is expected later Thursday at the hospital, where fans have gathered to pay tribute to the singer.
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.
Jackson was born in Indiana in 1958. He rose to fame as part of the successful pop group The Jackson 5, formed with his brothers in 1967. The group went on to earn four number one hits in 1970 alone, and the 12-year-old Jackson became the undeniable breakout star of the group.
In 1972, Jackson enjoyed his first solo hit with the song “Ben.” Six years later, he made his film debut in “The Wiz,” in which he renewed his friendship with producer Quincy Jones.
Collaborating with Jones, Jackson went on to become remarkably successful with his solo efforts “Off The Wall” in 1979 and “Thriller” in 1982.
From there, Jackson went on to become the undeniable “King of Pop,” winning eight Grammy awards for “Thriller” alone.
During the 1980s, he became an icon with a distinct style of fashion and performing, as well, wearing one sparkling glove, bejeweled military clothing and short pants with socks.
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It was around this time that Jackson began experimenting with excessive cosmetic surgery, including lightening of his skin.
In 1992, Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation," a charity that brought underprivileged children to his Neverland Ranch, where Jackson would spend time with them and allow them to stay the night.
This practice raised many eyebrows, especially when Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy who had become a regular Neverland guest. Jackson maintained his innocence. In 1994, he settled the case out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Jackson briefly was married to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis. The union drew intense public scrutiny, there was speculation as to whether the marriage was simply an attempt to improve Jackson’s image, though he maintained that they lived genuinely as husband and wife; however, the marriage broke up after less than two years.
From there, his career never quite recovered, but he remained in the news, making headline after headline for strange and unusual behavior, including dangling his child over a balcony in Germany in 2002.
In 2004, police raided the Neverland Ranch, issuing an arrest warrant for charges of child molestation based on allegations of a boy who had appeared in Martin Bashir's infamous documentary about Jackson. Later that year, a man filed a lawsuit against him, alleging he had been molested 20 years earlier, explaining that he had repressed the memory until 2003. However, a judge eventually dismissed the lawsuit.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested the 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of playing 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.
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.
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."
The Tim Burton 3-D flick doesn't come out till spring 2010, but film fans now have their first look at Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen from the upcoming "Alice in Wonderland." The lead role of Alice will be played by 19-year-old unknown Mia Wasik
ow
ska from Australia.
Let’s take a look at another FTW moment of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton gets punched from behind by alleged Black Eyed Peas’ manager Polo Molina.
A photo of Perez Hilton getting punched surfaced on the internet but it doesn’t clearly show who really punched him. If you’ve seen the Perez Hilton assaulted video wherein Perez was very furious about what happened to him the past few days with the Black Eyed Peas group, you’d probably think that this guy is already over reacting. But legally he still filed a case against Polo Molina, the Black Eyed Peas manager who was arrested for assaulting Perez after the MuchMusic Awards in Toronto. Perez, in an interview, said that he does not believe in violence but he’s a victim of intentional infliction of emotional distress. Duh! It’s just a matter of time before someone hits him again in the face.
Check out the must see hilarious photo of Perez Hilton getting punched after the jump. Ouch that should hurt!
Paula Abdul accidentally made a cameo as herself in Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy, "Bruno." And in a new interview with SIRIUS XM's "The Morning After With Angela Yee!," the "American Idol" judge revealed she found out about her involvement in the film quite some time after it was first filmed.
"A little over three weeks ago, my management sent over to me – 'US Weekly and People magazine and USA Today want to know about how it felt being pranked by Sacha Baron Cohen, AKA Bruno?' I went, 'I've never worked with Sacha Baron Cohen,'… So, they responded 'Paula's never worked with Sacha Baron Cohen,'" she told the morning show.
But after responding to the mags, Paula realized she made a mistake.
"Later on that night, I woke up… in a pool of sweat at two o'clock in the morning, going 'Ahhh!'" she recounted. "I ran to the Internet and I remembered, 'Oh my god, a year ago, they got me.' I had no idea it was Sacha Baron Cohen."
In the comedian's new movie, "Bruno," Paula was fooled into doing an interview with the fictional gay Austrian fashion journalist. And Paula explained how she was coaxed over for the shoot.
"I was told I got the Austrian/German 'Entertainer of the Year Award.' I thought 'Wow! That's pretty fantastic,'" she explained.
Paula said she went over to the furniture-less house where she was met by a "weird, tall, skinny, creepy looking dude" who was "dressed like Captain Nemo."
While there, he asked her to put on a suit and run and jump on a Velcro wall, which she declined to do. She did, however, crouch on some human furniture.
"He goes, 'Immigrants! Immigrants' and… these two Mexican gardeners come into the house," Paula recounted. "He tells them to drop on all fours and for me to sit down on them. I said, 'I'm not gonna do that!' and he goes, 'Just sit!' I was literally holding my own weight."
Paula eventually stood up to Bruno and got herself out of there. And unlike some who have filed lawsuits against the British comedian, Paula bares no ill will.
"I think it's hysterical," she said.
Miley Cyrus isn't done with Hannah Montana. The Jonas Brothers, however, are momentarily done with Saturday night.
Disney Channel announced today that Hannah Montana—and the red-hot Cyrus—will be back for a fourth season.
JONAS, meanwhile, the tween-idol band's fledgling Disney Channel sitcom, is on the move from its original night and time to Sunday, where, presumably, iCarly can't hurt it anymore.
The move to pick up Hannah Montana, record-holder of cable TV's biggest audience for a single series telecast, was a gimme—no matter the wig-doffing business in this spring's hit big-screen version, or Cyrus telling E! Online's Marc Malkin last year that "we're thinking this [third season] is our last season."
Shortly after the Cyrus quote was published, Disney Channel made sure to note to Malkin that it held the option on a fourth Hannah season.
No mere draftee, the 16-year-old Cyrus appears to helping call the shots. Disney Channel said the show's fourth season, at the behest of Cyrus and producers, will find Cyrus' TV family "saying goodbye to their beachfront Malibu home."
There was no word on the future of the wig.
Production on the new season is scheduled to begin early next year. As Miley and father/costar Billy Ray Cyrus both Twittered today, shooting on the third season wraps this Friday.
"i am gonna miss everyone so much," Miley Cyrus wrote in a no-time-for-punctuation post. "but im super stoked about 'the last song.' "
The Last Song is the big-screen drama Cyrus will shoot this summer during her Hannah hiatus.
In related news, the Disney Channel said today it was renewing its freshman Demi Lovato sitcom, Sonny With a Chance, for a second season.
Responding to an inquiry regarding the status of JONAS, which hadn't aired a new episode in two weeks (after premiering only a month ago), the network said the show was getting a new home as part of a routine summer overhaul.
The Monkees-aspiring JONAS debuted May 2 before a solid 4 million viewers, only to get hammered by an iCarly special the following week.
Starting this weekend, the Jonases' show, which formerly led off Saturdays, will be placed behind Sonny With a Chance, which itself will air after Hannah Montana, on Sundays.
According to Disney, JONAS was May's top-rated TV show among children 6-11, who, unfortunately for the sibling stars, aren't old enough to work for the New York Times—and lobby against articles that ask if their act is "fizzling."
