Michael Jackson dies at age 50

The 'King Of Pop' dies just weeks before his London comeback shows
The 'King Of Pop' dies just weeks before his London comeback shows

Michael Jackson has died at the age of 50. The pop icon was found unconscious at his home in Los Angeles and rushed to UCLA Medical Center. The entertainer had suffered a cardiac arrest.

According to reports, Jackson was not breathing when paramedics were called to his Los Angeles home at 12:26pm this afternoon. According to the Los Angeles Times, Fire Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and took him to the hospital. At the hospital, all attempts to resuscitate Jackson failed.

Jackson was in Los Angeles rehearsing for his This Is It! run of concerts at London's O2 Arena. The shows were scheduled to begin 13 July and run until 2010.

The opening four dates of Jackson's London shows were delayed, reportedly due to the "massive and technical complex nature" of the production. Reports were rampant that Jackson, who had been rumored to be in ill health over the years, was missing rehearsals.

Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said an autopsy would probably be done on the singer Friday, with results expected that afternoon.

Numerous stars have been paying tribute to Michael Jackson.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.