Jackson’s death concludes a life full of ups and downs
Hürriyet Daily News with wires
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Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" who once moonwalked over the music world, died as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50.Jackson died Thursday, according to local time, at UCLA Medical Center after falling ill at his rented home in Holmby Hills.
Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him.
"It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known," his brother Jermaine said. Police said they were investigating, which is standard procedure in high-profile cases.
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 man that united black and white music, shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. He was 4 years old when he began singing with his brothers Ğ Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito Ğ in the Jackson 5. After his early success with bubblegum soul, he struck out on his own, generating innovative, explosive, unstoppable music.
His 1982 album "Thriller" Ğ which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" Ğ is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 40 million to 100 million copies sold worldwide, according to The Times of London.
At the time of his death, Jackson was rehearsing for what some said was to be his greatest comeback. He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set scheduled for July 13.
A pop sensation
The public first knew him as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Indiana. He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. "I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him," said Quincy Jones, who produced "Thriller."
As the years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure Ğ a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. In 2005, he was cleared of charges that he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of giving the boy alcohol and groping him and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.
The case followed years of rumors about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual. Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.