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Michael Jackson, King of Pop, Dead at 50
International Pop Icon Dies After Suffering Cardiac Arrest in Los Angeles
By SHEILA MARIKAR and EMILY FRIEDMAN
Michael Jackson, the self-anointed "King of Pop" who revolutionized music but whose legacy was marred by allegations of child molestation and bizarre behavior, died after suffering cardiac arrest Thursday. He was 50 years old.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was called to Jackson's residence at 12:26 p.m. P.T., according to the Los Angeles Times. Paramedics performed CPR on Jackson, who was not breathing when they arrived at his home. He was rushed to LA Medical Center, just six miles from his home.
"For a long time he was unquestionably the most famous person on the planet," Jed Hilly, the executive director of the Americana Music Assocation, told ABCNews.com.
Watch "The Life and Death of Michael Jackson" on a special edition of "20/20" TONIGHT at 9 p.m. ET.
Chris Connelly, an ABC News contributor, was one of the last people to interview Jackson, and said today that the pop star was "determined to convey that he had greater things ahead of him."
"The word he spoke with the greatest emphasis was the 'More!' that he exclaimed when I asked if he could still do all his famous moves and hit all those notes at the age of 50," said Connelly of his August 2008 phone interview with Jackson.
Connelly asked Jackson if he had received his AARP membership, a question that garnered a laugh from the star.
"In an all-too-short life that in so many ways was filled with enigmatic emotions, or troubling ones, his laugh sounded fresh, clear and altogether genuine," said Connelly. "If only there had been more of those."
Jackson's death came less than a month before the start of a scheduled series of so-called comeback concerts. From July 13 to March 6, 2010, Jackson was scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts at London's O2 Arena.
Jackson is survived by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.
Fans last heard from Jackson during a press conference in London last March, where he assured about 2,000 fans that his upcoming concert would be his "final curtain call."
"I just want to say that these will be my final show performances in London," he said to the screaming crowd. "This will be it. When I say this is it, this will be it."
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Bill Belew
Christian Worldview Examiner
Death is in the air. Farrah Fawcett died today. See: R.I.P. Farrah Fawcett: the Angel who gave men the most devilish thoughts Michael Jackson died today, too. He was 50.
What's that old saying? Something about deaths coming in groups of three. Who else we might wonder?
Question: are you afraid to die?
Lots of folks are. Yet, death is an inevitable outcome to the living. Only a couple folks didn't have to experience death, Enoch and Elijah. Makes me wish my name were Elliot or Elton if a name beginning with "E" has anything to with it. It doesn't.
How do we prepare for death?
Good works? Just being good people and hoping the big record keeper in the sky finds that the good ultimately outweighs the bad? It doesn't work like that either?
In short - there is nothing we can do to earn a place in Heaven. If you don't believe in heaven, you can stop reading now. You can stop reading CWE, too because I am a Bible believer who thinks there is one Creator who loves us so much he gave his son to die for us. And, if we believe that, we are on our way in the right direction.
Still - It is by grace we are saved through faith, it is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
And to be sure, the Creator wants everyone to receive this gift and he will not force it on anyone. It's there for the taking.
RIP Michael Jackson.
.........
I posted the above two news articles for a few reasons. One, yes I am/was a fan of M.J. I also feel very sorry for what the media did to him over the many years he entertained the world. I am sad that true artists, entertainers do not come like him anymore. At least in my opinion. I also do not care about his 'oddities' nor believe the scandal he went through in the early 90's. He was a genuine true artist, a great entertainer like no other. They don't come like this any more.
Just keep something important in thought...
There are far many Christian missionaries who risk their lives in dangerous parts of the world, get martyred for sending out the good news to others at the expense of their own life. They get no attention, no earthly reward and that is perfectly ok because their reward is in Heaven. So keep that in mind. Don't put man on a pedestal more than he is worth.
We are all sinners no matter what awards and cheers you get from this world.
R.I.P., Michael.
i mean look at his hand,even fairer than mine). I still dont full understand why he changed himself so bad. :disagree:Maybe there was a time that he said to himself that he will get back to the whites... by looking like them so that no one could degrade him... well I dont wanna roam into racism, but I want to concentrate on how he amazingly get everything he wanted physically and materially in life. 
