Fans worldwide mourn Michael Jackson

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the “King of Pop” and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50.

Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.

The circumstances of Jackson’s death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to the hospital, Ruda told the newspaper.

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.

His 1982 album “Thriller” — which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” ‘’Billie Jean” and “Thriller” — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.

The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers. Among their No. 1 hits were “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” and “I’ll Be There.”

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

“For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words,” said Quincy Jones, who produced “Thriller.” “He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music’s biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson’s death immediately evoked that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.

As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — 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. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.

“It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It’s as if he was trying to defy gravity,” said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a “disciple of P.T. Barnum” and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was “much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew.”

Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with 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 had 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.

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.

Singer Dionne Warwick said: “Michael was a friend and undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest entertainers that I fortunately had the pleasure of working with. ... We have lost an icon in our industry.”

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.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died,” a woman boarding a Manhattan bus called out, shortly after the news was announced. Immediately many riders reached for their cell phones.

So many people wanted to verify the early reports of Jackson’s death that the computers running Google’s news section interpreted the fusillade of “Michael Jackson” requests as an automated attack for about half an hour Thursday evening.

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.”

FANS MOURN WORLDWIDE

Morning television shows from Sydney to Tokyo interrupted programs Friday to report the news of Jackson’s death, while online fan pages dedicated to the King of Pop became impromptu memorial sites.

In Sydney — where Jackson married second wife Debbie Rowe in 1996 — commuters in the business district stopped outside television studios to watch coverage on outdoor monitors.

“It’s a terrible day for us all. We will now start remembering him for what he was, the greatest star ever,” Christos Winter wrote on his Facebook fan page, which previously had been devoted to a petition to convince the star to add Australia to his concert tour planned for this year.

The morning shows devoted full coverage to the Jackson’s death, alternating reporting from Los Angeles with viewers’ e-mails of memories and condolences.

In Brazil, movie director and musician Felipe Machado called Jackson “perhaps the best performer that ever existed.”

“Michael Jackson died. I never thought I would write this phrase, not because he was immortal (although his music definitely is), but because it is a phrase that is as unreal as was the existence of this incredible artist,” Machado wrote on the Web site of the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper.

Brazilian singer-composer and former Culture Minister Gilberto Gil also expressed his sorrow.

“It makes me very sad to see such a great and incredible talent leave us so soon — a talent that provided all of us with some wonderful moments,” he told Folha Online news service. “I’ll miss the King of Pop.”

In Japan, where Michael Jackson was a massive star, Fuji TV switched regular programs to live coverage from Los Angeles and New York.

“I woke up in the morning and saw news about Michael’s death and I just could not believe it,” said Hisako Ishii, a 35-year-old Tokyo resident. “It is really hard to believe he is dead. It seems so unreal.”

In Australia’s capital, the chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory was asked to reminisce about Jackson during a radio interview.

“I do remember him as the Jackson Five when he was just a boy and I think my clearest or perhaps my fondest memories of Michael are probably from that era,” 58-year-old Jon Stanhope told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. “His reputation was a little problematic lately but he was a great performer and I always admired his dancing — I thought he was just the most wonderful dancer.

“It is sad, it is incredibly sad,” Stanhope added.

CAREER TIMELINE

A look at the career of Michael Jackson:

— Aug. 29, 1958: Michael Joseph Jackson is born in Gary, Ind., the seventh of nine children.

— 1963: After several years of training, The Jackson 5 begin to perform in public.

— Dec. 14, 1969: The Jackson 5 appear on the “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

— 1970: Their first album, “Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5,” includes the hit singles “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There,” which go to No. 1.

— 1972: While still singing with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson puts out his first solo album, “Got to Be There.”

— 1979: Jackson’s first solo album as an adult, “Off the Wall,” is released. He becomes the first solo artist to place four singles from the same record in the top 10.

— 1982: His album “Thriller” wins a record eight Grammys and becomes the world’s biggest selling record of all time. Along with the title track, it includes the songs “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.”

— 1983: Jackson electrifies the 50 million viewers of the “Motown 25” television special by singing and dancing to “Billie Jean” while wearing a black fedora, one white glove, and pants that end above his ankles.

— 1984: During production of a Pepsi-Cola commercial, Jackson’s scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.

— 1985: Jackson and Lionel Richie write what becomes one of the fastest-selling singles ever with “We Are the World.” The song was produced to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine.

— 1987: His album “Bad” produces five No. 1 singles and sells at least 22 million copies worldwide.

— 1995: Releases the album “HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I.” In August, the song “You Are Not Alone” becomes the first single in pop music history to enter the Billboard chart at No. 1.

— 1997: The album, “Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix,” sells in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, disappointing numbers for Jackson.