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 on 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. local time (3:30 EDT, 1930 GMT), Captain Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.

Tragic end

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, remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million copies worldwide. He is also known for touching ballads, such as Gone Too Soon, dedicated to his friend and AIDS victim, 18-year-old Ryan White.

The public first knew him in the late 1960s when as a boy, he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson Five, 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.

consummate entertainer

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 sequinned 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.

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. In fact, he united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie.

But as years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure, a middle-age 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.

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: show-stopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.

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