'King of Pop' soared, fell in remarkable life

Associated Press
Friday, June 26, 2009

On June 6, 2005, Michael Jackson supporter B.J. Hickman of Knoxville holds a sign outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., during the Jackson child molestation case.

Michael Mariant/Associated Press

Associated Press

On June 6, 2005, Michael Jackson supporter B.J. Hickman of Knoxville holds a sign outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., during the Jackson child molestation case.

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LOS ANGELES - 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 that his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.

Paramedics were called to Jackson's Bel-Air home - described as a French chateau built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater - that Jackson rented for $100,000 a month. The home is about a six-minute drive from the medical center.

Jackson was not breathing when the paramedics arrived and they could not restore a pulse.

Jackson has three children - sons Prince Michael, 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.

Jackson was attempting a comeback, rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London's O2 Arena. Jackson had won the backing of two billionaires to get him back on stage.

The concerts had been scheduled to begin July 13.

Johnny Caswell, a principal at Centerstaging, the Burbank soundstage where Jackson rehearsed for his London concerts, watched many of the run-throughs and said he was "absolutely shocked" by the performer's death. Jackson, he said, was "very frail" but approached the rehearsals with boundless energy. "He was working hard. Putting four days a week in here. Six hour a day. Working hard. Dancing," Caswell said.

His backers envisioned the London shows as an audition for a career rebirth that ultimately could encompass a three-year world tour, a new album, movies, a Graceland-like museum, musical revues in Las Vegas and Macau, and even a "Thriller" casino.

Such a rebound could have wiped out Jackson's massive debt, estimated at $400 million.

Jackson's career peaked 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.

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.

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

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 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.

The Los Angeles Times contributed to this article.

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