[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.]
[Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and his family is arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times.
Jackson was rushed to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center this afternoon by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.
Fire Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics responded to a call at Jackson’s home at 12:26 p.m. He was not breathing when they arrived. The paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and took him to the hospital, Ruda told The Times.
[Updated at 2:12 p.m.: Paramedics were called to a home in the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard. Jackson had rented the Bel-Air home for $100,000 a month. It was described as a French chateau estate built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater.
Turn to CNN for all day coverage ad nauseum.
OK, I know he was an amazing artist (in his younger years), but has become a sort of a freak show. I’m not impressed with all the hype.
Though successful as an erstwhile black artist, he was a piss-poor white one. Oh well, he’s dead. Never mind. I hope that now the world’s press will pay more attention to his sisters’ tits, which altered or not, unlike Wacko’s face, are not at all displeasing to the eye.
I’m guessing you didn’t grow up with his music. It seems younger people only remember the latter years… He had issues… Doesn’t change the fact that he was the King of Pop and defined the music of a generation.
I agree. Like Madonna, like them or not, they did cut a swathe through the music world in their time.
I liked the earlier stuff when I was a snot nosed laaitie, but I was disappointed with all the child fiddling news later on. However, there was one particular interview I saw with McCauley Culkin a year or two ago that made me think differently about it.
But however we remember him, he was a giant in his day. The music of the eighties would’ve been very much poorer without him.
And now he speeds towards his Great Reward–flying through the clouds, clad all in green, and surrounded by little boys who gaze into his eyes with rapt attention.
That was my exact same thought. The same as Diana dying… never saw it coming, but you can best believe it would be wise to stay away from CNN for a few months. As LL says they are already going overboard.
Celine Dion is on CNN with Larry King comparing the death to the death of a president and/or Elvis. There’s another cautionary tale made flesh.
I guess the poor bastard is out of his misery now. It wasn’t going to be much of an old age anyway.[/quote]
Actually, I think Michael and Elvis had a fair bit in common. Incredible musical talents who could move and make movies/videos . . . They made some comeback attempts, but their material after age 34 was awful (“Suspicious Minds” and “Dangerous” or “Bad” were the last of the “good”, right?). They both were nutty, built strange “houses”, had weight fluctuations, and died around the same age (46 and 50) with possible drug-related heart problems.
Oh, yeah, they both married someone named “Presley.”
…and we don’t want to see full coverage of the protracted fight for his “inheritance” -The Beatles catalogue still there, isn’t it?- between his children and family members and most importantly, his debtors -revival concert organizers included…
Sigh It’s going to be a bloodfest for months if not years to come.
At least, he’s at peace now, and no matter what they say about him, he won’t be hurt by it anymore.
Fuck Me!
So that’s why i heard ‘billy jean’ in the convenience store this morning. I was wondering why it was on the air. I thought perhaps he was touring again to raise funds for his teams of lawyers.
Michael was so outstanding in the Jackson 5, Off the Wall, and Thriller. Too bad he lost all that talent due to exceedingly poor judgement.
Another Icon Bites The Dust.
Drive On.
The Bee Gees will be singing at Michael’s Jackson funeral. Tito and Jermaine want them to sing “How Deep is Your Bruv”.
Plans are afoot to release a posthumous double-A-side single in honour of MJ, with a rework of Nik Kershaw’s “I won’t let your son go down on me” on one side, and “I’m forever blowing Bubbles” on the other….
