AP Exclusive: Insomniac Jackson begged for drug

AP Exclusive: Insomniac Jackson begged for drug

Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said Tuesday that she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously.
But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, Lee said.
While in Florida on June 21, Lee was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff.
"He called and was very frantic and said, `Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said.
"I said, `Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away."
"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out."
Jackson did not go to the hospital. He died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest, his family said. Autopsies have been conducted, but an official cause of death is not expected for several weeks.
"I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug," Lee said.
Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use.
"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."
Jackson was rehearsing hard for what would have been his big comeback — his "This Is It" tour, a series of performances that would have strained his aging dancer's body. Also, pain had been a part of his life since 1984, when his scalp was severely burned during a Pepsi commercial shoot.
"The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno, who's been working out with Jackson for the past several months, said Jackson was focused on health.
"When he was with me, he wasn't different. He wasn't stoned. He wasn't high. He wasn't being aloof or speedy. Never talked about drugs," Ferrigno said. "I've never seen him take drugs. He was always talking about nutrition."
Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, Lee said. It is an intravenous anesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. It is generally given through an IV needle in the hand.
Patients given Propofol take less time to regain consciousness than those administered certain other drugs, and they report waking up more clear-headed and refreshed, said University of Chicago psychopharmacologist James Zacny.
It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to "chill out" or to commit suicide, Zacny said. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it doesn't take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person's breathing.
An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest, said Dr. John Dombrowski, a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Because it is given intravenously and is not the kind of prescription drug typically available from pharmacists, abuse cases have involved anesthesiologists, nurses and other hospital staffers with easy access to the drug, Zacny said.
In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it.
"I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want," Lee said Jackson told her.
"I said, 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' — and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago — 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up," she recalled.
According to Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he didn't want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved.
Londell McMillan, attorney for Katherine and Joe Jackson, talked about Lee's disclosures Tuesday on CNN.
"It's a hearsay comment. It would be inadmissible anywhere in a court of law," he said. "I also wonder why anyone would make a comment about something that they don't have much knowledge about. They didn't see the drug administered. It's again because of the Michael Jackson factor."
Lee said the singer drew his own distinctions when it came to drugs versus prescription medicine.
"He said, `I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine,'" Lee said. The next day, she said she brought a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference to show him the section on Diprivan.
"He said, 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe as long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up. It's going be OK,'" Lee said. She said he did not give the doctor's name.
Lee said at one point, she spent the night with Jackson to monitor him while he slept. She said she gave him herbal remedies and stayed in a corner chair in his vast bedroom.
After he settled in bed, Lee told Jackson to turn down the lights and music — he had classical music playing in the house. "He also had a computer on the bed because he loved Walt Disney," she said. "He was watching Donald Duck and it was ongoing. I said, `Maybe if we put on softer music,' and he said, `No, this is how I go to sleep.'"
Three and a half hours later, Jackson jumped up and looked at Lee, eyes wide open, according to Lee. "This is what happens to me," she quoted him as saying. "All I want is to be able to sleep. I want to be able to sleep eight hours. I know I'll feel better the next day."
Lee, 56, is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in California, according to the state Board of Registered Nursing's Web site. She attended Los Angeles Southwest College and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Sciences in Los Angeles.
Comedian Dick Gregory, who knows Lee and her work, said he believes Jackson's insomnia had its roots in the pop star's 2005 trial on child molestation charges. Jackson's health had deteriorated so much that his parents called Gregory, a natural foods proponent, for help.
Gregory said Jackson wasn't eating or drinking at the time and, after he was persuaded by Gregory to undergo testing, ended up hospitalized for severe dehydration.
But Jackson obviously was healthy enough to withstand the level of medical scrutiny needed to insure him for the upcoming high-stakes London concerts, Gregory said. "That you don't trick," he said of the exams.
Lee, who has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Marla Gibbs, Reynaldo Rey and other celebrities, said she was introduced to Jackson by the mother of one of his staff members. Jackson's three children had minor cold symptoms and their pediatrician was out of town.
Lee said she went to the house in January, the first of about 10 visits there through April, and treated the children with vitamins. Michael, intrigued, asked what else she did and took her up on her claim she could boost his energy.
After running blood tests, she devised protein shakes for him and gave him an intravenous vitamin and mineral mixture — known as a "Myers cocktail," after Dr. John Myers — which Lee said she uses routinely in her practice.
"It wasn't that he felt sick," she said. "He just wanted more energy."
Lee said she decided to speak out to protect Jackson's reputation from what she considers unfounded allegations of drug abuse or shortcomings as a parent.
"I think it's so wrong for people to say these things about him," she said. "He was a wonderful, loving father who wanted the best for his children."

michael jackson dying jokes

michael jackson dying jokes

While the vultures, thieves and naysayers pick over the bones of his controversial personal life, it is only the talent and genius of Michael Jackson that matter in the aftermath of his death. Jackson is one of the most monumental figures in the history of music. He was the ultimate performer, the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" and the master of modern entertainment. His spectacular vocal ability and knack for writing songs full of hooks, combined with a massive stage presence only boosted by unmatched fluid dance moves, remain the reasons he dominated the 80's and became one of the greatest cultural phenomena of all time. Think back to the first time you ever saw Michael Jackson doing the "moonwalk." Easily the most imitated dance move of the modern era, no one, the best dancers included, can do it quite like Michael did back in '83. He first broke it out over 25 years ago and the footage still knocked my jaw to the ground earlier this evening. Jackson moved like he was made of rubber, varying between his ability to stiffen like a steel robot and ripple like an ocean wave. While he was a singular dancing machine (pun intended), he also engineered an entire movement of choreography for (so far) the next two waves of popular music.Michael Jackson's music is his greatest achievement; but now, in the wake of his death, it is difficult to picture him in anything other than his comfort zone: on stage, sweating and wowing his audiences with his fantastic, otherworldly physical abilities. But the music drove the dancing. "Thriller" has been written and spoken about so much since its release in 1982 that it seems cheap to describe its importance and impact on the entire musical realm, but it needs to be stated that it is an incredible achievement. It is a mere nine tracks and 42 minutes in length, but that provides plenty of room for Michael and producer Quincy Jones to get the job done. While brief, it is also sprawling and massive in its scope and sound, a description that serves Jackson's entire recorded output. The album effectively demonstrates Michael's greatest strength in his songwriting and musical creation: his diversity, versatility and daring willingness to explore all genres, styles and musical boundaries. The album encapsulates disco, r&b, hard rock, soul, funk, dance, blues, jazz and show tunes. The lyrical topics range from love interests to urban gang violence to horror movie fantasy to media criticism to paranoia to fanaticism on a frightening level. No matter how dated one might consider this material to be, or how schmaltzy certain tracks simply are, this music is timeless, classic and just moves the listener in a way nothing else ever has. I challenge all my readers to put on "P.Y.T." and attempt not moving once throughout the song (it is playing in my headphones right now and it is as enjoyable as it has ever been...and, oh yes, I am dancing in my chair as I write this). While "Thriller" is Jackson's signature moment and the ultimate highlight of his 40-year, illustrious career, it is still only one snapshot of his musical universe. His role as the lead singer of the Jackson Five was his first foray into music and paranoid fear. The pressure must have been giant on little Michael's shoulders, but he handled it with grace and style, belting his way through classics such as "ABC," "I Want You Back" and "I'll Be There." Solo singles such as "Got to be There" and "Ben" and his role in the film "The Wiz" kept Jackson in the public eye throughout the 70's. 1979's "Off the Wall" proved to be the foundation of its follow-up's success, the origin of Jackson's work with Quincy Jones and the duo's love for variety and groundbreaking soundscapes. The album also produced four Top Ten singles, including the sexually-fused disco tunes "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough." Jackson followed up "Thriller" in 1987 with "Bad," the album that was destined to be a disappointment, which, oh yeah, only featured seven Top Ten singles and six Number Ones. The record was a juggernaut despite its slight inferiority to its predecessor, largely due to Michael being the biggest star in the world at that point. It is important to recall that "Thriller" was such a massive hit that it reigned in the top spot for 37 weeks, and spent 80 total (over a year and a half) in the top ten. After the album finally began to die down in 1985, Jackson co-wrote "We Are The World" with Lionel Richie, releasing it with the supergroup known as USA for Africa, featuring Jackson, Richie, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Tina Turner and many more. So when "Bad" arrived in 1987, Michael Jackson fever had barely lost any of its spark and his star only became bigger. The album featured another diverse batch of songs, largely reducing the disco influence and adding harsher, harder dance drums ("Just Good Friends"), increasing the funk ("Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel"), making the hard rock even nastier ("Dirty Diana") and getting even more paranoid and self-involved ("Leave Me Alone"). But the heart of the album rests in the addition of gospel to the mix in the form of the ultimate Michael Jackson ballad, "Man in the Mirror." "Dangerous" dropped in 1991, and while it was a solid record that threw new jack swing and hip hop into Michael's mixed bag of genres and featured at least a handful of vintage Jackson cuts, it lacked the quantity and quality of melodies, hooks and memorable themes that made Jackson's three previous efforts so huge. "Dangerous" is probably most famous for being the last remnant of the 1980's musical world to top the charts prior to Nirvana's "Nevermind" and the mutiny of the so-called "grunge" movement. Therefore, the album stands as more of a symbol than one of Jackson's personal achievements; a symbol of an era dying and, more importantly, a symbol of the end of Jackson's reign over the music industry. While "Scream," "You Are Not Alone," and especially "Earth Song" proved to be excellent singles, MJ's career was largely over by the mid-90's, especially in comparison with his world dominance in the 80's. But his legacy has lingered, even amongst the controversy and wild stories that have surfaced over the past 15 years. Jackson's mark is everywhere today, and has been since he first stamped his footprint firmly into the music, dancing and video world. The new jack swing/r&b of the early 90's, the boy band/teen pop movement of the late 90's and even the majority of both melodic rock and funky hip hop of the current decade owe large sections of their sounds and looks to the King of Pop. Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and others have automatically drawn comparisons to Michael due to their dance moves, musical performances and overall sound. When alternative metal band Alien Ant Farm covered "Smooth Criminal" in 2001, millions of kids discovered MJ for the first time and realized why he was so lionized. MTV named their "Video Vanguard" award after him due to his mastery of the art form. While Jackson has been the butt of thousands of jokes during the past two decades, his music stands alone and stands tall. Teenagers today might even mock Jacko and claim his music is corny or "old," but throw on "Billie Jean" and the party starts. If you have a friend that can "do Michael" and pull out some MJ moves at said party, everyone celebrates and knows exactly where those moves come from. Nearly everyone has a Michael Jackson memory. I have several. As a baby of the 80's, my brother and I were drenched in the sounds of Michael Jackson from birth onward. We used to turn the lights out, set the needle to the vinyl and frighten ourselves to death with the eerie sounds of "Thriller," from the off-putting harmonies to the classic spoken word section by Vincent Price. The song's epic video, directed by John Landis and running 13 minutes and 43 seconds in length, gave me nightmares as a child. His moonwalking figure stands tall above the hatred, controversy and questionable life choices.Michael Jackson remains an entity who has earned all of his received praise - and more. His legacy is pure talent. When I first learned of his death yesterday afternoon, I immediately thought of his ballads yearning and begging for world peace and love among the human race, i.e. "Heal the World" and "Man in the Mirror." These songs reveal the one part of Jackson that is discussed the least out of all his characteristics - his heart. The man was listed in the Guinness book as the record-holder for giving the largest amount of money to the most charity organizations. He befriended Ryan White and wrote a ballad for him when AIDS swept White's young soul from the planet. His "We Are the World" raised over $60 million for impoverished nations in Africa. Michael's sensitive soul and giant heart will outlive his death and his spirit will continue to inspire generations of artists, musicians, dancers, singers, poets, dreamers, lovers and believers. His songs will play and we will smile, dance, and perhaps, if we are listening closely, we might cry. The tears will come from a place only understood by the aforementioned believers, those who have faith in people, and like Michael, hope that one day the world will learn how to live in peace and love.

michael jackson s children photos

michael jackson s children photos

The crowns fit: Michael Jackson was the King of Pop; Elvis Presley was the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Both men commanded the pop-culture landscape, as much as the charts. Both men influenced their industry, as well as scores of artists.

And both men died suddenly and barely into middle age.

Jackson, whose landmark Thriller broke records and racial divides, whose smooth moves revolutionized dance as much as pop, and whose penchant for headline-making helped burnish his brand, and, following child-abuse allegations, helped tarnish it as well, died today after being found unconscious at his Los Angeles-area home.

Jackson suffered cardiac arrest around noon, according to father Joe Jackson, and never recovered. He was prounced dead at 2:26 p.m., officials said.

Music's eternal Peter Pan was 50. In the end, the King of Pop outlived Presley, whose daughter Lisa Marie Presley Jackson would wed, by just eight years.

From child star to music icon—reflect on Michael Jackson's life with our collection of photos.

"There's really no question if you're going to talk about the most looming, dominant figure in 20th century pop music," pop-music expert and USC associate professor Josh Kun tells E! News, "Michael Jackson is that person."

"He became synonymous with what pop was, and what it still is today."

Beginnings

Born Aug. 29, 1958, in hardscrabble Gary, Ind., Jackson was a nightclub performer by the age of 5. The first gig, with older brothers Jackie, Marlon, Tito and Jermaine, earned the group $8, and, according to a Billboard-branded history of the charts, a whole lot more in tips.

"On stage for me was home," Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in 1993. "I was most comfortable on stage but once I got off stage, I was like very sad.

In 1969, the brothers were signed to Motown Records. Their band, the Jackson 5, with then 11-year-old Michael on electrifying lead vocals, scored its first No. 1 hit in 1970: "I Want You Back." "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There" followed. As did teen idoldom.

Like their Osmonds counterparts, the Jackson 5 lived the 1970s highlife: hit records, magazine covers, an animated series, and a prime-time variety show, The Jacksons, which gave early exposure to a very young Janet Jackson, the musical family's youngest child, and a semi-green David Letterman. Unlike the Osmonds, the Jackson 5 did it all by breaking barriers as the first teen-idol act of color.

At the center of it all was Michael, who became a chart-topper on his own with 1972's "Ben," a song sweet enough to transcend its rat-movie roots.

The singular member of the Jackson 5, rebranded as the Jacksons in 1976, Michael Jackson seemed primed for film stardom, as well, after costarring as the loose-limbed Scarecrow, opposite his mentor,Diana Ross, in The Wiz. But the 1978 musical bombed, and took out the decade's once-booming black-film market with it.

Breakthroughs

Hollywood's loss was pop music's gain. In 1979, Jackson released his first solo album, Off the Wall. Though overshadowed by what was to come, Off the Wall was an influential work in its own right, and a best-seller, too, producing classic tracks such as "Rock With You."

Then came Thriller.

Released in December 1982, Thriller represented the pinnacle of Jackson's career, and the birth of the Pepsi-pitching, Disneyland-appearing, "We Are the World"-promoting superstar. Combined with his Moonwalk-introducing appearance on Motown 25, the 1983 TV special, Jackson—and music—were transformed. The revolution, at the dawn and maybe peak of the music-video era, was televised on MTV, which previously had been slow to showcase black artists.

In a 2002 interview with Vibe magazine, Jackson said he knew Thriller and Off the Wall were going to be special.

"Not to be arrogant, but yes. Because I know great material when I hear it, and meoldically and sonically and musically, it's so moving." Jackson said. "They keep the promise."

Back before albums were cherry-picked by iTunes-downloading consumers, Thriller was its own greatest-hits playlist, producing almost as many singles as there were tracks, seven in all—"Beat It" and "Billie Jean," among them.

"We call a lot of things king-sized," Syracuse University pop-culture expert Robert J. Thompson tells E! News. "In this case, it was not hyperbole. He even dressed like royalty."

On Grammy night in 1983, Jackson, decked out in a glimmering military-style jacket, dark shades and one lone sequined glove, his trademark, carted off eight awards: seven for Thriller and one for his work on a children's recording of that year's film phenomenom, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

Thriller ended up selling more than 104 million copies worldwide. In the United States, it spent years jockeying with volume one of the Eagles' greatest-hits collection for bragging rights as the Recording Industry Association of America's all-time certified best-seller.

Transitions

In his Thriller heyday, Jackson was viewed as both genius and man-child, but not necessarily an eccentric. Sure, he attended award shows in the company of Webster star Emmanuel Lewis, and, sure, his nose looked as if it might have been nipped a bit after Off the Wall, but there was nothing to scare off Pepsi, for which he was hired to sell soda to a new generation (and, in the process, singe his hair during a 1984 commercial shoot), or Disneyland, for which he starred in the park's Captain EO attraction.

Then a series of small things happened: the 1986 shot of him napping in a hyperbaric chamber; the tabloid story abut him wanting to buy the bones of the so-called Elephant Man; the menagerie of critters, including Bubbles the chimp, that comprised his posse at Neverland Ranch, the 2,800-acre estate turned fantasyland that Jackson bought in 1987.

And then a lot of plastic surgeries appeared to happen. By Jackson's count, he underwent only two procedures in his lifetime. But most bystanders begged to differ. Digital photo techology seemed invented to demonstrate how Jackson's face, and even his skin color, morphed over the years.

By the late 1980s, Jackson was all but branded an official eccentric. And he didn't care.

"The fans know the tabloid garbage is crap," Jackson told USA Today in 2001. "They always say to me, 'Let's have a tabloid-burning.'"

The hits, meanwhile, kept coming: "Dirty Diana," "Man in the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal," "Dirty Diana," and more, including the title track from 1987's Bad; "Black or White" and others from 1991's Dangerous.

Trouble

In 1993, Jackson, who, by that time, was positioned as an all-out kid-championing, if not kid-friendly, performer, was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy. Jackson denied any wrongdoing, and no criminal charges were filed. Years later it was reported Jackson paid his young accuser $23 million in a settlement.

In 1994, shortly after the molestation case was dropped, the 35-year-old Jackson wed Lisa Marie Presley. The two music-business babies had met in Las Vegas in the early 1970s. But if their union had a great backstory—King of Pop marries King of Rock's daughter—it was met with a great deal of skeptism. The couple protested.

"I'm not gonna marry somebody for any reason other than the fact that I've fallen in love with them. Period. Period," Presley told ABC News in 1995. "And they can eat it, if they wanna think any differently."

Jackson and Presley divorced in 1996.

Musically, Jackson seemed to vent his anger over the molestation case in 1995's "Scream," a joint howl with Janet Jackson, whose success at times nearly rivaled her big brother's.

While the song was a hit, Jackson's career took a hit, especially in the United States. As the years passed, Jackson produced more lawsuits, more headlines about his strained finances and more unusual behavior than music. A second marriage, in 1996 to Debbie Rowe, a former nurse for Jackson's dermatologist, with whom the entertainer had two children, didn't change popular opinion of a man dubbed "Wacko Jacko" by the British press.

Jackson and Rowe divorced in 1999.

More trouble ensued. In 2002, Jackson drew criticism for showing off his youngest child, a son born that year via surrogate and nicknamed Blanket, to the press gathered below his Paris hotel balcony.

In 2003, months after Jackson told interviewer Martin Bashir that he had innocently "slept in a bed with many children," the singer's Neverland Ranch was raided—and Jackson was subsequently arrested. Another child-molestation case was on. This time, the case went to trial. And the circus was on.

The salacious 2005 trial, involving testimony about chimps, Macaulay Culkin and a hot-air balloon plot, and briefly sidetracked by a hospitalization for the frail-looking defendant, ended in Jackson's acquittal.

Post-trial, Jackson and his children hopscotched the globe, eventually returning to the states, although never to Neverland. And never to his Thriller heights.

Even with all the blows, Kun says, Jackson's star never fully dimmed. "Elvis is still very much remembered for the glory days of his career," he says. "And with Michael Jackson, that's what people are going to remember the most."

Legacy

In late 2007, Jackson, approaching his 50th birthday and looking back on the 25th anniversary ofThriller, described himself as grateful for his run.

"I'm very proud that we opened doors, that it helped tear down a lot," Jackson told Ebony magazine. "Going around the world, doing tours, in stadiums, you see the influence of the music."

This past March, Jackson announced a series of concerts, scheduled for July in London, which would mark, as he put it, "his final curtain call."

"When I say this is it," Jackson said, "it really means this is it."

Jackson's survivors include his three children, parents Joe and Katherine, his six bandmates and brothers, including Randy, a latter-day member of the Jacksons, and sisters Janet, Rebbie and La Toya.

He also leaves behind 13-career Grammys, and, scattered in record collections throughout the world, 750 million album copies of Jackson's life work: his music

elvis presley age at death

elvis presley age at death

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Celebrities and stars around the globe paid tribute Thursday to pop icon Michael Jackson, praising his contributions to the world of music as they reeled from the news of his sudden death.

As fans gathered to grieve outside the Los Angeles hospital where the troubled star was pronounced dead after apparently suffering a heart attack, some of the biggest names in entertainment struggled to cope w

ith the news.

Madonna said she was left in tears over the loss of "one of the greats" of pop music.

"I can't stop crying over the sad news," the veteran pop diva told celebrity website People.com.

"I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever."

Actress Elizabeth Taylor, one of Jackson's closest and longstanding friends, was "too devastated" to issue a statement, her spokesperson said, according to People.

Record producer and former Jackson collaborator Quincy Jones said he too was "devastated" by the news that the "King of Pop" had died at age 50.

"To this day, that music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all -- talent, grace and professionalism," Jones told US television network NBC.

"I've lost my little brother today and part of my soul has gone with him."

The star's first wife Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, said his death had left her speechless.

"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family," Presley told MTV News in a statement.

"This is such a massive loss on so many levels. Words fail me."

Jackson's influence on a younger generation of pop stars was clear, with warm tributes from Grammy winners Justin Timberlake and Beyonce.

Timberlake -- who like Jackson is known for both his singing and dancing abilities -- said in a statement that the world had "lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music."

"He has been an inspiration to multiple generations and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together."

Beyonce called Jackson's death a "tragic loss".

"The incomparable Michael Jackson has made a bigger impact on music than any other artist in the history of music," she told US television programme Entertainment Tonight.

"He was magic. He was what we all strive to be. He will always be the king of pop.

"For anyone who has ever seen, felt, or heard his art, we are all honoured to have been alive in this generation to experience the magic of Michael Jackson."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lamented the loss of "one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry."

There were "serious questions" about Jackson's personal life, Schwarzenegger noted, adding however that he and his wife Maria Shriver joined "all Californians in expressing our shock and sadness over his death."

Uri Geller, a close friend of the star, said: "I'm just devastated, very, very sad. I pray that his soul is up there now." Jackson was best man when the television psychic renewed his wedding vows in 2001.

Celebrities from Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda to hip-hop icon and fashion mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs to cycling champion Lance Armstrong used micro-blogging website Twitter to express their sadness.

"Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him!" said Combs.

Jackson's album "Thriller" remains the bestselling album of all time with more than 41 million sales. And his iconic moonwalk has passed into dance legend.

"Just as there will never be another Fred Astaire or Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley, there will never be anyone comparable to Michael Jackson," director Steven Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly.

"His talent, his wonderment and his mystery make him a legend."

Tommy Mottola, the former head of Sony Music who released Jackson's records for 16 years, said the singer had a place in the pantheon of American music.

"In pop history, there's a triumvirate of pop icons: Sinatra, Elvis and Michael, that define the whole culture," he told the Los Angeles Times.

"His music bridged races and ages and absolutely defined the video age. Nothing that came before him or that has come after him will ever be as big as he was."

michael jackson music online

Michael Jackson's life was infused with fantasy and tragedy

He owned a statue of Marilyn, studied Chaplin and married Elvis' daughter. It seemed the perennial man-child would cease to exist if the applause ever stopped.

By Geoff Boucher and Elaine Woo
June 26, 2009

Michael Jackson was fascinated by celebrity tragedy. He had a statue of Marilyn Monroe in his home and studied the sad Hollywood exile of Charlie Chaplin. He married the daughter of Elvis Presley.

Jackson met his own untimely death Thursday at age 50, and more than any of those past icons, he left a complicated legacy. As a child star, he

was so talented he seemed lit from within; as a middle-aged man, he was viewed as something akin to a visiting alien who, like Tinkerbell, would cease to exist if the applause ever stopped.

It was impossible in the early 1980s to imagine the surreal final chapters of Jackson's life. In that decade, he became the world's most popular entertainer thanks to a series of hit records -- “Beat It,” "Billie Jean," “Thriller” -- and dazzling music videos. Perhaps the best dancer of his generation, he created his own iconography: the single shiny glove, the Moonwalk, the signature red jacket and the Neverland Ranch.

In recent years, he inspired fascination for reasons that had nothing to do with music. Years of plastic surgery had made his face a bizarre landscape. He was deeply in debt and had lost his way as a musician. He had not toured since 1997 or released new songs since 2001. Instead of music videos, the images of Jackson beamed around the world were tabloid reports about his strange personal behavior, including allegations of child molestation, or the latest failed relaunch of his career.

A frail-looking Jackson had spent his last weeks in rehearsal for an ambitious comeback attempt and 50 already-sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena. A major motivation was the $300 million in debt run up by a star who lived like royalty even though his self-declared title of King of Pop was more about the past than the present.

"It's one of the greatest losses," said Tommy Mottola, former president of Sony Music, which released Jackson's music for 16 years. "In pop history, there's a triumvirate of pop icons: Sinatra, Elvis and Michael, that define the whole culture. . . . His music bridged races and ages and absolutely defined the video age. Nothing that came before him or that has come after him will ever be as big as he was."

Jackson "had it all. . . . talent, grace, professionalism and dedication," said Quincy Jones, Jackson's collaborator on his most important albums and the movie "The Wiz." "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 was born Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Ind. His mother, Katherine, would say that there was something special about the fifth of her nine children. "I don't believe in reincarnation," she said, "but you know how babies move uncoordinated? He never moved that way. When he danced, it was like he was an older person."

Katherine Jackson, who worked for Sears, Roebuck and Co., taught her children folk songs. Her husband, Joseph, a crane operator who once played with the R&B band the Falcons, played guitar and coached his sons. The boys were soon performing at local benefits. Michael took command of the group even as a chubby-cheeked kindergartner.

"He was so energetic that at 5 years old he was like a leader," brother Jackie once told Rolling Stone magazine. "We saw that. So we said, 'Hey, Michael, you be the lead guy.' The audience ate it up."

By 1968, the Jacksons had cut singles for a local Indiana label called Steeltown. At an engagement that year at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater, singer Gladys Knight and pianist Billy Taylor saw their act and recommended them to Motown founder Berry Gordy. So did Diana Ross after sharing a stage with the quintet at a "Soul Weekend" in Gary.

Ross said later that she saw herself in the talented and driven Michael. "He could be my son," she said. Another Motown legend, Smokey Robinson, would describe the young performer as "a strange and lovely child, an old soul in the body of a boy."

Motown moved the Jacksons to California, and in August 1968 they gave a breakthrough performance at a Beverly Hills club called The Daisy. Their first album, "Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5," was released in December 1969, and it yielded the No. 1 hit "I Want You Back," with 11-year-old Michael on the lead vocals. "ABC,"“I’ll Be There” and other hits followed, and the group soon had their own television series, a Saturday morning cartoon and an array of licensed merchandise aimed at youngsters.
There was a price: childhood.
"I never had the chance to do the fun things kids do," Jackson once explained. "There was no Christmas, no holiday celebrating. So now you try to compensate for some of that loss."
Joseph Jackson ruled the family, by most accounts, with his fists and a bellowing rage. In a 2003 documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir, Jackson said his father often brandished a belt during rehearsals and hit his sons or shoved them into walls if they made a misstep.
"We were terrified of him," Jackson said.
In the Bashir interviews, the singer said his father ridiculed him for his pug nose and adolescent acne. He also described, with obvious discomfort, having to listen to an older brother have sex with a woman in the hotel bedroom they shared.
Onstage, Jackson seemed to know no fear.
"When we sang, people would throw all this money on the floor, tons of dollars, 10s, 20s, lots of change," an adult Jackson once told Newsweek. "I remember my pockets being so full of money that I couldn't keep my pants up. I'd wear a real tight belt. And I'd buy candy like crazy."

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LOS ANGELES — The death of Michael Jackson drew hundreds of fans as well as the curious to the hospital where he was treated and the house where he was staying.

His trials and tribulations for the most part were overlooked; most people came seeking a connection with an icon or simply

celebrated, sang and played his music while others barely familiar with his work recorded the occasionally tumultuous scene with cellphone cameras.

“We were just lucky to be here today,” said Kyle Joyce of Sacramento, who came to the hospital after hearing the news while walking on Venice Beach. “We just wanted to see it with our own eyes.”Local television showed people converging outside the gate of the Holmby Hills home where Mr. Jackson was living while rehearsing for a planned series of summer concerts overseas. A black S.U.V. pulled up to the gate and a few women, apparently friends or family members, got out and then left, saying to one another they would go to the hospital.That is where the larger gatherings swelled. The crowds were mostly orderly, and by dusk traffic still flowed, if somewhat slowly, through the streets around the hospital abutting the U.C.L.A. campus. Many pedestrians walked past with just a glance, saying they were not fans or were disturbed by his troubled past.“He was kind of icky to me,” said Rhonda Parker, 26,

a waitress on her way to work.

“A molester,” another man muttered as he hurried past, referring to accusations that Mr. Jackson had molested children at the compound he once had near Santa Barbara, Calif.

But, though Mr. Jackson had been secluded for the most part and bereft of a big hit for years, the horde demonstrated that he maintained a committed fandom. Many hung on any word that might emanate from the hospital.

They mixed with reporters from around the world. At one point, when word spread that an evening news conference would be held at a different location, the mass that had gathered on Westwood Boulevard surged like an amoeba up the street as many people chanted “Michael!”

Some carried flowers and others brought candles and scrawled messages on paper and poster board.

A green sign lettered “RIP MJ” hung outside a fraternity house while Mr. Jackson’s music blasted from inside.

Tourists from Spain snapped pictures of each other at the scene after friends back home sent instant messages urging them to record and transmit the scene.

Later, a group of men appeared selling $10 T-shirts with a silhouette of Mr. Jackson and reading “in loving memory of Michael Jackson.” There were few takers.

“Guess what? We are going to be on TV, in Asia!” one said.

Entertainers influenced by his career came out, too.

Veenchel Ednilao, a performer who goes by the name Vice and sings at weddings, said, “if it weren’t for MJ and my parents making me moonwalk across the living room floor, I wouldn’t be the entertainer I am now.”