"I was just as shocked as the next guy that Michael Jackson died on Thursday, but evidently the King of Pop "had doctors visiting him daily."
Hollyscoop quoted a source that also says Jackson's personal physician was with him when he went into cardiac arrest, and the private doc evidently even accompanied Michael in the ambulance ride to the hospital.
Paramedics say they found the legendary pop singer in cardiac arrest and not breathing. They tried to revive Jackson in the ambulance but were unsuccessful. CNN's "Larry King Live" and local Los Angeles news outlets carried live coverage of a helicopter transporting Jackson's body to coroner's office where an autopsy will be performed.
An LAPD homicide unit was also seen investigating the home where Jackson was living at the time when he collapsed and died.
Hollyscoop quoted a source that also says Jackson's personal physician was with him when he went into cardiac arrest, and the private doc evidently even accompanied Michael in the ambulance ride to the hospital.
Paramedics say they found the legendary pop singer in cardiac arrest and not breathing. They tried to revive Jackson in the ambulance but were unsuccessful. CNN's "Larry King Live" and local Los Angeles news outlets carried live coverage of a helicopter transporting Jackson's body to coroner's office where an autopsy will be performed.
An LAPD homicide unit was also seen investigating the home where Jackson was living at the time when he collapsed and died.
As we wait for the coroner and toxicology reports on the death of Michael Jackson, questions are already being asked as to what killed the “King of Pop.” The Examiner has been looking more closely in to this after it was reported that his family had been enabling Michael the use of prescription drugs.
The death of the greatest entertainer ever has friends and family wondering what was the cause of his death, as they say that he had been healthy and full of energy as he prepared for his worldwide comeback tour.
Questions are now being asked as to his health when he announced his upcoming tour. We reported in an early post that he had undergone a four-hour medical examination, and had been classed fit. Friends, family and fans now await the autopsy results, only then will we know what the cause of death was for Michael Jackson.
In late 2003, facing charges of sexually molesting a 13-year-old boy at his famous Neverland Ranch in California, Michael Jackson addressed the allegations in an interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley.
"I wanted to have a place that I could create everything that I never had as a child. So you see rides, you see animals, there's a movie theater. I was always on tour traveling, you know, and I never got a chance to do those things. So I compensated for the loss by - I have a good time - I mean, I can't go into a park, I can't go to Disneyland as myself. I can't go out and walk down the street. There's crowds and bumper-to-bumper cars. So I create my world behind my gates. Everything that I love is behind those gates. We have elephants and giraffes and crocodiles and every kind of tigers and lions. And we have busloads of kids who don't get to see those kids, they come up, sick children, and enjoy it," Michael Jackson told Bradley.
"They enjoy it in a pure, loving, fun way. It's people with a dirty mind that think like that. I don't think that way. That's not me," Jackson added.
"And do you think people look at you and think that way today?" Bradley asked.
"If they have a sick mind, yeah. And if they believe the trash they read in newspapers, yeah. Remember something, just because it's in print doesn't mean it's the Gospel. People write negative things because they feel that's what sells," Jackson said. "Good news to them doesn't sell."
And Jackson says his relationship with this boy he first met a year ago was positive. He says he was determined to help him with his battle against cancer. Jackson says he tried to help the healing process by taking the boy around the grounds of Neverland to Jackson's favorite places.
"He had never really climbed a tree, so I had this tree that I have at Neverland. I call it my giving tree because I like to write songs up there. I've written many songs up there. I said, 'You have to climb a tree. That's part of boyhood. You've just got to do it.' And I helped him up. And once he went up, up the tree, we looked down on the branches and it was so beautiful. It was magical, and he loved it. It gave him a chance to have a life, you know? Because he was told he was going to die. They told him, they told his parents to prepare for his funeral, that's how bad it was. And I put him on a program. I've helped many children doing this," Jackson told Bradley.
The boy, whose name and face 60 Minutes did not reveal, has credited Michael Jackson's friendship and support with helping him to battle his cancer.
"Isn't that great? Not sick at all. No more cancer," Jackson said.
In a British documentary that was filmed before the boy alleged he was sexually molested, he said that he had stayed overnight at Jackson's home many times and had slept in his bedroom.
"There was one night I stood here and I asked him if I could stay in his bedroom, and he let me stay in the bedroom. And I was like, 'Michael, you can sleep on the bed.' And he was like 'No, no. You sleep on the bed. Sleep on the bed.' We're, like, 'No, no, no. No, you sleep on the bed.' And then he finally said, 'OK, if you love me, you'll sleep on the bed.' I was, like, 'Oh, man.' And so I finally slept on the bed," the boy told the documentary filmmakers.
A battle for the custody of Michael Jackson's three children began brewing between the children's nanny and grandmother just hours after the pop singer was pronounced dead Thursday, according to a Jackson biographer and family friend.
The children, when previously seen in public, were always at their father's side, regularly wearing pint-sized versions of Jackson's trademark surgical mask, or shrouds over their heads to conceal their identities.
As Jackson's behavior became increasingly bizarre over the years, public scrutiny focused on the children, particularly after Jackson dangled his infant son from a hotel balcony and allegations surfaced that the singer had molested other children.
Jackson was often criticized for treating his children like accessories, human additions to a menagerie that included a chimpanzee and a boa constrictor. Despite thousands of photos taken by the paparazzi and fans over years, the faces of the Jackson children have only been seen publicly a handful of times.
Police have not yet confirmed whether the children were at home with Jackson Thursday when he collapsed following a cardiac arrest.
"Michael's mother Katherine wants the kids," said Stacey Brown, co- author of "Michael Jackson Behind the Mask" and an old family friend. "But Michael always said he wants Grace, the nanny, to have them if something happened to him."
Grace, is Grace Rwaramba, 42, who has worked for Jackson for nearly two decades, starting as an office assistant who handled insurance for his employees.
Over time, observers say Rwaramba has taken an increasingly central role in lives of Jackson and his children. Jackson and Rwaramba were even rumored to be considering marriage in 2006. In 2008 she testified in Jackson's defense during a breach-of-contract trial brought against the singer by a Middle Eastern sheik.
Mark Lester, the children's godfather, said he would be willing to adopt the children but doubted the family would allow him.
"If called to do so of course I would. Michael has a large family. I'm sure the children will be well looked after... This is early days here. I extend my arms out to them, but they're American kids and I'm sure the family network will have put something in place," said Lester who is British.
"The kids were everything to Michael. They were his whole life," Lester added.
Music icon Michael Jackson passed away today at the age of 50 after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in L.A.
The King of Pop leaves behind an incredible legend having swept up an entire generation of fans and musical protégés in his wings. His vocal career, which has spanned decades ever since he first performed with his brothers and sisters as a member of The Jackson 5 in the late 60s, has even impacted the movie industry as his songs have been featured on an upwards of 50 soundtracks.
It may be cheesy, but the movie scene in which Michael Jackson’s tunes stand out in my mind the most would have to be from 2004’s rom com “13 Going on 30.”
After Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) magically transforms into full-blown adult on her 13th birthday,she has to take on the responsibility of a working woman … even if she has no idea what that means. Her 13-year-old sensibility, though, saves the day at a dull work event when she elicits an all-out dance party thanks to Michael Jackson’s classic “Thriller.” It’s adorably sweet and absolutely endearing.
Michael Jackson touched ever facet of pop culture, and it’s these kinds of moments that we’ll continue to cherish.
What Michael Jackson movie moments are your favorites?
The music of Michael Jackson blared from car stereos tonight on Grand Boulevard in Detroit as a gathering formed in front of the Motown Historical Museum to commemorate the superstar.
Dozens of people were laughing, dancing and singing along to Jackson songs at the birthplace of Motown Records just a few hours after the Los Angeles Times confirmed that Jackson had died suddenly at age 50 after collapsing at his Los Angeles home. Instead of tears, the music icon inspired celebration among this crowd in Detroit, where the pop idol recorded his early hit records with the Jackson 5.
“As tragic as it is, it’s nice to see all these people out here mourning the loss,” said Zack Herman, who drove half an hour from his suburban home outside of Detroit. “He defined what it was to be a true musician.”
The museum closed at 6 p.m. today, but shortly after, many locals convened on the front lawn to pay tribute. Some laid flowers on the steps; others said they planned to light candles in Jackson’s memory.
“That just shows you the power of Michael Jackson,” said Richard Wilks, who lives nearby.
Motown Records celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and Jackson was one of its biggest stars.
“He means everything to the city of Detroit,” said Michael Dates, an area resident who drove to the museum shortly after hearing the news. “This was the springboard for him to become big.”
Many at the museum described their first reaction to Jackson’s death as “shock.” The singer was a cornerstone of Detroit’s history, and many residents said they couldn’t remember a time in their lives without the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson’s classic solo albums such as “Off the Wall.”
“He was always just there,” said Andrew Rogers, who drove south into the city from Royal Oak, Mich. “I didn’t realize what it meant until he went away.” Lingering questions about Jackson’s alleged sexual misconduct and other controversies were overshadowed tonight by a jubilee honoring the happiness his music brought to these people.
You could certainly feel the love in Detroit as folks couldn’t help but smile when reminiscing about childhood memories of listening to Jackson records.
“My favorite video was ‘Thriller,’ and I used to try to mock him dancing,” said Detroit resident Anita Moton. “I can’t believe that he’s gone.”
Micheal Jackson known to be the “The King of the Pop” died at the age of 50 at the UCLA Medical Center. According to the news he died because of cardiac arrest he collapse at their home at Holmby Hills and he was run to the hospital immediately but he never revive it was announced that he was dead.
A tragedy for his family and a heartbreak to his fans, Michael Jackson's death also represents a blow to the L.A. concert promoter that staked its reputation on and sunk tens of millions of dollars into a lavish comeback that will never happen.
AEG Live billed "This Is It," the sold-out concert series that was to have opened July 13 in London, as the most expensive and technologically advanced arena show ever. It had invested more than $20 million to mount a production that was to have included up to 22 sets, elaborate light shows and high-wire acts. The company, which owns the Staples Center among many other venues, had also set aside 50 nights at its coveted European showplace, the O2 Arena.
With Jackson's death, AEG will have to refund the $85 million worth of tickets that were sold. Gone are the company's expected profits -- an estimated $115 million, according to Billboard -- as well as plans for a global three-year tour that the company had predicted would gross $450 million.
"They are taking a big hit," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of concert-tracking publication Pollstar.
Among the company's immediate priorities, he said, will be trying to find other acts to fill the O2, a 20,000-seat arena that does not rely on resident sports teams to occupy its seats. Jackson concerts were scheduled to run through March.
"They will be able to re-book some of those shows. But those in July, the building will probably be dark. You have an empty building, and that's going to have an impact on their London operations, certainly," he said.
AEG struggled to get affordable insurance for the shows, given Jackson's history of canceling tours and his 12-year hiatus from performing. Chief executive Randy Phillips vowed to self-insure the shows if carriers wouldn't, and ultimately the company secured coverage for what Phillips called "the first $23 million."
Mary Craig Calkins, a Los Angeles lawyer who specializes in insurance issues, said many entertainment companies get several kinds of policies before a big tour, including one that specifically covers the health of the star or "key man."
"Usually, they would put in place a package that would have multiple aspects to it. If you are headlining Michael Jackson, you have to have Michael Jackson at the show, so we would expect they would have a policy that would cover if he got laryngitis or had a minor traffic accident or died," she said.
AEG officials declined to comment on their insurance or the financial consequences.
"We're dealing with a tragedy. We have no comment on that," a spokesman said.
In an interview last month, Phillips said that when the company announced the Jackson comeback, he was derided by colleagues in the industry.
"Everyone was very unsupportive. . . . You know, 'He'll never do it. You're fooling yourself.' All of that," he said.
Phillip said he persevered, convinced by a physical that showed Jackson was in good health, a contract that bound the singer to show up and a conviction that "in this business, if you don't take risks you don't achieve greatness."
AEG had produced other "concert residencies" for singers, including Celine Dion and Prince, but Phillips had hoped Jackson's performances would cement the company's reputation among artists.
"When you do the greatest artist ever in the history of contemporary music, I think there is a halo effect for us in terms of booking other artists," Phillips said then.
AEG Live is a unit of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which is owned by Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz.
"The one thing about Anschutz is at least he's a billionaire. It's not going to put him out of business," Bongiovanni said.
"I was just as shocked as the next guy that Michael Jackson died on Thursday, but evidently the King of Pop "had doctors visiting him daily."
