Probably no celebrity has been as revered and reviled over the past 40 years as Jackson, 50, who died Thursday in Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press. The troubled, reclusive star was rushed to UCLA Medical Center by paramedics responding to a call from his home at about 12:30 p.m.
The cause of Jackson’s death was not immediately announced, nor were circumstances surrounding it. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics got to his Los Angeles home, Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office will perform an autopsy today on Michael Jackson as officials attempt to piece together details of the pop star’s death at age 50.
Jackson died as he was preparing a comeback, with 50 shows scheduled for London this year. Johnny Caswell, a principal at Centerstaging, the Burbank soundstage where Jackson had been rehearsing, said Jackson was “very frail” but approached the rehearsals — including one the night before his death that witnesses at Staples Center called triumphant — with boundless energy.
