Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, has left millions of fans in mourning as he dies in Los Angeles, aged 50.
Ambulance and doctors were called to the Jackson's Beverly Hills home at midday yesterday after the singer stopped breathing. The star was pronounced dead two hours later at the UCLA medical centre.
Jermaine Jackson, who had dashed to the hospital to be with his brother later told the gathered press and fans Michael was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.
Speaking on behalf of the Jackson family, Jermaine said doctors had tried to resuscitate the star for more than an hour without success, adding "The family requests that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time. And Allah be with you Michael always. I love you."
TV showed the star's body flown from UCLA to the LA County Coroner's office where a post-mortem is expected to take place on Friday.
Concerns regarding Jackson's fitness were raised last month when four of Jackson's planned comeback concerts were postponed, but the star and the organizers insisted the dates had been moved due to the complexity of staging the show.
Friends of Michael doubted that he would have been able to go through with the concerts, saying the singer was too frail and the demands of a series of live concerts would have placed too much stress on the unhealthy body of a 50 year old.
A source close to the singer said she thought the post-mortem would no doubt reveal that the demands of preparing for the dates was the contributing fact in his collapse and subsequent death.
A spokesperson for ‘The Outside Organization’, the company handling the publicity for the shows, said they had no comment at this time.
Large numbers of fans have also gathered outside Jackson's home and at the UCLA medical centre with lit candles to mourn the star while playing his greatest hits. Facebook groups have also been set up for fans to share their memories.
Jackson began his career as a child appearing with his brothers in The Jackson 5; he achieved global fame as a solo artist with smash hits including Billie Jean and Bad.
His biggest success Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time, selling over 65 million copies.
More recently the singer had been dogged by controversy and money trouble, becoming a virtual recluse.
The star leaves his three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.
