Reports: Legendary 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson, 50, has died

BY David Goldiner
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Updated Thursday, June 25th 2009, 5:16 PM

Michael Jackson died Thursday after being rushed unconscious and not breathing to a Los Angeles hospital, the Los Angeles Times and TMZ reported.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times that paramedics responded to a 911 call at 12:26 p.m. Jackson, 50, was not breathing when they arrived.

The parademics performed CPR on the way to the hospital, the paper said. A member of the Jackson family said his brothers and mother were on their way to see him. "[He's in] really bad shape," a family member told TMZ.

The cause of his death was unknown. His spokesman denied reports he had cancer just last month, asserting Jacko "is in the best of health."

The bizarre, scandal-plagued "Thriller" star had been trying to make a comeback in recent months.

He had 50 sold-out concerts planned for London later this summer. His death capped a life of superstardom and scandal. The music legend burst onto the pop scene as a child star with the Jackson 5 nearly four decades ago.

Once a sure-fire hit machine, he still holds the record for the biggest-selling album with "Thriller." He also wowed fans with monster hits like "Billie Jean" and "Rock With You."

Millions of fans imitated his famed moonwalk dance and he was known worldwide as the Gloved One for his trademark handwear. But personal and professional woes have eclipsed his talent for years.

He was acquitted in 2005 of molesting a young fan at his Neverland Ranch and caused an uproar by dangling one of his three children out of a Berlin hotel window in 2002. His latest recordings suffered from tepid sales and a rumored comeback album never materialized.

Jackson's first wife was Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, whom he married in 1994. It was a match made in showbiz heaven but they split less than two years later. He later married Australian Debbie Rowe and they had two children, Prince, 12 and Paris, 11.

A third child, Prince Michael II, was reportedly born with the help of an anonymous surrogate mother.

Jackson had faced serious financial problems in recent years as sales wilted.

He faced certain foreclosure on Neverland until he managed to refinance the mortgage on the 270-acre spread. Some analysts said he could make more than $200 million from this summer's concerts in Britain.

Jackson moved with his kids to Bahrain in the Persian Gulf after his molestation trial, but returned to Los Angeles in recent months.