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Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25,
2009) was an American recording artist and entertainer. The
seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional
music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began
a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to
as the "King of Pop"in subsequent years, his 1982 Thriller is
the world's best-selling record of all time and four other solo
studio albums are also among the world's best-selling records: Off
the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and his story (1995)
.
Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today
after paramedics found him in a coma at his Bel-Air mansion, city
and law enforcement sources told The Times.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told The Times that
paramedics responded to a 911 call from the home. When they arrived,
Jackson was not breathing.
The paramedics performed CPR and took Jackson to UCLA Medical
Center, Ruda said. Hundreds of reporters gathered at the hospital
awaiting word on his condition. The sources, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity, said family members rushed to Jackson’s
bedside, where he was in a deep coma.
The circumstances of Jackson’s death remain unclear. Law enforcement
sources said that Los Angeles Police Department robbery-homicide
detectives have opened an investigation into the death, though they
stressed that there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
The detectives plan to interview relatives, friends and Jackson’s
doctors to try to figure out what happened. The L.A. County
coroner’s office will determine a cause of death. A Los Angeles Fire
Department source told The Times that Jackson was in full cardiac
arrest when rescue units arrived.
A doctor was in the house performing CPR on Jackson, said the source
who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to
speak to the media. Paramedics were called to a home in the 100
block of Carol wood Drive off Sunset Boulevard.
Jackson rented the Bel-Air home -- described as a French chateau
built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a
theater -- for $100,000 a month. The home is about a six-minute
drive from UCLA Medical Center. Jackson has three children -- sons
Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter
Paris Michael Katherine, 11.
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