Jun 25 2009
King of Pop Passes On At 50
The many faces of Michael Jackson, from 1971-1990. The 50-year-old pop icon and legendary recording artist passed away today after suffering cardiac arrest. (image courtesy of AP)
In the same day that television icon Farrah Fawcett passed away at age 62, yet another icon reportedly has died.
Fifty-year-old Michael Jackson- one of the biggest and most influential music superstars of all time- suffered cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home this afternoon. Neither family members or hospital spokespeople initially released an official statement, but news outlets- and a Los Angeles coroner, per CNN- report that Jackson was rushed to UCLA Medical Center but did not respond to attempts at resuscitation and passed away.
The Eternal Peter Pan (who never had much of a childhood himself) had been prepping for a number of concerts in London, and, recently, expressed discontent with having to put on 50-something shows, rather than the 10 for which he thought he signed on. Eerily, he reportedly said that doing that many shows would kill him.
A monumental loss to the entertainment and music industries, Jackson’s impact and influence- whether as a member of the Jackson 5 or as a solo artist- undoubtedly will carry on for generations to come. He broke down race barriers on MTV in the early 1980s, and while his continuously morphing face, personal hardships and scandals have overshadowed his music in the last 15 years or so, his best work stands among the best ever recorded: Off the Wall and Thriller remain definitive musical moments, with Thriller still holding the title as the world’s best-selling album of all time. And, despite recycling his renowned choreography time and time again, few rival his dazzling stage presence and performance capabilities- witness his groundbreaking Moonwalk.
While Jackson was frail and not the picture of perfect health (tabloid outlets speculated on a prescription drug addiction, and a Jackson family attorney flat-out acknowledged as much to CNN today), this sad news came out of nowhere. Music icon, pop culture phenomenon, humanitarian, father of three- R.I.P., King of Pop.
