Michael Jackson dies
2009-06-25 23:50
Los Angeles - Pop icon Michael Jackson has died in a Los Angeles hospital, TMZ website reported on Thursday.
He was 50.
TMZ said Jackson had had a heart attack. Paramedics who had been called out to his Holmby Hills home had been unable to revive him, despite administering CPR.
The website said Jackson was already dead when the paramedics arrived. It added that one of the staff members at Jackson's home had called 911.
He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Jackson was is due to start a series of comeback concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer, whose hits include Thriller and Billy Jean, has been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months.
The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within hours of going on sale in March.
Jackson, who started out as a child star in the band The Jackson 5 more than 40 years ago, has lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation.