King of Pop Suffers a Cardiac Arrest, Dies at Age 50

Michael Jackson, labelled since the 1980's by the media as the King of Pop, died today in Los Angeles following a cardiac arrest. The cause is as yet unknown.

By Jennifer Bunn, RN

Love him or hate him (and most of us loved him), Michael Jackson led a remarkable life of fame, with a career unmatched and unparalleled. The price of that fame? A haunted life, full of controversy, and one in which everyone seemed entitled to hold an opinion.

Michael began singing as a small child. He hailed from a family who were musically talented. Jackson was the seventh of nine children. Michael and his brothers appeared as a group called the Jackson Five and were signed to Motown Records, where they immediately became a raging success. Their father reportedly ruled the group with an iron hand, a fact that Jackson commented on after reaching adulthood. Michael was the lead singer of the group, and from an early age captivated audiences with both his singing and his dancing. He quickly outshone his brothers.

Michael began a solo career in 1972, enjoying success, but it was not until Jackson released Thriller in the 1980's that Michael Jackson became the icon that he was to be for the rest of his life. His signature single glove-wearing and his patented Moonwalk caused riots at many of his concerts. Young and old alike loved Michael, sometimes too much so. Thriller went on to become the biggest-selling record of all time, with hits like "Billie Jean", "P.Y.T" and "Thriller". Jackson was also a humanitarian, taking part in events of worldly importance to him, such as USA for Africa.

Jackson won 13 Grammy awards in his lifetime. And although his professional life seemed to be nothing but gold, his personal life attracted its fair share of controversy. Rumours regarding the King of Pop's eccentric lifestyle abounded, and Jackson was accused on more than one occasion of molestation. His troubled personal life caused him to go into seclusion for long periods of time. Jackson was preparing for a "final" set of concerts in Britain that were to begin in July of this year.

Jackson was formerly married to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis; they divorced less than two years later. Michael was also married to Debbie Rowe, with whom he fathered two children, Prince (12) and Paris (11). A third child, Prince Michael, was born via a surrogate.

No doubt the world will react with shock to word of the singer's death. Jackson was said to suffer from Lupus, a disease that can affect the heart. However, no cause of death has as yet been released. For now, the world will mourn and remember a singer who was unmatched in his lifetime, and the likes of which we will likely never see again.