Word has broken that pop star Michael Jackson has died after being rushed to hospital this evening after suffering a suspected heart attack.
The Irish Time breaks the news here…
The LA Times has reported in the last few moments that the singer was pronounced dead after being admitted to the UCLA Medical Center in a deep coma.
US authorities confirmed that the singer was taken to hospital after an emergency call was received from Jackson’s Holby Hills California home shortly after 12.20pm local time (8.20pm Irish time).
Paramedics are said to have performed CPR on the 50-year-old singer in the ambulance en route to the UCLA Medical Center. But a fire department official has told the LA Times that the singer was not breathing when the paramedics arrived at his home.
The TMZ.com celebrity website broke the news that the singer had passed away after failed attempts to revive him.
“We’ve just learned Michael Jackson has died,” TMZ said.
“Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back,” the entertainment site said. There was no official confirmation of the reported death and spokespersons for Jackson could not be reached for comment.
The LA Times, citing city officials, confirmed the singer’s death.
The news comes just weeks ahead of the 50-year-old singer’s attempted comeback which was to have involved an extensive global tour. He has had a history of health problems in recent years and has not finished a concert tour in more than ten years.
Very sad news indeed. Shocking in fact.
Haven’t been this sad about a celeb death since Johnny Cash on Christmas Day. Sniff.
I had tickets for his comeback. Alas, I’ll never get to see him.
It’s very sad alright Ronan. I’m quite taken aback by it I must admit.
Clicked onto Sky News just there before I saw this..
Overwhelmingly shocked is all i can say for now
It’s just unbelievable, and terribly sad
Fans are beginning to congregate outside the hospital. Huge crowds already.
at one point the man was an icon. many feel he still is.
end of the day. he’s a man. with kids. and the family do not deserve the media whirlwind that’s whipping up at their house. whether those intentions be bad or good
It’s terribly sad and shocking. I can only imagine how long the media hype will last as Sharon has said. His funeral will be something else I’d say.
Watching SkyNews last night and they rang up Yuri Geller, a close friend of MJ and actually broke the news to him then kept him on air trying to get a reaction. Sickening. He eventually told them he couldn’t talk any more and had to try to contact Michael’s family because he couldn’t believe it til he’d heard it from them or a doctor.
His poor family.
RIP Michael Jackson
@Niamh You’re kidding? Sky news rang Yuri Geller and broke the news to him on air? That’s sick and irresponsible and they should be heavily reprimanded for it. I can’t believe that.
@Darren just to be clear I’m not sure that they broke it to him live on air (I’d just switched over so didn’t hear the start of the conversation) but they did have him live on air during the same phone call asking him when he last saw MJ and what his reactions were. He told them he had to go to try to contact MJ’s family because this was the first he had heard of it…
I saw the start of the interview on Sky and they didn’t break the news to him. He knew but clearly not for long…
Thanks Dermot
He’s some glory stealer, poor Farrah!