Michael Jackson dies after cardiac arrest

1958-2009

The King of Pop is dead

First Farrah, now him...what a sad day in this country.

Michael Jackson died today after going into cardiac arrest, celebrity gossip website TMZ, followed by everyone else, reported.

Earlier, TMZ reported the 50-year-old global superstar had been taken by ambulance to the UCLA Medical Center in cardiac arrest with paramedics administering CPR on the way to the hospital.

He was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles, and attempts at getting a pulse failed--meaning he was dead or in a coma by the time help arrived.

At a press conference later in the afternoon, his brother Jermaine said Michael arrived at the hospital at around 1:14 p.m. with no pulse and not breathing. The medical team tried to revive him for over an hour but they were unable to bring him back, Jermaine said.

Cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack but total cardiac failure from which is extremely difficult to recover, with more than 95% of the people dying before reaching the hospital.

Michael's health had been very poor in recent years. He was extremely skinny, possibly anorexic, and taking a number of medications for various conditions.

Fighting back tears, Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman told HLN's Nancy Grace that Michael had "many enablers" around him whom Oxman had urged to stop obtaining medication for Michael.

Oxman said he warned them that if one day Michael turned up dead like Anna Nicole Smith, who died of a fatal combination painkillers and other psychotropic drugs, he would "speak out loud and clear" about what went on behind the scenes, which he thought one day would kill the frail pop star.

"I think you and I will be talking about this a long time, Nancy," he said. "I know there will be repercussions."

Indeed, an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday, Lieutenant Fred Corral of the Coroner's Investigation Division in Los Angeles told Grace.

Given Michael's history with substance abuse, for which he went to rehab in the early 90s, a toxicology exam is expected to shed more light on what could've caused the cardiac arrest.

Michael was picked up at his Holmby Hills home (a $100,000 a month rental) after a 911 call that came in at 12:21 p.m. Initially he was described as being in "really bad shape" by his mother, who was en route to see him, and as "not doing well" by his father.

After news of Michael's collapse, a crowd started gathering around the hospital, with people flocking to the area either trying to find out the latest on his condition or in grief upon hearing he had died.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

Michael was one of the best and most popular entertainers of all time--a legend, an icon.

His popularity blanketed the world--and this was way before the Internet erased geographical borders.

The seventh child of the Jackson family from Indiana began performing at 5-yeas-old and debuted on the music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5.

From the very beginning, he shocked the music industry and audiences with his astonishing talent as a singer, performer, dancer. He was described as a genius.

He began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. He had 13 No. 1 hits, and five of his solo albums rank among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), BadDangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

In just over a year, Thriller became—and still is—the best-selling album of all time. Some 47 million to 109 million copies were sold worldwide at a million copies per week during its peak. Seven of the album's nine songs were released as singles, and all reached the top 10 on the "Billboard Hot 100." The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984. However, despite numerous five-star reviews, Thriller was not universally praised.

In the early 1980s, Michael's electrifying performances earned him the title of King of Pop.

He was the first African-American entertainer to attract a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos such as "Beat It," "Billy Jean," and "Thriller," which was directed by film director John Landis (An American Werewolf in London) and credited for transforming the music video into an art form, helped make bring the new channel into fame.

The artist--who was extremely shy except on the stage--was also big on humanitarian causes. He co-wrote (with Lionel Richie) the iconic 1985 song "We Are The World"--which made music history as it brought together 45 A-list music artists for a marathon overnight recording session. Produced and conducted by multiple Grammy-winner Quincy Jones, it was the theme song for the "USA for Africa" project, with part of the proceeds going to help Africans. Another MJ song that put the spotlight on humanitarian causes was "Man In The Mirror"--one of his best and probably my favorite MJ song along with "Human Nature."

Michael fought multiple legal battles, which no doubt drained him. The latest one involved an auction house set to sell items from his Neverland ranch, which he sold a couple of years ago due to serious financial difficulties.

In 1993, Michael reportedly began taking painkillers and benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of sexual molestation allegations involving a 13-year-old boy. He became addicted to the drugs, and his health deteriorated so much he canceled the remainder of the "Dangerous World Tour" and went into drug rehab for a few months. The stress also caused him to stop eating and lose significant weight.

Ten years later, in 2003, he was charged with seven counts of child sexual abuse and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent with intent to commit a felony in a case involving a 14-year-old boy after a documentary about his life showed them holding hands and having sleep overs at his Neverland mansion. He was cleared of the charges in 2005.

I think this case was the straw that finally broke the camel's back. The frail figure I saw on TV during the trial led me to think that he could never, ever recover--physically, mentally, emotionally--from the cumulative effects of the stress he had endured throughout his life.

And he never did.

Today, people are speculating about why he went into cardiac arrest at 50. The autopsy might give us some answers.

If you ask me, Michael was a troubled soul, and souls in turmoil tend to weaken the bodies they inhabit.

Perhaps now he can rest in peace.

~*~

Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved