LOS ANGELES - -Michael Jackson, a seminal figure in music, dance and culture whose ever-changing face graced the covers of albums that sold more than a half-billion copies, died Thursday, shortly after going into cardiac arrest at his Holmby Hills chateau. He was 50 years old. He spent much of his life as among the world's most famous people, and to many, his death felt unthinkable and, oddly, inevitable.
"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller. "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."
Paramedics found Jackson in cardiac arrest when they arrived at his home shortly before 12:30 p.m., three minutes and 17 seconds after receiving a 911 call. His personal physician already was in the house performing CPR. Jackson was not breathing, and it appears he never regained consciousness. Paramedics treated Jackson at the house for 42 minutes, and he was declared dead at 2:26 p.m. at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, about two miles from his home.
Los Angeles police said detectives would launch an investigation of the death. But they cautioned that they do not believe Jackson was the victim of foul play and that the investigation is standard after the death of a person with this level of fame. Among the factors investigators said they would examine is any medication Jackson might have been taking; an autopsy will be performed today.
Jackson's death was confirmed outside the hospital by one of his brothers, Jermaine, who once performed alongside Michael as a member of The Jackson 5, a family act that began in the down-and-out steel mill town of Gary, Ind., before exploding in the music industry.
Jackson - who most famously resided in the Santa Ynez Valley at his Neverland Valley Ranch, named for the island where Peter Pan and the Lost Boys were in no danger of growing up - had taken up residence for the rehearsals in a seven-bedroom estate near Bel Air, which he rented for $100,000 a month.
He had come to town to rehearse for 50 sold-out concerts in London, a run of shows scheduled to kick off July 13 that had been dubbed "This Is It." The concerts were to have been the start of an ambitious career resuscitation designed to begin wiping out Jackson's staggering debt - he was at least $400 million in debt and would have earned $1 million a night - and return the singer to relevancy.
