News Item
Michael Jackson the King of Pop is Dead
Michael Jackson passed away at 2.28pm on June the 25th- he was 50. Michael suffered a cardiac arrest at his Holmby Hills home. There were three separate attempts to resuscitate the idol by his private physician, paramedics and hospital staff but all failed. He was pronounced dead at 2.26pm LA time.
It was one of the staff members at Jackson's home who called 911. When paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse. A source told tmz.com "Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived." A cardiologist at UCLA said "Jackson died of cardiac arrest." Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive. A source inside the hospital also told tmz "There was absolute chaos after Jackson arrived. People who were with the singer were screaming, "You've got to save him! You've got to save him!"
The city's coroner subsequently conformed the reports, and a few hours later Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson delivered a short statement to the world's press. Jermaine told journalists: "My brother, the legendary king of pop, Michael Jackson passed away on Thursday June 25th 2009 at 2.26pm. It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. Our family requests that the media please requests our privacy at this tough time. And may Allah be with you Michael, always. Love you".
La Toya Jackson was one of the first to reach the hospital was seen sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead. Followed by Elizabeth Taylor, who we hear, arrived too late to pay her last respects. Crowds gathered outside the hospital where Jackson died, his home nearby in LA, and in New York's Time Square - coverage of his death was beamed on the famous news screens.
There had been rumors about Jackson's ill health for years fueled by of his frail appearance. Rumors of serious health scares became more common recently, though almost all were were denied or played down by Jackson and his aids. The signing up to do a fifty night residency at The O2 in London seemed a bridge to far, but promoters AEG Live assured that their insurers had done a rigorous heath assessment which the singer apparently passed with flying colours. There followed a lot of reporting on AEG Live's insurance position, with reports that while the company had secured insurance for some of the shows, or certain aspects of the production, not all the project had been properly insured, insurers concerned about both Jackson's health and his tendency in recent years to pull out of projects last minute. But AEG boss Randy Phillips was reported to have said Jackson was in good health, that his talks with insurers were going fine, and that the company would insure it all itself if they had to. Billboard say that over £50 million had been taken in ticket sales to date for the O2 shows. They also add, The promoter had paid Jackson a $10 million advance, and already coughed up $30 million into the production. The foot-note here is, if he died of an existing condition or overdose the insurers may not pay. Things could possibly go from bad to a lot worse for AEG live.
Plans to release a new album at the same time as the tour, may have restored Michael's standing as a serious recording artist once more. His well documented money troubles were always averted at the last minute as Jackson staved off financial vultures time after time again. There must now be a real worry that financiers who have advanced money on the back of the tour, will want their money sooner rather than later. This may cause the sale of many of Michael Jackson's prized assets including his 50% stake in music publishing major Sony/ATV.
These shows, plus many more that were planned along with newly released original material would have provided security for Michael and his children in the future. But alas sadly this was not to be.
Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince 'Blanket' Michael Jackson II.
Words B&S
