Michael Jackson has died after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest.His brother Jermaine Jackson said he believed the 50-year-old singer fell ill at his Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.
He was taken to the UCLA medical centre where he was pronounced dead at 2.26pm Pacific time (10.26pm BST).
The self-styled king of pop had been due to perform 50 farewell concerts in London this summer, bowing out on an illustrious music career spanning several decades while aiming to resurrect his fortunes.
Jackson's brother told reporters: "My brother, the legendary King of pop, passed away on Thursday June 25 at 2.26pm.
"We believe he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home, however the cause of his death is unknown until the results of the autopsy are known. The personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitated him."
A spokesman for the Ronald Reagan UCLA medical centre added: "When he arrived at hospital at approximately 1.14pm a team of doctors including emergency physicians and cardiologists attempted to resuscitate him for a period of more than one hour, they were unsuccessful."
TV footage showed a rescue helicopter flying the star's body to a waiting ambulance.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said the robbery and homicide team was investigating Jackson's death because of its "high profile" but warned reporters not to read anything into his team's involvement. A post mortem examination is expected to take place, Los Angeles Coroner's Office spokesman Fred Corral said.
As tributes flooded in, close friend Uri Geller told the Press Association that it may have been the "stress" of Jackson's London comeback that killed him.
Jackson is survived by three children - Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
Source: MSN
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