Michael Jackson Is DEAD

The King of Pop has left this challenging world of ours.

The show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died June 25th, 2009.

He was 50 years old.

News outlets say he collapsed at his rented residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to his brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office said an autopsy would probably be done on the singer very soon.

"Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color"
Rev. Al Sharpton

M.J.'s rise to stardom -- and fall from grace -- is among the most startling of show business tales. He was son of a steelworker, he rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, a band that was formed with his brothers in the late 1960s. By the late '70s, as a solo artist, he was topping the charts with tracks from "Off the Wall," including "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."

M.J. will be missed by many for years to come. Many remixes of his music will emerge. Many will profit from his death. This is the type of society that we live in, which is very sad to write.

All I can say is that I really enjoyed M.J's music from the past through the present. He may have been in his own world, but the music was awesome.

R.I.P