Michael Jackson dies at 50

By Hanh Nguyen, Zap2It | June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson

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Michael Jackson, the international King of Pop, has died. He was 50.

The musician suffered a cardiac arrest Thursday afternoon and was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital where he died, the Los Angeles Timesreports.

Paramedics arrived at Jackson's Sunset Boulevard home after receiving a 911 call. Despite CPR being administered during the short ambulance ride, he arrived at the UCLA Medical Center in a coma.

Check out Michael Jackson's life in pictures.

Jackson, winner of 13 Grammy awards, was a musical pop icon and popularized the one sparkly glove, the moonwalk and other unique dance moves. Five of his albums -- "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous" and "HIStory" -- became global bestsellers.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born Aug. 29, 1958 in . He was the seventh of nine siblings that included Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy and Janet. His childhood was a rocky one, characterized by highs from his success with his brothers as The Jackson 5 and lows from physical and emotional abuse by his father Joe Jackson.

His solo career began concurrently with his time with The Jackson 5, and the songs "Ben" and "Rockin' Robin" became hits for the time. After playing the Scarecrow in "The Wiz," he formed a partnership with that produced his first major solo album "Off the Wall."

Besides his fashions, vocals and choreography, Jackson's music videos became iconic. To this day, "Thriller" is so beloved and recognizable, people worldwide are still performing the ghoulish dance at the end of the video.