Michael Jackson rushed to hospital

[Ivan Seeking]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Michael Jackson has been rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by fire department paramedics who found him not breathing when they arrived at the singer's home, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.
The newspaper said paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene before taking him to the UCLA Medical Center hospital.

No further details were immediately available, and spokespersons for Jackson could not be reached for comment...

http://ca.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idCATRE55O6AK20090625

 

[Math Is Hard]

I work right next to the med center and I hear the noisy helicopters overhead. On CNN website, it did not look like they had much to show.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Wow, this does not sound good. TMZ is reporting he's dead. :(

 

[WaveJumper]

That's really sad.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

MIH, run outside and wave so that I can see you.

So far there are no reports on CNN that he has died, but his family members did report that the situation is grave.

 

[Math Is Hard]

MIH, run outside and wave so that I can see you.

OK, Ivan.. "Haay-ay!"

They are starting to block off the streets here. Gonna be crazy trying to get out of here tonight.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

CNN reports that Jackson is in a coma.

 

[Moonbear]

I wouldn't be surprised if it is a drug overdose or suicide (attempt). Of all the celebrities out there, he's certainly not high on my list of ones I expected to live a long life.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The LA Times and CBS News are reporting that Jackson has died.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I think he'll pull though. Unless he has HealthNet HMO, then he's a goner.

 

[Pengwuino]

Yup looks like he has indeed died.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31552029/ns/entertainment-music/

 

[cristo]

suicide (attempt).

That wouldn't surprise me: he was being sued, again, and about to let down millions of fans!

 

[Civilized]

Bummer, I think he was a very talented entertainer and as long as he was still alive I had hoped that he would put together a real comeback --- we all know he had the talent, but that talent was just overwhelmed by personal problems after thriller.

I really hope MJ is remembered as one of the greats, and doesn't get dragged down by the people who harshly judge his lifestyle and personal choices in his later years.

 

[Pengwuino]

Wow someone msnbc was saying that he was possibly in half a billion worth of debt...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I never liked his public image but I was always amazed by his talent. Even as a young child he was truly phenomenal.

CNN is still refraining from reporting his death. According to Wolf Blitzer, they have not been able to confirm the report with a reliable source.

 

[cristo]

Wow someone msnbc was saying that he was possibly in half a billion worth of debt...

Hence why he was about to embark on a 50 date tour!

 

[rootX]

I wouldn't be surprised if it is a drug overdose or suicide (attempt). Of all the celebrities out there, he's certainly not high on my list of ones I expected to live a long life.

I don't know what's wrong with celebrities but seems like too much money makes them crazy.

 

[Pengwuino]

Hence why he was about to embark on a 50 date tour!

How do you even get into half a billion dollars worth of debt... without being the state of california or GM?

 

[lisab]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snihdG1rE0Y&feature=related



I grew up listening to him...as did most people my age. I didn't care much for his later songs though.

Btw...irony *not* intended.

 

[lisab]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehal1eUG1jk&feature=related

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It seems that the only delay may be that official reports of his death require permission from the family.

 

[WaveJumper]

CNN reports MJ is dead.

 

[JasonRox]

Would have been nice to see him hit 1 billion records sold. Oh well, too many personal problems led to this I bet.

 

[Civilized]

The classic performance of 'Billie Jean' at the Motown 25th anniversary, where he debued the 'moonwalk' dance move as well as his signature one-gloved fashion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZt_qpZ1N3o

When I was a kid my friends and would play his Sega game:

http://oldgameszine.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/sega-genesis-michael-jackson-moonwalker.jpg

I liked the movie "The Jacksons: An American Dream." I just went to youtube and found a scene I particularly like, where the setting is MJ in the studio listening to an early cut of "beat it", when he gets a visit from the head of Motown. What I like is that this is happening in 1983, before the release of Thriller, and we are seeing the relationship between MJ and his brothers deteriorating, and MJ's father is causing great turmoil in the family, and meanwhile MJ is putting together an avant-garde pop masterpiece that goes on to become the best selling album of all time:

(the scene occurs at 4:68 on this vid)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCRbZgeXLl4

Edit by Ivan: Links fixed. You only want to enter the video ID and not the entire link.

 

[Math Is Hard]

There's already a huge mob of reporters and fans at med center. Just snapped this.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs111.snc1/5111_823465177046_2531937_47341612_4449162_n.jpg

 

[OAQfirst]

The classic performance of 'Billie Jean' at the Motown 25th anniversary, where he debued the 'moonwalk' dance move as well as his signature one-gloved fashion:

When I was a kid my friends and would play his Sega game:

When you use the YouTube tag, you need to edit the link to include only the unique file info. In the link for your first, for example, the full URL is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZt_qpZ1N3o&feature=related

The only info you need between the YouTube tags is BZt_qpZ1N3


edit: Ah, thanks Ivan.

 

[Pengwuino]

There's already a huge mob of reporters and fans at med center. Just snapped this.

MIH reporting Live for PhysicsForums.com.

 

[Moonbear]

What do the fans expect they're going to see by flocking to the hospital? I would expect there to be an autopsy since it's a sudden death and he's only 50. While his celebrity status, and the desire to get the fans off the hospital lawn might expedite the priority of that, I don't think it's going to happen before the end of the day. And then what do they hope for? To be the first to see a body bag possibly containing his body as it's picked up by the mortuary for his funeral? People are so weird, and they're clogging up traffic so poor MIH can't get home for supper!

 

[Phrak]

The world has changed by one less boy rapist.

 

[Moonbear]

It seems that the only delay may be that official reports of his death require permission from the family.

Must have been. MSNBC's article reported time of death as 3:15 California time, so there was a half hour to 45 min delay before reporting it (unless the autopsies are performed off-site there, and it was a delay to get the body transported before the media hounds knew to follow the coroner's van).

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The world has changed by one less boy rapist.

Ah, the judge and jury has arrived.

I see that the fact that he was never convicted of a crime has no bearing on your point of view.

 

[Phrak]

Ah, the judge and jury has arrived.

I see that the fact that he was never convicted of a crime has no bearing on your point of view.

And Bob's your uncle.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

And Bob's your uncle.

What?

 

[Math Is Hard]

What do the fans expect they're going to see by flocking to the hospital? I would expect there to be an autopsy since it's a sudden death and he's only 50. While his celebrity status, and the desire to get the fans off the hospital lawn might expedite the priority of that, I don't think it's going to happen before the end of the day. And then what do they hope for? To be the first to see a body bag possibly containing his body as it's picked up by the mortuary for his funeral? People are so weird, and they're clogging up traffic so poor MIH can't get home for supper!

I'm thinking people will probably start pouring in for a candlelight vigil, and all the newspeople will be filming that, since there's really not much else for them to take pictures of. I hope all the people coming in won't make too many problems for me getting out - but it never seems to work that way!

 

[Kurdt]

Wow. This was surprising.

 

[Kurdt]

Would have been nice to see him hit 1 billion records sold. Oh well, too many personal problems led to this I bet.

He may do in death now.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The comment was made that much of his money actually came from his 50% ownership of Beatles songs.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know what's wrong with celebrities but seems like too much money makes them crazy.

I don't think it's the money, but the constant spotlight. When you need to put giant walls around your home just so pictures of you in your robe and bunny slippers having morning coffee on your patio don't end up plastered in the papers around the world, it seems inevitable to snap under the pressure and perhaps play up to the expectations.

 

[arildno]

I didn't like his public persona, but his music was very good, even though not my type of music.

He was a troubled soul; it can't have been easy to have the spotlight on you from the age of 5.

 

[drizzle]

is this a rumor?!

 

[LowlyPion]

is this a rumor?!

If you're talking about his death ... it is not a rumor.

It's on all the news stations.

 

[russ_watters]

I don't know what's wrong with celebrities but seems like too much money makes them crazy.

In this case, it was as much his father and brothers as it was the money.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I was never really a huge Jackson fan in that I never bought one of his records or CDs, but what amazed me about Jackson was the way the music would flow from his entire body. Watching him perform was always a treat. Some people seem like they were born to do what they do. If anything, Jackson was born to be a performer - a rare talent.

I remember when "Thriller" was actually an attraction at Disneyland!

 

[Math Is Hard]

I loved Jackson 5. I have Blame it on the Boogie on my iPod, and it always cheers me up:

 

[Hepth]

I was never really a huge Jackson fan in that I never bought one of his records or CDs, but what amazed me about Jackson was the way the music would flow from his entire body. Watching him perform was always a treat. Some people seem like they were born to do what they do. If anything, Jackson was born to be a performer - a rare talent.

I remember when "Thriller" was actually an attraction at Disneyland!

Haha, yeah, I remember seeing Captain EO in 3D at epcot.

 

[Rhine720]

When i got the text telling me Micheal Jackson died an hour ago ( from then) I was shocked. It's tragic to see such talent just go at only age 50. I typically dislike watching Nancy Grace but it seems at the moment she has a decent person who followed Micheal Jacksons career talking. Believed come back before he died? I would believe it

 

[Moonbear]

I think he peaked too young. He had talent, but as his own emotional issues over his lost childhood overwhelmed him, I think it also overwhelmed his ability to perform. He lost his creative edge and never got it back, no matter how much he tried to replay his childhood.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I would say his career peaked with the Thriller album.

 

[Civilized]

Thanks Ivan, for fixing my links and teaching me the proper way to set them up.

I think he peaked too young. He had talent, but as his own emotional issues over his lost childhood overwhelmed him, I think it also overwhelmed his ability to perform. He lost his creative edge and never got it back, no matter how much he tried to replay his childhood.

I think that the deluge of attention and pressure on MJ after he became mega-famous with Thriller is as much if not a more of a contributor to his difficulties. It's one thing to be famous, like the Jackson 5 were, but to be as famous as MJ was after Thriller has an even more devastating effect. The Beatles got too famous and they had to stop touring, go to India etc. Elvis Presley got too famous and he had major personal problems in his later years. Britney Spears got too famous and has had well-publicized problems. From what I've read MJ had it worse than any of them, in terms of the constant attention/scrutiny and pressure-cooker expectations that come with being so famous.

 

[Pengwuino]

Wow, WGN just had a terrible idea when they were reporting on Michael jackson's death. They put up a still of Jesse Jackson and at the bottom "People mourn Jackson's death" (maybe it wasnt "people" but it was something) because they were going to show a piece on Jesse Jackson saying some words about Michael Jackson's death. Smart.

Oh and they had reporters out in the neighborhood where he lived and it's silly that all the people there were doing the stupid screaming and waving their arms because they're on TV. Come on, shouldn't they be sad?