Pop legend Michael Jackson is reported to have died of a heart attack after he was rushed to hospital in Los Angeles.
The entertainment TMZ website reported Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. The report was confirmed by the Los Angeles Times who said Jackson was pronounced dead after arriving in hospital in a deep coma.
Earlier, a fire department official told the Los Angeles Times that Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital. Steve Ruda told the newspaper on Thursday that Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12.30pm. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the paper.
The LA Times said paramedics were called to a Bel Air home off Sunset Boulevard that Jackson had been renting for $100,000 a month. It was described as a French chateau estate built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theatre. The OK! website reports that streets surrounding the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in LA had been blocked off with yellow tape.
TMZ reports that it had spoken with a Jackson family member, who said Michael was in "really bad shape". His family were heading to the hospital, the report said.
UPDATE:
Emergency hospital workers tried for over an hour to resuscitate pop icon Michael Jackson after he collapsed at home from an apparent heart attack, brother and official family spokesman Jermaine Jackson said.
"His personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitate my brother. As did the paramedics who transported him to Ronald Reagan UCLA medical center," Jackson read from a prepared statement. "Upon arriving at the hospital, at approximately 1:14pm (0614 AEST, Friday), a team of doctors including emergency physicians and cardiologists attempted to resuscitate him. For periods of more than one hour. They were unsuccessful," he said. "Our family requests that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time," he said. "May Allah be with you, Michael, always."
Los Angeles police Lieutenant Gregg Strenk said at a separate news conference that police robbery-homicide detectives have been ordered to investigate, which is common in a high-profile case.
Strenk says the coroner's office, which will handle inquiries into the type of death, is taking possession of the body.
(The Age)