As you’ve no doubt read or heard by now, Michael Jackson – the King of Pop and arguably the most famous singer on the planet – had died at the age of 50.
Jackson suffered a suspected cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon, and was taken by ambulance to the UCLA medical centre in Los Angeles, where he was pronounced dead.
Jackson lived a controversial and secrecy-shrouded life, but of course he’s best known for his legendary work as a musician and singer, producing albums like Off The Wall, Thriller – the biggest-selling album of all time – Bad and Dangerous over the course of a career that began with his family band, The Jackson Five, when he was a child.
But Jackson was also a massive film fan, and was constantly involved with movies throughout his career, from his debut as Scarecrow in Sidney Lumet’s The Wiz in 1978, to his final appearance as Agent M.J. in the unfortunate spoof, Miss Castaway And The Island Girls, in 2004.
Between those two movies, Jackson starred in the likes of the ambitious vanity project, Moonwalker, and Captain EO, a groundbreaking 3D short shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 until 1994.
But he also pushed the envelope with his music videos, many of which were long-form and employed the talents of major directors as disparate as John Landis, on the legendary Thriller, Martin Scorsese (Bad) and John Singleton (Remember The Time). His music was also used in a number of films.
Jackson, who had of course been set to begin a series of comeback gigs at the O2 Arena next month, had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.
He is survived by them, his mother, Katherine, his father, Joseph and eight siblings.