[Merged]: Michael Jackson taken to hospital/Michael Jackson dies

I really want to watch, but I need to crash!!! :\\\'( :\\\'(

Jermaine just had a brief press conference basically saying exactly what the news has reported.

Jermaine just had a brief press conference basically saying exactly what the news has reported.

Quite tough to watch, eh?  He had a hard time getting up there.  Bless him for doing it.  I can't imagine having to face the paps immediately following a family member's death.

Quite tough to watch, eh?  He had a hard time getting up there.  Bless him for doing it.  I can't imagine having to face the paps immediately following a family member's death.

Yeah, it was. I can't imagine what it must be like for them. I don't think the family of anyone should be expected to talk to people so soon after finding out a family member has died.

R.I.P. Michael

Very sad news to wake up to. He was an amazing talent and a major influence on so many artists. He really became so odd in his later years that it overshadowed his brilliant music career. I hope people can now focus on his music and let him rest in peace. 

I was rather shocked to hear this on news this morning! Wonder what will  happen to his kids. They are so young and their world was Michael Jackson!  RIP Michael Jackson!

A strange end to a somewhat strange life ...

So much bad news lately...this is really upsetting...just when he was about to make a come-back  :\\\'(

My husband phoned me up on his way to work this morning telling me they were talking about MJ passing on the radio.

I said "It's gotta be a joke!"

The all day BBC broadcast is only discussing Michael's death at the moment, and probably will be for the rest of the day.

I'm completely shocked by this.  I'm not a massive fan of his, but can't deny his music was great. 

This is as sad and shocking as when Heath Ledger died -- or in fact Elvis Presley. People who, for reasons of either sheer youth (in Heath's case) or just the legendary aura, one doesn't expect to lose from the culture for a very long time.

And we just lost Farrah Fawcett yesterday too.

My God, Michael Jackson is only three years older than I -- and seemed so fit and youthful. Then suddenly cardiac arrest.

I'd been watching a DVD late last night, switched over to the news after it ended as there was nothing good on elsewhere, and when I saw the headline I just sat there saying "WHAT?" over and over again. I thought it couldn't be true.

In my adult life I wasn't a buyer of his music but he's been present through all our lives for over three decades -- you always took the talent for granted floating around on the radio and MTV. But when I was a kid I bought Jackson Five singles -- he was such a talented kid so young. Whatever one may think of him or his muisc lately, he was undeniably a huge figure in popular culture for a very long time, worldwide; it's a loss, a shock. Incredibly sad.

I agree it is sad, especially for his kids, and shocking.

I listened to the radio on my way into work, none of his music, but a lot of DJs speculating on why he died.  They kept saying, I'm sure all the stories aren't true, but I heard blah blah blah. 

Well if you sure they aren't true why repeat them?  Why not give it a rest for one day and just play some of his music for crying out loud?

My God, Michael Jackson is only three years older than I -- and seemed so fit and youthful. Then suddenly cardiac arrest.

I really wouldn't worry over that.  Remember he was highly addicted to pain killers....and that can destroy your liver and kidneys..so it would make sense that a heart attack would follow....

Michael Jackson is only three years older than I -- and seemed so fit and youthful. Then suddenly cardiac arrest.

I certainly wouldn't describe him as fit and youthful.  He had who knows how many surgeries, which play havoc on your body.  He had recently been diagnosed with skin cancer.  He was often seen looking frail over the last few years, and often in a wheelchair.

And I am certainly not speculating on what caused his death but we *all* die of cardiac arrest.  It is a very generic term and the actual cause could range significantly.

That said, I am very saddened by this.  He always seemed to have his issues and I truly had hoped at some point he could sort things out and find some sort of peace. 

I certainly wouldn't describe him as fit and youthful.  He had who knows how many surgeries, which play havoc on your body.  He had recently been diagnosed with skin cancer.  He was often seen looking frail over the last few years, and often in a wheelchair.

And I am certainly not speculating on what caused his death but we *all* die of cardiac arrest.  It is a very generic term and the actual cause could range significantly.

And I'm sure he was under a lot of stress, and probably had been for the past 20 years or so - the trial, his financial problems, this big 'comeback', etc.