"KING OF POP" MICHAEL JACKSON IS DEAD, 50

“He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters.”

Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop” who once moonwalked above the music world, died as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50. Jackson died Thursday at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, and then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him. “It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known, “ his brother Jermaine said. Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.

Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage. His 1982 album, ‘Thriller’ ---which included the blockbuster hits Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller--- is the best selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.

At the time of his death, Jackson was rehearsing hard for what was to be his greatest comeback. He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. (Lynn Elber)

Pop icon Michael Jackson and Superstar Nora Aunor graced the cover of Kislap Magazine in 1976 during MJ's first visit to the Philippines. (Image courtesy of Nora Aunor Yahoo Group)