Michael Jackson Passes Away at Age 50

Michael Jackson, 'The King of Pop', was rushed to an LA hospital today after a 911 call came in from his home. According to TMZ.com, LA paramedics arrived at Jackson's home to find him with no pulse and CPR was initiated. Jackson was never revived and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Michael Jackson was only 50 years old and died of cardiac arrest.

Born in Gary, Ind., in 1958, Michael Jackson was put into the celebrity bubble at the young age of 5 years old. Placed as the front man of his old brothers' group they became The Jackson 5, and a new phenom was born. Gifted with a golden voice and the ability to move like no one else in the world, the young Jackson did everything asked of the strenuous career.

I remember seeing the Jackson 5 on TV and wondering how that much energy and talent could come out of someone not much older than me. I appreciated the music of the Jackson 5 on the radio as I got older and knew I'd never heard anything like them before. As I grew, I completely fell in love with the Jackson 5 and Michael.

Unlike many child stars, Michael Jackson had too much talent to fade away. After a brief break during adolescence, Jackson released the solo album Off the Wall. The album was a hit or at least the single "Rock With You" was, but not nearly as big as the group had been. "Rock With You" was the song of the skating rink where I grew up. There was no better 'love skate' song.

Then came the 1980's and Thriller. Michael Jackson reinvented music, music video and his own image all in one album. This was the one that made him 'The King of Pop' and will be his legacy. The success of Thriller was revolutionary for the music industry. Realizing that music is as much visual as it is audio. There had been music videos for several years, but none matched the theater quality of Jackson's title song. He also created dance moves (moonwalk) that no one had seen before, but are still used in hip hop choreography today. Thriller was released in 1982, my sophomore year, and it was amazing. I got the cassette tape with a big boom box (big was cool then). I wore out the tape and continued to buy them as I wore them out again and again. The music of Thriller kept me company on many lonely weekends.

Even fashion was affected by the release of Thriller. Everywhere you looked were kids dressed in red leather jackets with zippers and one white glove. I have to admit to wanting that jacket.

This has been a rough week for celebrities, with the loss of three: Ed McMahon, Farrah Faucett, and Michael Jackson. Though every death is a shock, Jackson's was the biggest. McMahon and Faucett had been in failing health for a few years. Michael Jackson was seen in ailing and fragile health during his court appearances over the last couple of years, but has stayed out of the spotlight lately. There had been talk of a comeback tour. Jackson is survived by three children: Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998, and Prince Michael Jackson II (also known as Blanket) was born in February of 2002.

We will miss Michael Jackson and the music that may have still been produced by the King of Pop.