The King of Pop is dead: Michael Jackson passes away – aged 50 – after being rushed to hospital in a coma

Singer Michael Jackson died last night after collapsing at his home in Los Angeles.

The singer stopped breathing and suffered a massive cardiac arrest, although the exact circumstances of his death are unknown.

Paramedics failed to revive the 50 year-old and he was taken to hospital in a coma where he was pronounced dead.

His mother, brothers including Jermaine, Tito and Randy and sisters Janet and LaToya, had raced to be at his bedside.

Cardiac arrest: Michael Jackson died after collapsing at his home in Los Angeles this afternoon and falling into a coma

Tragedy: The body of Michael Jackson is transported out of the UCLA Medical Centre after the singer’s tragic death

He had been very frail in recent weeks as he struggled to prepare for a 50 concerts in London, which were due to start on July 13.

Elizabeth Taylor, one of Michael Jackson’s closest friends, had planned to fly out on a private jet to attend Jackson’s opening night in London, Larry King said on CNN last night.

Jackson’s brother, Jermaine Jackson, told reporters during a press conference that he believed Michael had died from a cardiac arrest, but added that the exact cause of death was not known.

Investigators are likely to focus on claims the singer suffered a long term addiction to painkillers. Last month it was alleged he was struggling to make even a handful of the rehearsals for his comeback tour in Britain.

It later emerged he had been to just two out of more than 45 rehearsals.

One Jackson family source said at the time he was ‘just not able to pick himself up out of the painkiller stupor’ that he was in.

Tragic loss: Medical staff tried to revive Jackson on arrival at hospital, but were unable to resuscitate him

Police said that an emergency call was made from the house at 12.21pm local time [8.21pm uk] today and paramedics raced to the scene.

Jackson, who has three young children, was seen being taken into an ambulance by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics and moved to the UCLA Medical Centre, according to celebrity website TMZ.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the star was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home.

When emergency staff arrived, they were forced to begin resuscitation procedures immediately.

Ten bodyguards followed the ambulance to hospital where the star was rushed into the emergency room on a stretcher.

Doctors again tried to revive him, but attempts failed.

Jermaine Jackson told reporters that medical staff had tried to resuscitate his brother for an hour after he collapsed at his home.

“His personal physician, who was with him at the time, attempted to resuscitate my brother, as did the paramedics who transported him to the UCLA,” he said.

“On arrival at 1.14pm (local time) a team of doctors including emergency physicians and cardiologists attempted to resuscitate him for one hour but they were unsuccessful.”

Jackson’s mother and brothers raced from the family home nearby to be at his bedside.

His sister, La Toya, was seen running into the hospital sobbing.

A source close to his family said tonight: ‘It’s so tragic but he was such a wreck physically that all the signs were there.’

His ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said that she was
‘heartbroken’ for his children.

‘I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. Words fail
me,’ she said in a statement.

His sister La Toya was spotted running in the UCLA Medical Centre sobbing shortly after he was pronounced dead.

Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother, arrived at UCLA hospital to be with the rest of the family shortly after 3pm.

Jackson’s longtime publicist Michael Levine said he wasn’t surprised by the news.

He said: “As someone who served as Michael Jackson’s publicist during the 1st child molestation incident, I must confess I am not surprised by today’s tragic news.  “Michael has been on an impossibly difficult and often self-destructive journey for years. His talent was unquestionable but so too was his discomfort with the norms of the world.’

Jackson had apparently been ‘doped up to his eyes’ for several weeks with anti-pain prescriptions including Vicodin.

The source, who asked not to be named,  said: ‘He has pain in his back and that is the reason for the drugs, but it is obvious that the painkillers have taken over his life.’

He added: ‘His family is telling him to ditch the medications and get on with the tour.’

Another family friend said that his ex-wife Debbie Rowe is expected to receive initial custody of the children while long term arrangements are sorted.

Another family source said he had become increasingly withdrawn over recent weeks, leaning on his mother Katherine for support as his health deteriorated.

‘He had been so frail, both physically and emotionally,’ the acquaintance said. ‘Many warned he was pushing too hard and overdoing things, but he wanted to get back to work so badly, he kept pushing himself harder and harder.

‘He didn’t want to let down his fans, and he desperately needed the cash.

As news broke of Jackson’s heart attack, a member of the Jackson family told TMZ that ‘Michael is in really bad shape’.