Michael Jackson’s shock death wounds millions of fans

Radio stations, bars and stores across America played songs made famous by Michael Jackson on Thursday as millions of Americans struggled with Jackson’s shock death and their love-hate relationship with the self-styled King of Pop. He was a young 50.

Jackson who often spoke of creating a magical theme park in India died on Thursday afternoon as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sex scandals and financial tribulations. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office told reporters that Jackson died after arriving at the UCLA Medical Center after a massive heart attack. 

"It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home," Jackson’s brother Jermaine told US media. Police said they were investigating his death as part of standard procedure in high-profile cases.

When Jackson performed “Billie Jean” live on a 1983 show celebrating Motown, the moonwalk went global. The American pop star not only moon-walked his way into the hearts of Indian fans, but his dramatic, one-gloved stage presence and fluid break-dance moves were imitated by scores of Bollywood film stars and Jackson wannabes around the globe.

“All of us were squeezed round a tiny TV in the hostel and they were playing the “Thriller” video for the first time. After that all of us wanted to dance like Jackson,” recalls Indian Institute of Technology graduate Gaurav Saxena who is an investment banker in New York.  

“I think of my IIT buddies whenever I hear “Thriller”, “Billie Jean” or any other Jackson track. His music has a happy association. His death is a shocker.”    

Jackson’s arrival as a superstar can be pinned down to one date -- December 1, 1982 when his “Thriller” album was released and zoomed to 37 weeks at the top of the US charts. It's the highest-selling album in history, selling 65 million copies, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Jackson’s lifetime record sales tally was believed to be around 750 million. You can’t argue with that kind of phenomenal music sales but Jackson still managed to run his vast fortune into the ground. 

“He had a reputation for announcing grandiose plans -- he was going to play Peter Pan on the big screen, he was going to spearhead a theme park in India, he was going to produce a slate of movies for Sony Pictures -- that never came to fruition,” observed “Variety” in a tribute.

Jackson even created the Neverland Pictures banner, in partnership with Indian producer Raju Sharad Patel although it is unclear if they ever made any movies despite buying up film scripts. 

Increasingly frail and broke Jackson’s most recent initiative was a 50-concert run in London, billed as his comeback tour. It was to have begun on July 8 and most of the concert tickets with prices starting at $81 were sold out.

Jackson's most shrewd business venture, beyond his own album sales, was his investment in music rights, most notably the Beatles' catalog, which he purchased for about $48 million in 1985. He sold nearly half that catalog to Sony in 1995 to pay for his $400 million in debts.

Jackson’s preference for the company of children, his friendship with a chimp and plastic surgeries earned him brickbats and the nickname "Wacko Jacko." But he still held onto friends in the shifting world of US entertainment that included actress Elizabeth Taylor and pop star Madonna.

"I can't stop crying over the sad news ... I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats but his music will live on forever," Madonna told media.

Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, who divorced Jackson in 1996, was equally emotional. "I'm so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. ... This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me," Presley said in statement. 

In New York, weeping fans gathered at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Thursday, singing Jackson hits and dancing in celebratory tribute.