It may be a while before a corner detirmines what caused Michael Jackson to go into cardiac arrest. Jackson, 50, died this afternoon in a Bel-Air home he was reportedly renting. The Los Angeles Times reports that robbery-homicide detectives have opened an investigation into the death, though police have stressed there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
As hundreds of reporters mobbed the UCLA medical center, there are reports that fans have been trickling into Neverland, Jackson’s former estate.
Elsewhere, the Rev. Al Sharpton praised Jackson in a press conference today, and was quoted in reports stating: “No controversy will erase the historic impact. He learned how to create even beyond his own shortcomings. Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama.”
On CNN.com, Dick Clark was quoted as saying: “I knew Michael as a child and watched him grow over the years. Of all the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was THE most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched. He was truly one-of-a-kind.”
CNN also had this by Quincy Jones: “I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on ‘The Wiz’ and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the ’80s. To this day, the music we created together on ‘Off The Wall,’ ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’ is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all … talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”