Cynics Unlimited

6:10pm

TMZ is claiming so …

We’ve just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.

Here is a screen-shot of what TMZ has written:

What is interesting to me is that not ONE news source – FOX, CNN, Wall Street Journal, etc seems to have found this information. But of course these are traditional news sources that have to check facts and guarantee their sources. TMZ is a gossip site that seems ok to search through trash, bug bedrooms and pay out cash for even the flimsiest of rumours. Regardless, where the king of pop is concerned, TMZ has either gotten the scoop of the century or killed what little credibility they ever had.

6:28pm

The L.A. Times is now reporting his death. Wikipedia has also modified their entry to report Jackson as deceased:

At this point, CNN will only confirm that Jackson went into a coma shortly after cardiac arrest.

6:47pm

The Associated press is now reporting the death, all but making this a done deal:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson, the record-breaking, sensationally gifted “King of Pop” who emerged from childhood superstardom to become the entertainment world’s most influential singer and dancer, and the tabloid world’s most disturbing celebrity, has died. He was 50.

A person with knowledge of the situation says Jackson died Thursday in a Los Angeles hospital. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

His death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier 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.

R.I.P. In spite of his personal flaws, Jackson was the consummate entertainer.

The Day After

We’ve already been submerged in news coverage and surely more is yet to come. However, one event that does deserve attention is the impromptu dance party set up in front of the Apollo Theatre in Jackson’s honour (not even an hour after the announcement). With the amount of scandal and inquiry we will hear surrounding his death, it is reassuring that at least some humans reacted by celebrating the good.

Related Posts:

• Who Was He – The Question of Michael Jackson