Hundreds of fans have converged on the Los Angeles hospital where Michael Jackson was pronounced dead this afternoon (June 25).

Tearful crowds lined the streets near the UCLA Medical Center, where the self-styled King of Pop was rushed this afternoon after he reportedly went into cardiac arrest.

Crowds continued to grow as word spreads that Jackson died, with several fans gathering near the entrance to the hospital where Jackson was taken by ambulance.

Others gathered near Jackson’s star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame to leave candles and flowers, but it will reportedly be difficult to do so tonight as it is scheduled to be covered by a red carpet for the premiere of the new Sacha Baron Cohen film, ‘Bruno’.

Meanwhile, legendary rock clubs such as the Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip are posting tributes to Jackson on Marquis such as this one, which reads “.
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In a cruel twist of fate, the singer was on the verge of launching a comeback with a series of shows at London’s 02 Arena in July. Sadly, those shows will now no longer take place.

Jackson first found fame with his brothers in the Jackson 5, scoring a string of hits in the late 1960s/early 1970s, including ‘ABC’, ‘The Love You Save’ and ‘I Want You Back’.

The star’s fame continued throughout the 1970s, but he broke off from his siblings to make the ‘Off The Wall’ album with producer Quincy Jones in 1979, a partnership which also resulted in 1982’s ‘Thriller’ album, a record which remains the biggest selling album of all time. Jackson’s status as the world’s biggest superstar was confirmed at the 1983 Motown Records party, when his ‘moonwalk’ dancing to ‘Billie Jean’ before an audience of millions cemented his position as the world’s biggest music star.

After the release of his ‘Bad’ album in 1987, Jacko became an ever bigger celebrity and his 1988 world tour cemented his position as the premier pop star on the planet.

He released the ‘Dangerous’ album in 1991, and followed that up in 1995 with the ‘HIStory’ album, which was part new material (and spawned two UK Number One singles in ‘You Are Not Alone’ and ‘Earth Song’) and part greatest hits.

Jackson’s releases were intermittent after this – his only subsequent new material was 2001’s ‘Invincible’.

Jackson’s fanbase remained huge despite the lack of releases - and he was dogged by well-documented controversy. In 2005 he was found not guilty of all charges in a child abuse trial.

His big comeback was planned for this summer, when he was scheduled to play 50 nights at the UK capital’s 02 Arena, kicking off on July 13.

http://www.nme.com/news/michael-jackson/45611