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Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums --including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- and electrifyingstage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time,died Thursday, June 25, 2009, according to multiple sources, includingthe Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press.

He was 50.

He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of LosAngeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest,according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center.

Jackson's blazing rise to stardom -- and later fall from grace -- isamong the most startling of show business tales. The son of asteelworker, he rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, aband he formed with his brothers in the late 1960s. By the late '70s,as a solo artist, he was topping the charts with cuts from "Off theWall," including "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."

In 1982, he released "Thriller," an album that eventually producedseven hit singles. An appearance the next year on a Motown Records25th-anniversary special cemented his status as the biggest star in thecountry.

For the rest of the 1980s, they came no bigger. "Thriller's" follow-up,1987's "Bad," sold almost as many copies. A new Jackson album -- a newJackson appearance -- was a pop culture event.

The pop music landscape was changing, however, opening up for rap,hip-hop and what came to be called "alternative" -- and Jackson wasseen as out of step.

His next release, 1991's "Dangerous," debuted at No. 1 but "only"produced one top-ranking single -- "Black or White" -- and that songearned criticism for its inexplicably violent ending, in which Jacksonwas seen smashing car windows and clutching his crotch.

And then "Dangerous" was knocked out of its No. 1 spot on the albumcharts by Nirvana's "Nevermind," an occurrence noted for its symbolismby rock critics.

After that, more attention was paid to Jackson's private life than hismusic career, which faltered. A 1995 two-CD greatest hits, "HIStory,"sold relatively poorly, given the huge expense of Jackson's recordingcontract: about 7 million copies, according to Recording Industry ofAmerica certifications.

A 2001 album of new material, "Invincible," did even worse.

In 2005, he went to trial on child-molestation charges. He was acquitted.

In July 2008, after three years away from the spotlight, Jacksonannounced a series of concerts at London's O2 Arena as his "curtaincall." Some of the shows, initially scheduled to begin in July, wereeventually postponed until 2010.

Rise to stardom

Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958, to Joe Jackson, a Gary,Indiana, steelworker, and his wife, Katherine. By the time he was 6, hehad joined his brothers in a musical group organized by his father, andby the time he was 10, the group -- the Jackson 5 -- had been signed toMotown.

He made his first television appearance at age 11.

Jackson, a natural performer, soon became the group's front man. Musiccritic Langdon Winner, reviewing the group's first album, "Diana RossPresents the Jackson 5," for Rolling Stone, praised Michael's versatilesinging and added, "Who is this 'Diana Ross,' anyway?"

The group's first four singles -- "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The LoveYou Save" and "I'll Be There" -- went to No. 1 on the Billboard popchart, the first time any group had pulled off that feat. There waseven a Jackson 5 cartoon series on ABC.

In 1972, he hit No. 1 as a solo artist with the song "Ben."

The group's popularity waned as the '70s continued, and Michaeleventually went solo full time. He played the Scarecrow in the 1978movie version of "The Wiz," and released the album "Off the Wall" in1979. Its success paved the way for "Thriller," which eventually becamethe best-selling album in history, with 50 million copies soldworldwide.

At that point, Michael Jackson became ubiquitous.

Seven of "Thriller's" nine cuts were released as singles; all made theTop Ten. The then-new cable channel MTV, criticized for its almostexclusively white playlist, finally started playing Jackson's videos.They aired incessantly, including a 14-minute minimovie of the titlecut. ("Weird Al" Yankovic cemented his own stardom by lampooningJackson's song "Beat It" with a letter-perfect parody video.)

On the Motown Records' 25th-anniversary special -- a May 1983 TVextravaganza with notable turns by the Temptations, the Four Tops andSmokey Robinson -- it was Michael Jackson who stopped the show.

Already he was the most popular musician in America, riding high with"Thriller." But something about his electrifying performance of "BillieJean," complete with the patented backward dance moves, boosted hisstardom to a new level.

People copied his Jheri-curled hair and single-gloved, zippered-jacketlook. Showbiz veterans such as Fred Astaire praised his chops. He posedfor photos with Ronald and Nancy Reagan at the White House. PaulMcCartney teamed with him on three duets, two of which -- "The Girl IsMine" and "Say Say Say" -- became top five hits. Jackson became a Pepsispokesman, and when his hair caught fire while making a commercial, itwas worldwide news.

It all happened very fast -- within a couple years of the Motownspecial. But even at the time of the "Motown 25" moonwalk, fame was oldhat to Michael Jackson. He hadn't even turned 25 himself, but he'd beena star for more than half his life. He was given the nickname the "Kingof Pop" -- a spin on Elvis Presley's status as "the King of Rock 'n'Roll" -- and few questioned the moniker.

Relentless attention

But, as the showbiz saying has it, when you're on top of the world,there's nowhere to go but down. The relentless attention given Jacksonstarted focusing as much on his eccentricities -- some real, somerumored -- as his music.

As the Web site Allmusic.com notes, he was rumored to sleep in ahyperbaric chamber and to have purchased the bones of John Merrick, the"Elephant Man." (Neither was true.) He did have a pet chimpanzee,Bubbles; underwent a series of increasingly drastic plastic surgeries;established an estate, Neverland, filled with zoo animals and amusementpark rides; and managed to purchase the Beatles catalog from under PaulMcCartney's nose, which displeased the ex-Beatle immensely.

In 1990s and 2000s, Jackson found himself pasted across the media forhis short-lived marriages, the first to Elvis Presley's daughter, LisaMarie; his 2002 claim that then Sony Records head Tommy Mottola wasracist; his behavior and statements during a 2003 interview withBritish journalist Martin Bashir done for a documentary called "LivingWith Michael Jackson;" his changing physical appearance; and, aboveall, the accusations that he sexually molested young boys at Neverland.

The first such accusation, in 1993, resulted in a settlement to the13-year-old accuser (rumored to be as high as $20 million), though nocriminal charges were filed, Allmusic.com notes.

He also fell deeply in debt and was forced to sell some of his assets.Neverland was one of many holdings that went on the block. However, anauction of material from Neverland, scheduled for April, was called offand all items returned to Jackson.

Interest in Jackson never faded, however, even if some of it wasprurient. In 2008, when he announced 10 comeback shows in London,beginning in July 2009, the story made worldwide news. The number ofconcerts was later increased to 50.

Seventy-five thousand tickets sold in four hours when they went on sale in March.

However, when the shows were postponed until 2010, rumors swept theInternet that Jackson was not physically prepared and possiblysuffering from skin cancer.

At the time, the president and CEO of AEG Live, Randy Phillips, said,"He's as healthy as can be -- no health problems whatsover."

Jackson held open auditions for dancers in April in Los Angeles.

He is survived by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.