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**//Obituaries //**



Jim Henson Mother Teresa Kirby Puckett Harold Stassen Jackie Kennedy Onasis

**And a special on the //late, great, pop sensation...// MICHAEL JACKSON **

 //"In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.” //

 Michael Jackson- can easily be described as ‘The King of Pop’, was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time. His unique contributions to music and dance, along with a highly publicized personal life, made him a prominent figure in [|popular culture] for over four decades. He used his craft to make a new kind of music. This music created a generation of revolutionary songs that inspired everyone from Los Angeles all the way to Tokyo and beyond. People near and far craved to hear what the King of Pop would come up with next.

 Jackson was introduced to music at the age of three and that was the start of his career. Jackson was the youngest of eight children who were all musically inclined. They started a group called //The Jackson 5// in 1958. The kids that were African American children all under 12, were the start of something new and exciting in the music industry. They swept the nation with their first #1 hit song "//I Want You Back",// which gave them their first shot at stardom. The Jackson 5 signed a new contract with [|CBS Records] in June 1975, joining the Philadelphia International Records division, later [|Epic Records], and renaming themselves //The Jacksons//. They continued to tour internationally, releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Jackson, with his incredible vocal range, lead most of the songs, along with //The Jacksons//, to the top of the Billboard top 100 hits.

Continuing on with his career, Jackson singed a contract with Motown Records are started recording right away on hits including ‘Wanna Be Startin' Somthin’" and "Thriller." The two songs soared to the top of the Bill Boards Top 100 list and stayed at the #1 spot for a record breaking 10 weeks. //Time// described Jackson's influence at that point as "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too". //[|The New York Times]// wrote that, "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else."

For much of his career, he had an "unparalleled" level of worldwide influence over the younger generation through his musical and humanitarian contributions. Jackson's videos and music helped [|break down racial barriers] when first shown on [|MTV], putting the relatively new channel on the map, changing its focus from [|rock] to [|pop music] and [|R&B], and therefore shaping it to what it is today. Jackson remained a staple on MTV through the '90s and today.

Michael Jackson, whose quintessentially American tale of celebrity and excess took him from musical boy wonder to global pop __superstar__ to sad figure haunted by lawsuits, paparazzi and failed __plastic surgery__, was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at [|U.C.L.A.] Medical Center after arriving in a __coma__, a city official said. Jackson was 50, having spent 40 of those years in the public eye he loved. He was rushed to the hospital, a six-minute drive from the rented Holmby Hills home in which he was living, shortly after noon by the Los Angeles Fire Department. A hospital spokesman would not confirm reports of cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm. Michael Jackson’s legacy will live forever on through his music, his dances moves and he will always remain in our hearts. Jackson’s talent helped us create a world of magical genius. His life was devoted to entertaining the world and he surely did just that. He has created a wonderful story for our children and our children’s children to enjoy.