Michael Jackson dies at 50; heart attack and possible drug overdose blamed

The news on the signer's dire situation came through the celebrity website TMZ which reported that Jackson has been taken to a Los Angeles hospital with a cardiac arrest on Thursday afternoon. His condition was so serious that the paramedics who attended the emergency call gave Jackson CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

Following the reports in TMZ, the LA Times picked up and verified the news. Further, the LA times reported that Jackson was not breathing when the paramedics first attended him.

The death of Michael Jackson was officially confirmed by the Los Angeles coroner's office that he died at 14:26 local time.

The singer was reported to have been under severe stress prior to the 50-date show at the O2 arena in London. The show was initially postponed to the disappointment of the numerous fans who rushed to buy the show tickets. An estimated 750,000 tickets were sold for the 50 concerts by Jackson in London.

Related Article: Michael Jackson's drug addiction likely to have caused his death

Uri Gellar, a very close friend of Michael Jackson said that the 50 shows that he was to perform put Jackson under huge amount of stress that eventually killed him.

Speaking to BBC radio, Gellar said, "he wanted to prove to the world that he is number one, that he is still Michael Jackson, that he can still deliver a thriller," Geller told BBC radio.

"The anticipation, the stress levels, the anxiety for what was coming up in London was so huge ... I believe that that stopped his heart."

Jackson was prescribed painkiller drugs that many feared made him very ill. The Sun reported that Jackson was addicted to the painkiller drug Demerol and that he took an overdose that lead to his death.