11.59am: Martin Bashir, the journalist made the controversial documentary Living With Michael Jackson, has said the world has lost its "greatest entertainer".
The textual was a PR tragedy for Jackson when he said partaking a bed with a young boy was "a beautiful thing" and was shown holding hands with Gavin Arvizo, a 13-year-old boy who later accused him of child molestation. The singer later said he felt "devastated and utterly betrayed" by the interviewer's portrayal of him.
11.39am: There's growing rumour that Jackson stopped breathing after taking an vaccination of the influential painkiller Demerol. The Sun reports that he was addicted to the drug, which is similar to morphine, and there are fears he took an overdo.
Others blame a mixture of the star's weak health - he suffered from arthritis and was accounted to have been analysed with skin cancer - and the tiring arrangements for his comeback shows at the O2 arena.
A post-mortem test of Jackson's body is due to take place at the Los Angeles county coroner's office later today.
10.57am: care actions for Jackson's three children – Prince Michael Jr, Paris Michael Katherine and Prince Michael II – are unclear, although a Jackson family lawyer has suggested his mother Katherine could look after them. Let's hope they can now avoid the strange early days that destroyed their father's life.
10.47am: Who knew Jackson had such a political fanbase? Tributes have come in from world leaders including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who called his death "lamentable news," and the former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who said: "We lost a hero of the world."
Our own politicians have also taken time out of their busy agenda to pay their compliments. Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw went so far as subjecting a press release to announce his grief, which reveals he "is a long-time fan of Michael Jackson and had Billie Jean played as the first dance at his civil partnership."
Lets hope he doesn't try to claim a wreath on expenses...
Meanwhile the Foreign Office has said David Miliband did not post a message in compliment to Jackson on Twitter. A spokeswoman said: "The foreign secretary does not have a Twitter account."
10.38am: Byron Garcia, who organised the famous video of 1,500 inmates, coordinated dancing to Jackon's Thriller at a Philippine prison, said: "My heart is heavy because my idol died." Garcia, a security consultant, said the inmates in Cebu will hold a tribute for Jackson on Saturday with their Thriller dance and a minute of prayer.
The video has had 23.5 million hits on YouTube.
10.06am: A bus full of tourists who thought they were going to see Jackson's front gate instead ended up witnessing the last moments of his life, TMZ.com reports. Fans hoping to pay tribute at the singer's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame found it blocked off ahead of the premiere of Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie Bruno. A scene in the film featuring Jackson's sister LaToya has reportedly been cut following his death.
9.47am: Despite his troubled life, Jackson will be remembered foremost for his musical legacy. His spectacular concert tours earned him comparisons with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Clips of his greatest performances have leapt to the top of YouTube's video charts in the wake of his death.
Link to this video
Announcing Jackson's death, his brother Jermaine called him the "legendary king of pop".
Artists including Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Steven Spielberg, waged compliments to the star, while his fans and friends posted messages on a lot of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Not everyone is hured by the news of his death though, and jokes about his extreme plastic surgery and child abuse allegations have quickly spread online.
9.41am: The death of notorious pop legend Michael Jackson last night has encouraged shock around the world.
Jackson, who died aged 50 of a cardiac arrest in a Los Angeles hospital last night, was due to make his comeback at a series of sold-out shows in London.
News that the pop superstar had died after being rushed to the University of California at Los Angeles medical centre broke on artists gossip website TMZ last night. Much of west Los Angeles soon ground to a halt as hordes of fans jostled with paparazzi and television news teams around the hospital.
Paramedics were called to the singer's Beverly Hills home at about noon on Thursday after he stopped up the breathing.
