Michael Jackson, dead at 50, leaves legacy of innovation, infamy

Thursday, June 25, 2009 | 7:52 p.m. CDT; updated 9:18 a.m. CDT, Friday, June 26, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the "King of Pop" and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. He was 50.

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