Fans of Michael Jackson sit vigil by his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame mourning his death. -- PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES - CELEBRITIES and stars around the globe were overwhelmed by sorrow and shock on Thursday as they sought to absorb the news of the sudden death of pop icon Michael Jackson.
Australian musicians, fans shocked
SYDNEY - AUSTRALIAN fans of Michael Jackson were on Friday stunned and devastated by the sudden death of the pop icon, while the country's music industry paid tribute to the singer's musical legacy.
'OMG Michael Jackson is dead. This is a very sad moment. I am over here in tears. He was a hero to me,' wrote one fan, identified as Anya, in a posting on the public broadcaster ABC's website soon after the singer was confirmed dead.
MICHAEL Jackson's sudden death at the age of 50 brought reactions from across the music world and elsewhere. Below are some of those reactions.
- Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock great Elvis Presley who was married to Jackson in the mid-1990s, said in a statement: 'I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible.
'I'm absolutely devastated at this news,' bestselling record producer and musician Quincy Jones told NBC, after Jackson died suddenly aged 50, apparently from a cardiac arrest, at his Beverly Hills home. 'I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together and allowed us to do what we could do through the '80s,' Jones said.
'To this day that music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all - talent, grace, and professionalism. I've lost my little brother today and part of my soul has gone with him.' As crowds of people began to gather at the hospital where Jackson had been rushed for treatment, the biggest and greatest of the entertainment world were struggling to take in news of his death.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzegger issued a statement lamenting the loss of 'one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry.' Schwarzenegger noted that there were 'serious questions' about Jackson's personal life, but the governor said he and his wife Maria Shriver joined 'all Californians in expressing our shock and sadness over his death.' 'Our hearts go out the Jackson family, Michael's children and to his fans worldwide,' the statement said.
'I'm just devastated, very very sad. I pray that his soul is up there now,' close friend Uri Geller told the BBC, after multiple US news outlets confirmed Jackson's death. Jackson was best man when the television physic Geller renewed his wedding vows in 2001.
'I'm still trying to hold on to the glimmer that it is not true. It is too surreal for me to absorb that Michael is no longer with us.' Geller told the BBC that he was 'absolutely shocked' as Jackson had been in good shape training for his comeback tour due to launch on July 13 in London. 'Michael was in good shape because he was practising, he was training, he was rehearsing for the shows,' he said.
US actor Jamie Foxx was in the middle of an interview with 'Extra' TV when the news broke, and said he hoped Jackson would be remembered as a 'brilliant musician' and not for 'the circus sideshow' that his life turned into.
Cycling champion Lance Armstrong took to micro-blogging website Twitter to express his sadness over the deaths Thursday of both Jackson and 70s icon Farrah Fawcett. 'Terrible news about Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett. My best to their friends, fans and families' wrote Armstrong.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also posted his thoughts on Jackson's death on Twitter. 'Never has one soared so high and yet dived so low. 'RIP Michael,' Mr Miliband wrote.
Many paid tribute to Jackson's influence on the world of music and dance. His album 'Thriller' remains the bestselling album of all time with more than 41 million sales. And his iconic moonwalk has passed into dance legend, endlessly copied by millions of dancers around the world.
'From a dancer's perspective, he was the epitome of the natural mover and popularized the 'moonwalk' from his Billy Jean video. Of course, the dance that he did for 'Thriller' is still performed, used and emulated constantly,' Ashley Roland, co-artistic director of the Oregon-based dance company BodyVox, told AFP.
'He was an inspiration to so many, and I am one of them.' British child actor Mark Lester, the godfather to Jackson's children, said he was in shock at the news, and praised Jackson's attributes as a father. 'They're the most fabulous kids - whatever they need, they've got me,' Lester told MSNBC. -- AFP
