The POP Singer died June 25, 2009 of Cardiac Heart Arrest - at the age of 50. He surfered the heart problem is him home before being rushed to the Hospital where Doctors failed to resursitate him after an hour medical struggle.

Here is the news as reported by BBC on Africa:

News of pop star Michael Jackson's death has been greeted with a mixture of disbelief and sadness across Africa.

In Nigeria, a presenter on Radio Continental broke down live on air and could not continue her programme.

A woman in Ghana burst into tears in the capital, Accra, when told by a BBC reporter about the musician's death.

In 1999, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award by South African icon Nelson Mandela at the Kora All Africa Music Awards.

Michael Jackson first visited the continent at the age of 14 as the lead singer of the Jackson Five.

Emerging from the plane in Senegal, he responded to a welcome of drummers and dancers by screaming: ''This is where I come from."

'Spectacular disappointment'

He returned for an African tour 19 years later, when the king of pop was crowned chief of several African villages.

But the trip quickly turned into a public relations nightmare amid allegations that police had beaten the crowds who went to see him and complaints in the local media that the pop star had been seen holding his nose, as if to keep out a bad smell.


  It's not true, no it's not true

Ghanaian fan


Jacksons star in Nigeria resort row
Michael Jackson - Africa reacts 
Ghanaian journalist Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, who says she was a huge Jackson Five fan as a girl, covered the visit.

She said he spent most of his time locked away in his plush hotel or hidden in his limousine when out.

When his car window wound down for a brief minute for him to greet fans, she asked him about his trip to Africa, and he replied limply: "Beautiful, I love it."

It was "a spectacular disappointment in many ways", Ms Quist-Arcton told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

But the crowds who lined Abidjan's streets during his visit were testament to his huge popularity across the continent where fans have been expressing their shock at his death.

The BBC's Tom Oladipo in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos said the Radio Continental presenter broke down sobbing live on air after hearing the news and her co-presenter had to take over.



The Jackson Five first visited Africa in the 1970s
One of Michael Jackson's brothers, Marlon, is planning to develop a controversial luxury resort, a mixture of a slave history theme park and a museum dedicated to the Jackson Five in Nigeria.

He also had passionate fans in Ghana.

"It's not true, no it's not true," a woman in Accra wailed as her companion accused our correspondent of lying about the news of Jackson's death.


"He's a legend, he's not supposed to die," a woman in the Kenyan capital told the BBC.

But others expressed concern about his obsession with his appearance.

"He was not proud to a black American, he wasn't, he wanted very much to be white," a man in Nairobi said.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Johannesburg says Michael Jackson's most tangible contribution to Africa came at the peak of his career in the mid-1980s, when he co-wrote the charity song We are the World with Lionel Ritchie.

Sung by a group of leading artists, the single topped charts around the world raising awareness and more than $50m for famine relief in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.



What could have caused Jackson's death?  [color=#990000][/color]


Michael Jackson died on Thursday
Michael Jackson has died after he stopped breathing and suffered a cardiac arrest.

But what would cause sudden death in a man of his age?

The details are scarce, and a post-mortem will be carried out to determine exactly what happened - because cardiac arrest is simply another way of saying someone's heart has stopped.

There are numerous potential causes. One of those is a heart attack - although they are not interchangeable terms.


  I suspect he had a fairly bizarre and weird lifestyle

Professor John Reid, British Hypertension Society
When a heart attack occurs, the heart does not always stop beating and the person does not always die.

Most are caused by the build up of fatty deposits in arteries (coronary heart disease), which causes them to narrow and block the blood supply to the heart.

How severe the heart attack is depends on exactly where it is and how big the blockage is.

Cathy Ross of the British Heart Foundation said: "If a heart attack is big enough, it can cause the heart to go into an abnormal rhythm, which can lead to cardiac arrest."

People in their 40s or 50s do die suddenly from heart attacks, but these are usually due to being overweight and smoking - not risk factors for Michael Jackson.

The post-mortem will look at Michael Jackson's body to see if he had any kind of underlying disease, most likely of the brain or the heart itself, which could have contributed to his death.

They will also look for evidence of any drugs - legal or illegal - in his system.

Resources

Cardiac arrest is caused by electrical malfunction and the heartbeat becomes erratic. It can happen at any age.


  Cardiac arrest can be caused by many things

Cathy Ross, British Heart Foundation
Cathy Ross said: "It can be caused by many things, including underlying heart disease, a blood clot which can lead to a pulmonary embolism, or diabetes.

"There are a number of genetic conditions to do with electrical activity in the heart, such as long QT syndrome which can cause sudden death."

She added: "Anorexics and bulimics who abuse eating can experience electrolyte imbalances.

"If you don't eat the right things, levels of blood electrolytes such as potassium can become depleted. They are very important for heart rhythm, which could then lead to cardiac arrest.

The pop superstar was in preparation for his comeback concert tour, his first performances in many years, and it would have placed great demands on his physical and mental health.

But heart expert Professor John Reid, a past-president of the British Hypertension Society, said that it was unlikely stress would have been a factor.

"This is a man who has been living with stress for many years. He must have had many resources to deal with its manifestations."

Medication

There have been persistent rumours for many years that Michael Jackson had a painkiller addiction, and experts say the use of many kinds of drugs can be linked to heart problems.

Professor Reid said: "Drugs and other substances can mimic cardiac arrest - or cause one."

One of the commonest is cocaine. It can cause cardiac arrhythmia, and can cause sudden death.

"It is also possible that opiates, such as morphine, could cause sedation and breathing to stop which would cause respiratory arrest, and then cardiac arrest," said Professor Reid.

"But even prescription drugs can cause death. Antidepressants, which are so widely used, are associated with increased risk of heart attack."

And he added: "I suspect he had a fairly bizarre and weird lifestyle."

Michael Jackson's health - along with his music - has been the focus of attention throughout his adult life. Whatever the post-mortem reveals, this is not likely to change with his death.



Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson

Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US

Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko

Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song

Obituary: Remarkable talent
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