The music genius Michael Jackson has died on Thursday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Fire Department Captain, Steve Ruda told the Times that Jackson was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home.

The newspaper said that Jackson had no pulse after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center from his rental home Holmby Hills.

The news of his death was not immediately confirmed by Jackson's family or spokespeople for them.

I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news, said Quincy Jones, a longtime friend of Jackson's and producer of his “Thriller” album.

“For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words. ... I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him, Jones said.

Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958, the seventh of nine children and has been entertaining audiences nearly his entire life.

He made his first solo album in 1972, and released “Thriller” in 1982, which became a smash hit that yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million worldwide.

His lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million along with the 13 Grammy Awards he received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time.

He lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation.