The King Of Pop, Michael Jackson is dead.

LAPD Authorities say Thursday afternoon, ambulance and fire units were called to Jackson's L.A. home. A Los Angeles fire captain says the units arrived at the Jackson compound and performed emergency medical measures on "a victim." It then took the ambulance approximately 10 minutes to get to the UCLA Medical Center where a short time later, officials confirmed that Jackson had died.

With the news spreading across the globe, crowds began to gather at the UCLA entrances and outside the gates of the Jackson compound.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, a friend of Jackson's for many years held a brief news conference at the Apollo Theater where Jackson had previously performed. He told those gathered that he received a call from a Jackon source that said he had better prepare himself for the worst. That person then told Sharpton of Jackson's passing.

L.A. officials say it is still too early to speculate if an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. One of Jackson's spokespersons said late in the afternoon that the singer had died of cardiac arrest.

Michael Jackson was 50.