Los Angeles (ECN) -  Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 on Thursday afternoon at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest.

His brother Jermaine made a public announcement saying "It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until the results of the autopsy are known. Our family requests that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time, and may Allah be with you Michael, always."

Jackson began his lifelong career at the age of 11 performing with his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon in The Jackson 5.

He started his solo career in 1971 and has his first major breakthrough album was Thriller in 1982 which is still the best selling album of all time.

As the years went by he stayed in the spotlight but not with his music but his strange lifestyle, appearing to revert back to a childhood he never had by living on a ranch and keeping a pet monkey.

He faced child molestation charges of a 13 year-old boy but was cleared of charges.

After the trial Jackson faced serious financial debt and was planning on making a comeback and paying off some debt by performing 50 sold out shows in London starting next month.

Many celebrities have already spoken out about the pop-star’s death.

Ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said "I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels. Words fail me."

"I can't stop crying over the sad news," Madonna said "I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless."

Justin Timberlake says "I can't find the words right now to express how deeply saddened I am by Michael's passing. We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music, but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones."

No cause of death has been confirmed yet.

"The cause of death has been deferred, which means that the medical examiner has ordered additional testing, such as toxicology and other studies," Craig Harvey, the operations chief and spokesperson for the coroner's office, said in a press conference. "Those tests we anticipated will take approximately four to six additional weeks to complete."