On December 6, 1995 Michael was rushed to Beth Israel Medical Center in New York after collapsing at rehearsals for his HBO special "One Night Only". Early reports from the Center indicated that Michael was suffering from gastro-enteritis, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Michael was due to play at the Beacon Theater on the 8th and 9th. The shows were canceled.
Just (heart) beat it
Jackson in intensive care
* NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Jackson's collapse during a rehearsal may have been caused by an irregular heartbeat, a potentially serious condition that slows blood flow through the body, his doctors said.
* Jackson remained in serious but stable condition at Beth Israel Medical Centre North.
* The pop star was being treated for an inflammation of the stomach, dehydration, gastroenteritis and heart, kidney and liver irregularities caused by an electrolyte imbalance, his doctors, Allan Metzger and William Alleyne, said.
* Jackson, 37, will "require several days of critical care, monitoring and treatment," his medical team said Thursday in a statement.
* His collapse Wednesday on stage at the Beacon Theatre forced indefinite postponement of a much-hyped HBO special, Michael Jackson: One Night Only, which promoters hoped would reach a worldwide audience of 250 million.
* The self-proclaimed King of Pop was to perform tonight and Saturday night at the 1,500-seat Beacon. HBO had planned to tape the two shows for Sunday's telecast.
* At the hospital, Jackson's private second-floor room had a makeover with some of his favorite posters, since no flowers are allowed in the intensive-care unit where patients are typically on oxygen.
* Giant framed posters of Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Mickey Mouse and Topo Gigio were delivered to the hospital Thursday afternoon.
* His wife, Lisa Marie Presley, visited him, and his mother, Katherine, younger sister Janet and older sister Rebbie were also seen at the hospital. None of them spoke with reporters.
* "All of the love and support from his friends and fans all over the world is greatly appreciated and helpful to his recovery," the medical statement said. While an irregular heartbeat, or cardiac arrhythmia, is not always life-threatening, it can cause dizziness and loss of consciousness. It causes about 400,000 deaths each year.
* Emergency workers who were called to the Beacon Theatre found Jackson semiconscious and mumbling. His blood pressure had dropped to 70 over 40; a typical healthy reading would be 120 over 80.
* The concert's postponement was the latest career setback for Jackson, who some had seen as trying to restore his sagging career.
* Jackson's double CD HIStory: Past, Present and Future - Book I debuted at No. 1 in June but was knocked out of the top spot in just two weeks. Two months later, it was out of the top 20 best-selling albums - a disappointing turn for an artist whose Thriller album sold 44 million copies.
* "Without a doubt, the HBO special, we perceived, would have been a very big boost to sales right the way through to Christmas," Alan McDonald, vice-president of marketing for the HMV records chain, told the New York Times newspaper.
* The collapse also caused Jackson to miss Wednesday night's Billboard Music Awards ceremony, where he and sister Janet were honored for career achievement.
* Media far outnumbered fans who stood vigil outside the hospital holding out a longshot hope Thursday of seeing their idol. Fans never numbered more than two-dozen at a time.
* "I'm here to support Michael and I'm praying for him to get well and not for him to listen to the tabloid junkies, and that he is not alone," fan Lisa Browne said.
Jackson collapses
N.Y. medics found star with low blood pressure
*NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Jackson collapsed on stage yesterday while rehearsing for a national TV special and was hospitalized suffering from apparent dehydration.
* Jackson was in stable condition at Beth Israel Medical Centre North, where he was undergoing tests. The hospital said he was being held overnight, and provided no additional information.
* Jackson's sister Janet rushed to his bedside. She left the hospital a few hours later without speaking to reporters.
* The whereabouts of Jackson's wife, Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson, were not known. Her spokesman, Lee Solters, who also represents Michael Jackson, did not return a telephone call.
* Emergency workers found a semiconscious Jackson lying on the side of the stage when they arrived at the Beacon Theatre shortly after 5 p.m., Emergency Medical Service technician Kevin Barwick said.
* "He was lethargic. He was speaking slowly, mumbling," said Barwick.
* The 37-year-old singer appeared dehydrated and was treated with oxygen and intravenous fluids before being taken to the hospital.
* A hospital official said Jackson had low blood pressure, measured at 70 over 40. A typical healthy reading would be 120 over 80.
* Jackson had been scheduled to appear last night at the Billboard Music Awards. Tina Turner accepted the Billboard Hot 100 Award for career achievement on Jackson's behalf.
Jacko doing better
*NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Jackson continued recovering today from the gastrointestinal ailment that made him collapse last week.
* He has resumed eating solid foods, his heart is "completely normal" and he may be moved out of intensive care today, the 37-year-old pop star's doctors said Sunday. They upgraded his condition to stable and improving.
* Jackson's room at Beth Israel Medical Centre North is decorated with posters of Mickey Mouse and Shirley Temple and he has received hundreds of cards, gifts and flowers from around the world.
* Jackson's illness forced cancellation of shows Friday and Saturday at New York's Beacon Theatre, where he collapsed Thursday while rehearsing.
* Doctors have said Jackson's ailment probably was caused by a virus, leading to diarrhea and severe dehydration that dangerously quickened his heartbeat and lowered his blood pressure. His liver and kidney functions also were affected, doctors said.
Jacko gets out of the hospital
Gloved one heads for some needed R&R
NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Jackson smiled and gave his screaming, crying fans the peace sign as he walked out of a hospital Tuesday, almost a week after collapsing from a virus.
* "Michael, we love you! We love you!" several women cried as they tried to chase after the white van that whisked the 37-year-old singer away from Beth Israel Hospital-North Division.
* Jackson - heavily made up with foundation and rouge but walking on his own - paused briefly as he left the hospital, put his fingers to his lips as if giving the crowd a kiss, made a peace sign, waved and then left.
* It was not known where he was going. Neither the hospital nor his publicist, Lee Solters, would say where Jackson was heading.
* Dressed in a black overcoat and black fedora, Jackson smiled at the crowd of about 50 screaming fans and the horde of reporters and camera crews but did not speak.
* On his own, he got into the white van with protective blinds covering the windows.
* "He looked gorgeous," said Medina Ashimora, 15, who has cut school every day to stand outside the hospital where Jackson had been treated since Dec. 6. She did it "because he's the most wonderful person in the whole world," she said. "I love him so much."
* His doctors said Jackson will require several days of rest in bed and close monitoring as an outpatient in the next few weeks.
* Jackson's illness forced cancellation of shows scheduled for Friday and Saturday at New York's Beacon Theatre, where he fell ill Wednesday afternoon while rehearsing. Portions of the shows had been planned for airing Sunday night to a worldwide audience of 250 million on the Home Box Office cable network.
* Doctors said Jackson's gastrointestinal ailment probably was caused by a virus, leading to diarrhea and severe dehydration that dangerously quickened his heartbeat and lowered his blood pressure. His liver and kidney functions also were affected, the doctors said.
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