Crying Jacko fans outside hospital

Hundreds of Michael Jackson fans have gathered outside the UCLA medical centre to pay tribute to their idol.

Tracy Drendella, 36, from Los Angeles, said she heard the news of the star's death on the radio.

She said: "I turned on the radio and this song, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', was playing, I love that song, Michael is the greatest, and then they said he was dead and I was just like in shock."

She added: "I feel like a part of me has died a little bit because that was my era. I knew people would be down here paying their respects and I just wanted to show mine and support him.

"He had a very troubled life. There was a lot of stuff that happened to him, there was a lot of choices he made, and I know he wasn't very well loved in the US anymore because of all the trials and everything."

Stef Casteel, 28, who described himself as "a superfan" had brought a set of speakers down to the scene and was playing Jackson's hits to the assembled crowd who were singing along.

He said: "His music is going to live on forever. His legacy lives on beyond music and I think people are going to know Michael Jackson for centuries and centuries. He's an icon."