Two American icons passed away Thursday, one terminally ill cancer patient whose career excelled as an "Angel" and one unexpected death of a revered music legend that will soon take his place among Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
Michael Jackson, 50, died Thursday afternoon of cardiac arrest. Paramedics could not revive Jackson during the short two-mile drive from Jackson's L.A. home to University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, according to CNN. Reasons for his death are still unknown.
Jessica Reaves, first year pharmacy student, said the idol deemed "King of Pop" heavily impacted her music tastes.
"My first memories of music were of Michael Jackson when my parents would play his record and I would dance," Reaves said. "I was five. It's a very sad day for the music world."
Farrah Fawcett, 62, died at St. John's Health Center Thursday morning after her three-year battle with anal cancer, according to Yahoo! News. After her diagnosis Fawcett chose to share her struggle publicly with the TV documentary "Farrah's Story."
"She had an amazing strength," Kathryn Modeer, a senior in economics, said. "When she made 'Farrah's Story,' she was really brave and gave great insight as to what it is like to be a cancer patient. It wasn't glorified, it was very real, and I really admired her for that."
From dance moves to hairstyles, both idols set precedents for many trends.
Jackson was the seventh of nine children. His music career began at age 5 with four of his five brothers. Jackson's solo career would eventually earn him eight Grammys for the album "Thriller" alone which, according to CNN, is the worldwide best-selling album of all time.
As one of "Charlie's Angels," Fawcett became a sex symbol with her "Farrah Hair" as well as her controversial photos as she posed for Playboy as late as age 50.
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