Stars from across the entertainment universe couldn’t believe the news yesterday when they heard of Michael Jackson’s sudden demise.
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The Gloved One’s “second mom,” screen legend Elizabeth Taylor, was “too devastated” to even muster the words for a prepared statement, her representative said last night.
But one report said that when she heard the news, she rushed to the hospital where Jackson had been taken.
Movie magician Steven Spielberg compared Jackson to the greatest singers and dancers in American history.
“Just as there will never be another Fred Astaire or Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley, there will never be anyone comparable to Michael Jackson,” Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly magazine.
“His talent, his wonderment and his mystery make him legend.”
Jaime Foxx, who won an Oscar playing Ray Charles, reflected on Jackson’s massive impact on pop music.
“You cannot say enough about what he has given to us musically and culturally,” Foxx told the TV show “Extra.”
“We take for granted people like him . . . All he wanted to do was give us great music, and that’s what he did. Every single day was dedicated to us.”
Even California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took note of the void left by Jackson’s death.
“The world has lost one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry,” Schwarzenegger said. “Michael was a pop phenomenon who never stopped pushing the envelope of creativity.”
Singer Dionne Warwick agreed.
“We have lost an icon in our industry,” she said, adding, “He will live on in my memory and most definitely through the music he shared with so many.”
Jackson’s cultural high-water point came with his 1982 breakthrough “Thriller” album and the 1983 “Thriller” video directed by filmmaker John Landis, who yesterday called Jackson a “tragic figure.”
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“He was an extraordinary talent and a truly great international star,” Landis told the Los Angeles Times.
“He had a troubled and complicated life and, despite his gifts, remains a tragic figure.”
Rapper MC Hammer and stars Ashton Kutcher and his wife, Demi Moore, tweeted their condolences via Twitter.
“Incredible Hulk” star Lou Ferrigno, who was training Jackson for his concerts in London, was “in total shock,” his wife, Carla, told TMZ.com.
“He’s very shocked right now. Michael was so cute and sweet — he didn’t deserve this.”