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Talk Radio Icon, Los Angeles Legend Michael Jackson Dies At 87

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Talk radio legend Michael Jackson died on Saturday, at the age of 87. He died in his Los Angeles homes after complications from Parkinson's Disease.

Despite sharing a name with one of the most famous entertainers of all time, Michael Robin Jackson was best known for his time with KABC Radio, with whom he spent over 30 years, Jackson is widely considered as one of the best to ever grace the airwaves. For his wildly successful career, Jackson was awarded with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame, four Golden Mike Awards and an induction into The Radio Hall of Fame.

Jackson's death was confirmed by his longtime producer, Lyle Gregory, in a statement made to Variety on Saturday:

"It was a testament to Michael, that so many of the guests and celebrities preferred to actually come in studio, rather than do phoners. ... With his British accent and boyhood charm, Michael made people comfortable, they opened up. That was his gift. Michael molded an interview into conversation, news and information. Like two people sitting at a kitchen table talking. A table, an open window, where millions tuned in daily across the nation, so many of them referring to Michael as their personal university."

He was born in England in 1934, before spending a part of his childhood in South Africa. His family moved to the United States in 1958, but he began his radio career as a disc jockey while in South Africa.

Before making his way to Los Angeles, Jackson worked for several different news syndicates, including KYA, now known as KSFB, in San Francisco.

In 1966, he moved to the Southland to join KABC, where he would encapsulate millions of listeners over the years. He moved on to other shows beginning in 1998, spending time with KRLA, KLAC and KGIL until he retired at the age of 73, in 2007.

According to Variety, over 2,000 of Jackson's interviews are housed in the Library of Congress, due to his interviews of multiple major figures in entertainment, politics and more, including: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Jackson also made several cameos in film and television over the years.

He leaves behind his three children and five grandchildren.

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