Media frenzy outside UCLA Medical Center the day Michael Jackson died. (Chad Brown / July 1, 2009)
RICHMOND -
A Richmond man is a witness to history in one of the biggest and most tragic stories to hit Hollywood.
Chad Brown was just blocks away from UCLA Medical Center Thursday as Michael Jackson arrived in cardiac arrest, and he was outside the hospital when he died. He chronicled the experience live on Twitter.
Brown was in town on business the day the King of Pop died and as chance would have it, and rushed to the hospital when the chaos unfolded.
He was interviewed four times by BBC Radio as millions around the world stayed glued to the TV and the internet when the news broke.
He positioned himself next to the emergency room doors and quickly began posting updates on Twitter and he also started snapping pictures.
Brown says, "People were grateful. I was keeping them informed, especially people who couldn't be by a TV so I got a good response. Twitter, a great tool."
He watched as Jackson's family rushed in to be by the singer's side and as the crowds grew larger and larger, he says those three hours seemed surreal.
Brown says, "It's history, I knew years from now I'd be sitting around saying I was there."
It wasn't until the next day that it really him, that Michael Jackson was gone and he was there, capturing the emotional aftermath, something Brown says he'll never forget.
Chad Brown was just blocks away from UCLA Medical Center Thursday as Michael Jackson arrived in cardiac arrest, and he was outside the hospital when he died. He chronicled the experience live on Twitter.
Brown was in town on business the day the King of Pop died and as chance would have it, and rushed to the hospital when the chaos unfolded.
He was interviewed four times by BBC Radio as millions around the world stayed glued to the TV and the internet when the news broke.
He positioned himself next to the emergency room doors and quickly began posting updates on Twitter and he also started snapping pictures.
Brown says, "People were grateful. I was keeping them informed, especially people who couldn't be by a TV so I got a good response. Twitter, a great tool."
He watched as Jackson's family rushed in to be by the singer's side and as the crowds grew larger and larger, he says those three hours seemed surreal.
Brown says, "It's history, I knew years from now I'd be sitting around saying I was there."
It wasn't until the next day that it really him, that Michael Jackson was gone and he was there, capturing the emotional aftermath, something Brown says he'll never forget.
