BEIJING - The death of Michael Jackson gripped China on Friday, as fans spoke of how his music became the soundtrack for the nation's early years of opening to the outside world nearly 30 years ago.

"I was in love with him and his music when I was in college," Wang Fang, a 45-year-old businesswoman, told AFP.

"His life was bizarre, but his music has stayed with me since my youth." Jackson died after collapsing from a cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was 50.

His most popular album, "Thriller," was released here just as China opened its doors to the outside world in the early 1980s, giving the once-isolated nation its first taste of Western pop music, Wang said.

Jackson's death was the top news item on popular Internet portals Soho.com and Sina.com, which called him the "most remarkable singer ever."

Only a few hours after his death, nearly 8,000 comments on Jackson had been posted in Sina.com chat rooms, debating the merits of the iconic star known as much here for his freakish personal life as his talent.

"No matter how anyone views him as a person, his music is beyond reproach. His name 'King of Pop' says it all," said one posting.

"Based on his record sales and concerts, there is no one who can compare with MJ," said another posting.

"His contribution to mankind was overwhelming."

Most postings praised Jackson and expressed sadness at his death, but others took aim at Jackson's often bizarre lifestyle.

"He was a monster. A weirdo has died," said one posting.