Britney Spears was among the many stars mourning the loss of Michael Jackson, who [article id="1614744"]died of cardiac arrest on Thursday[/article] afternoon (June 25).

"I was so excited to see his show in London," the singer said in a statement. "We were going to be on tour in Europe at the same time and I was going to fly in to see him. He has been an inspiration throughout my entire life and I'm devastated he's gone!"

In 2001, Britney duetted with Jackson onstage at his [article id="1448761"]30th anniversary concert[/article]

at New York's Madison Square Garden, where she strutted sexily around the stage during "The Way You Make Me Feel."

Madonna, who has collaborated with Spears and Jackson, [article id="1614751"]said in a statement to People.com:[/article] "I can't stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless."

Britney's former boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, also made a [article id="1614756"]statement on Jackson's passing.[/article] "I can't find the words right now to express how deeply saddened I am by Michael's passing," Timberlake said. "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations, and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him onstage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones."

Don't miss "A Celebration of Michael Jackson on MTV," airing at 6 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

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