MUMBAI: The Associated Press (AP) voted Michael Jackson‘s death as the number one entertainment story of the year, with Susan Boyle finishing second while Kanye West and Taylor Swift fiasco and the Jon and Kate Gosselin split followed.

Jackson‘s shocking death on 25 June at the age of 50 was one of the most notable deaths in pop culture history. 

Boyle became an internet sensation after a YouTube video of her audition for Britan‘s Got Talent was viewed by millions in April last. She stunned the music world after her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, broke global sales records when it was released in November and became the fastest-selling debut by a female artiste in US history.

Other entertainment highlights of the year include West‘s infamous interruption of Swift‘s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Awards.

Also featuring is the David Letterman affair and scandal that rocked the late-night world in October.

Jon and Kate Gosselin announced their separation earlier this year and became an instant tabloid sensation. The year saw the end of the hugely successful reality show, Jon & Kate Plus 8 that followed the couple‘s life raising twins and sextuplets.

The Gosselin‘s divorce was final in December and Kate is filming a new show for TLC, which will debut next year.

AP‘s top entertainment stories of the year are: Michael Jackson dies, Susan Boyle becomes overnight sensation, Late-Night Swap between Jay Leno and Conan O‘Brien, Walter Cronkite dies, David Letterman affair, Chris Brown assaults Rihanna, Kanye West robs Taylor Swift, Live video explodes on the web, particularly President Obama‘s inauguration and Michael Jackson‘s funeral, Kate and Jon Gosselin broadcast split, Heath Ledger wins posthumous Oscar.