LL Cool J joins rappers' tributes to Jackson

LL COOL J has spoken about how saddened he was to hear about the passing of his childhood idol.

The rapper said: "He was one of my childhood idols. I salute you King of Pop. You made the whole world moonwalk together."

MC Hammer also added to the tributes and said he was in mourning for his friend.

He said: "I will be mourning my friend, brother, mentor and inspiration. He gave me and my family hope. I would never have been me without him."

Rapper P Diddy took to his Twitter page to pay tribute and said how much he would miss him.

He wrote: "Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him."

Snoop Dogg said the world had lost an "inspiring" man.

He said: "I feel like his music will never die and his spirit will never die, because he influenced so many if us. He gave us a lot of hope that we feel like we can be big.

"He was very inspiring and up close and personal with his fans. That to me was special. That's one of the things that I loved about Mike. When I got a chance to meet him, that's the feeling and spirit that I got from him."

And rapper Ludacris wrote on his Twitter: "If it were not for Michael Jackson I would not be where or who I am today. His music and legacy will live on forever. Prayers to the family."