Mystery surrounds Michael Jackson’s sudden death
LOS ANGELES — One day after Michael Jackson’s sudden death, speculation was already turning to what killed the 50-year-old “King of Pop” just weeks before a long-awaited series of comeback concerts.
A family attorney said on Friday he had been concerned that Jackson’s use of prescription drugs for dancing-related injuries would eventually prove fatal and that the entertainer’s inner circle had ignored his warnings.
Authorities scheduled an autopsy for Friday. But they cautioned it could take weeks to determine a cause of death, which will likely have to wait for the return of toxicology tests. Those tests will determine if Jackson had any drugs, alcohol or prescription medications in his system.
Jackson, a former child star who became one of the best-selling pop artists of all time before descending into a strange and reclusive lifestyle amid accusations of child molestation, died Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital. He had been rushed to the hospital in full cardiac arrest after collapsing at his nearby rental home.
Jackson’s passing was front-page news around the world as airwaves filled with his greatest hits from “Thriller” to “Billie Jean” and social networking sites were bombarded with messages and tributes from fans and musicians.
“It’s so sad and shocking,” former Beatle Paul McCartney said. “I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever.”
Few details were known about the circumstances surrounding Jackson’s death but he was reportedly unconscious and not breathing by the time he arrived at UCLA Medical Center. Doctors were unable to revive him.
His body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the coroner’s office late Thursday.
Lawyer Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, told CBS’s “The Early Show” on Friday that he had been concerned about the prescription drugs that Jackson took due to injuries suffered while performing.
“I had warned everyone that I could warn and I told them that one day, Michael Jackson is going to wake up dead, which is a very odd way of putting it …,” Oxman said. “I do not want to point fingers at anyone because I want to hear what the toxicology report says and the coroner says but the plain fact of the matter is that Michael Jackson had prescription drugs at his disposal at all times.
Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery Homicide division searched Jackson’s home in the upscale Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles at the behest of Chief William Bratton. But they called the investigation an “everyday” event.
Facing a battered reputation and a mountain of debts which The Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson had spent the last two months rehearsing for the London concerts, including Wednesday night at the huge Staples Center arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.
In death, his music enjoyed a commercial renaissance that had eluded him for years. His songs surged to the top 15 slots on online retailer Amazon.com Inc’s best-selling albums within hours.
Jackson dominated the charts in the 1980s and is considered one of the most successful entertainers of the past century, with a lifetime sales tally estimated at 750 million records, 13 Grammy Awards and several seminal music videos to his name.
“Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived,” said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jackson’s first label boss. “He was exceptional, artistic and original. He gave the world his heart and soul through his music.”
Jackson’s reputation as a singer and dancer was overshadowed in recent years by his increasingly abnormal appearance and bizarre lifestyle, which included his friendship with a chimp and a preference for the company of children.
He named his estate in the central California foothills Neverland Valley Ranch, in tribute to the J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan stories, and filled it with amusement park rides and a petting zoo.
Jackson was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He became even more reclusive following his 2005 acquittal and vowed he would never again live at Neverland.
Despite reports of Jackson’s ill health, the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
“I can’t stop crying over the sad news,” pop star Madonna said in a statement. “I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats but his music will live on forever.”
Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children and first performed with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5.
His 1982 album “Thriller” yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million internationally.
The following year, he unveiled his signature “moonwalk” dance move, gliding across the stage and setting off an instant trend, while performing “Billie Jean” during an NBC special.
In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.
“I’m so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. … This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me,” Presley said in statement.
Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999, and he later had another child with an unidentified surrogate mother.
He is survived by three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.
Born: 29-Aug-1958
Birthplace: Gary, IN
Died: 25-Jun-2009
Location of death: Los Angeles, CA
Cause of death: Heart Failure [1]
Gender: Male
Religion: See Note [2]
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Matter of Dispute
Occupation: Singer
Nationality: United States
Executive summary: King of Pop
Liberace’s adopted boy/plaything Scott Thorson told The National Enquirer in April 2004 that he and Michael Jackson had sex in 1979, and later pursued an affair in the early ’80s.
While much of the world expected a guilty verdict, in a high-profile trial Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges on 13 June 2005, with the assistance of attorney Tom Mesereau. Santa Barbara County district attorney Tom Sneddon’s case was very weak, particularly in that it brought the issue of the motives of the accuser’s mother into question. Bringing the first charge, that of child abduction, was an error of strategy that likely killed the entire case.
[1] Per Los Angeles Times reports, 29 August 1958.
Father: Joe Jackson
Mother: Katherine Esther Scruse
Sister: Maureen Jackson (”Rebbie”, b. 29-May-1950)
Brother: Jackie Jackson (b. 4-May-1951)
Brother: Tito Jackson (b. 15-Oct-1953)
Brother: Jermaine Jackson (b. 11-Dec-1954)
Sister: La Toya Jackson (b. 29-May-1956)
Brother: Marlon Jackson (b. 12-Mar-1957)
Brother: Randy Jackson (b. 29-Oct-1961)
Sister: Janet Jackson (b. 16-May-1966)
Girlfriend: Stephanie Mills (singer, dated very briefly in 1975)
Girlfriend: Tatum O’Neal (actress, dated 1970s)
Wife: Lisa Marie Presley (m. May-1994, div. 18-Jan-1996)
Wife: Debbie Rowe (m. 14-Nov-1996, div. 8-Oct-1999, one son, one daughter)
Son: Prince Michael (b. 13-Feb-1997, with Rowe)
Daughter: Paris Katherine (b. 3-Apr-1998, with Rowe)
Son: Prince Michael II (”Blanket”, dangled over balcony, unknown mother, b. Feb-2002)
High School: Montclair Prep, Van Nuys, CA
The Jackson 5
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame 6927 Hollywood Blvd (recordings)
Nation of Islam
Endorsement of Pepsi
Endorsement of Sega of America
Wedding: Larry Fortensky and Elizabeth Taylor (1991)
Wedding: David Gest and Liza Minnelli (2002)
Silver Hill Hospital
Conspiracy 2005 (acquitted)
Child Abduction 2005 (acquitted)
Extortion 2005 (acquitted)
False Imprisonment 2005 (acquitted)
Child Molestation 2005 (acquitted)
Caught Fire During filming of Pepsi commercial, 27-Jan-1984
Rhinoplasty
Risk Factors: Vegetarian, Vitiligo
FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
Michael Jackson: HIStory on Film - Volume II (1997)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Miss Cast Away (26-Feb-2004)
Living with Michael Jackson: A Tonight Special (3-Feb-2003) Himself
Men in Black II (26-Jun-2002)
Swing Vote (19-Apr-1999) Himself
Ghosts (8-May-1997)
Michael Jackson: HIStory on Film - Volume II (1997) Himself
Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits - HIStory (16-Jun-1995) Himself
Moonwalker (16-Dec-1988) Himself
Captain Eo (12-Sep-1986)
We Are the World (28-Jan-1985) Himself
The Wiz (24-Oct-1978)
Wiz on Down the Road (1978)
Official Website:
http://www.mjjsource.com/
Rotten Library Page:
Michael Jackson
Appears on the cover of:
Life, Sep-1984, DETAILS: Michael — On Stage and Off — An exclusive 12-page photo album of the musical tour of the decade, BYLINE: (photo by Lynn Goldsmith, of Michael in a funky dance pose)
People, 8-Dec-2003, DETAILS: Michael Jackson — Did He Do It?
National Examiner, 10-Feb-2004, DETAILS: Lisa Marie to wed Jacko — Again? Top secret plan to beat the rap (pictured, Lisa Marie Presley and Jackson)
Michael Jackson’s life in photos
Michael Jackson started out with his brothers as part of the Jackson 5 and when the group released their first single I Want You Back in 1969 it went straight to number one - Michael was just 11 years old.
Michael went solo with Off the Wall in 1979 but four years later it was Thriller that redefined pop, selling 65 million copies. Michael was transformed into a zombie for the iconic 14-minute video.
By the early 1980s tabloid speculation about the secretive star was running high as the King of Pop moved into his Neverland ranch with accompanying zoo. Pet chimp Bubbles became his famous companion.
Michael released Bad in 1987 and started his first solo world tour, with seven sell-out dates at Wembley setting a new attendance record. The star flew above the audience in a special crane.
Michael married Lisa Marie Presley back in 1994 after first meeting her in 1975. She appeared in the music video for You Are Not Alone. They divorced less than two years later.
In 1997 Michael married nurse Debbie Rowe and has his first child - Prince Michael. A year later daughter Paris Michael Katherine was born. The couple divorced in 1999.
Michael took to the stage with pop princess Britney Spears in 2001 to celebrate his 30th anniversary as a solo artist. They sang The Way You Make Me Feel together in New York.
A warrant was issued for Michael’s arrest in 2003 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy. Following a five-month trial which ended in 2005, the singer was found not guilty on all charges.
In 2006 Michael returned to the stage for a performance of We Are The World during the World Music Awards. Some fans demanded a refund as they thought he was going to sing Thriller.
In recent years Michael was forced to move out of his Neverland home and lived in Dubai for a while. His 50th birthday bash in August 2008 was held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
Jackson, who had a history of health problems, had been due to stage a series of comeback concerts in the UK from 13 July. Four dates had been postponed to take place in March 2010.
Michael Jackson died in Los Angeles on Thursday 25 June, under a year after his 50th birthday. His brother Jermaine said he was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.
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