Drugs, stress blamed for Michael Jackson's deathCarly Crawford
June 27, 2009
PRESCRIPTION drugs and an intense rehearsal regime have been blamed for the death of tortured pop superstar Michael Jackson.
An autopsy will be conducted today with the results expected as earlier as this afternoon, according to the Los Angeles coroner's office.
Jackson died after collapsing in his rented luxury home in the ritzy LA suburb of Bel Air.
The 50-year-old King of Pop stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest just a fortnight before his comeback concerts were due to kick off in London.
He was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead two hours later.
A family lawyer blamed Jackson's handlers and compared his death to the tragedy of Playboy bunny Anna Nicole Smith, who died from prescription drug abuse.
"The people who have been surrounding him have been enabling him," lawyer Brian Oxman said.
"If you think of the case of Anna Nicole Smith was an abuse, it is nothing in comparison to what we've seen taking place in Michael Jackson's life."
Distraught fans poured out their grief across the US.
Police cordoned off the road outside Jackson's home, a gated haven off Sunset Boulevard, as fans swamped the UCLA Medical Centre playing Beat It and Thriller.
Others flocked to Hollywood's Walk of Fame. At New York's Times Square, crowds let out a collective gasp when news of his death flashed up on the broadcast screen.
Jermaine Jackson confirmed his brother's death before joining sister La Toya, brother Randy and mother Katherine in the hospital, where they wept together. Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor arrived at the hospital as Jackson's father Joe boarded a plane from Las Vegas.
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was dubbed the King of Pop.
His 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, with more than 50 million copies sold worldwide.
He reputation was left in tatters by child sex allegations, even thought he was twice found not guilty.
Jackson had been rehearsing for what was to be his greatest comeback: 50 shows in London with the first set for July 13.
Mr Oxman said Jackson had been taking medication for fractures he had suffered to his spine and leg while performing.
"This is something that I feared and which I warned about," he said.
"When you warn people that this is what's going to happen and then it happens - where's there's smoke there's fire. This is a case of abuse of medications unless there's another cause which I don't know about."
Former producer and friend Tarak Ben Ammar also denounced the Jacksons' doctors as "criminals" and "charlatans" who had taken advantage of his hypochondria.
He said Jackson regularly took sleeping pills and he believed he died of a heart attack "because he was taking all sorts of medicines".
Jackson collapsed in his home about midday (Los Angeles) time. Staff called paramedics, who tried to revive the singer, who had gone into full cardiac arrest.
Fire Department captain Steve Ruda said the superstar was not breathing when they arrived at the sprawling estate, off Sunset Boulevard.
They rushed Jackson to the UCLA Medical Centre, about six minutes away, but he was pronounced dead at 2.26pm (7.26am Melbourne time).
The LAPD assigned homicide detectives to the case because of its high profile.
One report said Jackson weighed just 45kg in his final weeks and greeted guests in a wheelchair as he struggled to overcome injuries.
Jackson's children - Prince Michael, 12, Paris 11, and Prince Michael II, 7 - were in the care of his mother.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25696515-661,00.html
