When I Was Young

Posted: 29 June 2009 0554 hrs

A Russian fan of Michael Jackson mourns the death of the 'King of Pop' at the US embassy in Moscow.

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson's family were planning funeral arrangements for the tragic pop icon Sunday as police reportedly cleared the star's doctor after questioning him for a second time.

Jackson's family members were due to meet activist Reverend Al Sharpton to discuss plans for a tribute to the star, whose sudden death last week at the age of 50 has triggered a global outpouring of grief.

Sharpton was cited in several media reports as saying Jackson's family was considering a series of simultaneous memorials around the world to reflect the huge appeal of the late "King of Pop."

"Reverend Sharpton will discuss with the family ideas that people from around the world have sent him about how they would like to memorialize Michael Jackson," a spokeswoman for Sharpton said.

Sharpton said the family were upset by media coverage of Jackson's death that had focused on the star's personal problems such as allegations of child abuse, financial woes and battles with prescription drugs.

"They want to see their brother treated right. They told me 'You've gotta keep out there and defend Michael,'" Sharpton told the New York Daily News.

Jackson's family on Saturday ordered a second autopsy to be carried out after growing increasingly frustrated with "unanswered questions" surrounding the star's death, family advisers said.

Los Angeles police conducted a second interview with doctor Conrad Murray, the only person with Jackson when he collapsed.

Veteran US activist Reverend Jesse Jackson -- who is not related to the family -- said the family are suspicious of the role played by Murray.

The doctor is reported to have injected Jackson with a powerful painkiller Demerol just before he died and left Jackson's mansion after administering CPR to the stricken star.

A spokeswoman for the cardiologist said he "clarified some inconsistencies" during his interview with detectives late Saturday.

But the spokeswoman, Miranda Sevcik, added: "Investigators say the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness to this tragedy."

The Los Angeles Times cited a source close to the investigation as saying that "no red flag, no smoking gun" emerged from the interview.

Sevcik told AFP in an email Sunday that Murray would remain in Los Angeles "just in case investigators need any questions answered at all."

"Doctor Murray wants to see this investigation completed as thoroughly and quickly as possible," she said.

The Times reported that the second autopsy ordered by Jackson's family had been completed. There was no word on the findings.

A preliminary autopsy on Jackson was inconclusive and a final cause of death would not be known until exhaustive toxicology tests are completed in "six to eight weeks," a Los Angeles coroner's official said on Friday.

Large gatherings of devotees have been held around the world since Thursday, with thousands descending on Hollywood again on Sunday to queue for the right to view Jackson's star on the district's "Walk of Fame."

In New York large crowds formed outside the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, where Jackson launched his career in 1969.

In Paris, more than a thousand fans gathered at the foot of the Eiffel Tower Sunday to perform Jackson's celebrated "moonwalk" and pay tribute.

Meanwhile a senior advisor to President Barack Obama revealed the US leader had sent a written condolence to Jackson's family.

"The president has written the family and has shared his feelings with the family, and he felt that was the appropriate way to go," David Axelrod said.

In Los Angeles, Black Entertainment Television (BET) was quickly reworking its annual awards show on Sunday, turning it into a tribute to the superstar credited with helping bridge racial divides.

Revelers at Britain's Glastonbury music festival sported T-shirts with slogans like "Michael Jackson RIP" and "I was at Glasto when Jacko died," while graffiti paying tribute to "The King of Pop" adorned tents.

Jackson's death has sent fans scrambling to stock up on his music, and British chart officials said a compilation album of the star's greatest hits had rocketed to the top of the charts on Sunday.

A spokesman for music retailer HMV said there had been an 80-fold increase in demand for Jackson's music "almost overnight" after the singer's death -- the biggest one-day rise in sales seen for any artists, including Elvis Presley and John Lennon.

- AFP /ls

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.