When I Was Young

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In honor of Michael Jackson as the king of pop, Madonna wants to do her part of paying tribute to the king. See here for the plan.

Reuters - Monday, June 29

By Mary Milliken and Alex Dobuzinskis

Michael Jackson is honored on a marquee at the Los Angeles Theater in California, June 27, 2009. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

LOS ANGELES - Both Michael Jackson's family and his personal physician were at pains to explain on Sunday what caused the troubled pop star's sudden death weeks before his long-awaited comeback.

Dr. Conrad Murray, who was at Jackson's side when he died, told police he did not inject the singer with painkillers before his fatal cardiac arrest on Thursday, his lawyer said on Sunday after reports he received a shot of narcotic Demerol.

When asked at Sunday's BET Awards about the care his son received from doctors in his last moments, Jackson's father, Joe, said, "I have a lot of concerns. ... I can't get into that, but I don't like what happened."

He said funeral arrangements for the King of Pop were still being discussed. A family friend said services could take place on Wednesday and the body could be buried at Jackson's famous Neverland Ranch.

Tension over the mysterious death came to the surface at the BET Awards, modified at the last minute as a tribute to Jackson's musical genius. Some stars bristled over coverage of Jackson's downward spiral during the last decade, filled with accusations of child molestation and bizarre behavior.

"He is one of our heroes," said rap artist and music impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs. "As African Americans, we are not going to let everybody beat him up."

Jackson, 50, was weeks away from an anticipated comeback with a series of 50 concerts in London. He rehearsed regularly up to the night before his death.

Concerns about his health had been rampant during his 2005 trial in California on charges of child sex abuse, of which he was acquitted. Last year, he was photographed in Las Vegas in a wheelchair.

'BARELY ATE, DRANK'

Promoter AEG Live said Jackson had passed a four-hour medical exam earlier this year.

Murray -- a cardiologist hired ahead of the concerts and paid by AEG, according to his lawyer -- was surprised to find Jackson unconscious and not breathing in his rented chateau in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood.

"He barely ate, he barely drank. But nothing which would lead the doctor to believe that he had any possible problems that would cause sudden death," said Edward Chernoff, the attorney who accompanied Murray during three hours of police questioning on Saturday.

Los Angeles police said after questioning Murray that they do not consider him a suspect. Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times the meeting revealed "no red flag" of criminal activity.

The Jackson family holed up in their L.A. compound making plans for a funeral that could take place on Wednesday, possibly at the Neverland estate in central California, family friend Stacy Brown said.

Brown told Reuters that a family source said Jackson had received an injection of the narcotic painkiller Demerol shortly before paramedics were called to the mansion.

"They have been concerned about his addiction to medicines for years," said Brown, who co-wrote the book "Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask."

"It's been no family secret that they've been trying to get him help for his addiction," Brown said.

The family arranged for a second, private autopsy on Saturday after the Los Angeles coroner said it would need four to six more weeks to determine the exact cause of death.

Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who was with the Jackson family last week, echoed Joe Jackson's doubts about what transpired in his son's final hours.

"There is a concern about what happened the last 12 hours of Michael's life," Jackson told People magazine. "The doctor has shown some bizarre behavior."

Jackson is survived by three children aged 12, 11 and 7, the first two from his ex-wife Debbie Rowe and the last from an unidentified surrogate mother.

Addressing speculation of a custody battle over the children, Joe Jackson said in a statement from the BET red carpet that only he and wife Katherine "have authority for our son and his children."

From Yahoo! News; see the source article here.

Posted: 27 June 2009 1805 hrs

Michael Jackson

LOS ANGELES - The family of Michael Jackson claimed the body of the late pop star late Friday following an autopsy earlier in the day, Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Ed Winter said.

Jackson's family removed the singer's body at around 9pm (0400 GMT), eluding hordes of camera crews and photographers.

There was no immediate indication of where Jackson's body was being moved to.

No information regarding funeral arrangements has been released.

Jackson died Thursday after apparently suffering a cardiac arrest at his rented mansion in Beverly Hills, sending shockwaves through the music world and triggering a global outpouring of grief. - AFP/vm

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

Posted: 26 June 2009 0829 hrs

Michael Jackson stands with Quincy Jones at the Grammy Awards in 1984. (file pic)

LOS ANGELES: Celebrities and stars around the globe were overwhelmed by sorrow and shock on Thursday as they sought to absorb the news of the sudden death of pop icon Michael Jackson.

"I'm absolutely devastated at this news," bestselling record producer and musician Quincy Jones told NBC, after Jackson died suddenly aged 50, apparently from a cardiac arrest, at his Beverly Hills home.

"I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together and allowed us to do what we could do through the '80s," Jones said.

"To this day that music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all – talent, grace, and professionalism. I've lost my little brother today and part of my soul has gone with him."

As crowds of people began to gather at the hospital where Jackson had been rushed for treatment, the biggest and greatest of the entertainment world were struggling to take in news of his death.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement lamenting the loss of "one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry".

Schwarzenegger noted that there were "serious questions" about Jackson's personal life, but the governor said he and his wife Maria Shriver joined "all Californians in expressing our shock and sadness over his death."

"Our hearts go out the Jackson family, Michael's children and to his fans worldwide," the statement said.

"I'm just devastated, very, very sad. I pray that his soul is up there now," close friend Uri Geller told the BBC, after multiple US news outlets confirmed Jackson's death.

Jackson was best man when the television physic Geller renewed his wedding vows in 2001.

"I'm still trying to hold on to the glimmer that it is not true. It is too surreal for me to absorb that Michael is no longer with us."

Geller told the BBC that he was "absolutely shocked" as Jackson had been in good shape training for his comeback tour due to launch on July 13 in London.

"Michael was in good shape because he was practising, he was training, he was rehearsing for the shows," he said.

"Michael was careful with what he ate, he was just fine. Last time I know and heard of what he was doing he was in great shape. And this is why I'm so absolutely shocked by this news and I'm praying and hoping it's not true."

US actor Jamie Foxx was in the middle of an interview with "Extra" TV when the news broke, and said that he hoped Jackson would be remembered as a "brilliant musician" and not for "the circus sideshow" that his life turned into.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also posted his thoughts on Jackson's death on Twitter. "Never has one soared so high and yet dived so low. RIP Michael," Miliband wrote.

Many paid tribute to Jackson's influence on the world of music and dance. His album "Thriller" remains the bestselling album of all time with more than 41 million sales.

And his iconic moonwalk has passed into dance legend, endlessly copied by millions of dancers around the world.

"From a dancer's perspective, he was the epitome of the natural mover and popularised the 'moonwalk' from his Billy Jean video. Of course, the dance that he did for 'Thriller' is still performed, used and emulated constantly," said Ashley Roland, co-artistic director of the Oregon-based dance company BodyVox.

"He was an inspiration to so many, and I am one of them."

British child actor Mark Lester, the godfather to Jackson's children, said he was in shock at the news, and praised Jackson's attributes as a father.

"They're the most fabulous kids – whatever they need, they've got me," Lester told MSNBC.

- AFP/so

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.