Police have now heard a first-hand account of the final moments of Michael Jackson's life from the cardiologist who was with the legendary pop singer at the time of his death.
Investigators met with Dr. Conrad Murray for three hours on Saturday, hearing his account of what happened the day that the 50-year-old pop star died.
Following the meeting, police said Murray was co-operative and "provided information which will aid the investigation."
The doctor's spokesperson said Murray helped police "identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies."
Jackson died Thursday afternoon, after suffering cardiac arrest at his rented Los Angeles mansion. He was rushed to UCLA Medical Center, only six minutes away, but doctors were unable to revive the pop singer.
An initial autopsy ruled out trauma or foul play being involved in Jackson's death, but medical officials said more tests are needed to determine an official cause of death.
Questions about Jackson's use of painkillers, however, have been raised following his death. And medical examiners have confirmed the singer had taken prescription medication.
Murray had been hired to accompany Jackson on a set of 50 concerts that were to take place in London this summer.
On Saturday, the cardiologist hired a Houston law firm to represent him, though police have so far said he is only considered a witness in their investigation.
Meanwhile, Jackson's family has begun to push for a second, private autopsy to take place.
Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson has said the family wants more information about Jackson's death.
"It's abnormal," Jesse Jackson said Saturday. "We don't know what happened. Was he injected and with what? All reasonable doubt should be addressed."
He said the singer's family is grief-stricken.
"They're hurt because they lost a son. But the wound is now being kept open by the mystery and unanswered questions of the cause of death," he said.
The singer's family has been staying together in Encino, Calif., grieving his loss, preparing funeral arrangements and caring for Jackson's three children.
His sisters, Janet and La Toya, were spotted visiting Jackson's rented mansion on Saturday. But they did not speak to reporters at the scene.
The Jackson family released a statement to People magazine on Saturday, describing the pain they are going through.
"In one of the darkest moments of our lives we find it hard to find the words appropriate to this sudden tragedy we all had to encounter," the statement said. "We miss Michael endlessly."
On Sunday night, the annual BET awards show is set to take place and organizers have been scrambling to put together a show to honour Jackson.
Singers Beyonce and Ne-Yo, both of whom were scheduled to perform at the awards show, said they hoped to change their performances to honour the recently deceased King of Pop.
Madonna said in a statement: "I can not stop crying" and added: "I always admired Michael Jackson, the world lost one of the great but the music will live forever." The Quincy Jones shocked by the news of the death of Michael Jackson said: "I am contrite by these tragic and unexpected news." The Celine Dion from the side said: "I am shocked. I am shocked by this tragedy" and added: "It was not only a talented man but he was unique - it was genius."
"The world lost one of the idols with the greatest influence in the music industry," said Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Demi Moore said: "I am very upset for the death of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawsett (who also died yesterday). Especially for his children."
Cher said: "I have one million different emotions that I did not expect that I will.
Justin Timberlake wrote to the official website: "We lost a genius." Lisa Marie Presley said: "I am very upset and confused with each emotion."
Britney Spears said in the statement: "I am contrite as he left " Donna Summer from the side said: "I will miss the Michael".
Franz Ferdinand paid an unconventional tribute to the lateMichael Jackson when they headlined the Other Stage at Glastonbury on June 27.
Gene Simmons says he's heard enough celebrity tributes to Michael Jackson, and wants to hear from the kids who accused the late pop singer of molestation.
Simmons, the bassist/vocalist for classic rock stalwarts Kiss, says he's less interested in Jackson's talent than he is in accusations that the singer molested young boys.
"I want the kids who've accused him, to be blunt, of molestation, to have their say," Simmons told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview from Los Angeles on Thursday.
"I want to hear what they have to say. Not celebrities. Let's celebrate the talent and everything later, let's just figure out if there are any victims here."
Jackson, who died last week, was tried for child molestation in 2005 but was ultimately acquitted of all charges by a jury. He faced a similar accusation in 1993 but that case was settled out of court.
For years, rumours swirled as Jackson hung around with child stars including Macaulay Culkin, and invited young boys for sleepovers at his Neverland ranch.
Despite being acquitted, those close to him have said he never recovered from the charges.
Since his death, glowing tributes have been rolling in from celebrities around the world, with few mentions of the allegations.
Even U.S. President Barack Obama paused Thursday to say that Jackson "will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers."
Meanwhile, speculation raged Thursday about where the King of Pop will be buried, with some reports mentioning that there will be a public event in honour of the singer at the Staples Center in L.A. next week.
Officials are also probing the circumstances around Jackson's death, and whether drug use was involved.
Simmons, who's a popular - and reliably outspoken - reality TV star in addition to a rocker, said he initially declined to provide his opinion on Jackson, but that enough time had elapsed since the singer's death for him to break his silence.
Simmons said he knew Jackson roughly 26 years ago. At the time, Simmons was living with Diana Ross and found Jackson to be "charming and shy and self-effacing, you know, very pleasant, obviously talented."
Jackson paid millions of dollars to settle out of court with a 13-year-old who accused him of molestation in 1993, Simmons noted.
"I want to know what that boy has to say," Simmons said.
"So while it's sad that (Jackson) had this sad life and I understand, that's horrible - Michael's not the only victim. I want to know what these boys have to say."
"Shamone motherfuckers!" yelled frontman Alex Kapranos during the set, referring to one of 's famous vocal eccentricities. He also played a short rendition of the bass-line toJackson's hit 'Billie Jean'.
He sang for Pepsi, collaborated on media ventures with Disney, and bought up the Beatles' song catalogue. Jackson didn't invent the concept of the recording star with a merchandising arm. But no singer before him had practiced business on the same scale or reach. More than anyone, he personified the pop icon as a one-person industry with money-making capacity across multiple platforms. Credit or blame Michael, Inc. for later innovations such as rock-star royalty bonds and rap-branded vitamin water.
From those funky post-hippie chic of his days with the Jackson Five to his beaded military jackets, the Gloved One's influence reached deep into the world of fashion, and retail. Back in the '80s Chess King must have sold a gazillion knock-off zipperrific "Thriller" jackets. Even today, designers are still sampling from Jackson's signature cropped trousers — infantilizing men in a Pee Wee Herman-regression sort of way. The influence endures on the runways of Thom Browne, Neil Barrett, Costume National's Ennio Capasa, Rag & Bone and Band of Outsiders (ignoring some of the natty suits he wore in latter years). It's enough to forgive MJ for the Jheri Curl years and the sequin socks (borrowed from Cherand Bob Mackie).
3. He smashed MTV's color line
It's one of the great tales of culture clash: The young, rock-oriented MTV refused to play black music, including the moody video for Billie Jean. Jackson's label,CBS, threatened to pull all of its artists from circulation. MTV relented. Billie Jean, the first MTV-aired video by a black artist, became a smash. MJ, with MTV as a platform, would go on to ever-greater video exploits. MTV prospered ever after as a destination for r&b and, especially, hip-hop.
4. He redirected pop-star egos
Sure, celebrity charity dates to at least the silent film era. But to turn a cause célèbre into a galvanizing global movement, as happened with We Are The World, is something else entirely. In 1985, Jackson and his creative consigliere, Quincy Jones, assembled Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Willie Nelson, Cyndi Lauper and many more into an all-star studio constellation. They recordedWe Are the World, a global No. 1 that put hunger at the forefront of the world's consciousness.
5. He made everything an event
The production and promotion of 1982's Thriller was a study in escalation. It began with the staredown of MTV over Billie Jean. It continued with the buzz surrounding Beat It, a pioneering collaboration across genres with rock guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen. It culminated in the title track's monster-themed mini-movie, a nearly 14-minute video directed by John Landis. He tried to top Thriller, of course, with bigger side projects, bigger video premieres and more attention-getting. But he wound up constructing a house of cards.
6. He made us scream.
The screams. That's how you know that Michael Jackson's debut of the Moonwalk on theMotown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special was a watershed moment in dance history. The illusion of stepping forward while actually sliding backward was seismic (moves that Jackson synthesized from mimes, street dancers, James Brown and Jackie Wilson) and caused hoofing legends Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Sammy Davis Jr. to effusively praise his skills. Jackson also took isolations from jazz and modern dance and gave it fizz and pop; those disco spins were sharpened and sped up – and it all was grounded in masculinity. Hence, the screams.
7. He crossed over
It is significant that the Jackson 5 was the last group to come off of the Motown assembly line. Berry Gordy's legendary record company was all about making black music appealing to white audiences. And Gordy wrote in his autobiography that Michael Jackson watched everything he did. Even as a young prince, the King of Pop learned his lessons well. Jackson's solo career is the culmination of decades of r&b artists ascending from "chitlin' circuit" fame to world-wide chart dominance. Young girls of every hue openly (and often hysterically) adored Jackson. His penetration of markets was probably the envy of brands like McDonald's and Mastercard.
8. He influenced ... everyone
It's doubtful that, say, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and Ne-Yo, among others, would exist as we know them today, had Jackson not come along first. His fusion of dance rhythms, pop songcraft, glitzy style, sharp choreography and PG-13 sex appeal created a career path for others to walk. He was such a musical force of nature he also drew the rock universe into his sphere. Paul McCartney and Eddie Van Halen worked with him. Artists as varied as Dashboard Confessional (The J5's I Want You Back), Alien Ant Farm (Smooth Criminal) and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell (Billie Jean) covered him.
MICHAEL Jackson's death has reportedly led at least a dozen people to kill themselves worldwide while Australians seek help from a suicide prevention hotline.
Some callers to Lifeline Australia, which speaks to about 50 suicidal people each day, have told counsellors that Jackson's death on Friday had left them distressed.
London man Gary Taylor, who owns the biggest Michael Jackson online fan club, said he was aware of about 12 suicides following the performer's death, Sky News UK reports.
"It is a serious situation that these people are going through but Michael Jackson would never want this," Mr Taylor said.
Michael Jackson’s songs received a massive jump in airplay over the weekend, seeing an increase of 1735%.
Jackson’s biggest hits have been on constant rotation since his passing last Thursday (June 25), with‘Billie Jean’ getting the most plays across the US.
Statistics from Nielsen BDS show that Jackson’s songs jumped from 3,671 plays the previous week, to 67,383 plays of 143 songs after his death.
According to Billboard, over 22 of the songs were played more than 1,000 times since June 25.
The most played songs were:
1. ‘Billie Jean’ 4,540
2. ‘Thriller’ 3,570
3. ‘Rock With You’ 3,546
4. ‘Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough’ 3,135
5. ‘P.Y.T’ 2,986
6. ‘Beat It’ 2,852
7. ‘Man In the Mirror’ 2,827
8. ‘Wanna Be Starting Somethin’ 2,493
9. ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ 2,387
10.’ Human Nature’ 2,175
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