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Wednesday, 01 July 2009 |
Propofol - which is used to sedate patients before surgery - can only
be gained by medical professionals and is usually given to patients via
an intravenous drip.
Gossip website TMZ quotes a source as saying: "There is no conceivable way this drug can be properly prescribed for home use."
Although
Los Angeles County Coroner's officials have not confirmed they
discovered the drug at Michael's Holmby Hills home, they have admitted
they discovered various prescription drugs there on Monday (29.06.09).
Officials entered the house at about noon and came out carrying two plastic bags.
TMZ reports police were looking for "controlled substances and paraphernalia - in particular needles".
Michael died of a suspected cardiac arrest at his home last Thursday (25.06.09).
It
has been claimed Propofol can cause cardiac arrest if it is mixed with
other painkillers - reports suggest Michael was taking up to seven
different medications at the time of his death - but is so strong it
can cause cardiac arrest by itself.
Registered nurse Cherilyn Lee,
who is also a nutritionist and was working with Michael ahead of his
London comeback shows, claims the pop legend was an insomniac who
regularly asked her to prescribe him Diprivan, the brand name for
Propofol.
She said: "He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and
sedated from drugs. This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a
person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get
some rest."
The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper reports: "Several months
ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as
Propofol, Lee said. In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her
warnings about it.
"'I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was
sleeping. That's what I want,' Lee said Jackson told her. I said,
'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' - and I had
a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago - 'the only
problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up.' "
Lee
also claimed Michael - who reportedly began taking medication after his
hair caught fire while filming an advert for Pepsi in 1984 - took
prescription drugs because he viewed them as a safe option.
He was vehemently opposed to illegal narcotics, but believed medication prescribed by his doctor was safe.
Lee said: "He said, 'I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine.' "
Meanwhile,
it has been claimed the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) are keen
to talk to Michael's dermatologist Arnold Klein about medicine he
prescribed the King of Pop.
It has also been reported police have
paid another visit to Michael's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray -
who was with the singer when he died and administer CPR - after
officers were seen outside his property.
Murray insists he played no
part in Michael's death, with his representative saying he is not being
treated as a suspect in the investigation.
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Wednesday, 01 July 2009 |
The 'Thriller' star - who died of a suspected cardiac arrest last
Thursday (25.06.09) - was due to begin a 50-night residency in London
this month. Promoters AEG Live say the show was so spectacular they
hope to get the Jackson 5 and his singing sisters Janet and LaToya
Jackson to step in to ensure the high-tech special effects and
elaborate routines aren't wasted.
Randy Phillips, president of AEG
Live, said: "It could be done as a tribute - with the family. The
brothers performing, some sisters, and the stars that were influenced
by him.
"At some point the world needs to see this show.
"We have
the intellectual property content, we have the sets, we have the
costumes. It would have been - which is a tragedy - one of the most
amazing arena shows ever."
The spectacular shows were reportedly set
to include a new 3D mini-film, nicknamed the 'Dome Project', which was
shot two weeks ago and included recreations of the legendary 'Thriller'
music video.
Vince Pace, who shot the clip on special 3D cameras,
said: "The audience would have felt like they were visiting the
'Thriller' experience, like they were there.
"To think that Michael's gone now, that's probably the last documented footage of him to be shot in that manner."
In addition to his siblings, the 'Billie Jean' singer's eldest son could also perform at one of the tribute shows.
Michael
had reportedly planned for 12-year-old Prince Michael to sing and dance
with him, his friend and biographer Stacy Brown has claimed.
According
to the writer, the 50-year-old singer "didn't really want to do any of
the shows" but was spurred on by his three children, Prince Michael,
Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II.
She added: "Michael really wanted his children to see him perform."
Meanwhile, Randy has blasted claims Michael was too frail to perform at the concerts.
He told Sky News: "At rehearsal on June 24, he gave me a hug and he whispered into my ear, 'Now I know I can do this.'
"We have, and we may at some point release, some footage of him in rehearsal that would totally refute that."
Randy's
claims are supported by Kevin Mazur, a photographer who was taking
pictures of Michael rehearsing and spoke to the singer during his
practice sessions.
Kevin - who has worked with Michael since 1984 -
said the singer was shouting: "This is me. The true me. I feel so
alive. I feel as though I want to perform forever.
"The only thing
missing is my fans, my people, my family - and they will come. I know
they will. I'm so happy. Can you feel it? Can you feel it?"
Kevin added: "It was incredible. It was a joy to behold. You could tell Michael was so excited.
"He was like an expectant father pacing up and down the stage. He was just so focused. I have never seen him so happy."
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Wednesday, 01 July 2009 |
The pop superstar was reportedly terrified of being murdered for his
money or the music publishing rights he owned, which included his own
work and over 200 songs from the Beatles back catalogue. The rights are
estimated to be worth over £600 million.
Jackson family lawyer Brian
Oxman said: "He feared somebody wanted to kill him. He was even
concerned people would kill him to somehow try to take control of the
Beatles back catalogue."
Oxman also claims family members believed
Michael - who died of a suspected cardiac arrest last Thursday
(25.06.09) - was deliberately being kept in a drugged state by people
aiming to manipulate him.
He added: "He appeared to be taking a
variety of strong narcotics, and many of those drugs were obtained in
the names of his staff and associates.
"While the people around him
insist they were acting in his best interest, the drugs were used to
control and manipulate Michael - and the drugs eventually killed him.
"His family has asked Los Angeles police to investigate. A team has already started probing his finances."
Michael's autopsy did not determine a cause of death but ruled out foul play.
However a leaked report of the autopsy alleges the 50-year-old star had nothing in his stomach other than drugs.
Michael
is believed to have been taking a cocktail of painkillers, anti-anxiety
tablets, anti-depressants and muscle relaxants - including Vicodin,
Dialudid, Xanax, Soma, Prilosec, Paxil, Demerol and Zoloft.
The Jackson family demanded another private autopsy soon afterward, which has allegedly proved no more conclusive.
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Wednesday, 01 July 2009 |
The pop icon - who died after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest at
his Los Angeles home last week - is expected to make his final journey
to his former home in a white horse-drawn carriage.
Once there, the
body will reportedly be placed in a glass coffin so fans can say their
final farewells before Jackson is buried in the grounds of his
favourite home on Sunday (05.07.09).
Millions of people are expected
to line the streets of Los Angeles to watch the procession - featuring
a 30-car motorcade - make its way to the ranch in Santa Barbara County.
An
insider said: "The family want to give him a really special send off.
Michael always said Neverland kept him young. It seems fitting. On
Sunday there will be a memorial service for his family and close
friends to mourn in private. Details for the funeral are still being
finalised."
However, the Jackson family's lawyer Brian Oxman claims
they are not even sure whether they will be able to hold memorial
services at Neverland.
He said: "They want something there, but
logistical problems are enormous. It's very premature to say for sure
whether services will actually be held at the ranch. It could be held
in Los Angeles."
Michael's brothers Jackie, Jermaine and Tito were
seen visiting Neverland last weekend and since then, delivery trucks
have been dropping off piles of boxes every day.
A police spokesman has also indicated the family has been in touch to arrange security and crowd control at Neverland.
Santa
Barbara Sheriff's department spokesman Butch Arnoldi said: "Our guys
are meeting as we speak with the California Highway Patrol to discuss
the security issues. Our role will primarily be traffic, but also crowd
control.
"We will also be making sure there is no trespassing on
neighbouring ranches and stuff like that. We would be stationed on the
perimeter of the house. The actual roadway will be the responsibility
of the highway patrol."
Legendary music producer Quincy Jones, who helped launch Michael's career, won't be attending his funeral.
He
said: "I won't go to any more funerals as long as I live. I can't
handle it. There will be a lot written about what came next in
Michael's life, but for me all of that is just noise.
"I promise you
in 50, 75, 100 years, what will be remembered is the music. It's no
accident that almost three decades later, no matter where I go in the
world, in every club and karaoke bar, like clockwork, you hear 'Billie
Jean', 'Beat It', 'Wanna Be Starting Something', 'Rock With You' and
'Thriller'."
Michael bought Neverland in 1988, and turned the lavish
estate into a fairground with a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, bumper
cars and zoo.
He was forced to leave the property in 2005 after
years of decadent living and expensive court cases left him on the
brink of bankruptcy.
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