In Loving memory of
Michael Jackson King of Pop (1958-2009)
It was the final show for Michael Jackson, as a billion viewers from around the world and 19,000 mourners paid tribute to the star at LA's Staples Center.
Tears flowed freely as the crowds remembered the King of Pop and his contribution to the world of music. While singers Mariah, MJ's brother Jermaine Jackson, Shaheen Jafargholi, 12, Stevie Wonder and close friend Brooke Shields paid tribute to MJ the most surprising part of the tribute was Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, who took centre stage to tell the world what her father meant to her.
It was a surprising move for the children Paris, Prince,12, and Blanket, 7, to make such a public appearance - as most of their lives they were closely hidden from the media and only ever rarely seen in public wearing masks.
At the end of the ceremony a huge applause was raised as the casket was taken away to Michael's burial place at the Forest Lawn Memorial in the Hollywood Hills.
As Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest last week, the nightmare is just beginning for his family, struggling to come to terms with the chaos and controversy surrounding his death.
Although they presented a united front at the singer's very public send-off at the vast staples Center arena in Los Angeles, Michael's parents Joe and Katherine and his eight siblings have been torn apart by events in the wake of his sudden death from a heart attack on 25 June, aged 50.
They have found themselves embroiled in disagreements over the funeral arrangement, facing the threat of a custody battle involving Michael's three children, and having to deal with unraveling his complex, debt-ridden estate. All this against a backdrop of allegations that he was addicted to potentially lethal prescription drugs and that manslaughter charges could be brought against some of the people surrounding him. “It's a mess,” a source close to the family told a magazine.
It's no wonder the pop legend's 79-year-old mother is understood to be finding it hard to cope. Her only solace is the presence of Michael's children who have all been living at the Jackson family compound in Encino, north-west of Los Angeles, since she was granted temporary guardianship by an LA court following her son's death.
Katherine was a constant presence in their lives, so it was no surprise Michael stipulated in his will that she be made guardian in the event of his death. In the five-page document, written in 2002 and released recently, Michael said: “If Katherine Jackson fails to survive me, or is unable or unwilling to act as guardian, I nominate Diana Ross as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children.”
In a further twist, Michael's ex-wife and the biological mother of his two eldest children, Debbie Rowe (former nurse) is now poised to take on the Jackson clan in a custody battle. She has been quoted as telling an American television channel: “They are my flesh and blood. I'm going after my children. I am stepping up… I have to.”
She also spoke of plans for a restraining order to keep Joe Jackson away from the children. It is no secret that Michael's relationship with his 80-year-old “tyrannical” father was strained after the star accused his father of beating him as a child.
Debbie is willing to undergo DNA testing to dispel rumors she was not the mother of Prince and Paris. The youngest child, nicknamed Blanket, was born to an unknown mother, but Debbie said she would accept custody of him so as not to split up the three youngsters. Michael is not the biological father of either of the three kids.
Debbie and Michael were married in 1996, and the former Mrs Jackson surrendered her parental rights when she filed for divorce three years later in exchange for a reported $8.5million. But she had that ruling overturned and the couple eventually settled out of court. She has since claimed she and Michael “had an agreement” but “he didn't keep his end”.
Significantly, Michael's will said he had “intentionally omitted to provide for” his former wife; it also made no mention of his father, with all his assets left to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, of which his mother and children are believed to be the main beneficiaries.
While the will put a value of $500million on Michael's estate at the time it was filed in 2002, most of the singer's assets are tied up in his 50 per cent ownership of the Beatles' back catalog with a record company. He is understood to have owed at least $300million when he died and had been desperate for banks to loan him money, even applying for credit under bizarre variations of his name, including President Mr Michael Jackson, Michael JJJ Christ-Jehovah and plain Mike J Jackson. His credit score was said to be among the worst two per cent of all Americans, allowing him a maximum limit of just $405 on the last of four credit cards he was given.
ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC
Ironically, Michael's death has seen his record sales soar - with 30 singles in the top 100 in the UK charts and three were expected to make the top ten over the weekend, including Man in the Mirror, Billie Jean and Thriller. There has been a similar response in the US with the top nine albums all Jackson-related.
It was financial pressure that led Michael to agree to an ambitious comeback tour, committing to a grueling 50 dates, scheduled to begin at London's 02 Arena on 13 July. “He was just shattered by the mounting pressure to do the UK shows,” a family friend said. “He committed to them because he was so desperate to get the cash advance.”
Michael's autopsy report is said to contain evidence of dramatic physical decline, reportedly revealing Michael weighed a “severely emaciated” 8st and with nothing in his stomach but partially dissolved pills. Police are said to have since found a stash of 20 different drugs at his home, including the heroin substitute methadone and the lethal Proposal or Diprivan, the anesthetic which may have triggered his cardiac arrest. A nurse who treated him in the months before his death claims he begged to be injected with Diprivan to combat insomnia but she refused to obtain it for him. Other potent painkillers found included Demberol, Fentanyl, usually used for terminal cancer patients, and Oxycontin that had killed 300 people in the US.
Michael, who admitted in 1993 he had an addiction to painkillers and whose dependence is said to have increased during his 2005 trial on child abuse charges - of which he was cleared - is believed to have used aliases to obtain his prescriptions.
QUESTION TIME
Detectives are expected to question aides named on the labels, as well as at least four doctors, including Michael's personal physician Dr Conrad Murray, who was with him at the time of his death and tried to resuscitate him. He has already denied any wrongdoing. America's powerful Drug Enforcement Administration agency has also been called in at the request of the LA police in a bid to decipher his drug use, and it is understood manslaughter charges are being considered against anyone who obtained prescription medicines without regard for the star's safety.
The Jackson family is said to be determined to seek justice, though full toxicology results and a cause of death are not expected for several weeks. “Michael was dead before he left the house,” Joe Jackson said. “I'm suspecting foul play somewhere. He was waving to everybody and telling them he loves them, all the fans at the gate. A few minutes after Michael was out there, he was dead.”
Michael Jackson King of Pop (1958-2009)
It was the final show for Michael Jackson, as a billion viewers from around the world and 19,000 mourners paid tribute to the star at LA's Staples Center.
Tears flowed freely as the crowds remembered the King of Pop and his contribution to the world of music. While singers Mariah, MJ's brother Jermaine Jackson, Shaheen Jafargholi, 12, Stevie Wonder and close friend Brooke Shields paid tribute to MJ the most surprising part of the tribute was Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, who took centre stage to tell the world what her father meant to her.
It was a surprising move for the children Paris, Prince,12, and Blanket, 7, to make such a public appearance - as most of their lives they were closely hidden from the media and only ever rarely seen in public wearing masks.
At the end of the ceremony a huge applause was raised as the casket was taken away to Michael's burial place at the Forest Lawn Memorial in the Hollywood Hills.
As Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest last week, the nightmare is just beginning for his family, struggling to come to terms with the chaos and controversy surrounding his death.
Although they presented a united front at the singer's very public send-off at the vast staples Center arena in Los Angeles, Michael's parents Joe and Katherine and his eight siblings have been torn apart by events in the wake of his sudden death from a heart attack on 25 June, aged 50.
They have found themselves embroiled in disagreements over the funeral arrangement, facing the threat of a custody battle involving Michael's three children, and having to deal with unraveling his complex, debt-ridden estate. All this against a backdrop of allegations that he was addicted to potentially lethal prescription drugs and that manslaughter charges could be brought against some of the people surrounding him. “It's a mess,” a source close to the family told a magazine.
It's no wonder the pop legend's 79-year-old mother is understood to be finding it hard to cope. Her only solace is the presence of Michael's children who have all been living at the Jackson family compound in Encino, north-west of Los Angeles, since she was granted temporary guardianship by an LA court following her son's death.
Katherine was a constant presence in their lives, so it was no surprise Michael stipulated in his will that she be made guardian in the event of his death. In the five-page document, written in 2002 and released recently, Michael said: “If Katherine Jackson fails to survive me, or is unable or unwilling to act as guardian, I nominate Diana Ross as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children.”
In a further twist, Michael's ex-wife and the biological mother of his two eldest children, Debbie Rowe (former nurse) is now poised to take on the Jackson clan in a custody battle. She has been quoted as telling an American television channel: “They are my flesh and blood. I'm going after my children. I am stepping up… I have to.”
She also spoke of plans for a restraining order to keep Joe Jackson away from the children. It is no secret that Michael's relationship with his 80-year-old “tyrannical” father was strained after the star accused his father of beating him as a child.
Debbie is willing to undergo DNA testing to dispel rumors she was not the mother of Prince and Paris. The youngest child, nicknamed Blanket, was born to an unknown mother, but Debbie said she would accept custody of him so as not to split up the three youngsters. Michael is not the biological father of either of the three kids.
Debbie and Michael were married in 1996, and the former Mrs Jackson surrendered her parental rights when she filed for divorce three years later in exchange for a reported $8.5million. But she had that ruling overturned and the couple eventually settled out of court. She has since claimed she and Michael “had an agreement” but “he didn't keep his end”.
Significantly, Michael's will said he had “intentionally omitted to provide for” his former wife; it also made no mention of his father, with all his assets left to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, of which his mother and children are believed to be the main beneficiaries.
While the will put a value of $500million on Michael's estate at the time it was filed in 2002, most of the singer's assets are tied up in his 50 per cent ownership of the Beatles' back catalog with a record company. He is understood to have owed at least $300million when he died and had been desperate for banks to loan him money, even applying for credit under bizarre variations of his name, including President Mr Michael Jackson, Michael JJJ Christ-Jehovah and plain Mike J Jackson. His credit score was said to be among the worst two per cent of all Americans, allowing him a maximum limit of just $405 on the last of four credit cards he was given.
ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC
Ironically, Michael's death has seen his record sales soar - with 30 singles in the top 100 in the UK charts and three were expected to make the top ten over the weekend, including Man in the Mirror, Billie Jean and Thriller. There has been a similar response in the US with the top nine albums all Jackson-related.
It was financial pressure that led Michael to agree to an ambitious comeback tour, committing to a grueling 50 dates, scheduled to begin at London's 02 Arena on 13 July. “He was just shattered by the mounting pressure to do the UK shows,” a family friend said. “He committed to them because he was so desperate to get the cash advance.”
Michael's autopsy report is said to contain evidence of dramatic physical decline, reportedly revealing Michael weighed a “severely emaciated” 8st and with nothing in his stomach but partially dissolved pills. Police are said to have since found a stash of 20 different drugs at his home, including the heroin substitute methadone and the lethal Proposal or Diprivan, the anesthetic which may have triggered his cardiac arrest. A nurse who treated him in the months before his death claims he begged to be injected with Diprivan to combat insomnia but she refused to obtain it for him. Other potent painkillers found included Demberol, Fentanyl, usually used for terminal cancer patients, and Oxycontin that had killed 300 people in the US.
Michael, who admitted in 1993 he had an addiction to painkillers and whose dependence is said to have increased during his 2005 trial on child abuse charges - of which he was cleared - is believed to have used aliases to obtain his prescriptions.
QUESTION TIME
Detectives are expected to question aides named on the labels, as well as at least four doctors, including Michael's personal physician Dr Conrad Murray, who was with him at the time of his death and tried to resuscitate him. He has already denied any wrongdoing. America's powerful Drug Enforcement Administration agency has also been called in at the request of the LA police in a bid to decipher his drug use, and it is understood manslaughter charges are being considered against anyone who obtained prescription medicines without regard for the star's safety.
The Jackson family is said to be determined to seek justice, though full toxicology results and a cause of death are not expected for several weeks. “Michael was dead before he left the house,” Joe Jackson said. “I'm suspecting foul play somewhere. He was waving to everybody and telling them he loves them, all the fans at the gate. A few minutes after Michael was out there, he was dead.”
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