Jackson Doc Hires Attorney to Meet LAPD

King of Pop to be laid to rest at LA's Forest Lawn Cemetery

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson will be buried on Aug. 29, what would have been the late artist’s 51st birthday, Joe Jackson tells the New York Daily News. The King of Pop’s father says plans for the burial, to take place at LA’s Forest Lawn Cemetery, were just made in the past few days. He also said he supports the LAPD’s inquiry into the possibility of wrongdoing in Jackson’s death, but warned against making Dr. Conrad Murray “the fall guy for a whole lot of people”—without elaborating on who those people are or what they might have done. More»

(NEWSER) - Authorities have seen no evidence that Michael Jackson was injected with the painkiller Demerol before his death, a detective tells the Los Angeles Times. The widely reported claims “are coming from outside the investigation,” he said today. Meanwhile, Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, has returned to the city and is preparing to speak with police, TMZ reports. More»

Fans, estate decried program as 'in shockingly bad taste'

(NEWSER) - The Discovery Channel has scrapped plans to air a reenactment of Michael Jackson's autopsy, Reuters reports. Michael Jackson's Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson had been scheduled to air internationally next month (though not in the US), but the network decided that with a court hearing on Dr. Conrad Murray's culpability set next week, it was probably ill-advised. Jackson's estate sent a letter this week calling the show "insensitive" and "in shockingly bad taste," and fans worldwide signed on online petition. Click for the latest on the Murray case . More»

Singer had skin disease, facial tattoos

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson's hairline and eye makeup were tattooed into his body and he weighed 136 pounds when he died of "acute propofol intoxication," according to his just released autopsy report. The singer was killed by a level of the drug usually only seen in major surgery, CNN reports. None of the recommended monitoring or resuscitation equipment was found in Jackson's bedroom, according to the report, which was unsealed after Jackson's doctor was charged with involuntary manslaughter. More»

Two sedatives blamed for entertainer's demise

(NEWSER) - Confirming reports leaked Monday, the LA County coroner's office said today that Michael Jackson's death was a homicide. The ruling means someone else caused the death but does not assign blame or even necessarily mean a crime was committed, MSNBC reports. The official cause of death is "acute intoxication" with the powerful anesthetic propofol, which Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, has acknowledged administering. The full autopsy report was not released. More»