Did Jackson's Doctor Take Advantage of The Star's Hazy Medical Past For Personal Gain?

TIME----

(Jackson's doctor Dr. Conrad Murray gives "his version" of what occurred prior to the Superstar's death. Legalized Drug Pusher!)

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Last Thursday afternoon, after nearly two hours of speculation, the Los Angeles coroner confirmed that Michael Jackson had died, apparently of cardiac arrest. Hundreds of fans gathered around UCLA Medical Center, where the 50-year-old "King of Pop" had been rushed reportedly after collapsing at home.

Jackson's sudden death raised immediate questions about the singer's health history. But little is known about his medical record, which has always been a mystery, characterized largely by rumors and speculation — which sometimes seemed just the way he wanted it. In the fishbowl world he inhabited — with his three young children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (a.k.a. Prince Michael), Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II — Jackson has managed to spark, then dodge, questions surrounding his various health problems. Much of time, the superstar behind such hits as "Beat It," "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" appeared to invite speculation, appearing in public wearing a surgical mask, as he did a decade ago, or in a wheelchair, which he used on certain occasions last year. The singer was always very thin and appeared frail.

The health questions began early in his solo career, mostly surrounding his apparent plastic surgery, and continued as photographs documented his oddly lightening skin color. Jackson addressed that issue, acknowledging that he suffered from vitiligo, a skin disorder in which the pigment cells in the skin are destroyed, leaving white patches.

In 1984, the singer was hospitalized after receiving second-degree burns when his hair accidentally caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. Jackson reportedly used a hyperbaric oxygen chamber while he recovered and allegedly also slept in the chamber in an effort to halt the aging process — photos of him lying in one were leaked in 1986 — a claim he denied.

Around Christmas of last year, a British journalist working on a biography of the pop star revealed that Jackson was suffering from alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic condition that affects the lungs and liver. The author, Ian Halperin, told In Touch magazine at the time that Jackson needed a lung transplant and was bleeding in the intestines. He also claimed that Jackson couldn't see out of his left eye and was so winded that he could barely speak most of the time. Jackson's spokesman, Dr. Tohme Tohme, was widely quoted as denying the health problems, saying that the rumors were a "total fabrication" and that Jackson was "in fine health."

Recently, Jackson was preparing for a comeback tour, and when plans for a series of London shows were postponed in May, rumors emerged again that Jackson was sick — this time with skin cancer. Concert promoter AEG Live repeatedly declared in the press that the change in schedule had "absolutely nothing to do with Jackson's health."

It is unclear whether Jackson's sudden cardiac death has any relation to past conditions, but hopefully Autopsy and Toxicology results will shed light into what killed the Superstar on June 25, 2009.

A day the world will never forget.


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Jackson's Death Is Now Focus Of A Federal Investigation

MSN Music----

LOS ANGELES -- The investigation into Michael Jackson's death deepened late Wednesday with word that federal authorities will step in to help local police take a look at Jackson's doctors and his medications.

The Drug Enforcement Administration was asked to help the probe by the Los Angeles Police Department, a law enforcement official in Washington told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants.

The federal agency can provide resources and experience in investigating drug abuse, illicit drug manufacturers known as "pill mills" and substances local police may not be familiar with, the official said.

Also Wednesday, a plan to bury Michael Jackson at his sprawling Neverland ranch collapsed, leaving details about his funeral undecided. Another mystery was solved: His newly unveiled will says his mother should raise his children, or failing her, Diana Ross.

The changing funeral circumstances thwarted many Jackson fans who had descended on the estate in the rolling hills near Santa Barbara with the hope of attending a public viewing.

"We're terribly disappointed," said Ida Barron, 44, who arrived with her husband Paul Barron, 56, intending to spend several days in a tent.

"We were going to listen to music and watch Michael Jackson DVDs and party all night long, not just to have fun, but in memory of Michael Jackson," Paul Barron said. "Now we're going to have to just go home."

Jackson's 7-year-old will, filed Wednesday in a Los Angeles court, gives his entire estate to a family trust and names his 79-year-old mother Katherine and his children as beneficiaries. The will also estimates the current value of his estate at more than $500 million.

Katherine Jackson was appointed their guardian, with entertainer Diana Ross, a longtime friend of Michael Jackson, named successor guardian if something happens to his mother. Ross introduced the Jackson 5 on the Ed Sullivan Show in the late 1960s and was instrumental in launching their career.

Meanwhile, Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said a public memorial was in the works for Jackson but wouldn't be held at Neverland.

In addition, it appeared more likely that a funeral and burial would take place in Los Angeles, a person familiar with the situation told the AP.

But the person, who is not authorized to speak for the family and requested anonymity, said nothing was planned for Neverland, at least through Friday.

The person said billionaire Thomas Barrack, who owns Neverland in a joint venture with Jackson, sought an exemption to bury the singer at the ranch. But the person says it's a complicated process and it couldn't be done for a burial this week.

"The family is aware a Neverland burial is not possible. They are expected to make decisions about whatever funeral and memorial service" will take place, the person said.

Heavy construction equipment and workers were seen passing through the wrought-iron gates of Neverland on Tuesday. It wasn't clear what they were doing. The property is about 120 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

At once a symbol of Jackson's success and excesses, Neverland — nestled in wine country — became the site of a makeshift memorial after his death.

In Los Angeles, Jackson's lawyer John Branca and family friend John McClain, a music executive, were named in the will as co-executors of his estate. In a statement, they said the most important element of the will was Jackson's steadfast desire that his mother become the legal guardian for his children.

"As we work to carry out Michael's instructions to safeguard both the future of his children as well as the remarkable legacy he left us as an artist, we ask that all matters involving his estate be handled with the dignity and the respect that Michael and his family deserve," the statement said.

The will doesn't name father Joe Jackson to any position of authority in administering the estate.

The executors moved quickly to take control of all of Michael Jackson's property, going to court hours after filing the will to challenge a previous ruling that gave Katherine Jackson control of 2,000 items from Neverland.

Paul Gordon Hoffman, an attorney for the executors, told Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff his clients are the proper people to take over Jackson's financial affairs. He called Katherine Jackson's speed in getting limited power over her son's property "a race to the courthouse that is frankly improper."

Judge Beckloff urged attorneys from both sides to try to reach a compromise.

"I would like the family to sit down and try to make this work so that we don't have a difficult time in court," the judge said. A hearing on the estate was set for Monday.

The will, dated July 7, 2002, gives the entire estate to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. Details of the trust will not be made public.

The documents said Jackson's estate consisted almost entirely of "non-cash, non-liquid assets, including primarily an interest in a catalog of music royalty rights which is currently being administered by Sony ATV, and the interests of various entities."

Jackson owns a 50 percent stake in the massive Sony-ATV Music Publishing Catalog, which includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers.

Jackson was recently in shaky financial health. In the most detailed account yet of the singer's tangled financial empire, documents obtained by The Associated Press show Jackson claimed to have a net worth of $236.6 million as of March 31, 2007.

Jackson, who died June 25, left behind three children: son Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11; and son Prince Michael II, 7. Debbie Rowe was the mother of the two oldest children; the youngest was born to a surrogate mother, who has never been identified.

Katherine Jackson was granted temporary guardianship Monday. A judge held off on requests to control the children's estates.

Rowe, who was married to Jackson in 1996 and filed for divorce three years later, surrendered her parental rights. An appeals court later found that was done in error, and Rowe and Jackson entered an out-of-court settlement in 2006.

Neither Rowe nor her attorneys have indicated whether she intends to seek custody of the two oldest children.


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Jackson's Doctor Linked To Houston "Pill Mill" Shut Down By Law Enforcement Officials

CBS News----
Jackson's Nurse Says He Asked For Dangerous Sedatives


Jackson's Doctor Currently Under Great Deal Of Scrutiny

As scrutiny of the doctor who was with Michael Jackson when the pop star was stricken grows, a lawyer for Dr. Conrad Murray told ABC's "Good Morning America" that it took Murray a while to find anyone in Jackson's rented mansion to help him call 911 after he failed to revive the superstar.

"We can't tell you exactly when 911 was called," attorney Edward Chernoff told "Good Morning America" today.

Chernoff said that once Murray realized that CPR was not bringing Jackson back, Murray, he said, tried to dial 911 on his cell phone but did not have the exact address of Jackson's home. And with none of the phones in the home working "for privacy reasons," Murray ran around the house till he found Jackson's chef, who alerted security.

It was the security person, Chernoff said, who eventually dialed 911. CPR, he said, was done for 25 to 30 minutes before emergency officials arrived.

Chernoff said over the weekend that Murray found Jackson unconscious in his bedroom, detected a weak pulse in his femoral artery, and began CPR.

"He just happened to find him in his bed, and he wasn't breathing," the lawyer said. "Mr. Jackson was still warm and had a pulse."

A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that Jackson was heavily addicted to OxyContin and Demerol, and received both in daily doses. Officials said Jackson received an injection of Demerol an hour before a 911 call was placed after he lost consciousness.

But Chernoff reiterated his statements today that the personal physician did not administer Demerol to Jackson, nor see him take it.

"I can't go into any specifics that Michael Jackson might have taken the night before," Chernoff said. "Whatever was taken by Michael Jackson at any time wouldn't have caused his death."

Yet the family, who seems to be growing more suspicious of Murray as time passes, is waiting for results of its own independent autopsy.

"I have a lot of concerns," Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, told CNN. "I don't like what happened."

As Murray's qualifications have come into question, so have those of his associates. Murray has referred to himself as a cardiologist, but he is not board certified in cardiology.

And his partner in his Houston office has had his license revoked for improperly dispensing prescription drugs. Their clinic was shut down in 2002 for being what law enforcement officials call a "pill mill."

Chernoff said he is unsure where the discussion about Jackson and Demerol came from, but "I think that once toxicology comes back this rumor about Demerol is going to be squashed."

Murray and Chernoff met with investigators for three hours Saturday. Law enforcement authorities said Murray is not considered a suspect but rather a witness in Jackson's death.

Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht told "Good Morning America" today that Jackson's history of prescription drug use can be confirmed by analyizing just a few strands of the performer's hair. Measured in increments of a centimeter at a time, a pattern of prescription drug use can be traced back in time, depending on the length of the hair.

As for Murray's lawyer's assertion that Murray did not administer Demerol, Wecht said, "the question is whether Michael Jackson obtained those drugs from someone else -- another physician or someone we refer to as an enabler."

Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, said he was with the nanny and a psychologist when he told the singer's three children that their father had died. But little needed to be said. DiLeo said they knew just by looking at his face.

"They said, 'Say it's not true.' I said, 'I'm sorry,'" DiLeo told "GMA" today. "We all cried, and they came over and we hugged and they all hugged each other."

DiLeo said he also told Katherine Jackson of her son's death.

"She was emotional, grabbed me," he said. "We just cried together."

DiLeo said he was able to view Jackson's body in the hospital. He said he kissed Jackson and told him that he loved him.

DiLeo was with Jackson during his final rehearsal for his upcoming 50-concert series.

"He had stamina," he said. "He was in shape."

DiLeo denied rumors that Jackson had been pushed beyond his capacity.

"He goes at his own pace," he said, "and he knows when he has to step it up and when he doesn't."

As the two walked together at the end of rehearsal, DiLeo said Jackson was optimistic and excited about the tour and had promised to call him later to go over a few things for the show.

"He said, 'Frank, we're going to do this,'" DiLeo said.

Questions Remain as the Jackson Family Grieves:

Investigators suspect an overdose of prescription drugs might be the reason behind the cardiac arrest that killed Jackson.

In an interview with The Times of London, Grace Rwaramba, employed by Jackson as a nanny for a decade, said she had to pump the singer's stomach many times because he had taken too many pills and that he took up a combination of several different painkillers.

A second private autopsy on Jackson's body was completed Saturday at the family's request so it could have a second opinion on the cause of death. The first autopsy conducted Friday was inconclusive, and the coroner's office said it would have to wait for toxicology reports, which could take months to complete. However, the coroner's office ruled out foul play.

The Jackson family has gathered in their family compound in Encino, Calif., and the superstar's three children are with their grandmother, Katherine. There are conflicting reports about the executor of the 50-year-old's will. The New York Post reported that Janet Jackson is the executor of her brother's will, but entertainment Web site TMZ said Randy Jackson would take control of his brother's estate.

In a statement on behalf of the family released to People magazine, Jackson's father, Joe, said the pop icon's death "leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point, where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times.

"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 reads. "Our beloved son, brother and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon."

Jackson could leave a financial and legal conflict in his wake.

Even though he reportedly had a debt of $400 million and continued splurging sprees despite his dismal financial situation, Jackson's albums are flying off the shelves now and his songs are back in the top charts after his death. Some say like Elvis Presley, Jackson could become worth more in death than life.

Revenue from Jackson's songs is expected to triple this year as a result of his death. In the last three days, a Las Vegas auction of Jackson memorabilia -- including a crystal-studded shirt -- has found new life. The auction -- done on Jackson's behalf -- was expected to fetch $6,000 initially, but it pulled in more than $200,000 after his death.

On Sunday, Jackson's greatest hits "Number Ones" album topped the U.K. album chart.

Questions are also swirling about whether Deborah Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of his two oldest children, would seek custody. Rowe has not been a part of the children's lives; Jackson had full custody.

Rowe's attorney said in a statement Saturday that her "only thoughts at this time have been regarding the devastating loss Michael's family has suffered. Ms. Rowe requests that Michael's family, and particularly the children, be spared such harmful, sensationalist speculation, and that they be able to say goodbye to their loved one in peace."

Cole said the main question is about the third child, who was born by a surrogate mother whose name has never been revealed.

"You really don't want to break up a family. So she's really coming out and saying, 'I want to reclaim my two children,'" Cole said. "I don't think a judge is going to want to split up that family, so that's another huge question that's going to take some time to resolve."

Doctor Answers Questions About Michael Jackson's Last Moments:

In a statement released late Saturday, the Los Angeles Police Department said Murray "voluntarily contacted" the department. "During the meeting Dr. Murray helped identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies," the statement said. "Dr. Murray has been in Los Angeles since the death of Mr. Jackson. He rode in the ambulance to the hospital and stayed at the hospital for hours comforting and consoling the Jackson family."

Murray's spokeswoman, Miranda Sevcik, said in a statement that he "helped identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies," and that the doctor is in no way a suspect. The statement added that Murray has been in Los Angeles since Jackson's death and plans to stay there until his cooperation is no longer needed.

Murray, a cardiologist, had tried to "pump" Jackson, according to the 911 call, but did not sign a death certificate.

"Dr. Murray's grieving for the loss of Mr. Jackson, as millions of people around the world are," said Matt Alford, a partner at the law firm hired by Murray, Stradley, Chernoff & Alford. "But he was not only Mr. Jackson's physician, he was also his friend and he's grieving for Mr. Jackson right now but he's holding up well."

Murray is a 1989 graduate of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, who practices medicine in Nevada, California and Texas.

Court records say Murray had more than $400,000 worth of legal judgments against him, including child support and default on a $71,000 education loan. Murray was taken to civil court in Clark County twice in the past year by Capital One Bank for unpaid bills of around $2,000 in total.

Randy Phillips, the promoter of Jackson's 50-concert London comeback said Jackson himself insisted the company hire Murray to be his personal physician. Phillips talked about Jackson's health during a press conference when the opening concert was delayed.

"Not that I'm a doctor, but I would trade my body for his," Phillips said of Jackson at the time. "He's in fantastic shape."

Jackson's family is also suspicious of the doctor. Murray's behavior in their son's final moments didn't sit right with the Jacksons, said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a friend of the family.

"When did the doctor come? What did he do? Did he inject him? If so, with what?" Rev. Jackson said in an interview with ABC News. "Was he on the scene twice? Before and then reaction to? Did he use the Demerol? It's a very powerful drug. Was he injected once? Was he injected twice?"

Previously announced acts, such as Beyonce and Ne-Yo, hoped to change their planned performances to honor Jackson, producer Stephen Hill told The Associated Press. Other artists who hadn't planned to attend the ceremony, including Usher and Justin Timberlake, tried to catch last-minute flights to Los Angeles to participate.

A vigil is also planned at the original home of Motown Records in Detroit. The child singer recorded at the studio there when he was a member of the Jackson 5.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who said he was meeting with the Jackson family Sunday, told The Associated Press that Jackson's family is considering his idea of having "massive, simultaneous celebrations of Jackson's life across the globe."

"That kind of fame is something of the past. We'll never see people as famous as they were again. Why? Our culture was more unified 40 and 30 years ago," said Wall Street journalist and cultural historian Peggy Noonan on "This Week With George Stephanopoulos." "We've lost those days. ... In part what we celebrate is missing them when they leave us."

Los Angeles fire and police officials are preparing for what they expect will be a massive turnout at the memorial service for Jackson.

No date has been set yet for the event but authorities are expecting large crowds. The superstar's family has yet to release details of the funeral plans.

Vigils were set up across the United States and fans continued to place flowers at Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and outside the residence that he was renting in Los Angeles.

President Barack Obama wrote to Michael Jackson's family expressing condolence, White House adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." Obama did not issue a statement following Jackson's death, but the White House has said the president saw the pop star as a spectacular performer whose life had sad and tragic aspects.

Meanwhile, record stores around the country are reporting a surge in sales of Jackson's albums and his songs have jumped on the charts. In Britain, where he was to perform a series of concerts, starting in July, his 2003 compilation, "Number One," is expected to reach the top spot.



Are Some Houston Pain Clinics Actually Just "Pill Mills"?

HOUSTON -- They're legal, cheap and available all over Houston. Tonight, in the first of several reports, Local 2 Investigates prescription pill mills. They're popping up all over town.

Investigative reporter Stephen Dean uncovers the booming business cops seem helpless to stop.

Candi Hart remembers the phone call like it was yesterday.

"My baby died. My baby's dead," Hart said her mother cried into the phone.

Wayne Hart was Candi Hart's little brother; but he would always be her mother's baby boy.

“I just hear her screaming in the background and she finally picks the phone back up and she said ‘Wayne's ... they found Wayne dead in his bed.’”

He was dead at 26 years old. His autopsy report lists the cause of death as acute methadone intoxication. In laymen’s terms -- an overdose on a prescription drug he received at a La Marque clinic.

“He just wanted help. He didn't want to die,” said Hart.

“We've got to shut down these pill mills cause they literally are filling our morgues with our kids,” said U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady.

You've probably seen them with barred windows, banners and neon signs.

Watch long enough and you’ll see cabs drop off customers, others come in carloads. It’s hardly what you'd expect to see at your family doctor's office.

We counted six of these clinics within a two-mile radius of Local 2 in southwest Houston.

“The parking lot's filled with cars,” said Brady of the clinics he noticed in Orange, Texas, near Beaumont.

It’s where local law enforcement, working with federal DEA agents, raided seven offices this summer questioning employees and patients.

One customer told a reporter on scene, “Yeah, that's what I heard -- that you could easily get one. That's one of the reasons I came here.”

Judett Rogers Black with the Houston DEA office said what customers are getting is a combination of three drugs, called a “pain cocktail.”

“It seems that no matter what the medical complaint, most people get the same combination of drugs,” said Black.

The drugs are typically hydrocodone, Xanax and soma. Combined, the three create a euphoria.

But they can also cause a coma, even death.

“The demand is there,” said Black. “And unfortunately, there are unscrupulous physicians and others who are dealing with the supply part of that.”

Consider this -- for every clinic that crops up, there is a licensed physician authorizing the scripts, sometimes selling hundreds a day, accepting only cash as payment.

“They're just leveraging and using their name and their license to see an amount of people no human being could possibly examine,” said Brady.

But we discovered in the last four years, nationwide DEA agents have arrested 249 doctors accused of operating fraudulent pain management clinics or pill mills. Only two of those doctors were arrested by the DEA's Houston office.

“We would like things to go faster, also,” said Black.

But the DEA says fighting pharmacies and doctors is more difficult than the war on illegal drugs.

“Many things on the surface seem illegal and may be illegal,” explained Black.

Once agents move in and seize records, it can take months to review the files, and even longer to prove doctors indiscriminately doled out the same doses of the same drugs to thousands of patients, no matter their medical problem.

“It's hard to give you a time frame, but certainly not overnight,” said Black.

And certainly not soon enough to save Hart's brother.

More than a year after Wayne Hart overdosed, the medical board has still not completed its investigation into the doctor who operates the clinic where Hart bought those meds.

“To me, he killed my brother,” cried Hart. “That's how I feel. And he doesn't care.”

We did call that doctor who owns the clinics where Hart's brother received methadone.

The doctor's attorney told us he advised his client not to talk.

To date, the DEA's Houston office and the U.S. Attorney have not prosecuted a single pain management case.

Those raids in the Beaumont-Orange area will be one of the first in Texas. The prosecutor there says he's hoping for a trial early next year.

On Wednesday night, we go undercover inside several Houston pain management clinics. Find out just what happens on the inside.


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Sources: CBS News, Click2Houston, AEG, Google Maps