has been rushed to hospital suspect cardiac arrest on sky news now!

latest info here

thanks scoops mate looks like hes not in a good shape !

hope he''s ok - sha-mone

Forgive me for being a miserable old cynic but could this be his 'get out' clause from the concerts. IMVHO I don't think he is up to doing a big tour and I've a feeling their will be a heap of dissapointed folks if the concerts go ahead

but he realy not well the news says!

t.n.z have now said hes pass away!

gutted, he's just died

wow what jaco,s dead ??

unconfirmed so far mate?

Its on SKy News now

i know mate do not look good man dead or not?

Its on every news channel and website, seems pretty confirmed.

The only website confirming it at this time is:

http://www.tmz.com

I hope he's not dead. Afterall, if he's cremated he will burn like a rubber tyre.

seem like hes dead guys! r.i.p. rocking robin!

R.I.P Jacco

Its saying He's just in a Coma now.

dead? repors hes in COMMER!

Reports: 'Michael Jackson Has Died'



Michael Jackson has died in hospital after suffering a suspected heart attack, website TMZ has reported.


Jackson, 50, suffered a heart attack just after 12.00pm local time (19.00pm GMT) and paramedics were unable to revive him, TMZ.com said.

When paramedics arrived at his house he was not breathing, LA fire department captain Steve Ruda told the LA Times newspaper.

Jackson was given CPR by fire department paramedics as he was taken to UCLA Medical Center, the LA Times said.

Steve Hargrave, Sky's entertainment correspondent, said: "TMZ is a website which goes out of its way to get there first but many of their stories over the years have turned out to be true - particularly with stories from LA.

"You can only imagine the impact of this around the world."

Jackson manager was not unavailable for comment and officials at UCLA Medical Center where he was treated could also not be reached.

Sky's US correspondent Greg Milam said: "Clearly he was very seriously ill - we can gather that from what his father and other family members said.

"One member of the family had told the TMZ website that Michael is in "really bad shape" and that the brothers were heading for the hospital.

"His father said he wasn't sure exactly what was wrong and was waiting to hear back.

"One can only imagine what it could be like for his family in such circumstances."

Jackson had been about to embark on a comeback, performing 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena.

The concerts had been due to start the concerts on July 13.

He had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the London shows, which sold out within hours of within hours of going on sale in March.

More soon...

SKY NEWS

Uri Geller just been chatting to BBC. He doesn't know either. My clock on the tv started again after stopping all week!!

Might be the battery I just put in and not Uri Geller.

he was a grest singer.

la times confirmed MJ is dead!

sky now said hes died!

He's resurrecting more times then his singing career.

wow!!! Gobsmacked!!

R.I.P Jacko



Michael Jackson is dead



[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.]

[Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and family have are arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times.

Jackson was rushed to a hospital this afternoon by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.

Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics responded to a call at Jackson's home around 12:26 p.m. He was not breathing when they arrived. The parademics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told The Times.

[Updated at 2:12 p.m.: Paramedics were called to a home on the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard. Jackson rented the Bel Air home for $100,000 a month. It was described as a French chateau estate built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater.



THE LA TIMES

Gutted.

RIP to a legend

BBC have now confirmed - Died

so has wiki

Gutted.. Used to like him loads when I was younger... went off him in recent years... but hes still an absolute legend



R.I.P MJ

Never mind the singing - the dancing, just think how many are still copying his dances, he will live on in dance.

How long before the "Jokes" start circulating?

Already 10-20 Mates on Facebook acting like nobheads.... trying to be cool by not caring about current events.

Jokes have already started as well...wont be many new ones though from what were used to.

Thing is.. Ive also seen someone else complaining about all this hype... yet people were mean about Jade Goody???

Im sorry..but Michael actually did something with his life, and brought enjoyment to millions....Thats why

GUTTED

Just got in from the pub to this...Gobsmacked!!

Confirmed: Michael Jackson Has Died

It has been confirmed that singer Michael Jackson has died. Sky's Robert Nisbet reports on a statement from a close friend of Jackson's, Reverend Al Sharpton, who has called for people around the world to pray for him and his family in the hour.

Michael Jackson has died in hospital after suffering a heart attack

The 50-year-old eccentric singer was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital in Los Angeles in a deep coma, city and law enforcement officials said.

Paramedics called to his home in LA found Jackson was not breathing. He was given CPR as the ambulance raced to hospital, a fire department captain told reporters.

Jackson was pronounced dead at about 2226 British time.

He had arrived at UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles in full cardiac arrest, said Fred Corral, of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office.

He said the cause of death was not known and a post-mortem was due to take place later today.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said the robbery and homicide
team was investigating Jackson's death because of its "high profile" but
warned reporters not to read anything into this.

People are gathering outside the hospital to pay their respects.

Sky's US correspondent Robert Nesbit said people had descended on the legendary Apollo Theatre in New York and flowers were being placed on Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

sky news.co.uk

Tributes paid to Michael Jackson

Friends and colleagues of Michael Jackson and music industry insiders have been paying tribute to the star following his death at the age of 50.


QUINCY JONES, MUSIC PRODUCER
"I'm absolutely devastated at this news. I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together and allowed us to do what we could do through the 80s.

"To this day that music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all - talent, grace and professionalism. I've lost my little brother today and part of my soul has gone with him."


LISA MARIE PRESLEY, JACKSON'S EX-WIFE
"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me."

REV AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER
"As a friend of Michael's for the past 35 years, I call on people from around the world to pray for him and his family."


P DIDDY, SINGER
"Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him!"


JANE FONDA, ACTRESS
"I am stunned. My friend, Michael Jackson is dead. He lived with me for a week on 'Golden Pond' set after Thriller.


ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR
"He was one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry... Our hearts go out to the Jackson family, Michael's children and to his fans worldwide."

USHER, SINGER
"My heart goes out to the King of Pop and his family."


PAUL GAMBACCINI, MUSIC JOURNALIST
"Definitely one of the greatest stars of recorded music. There is no doubt of that. He would be in the top 10 of all time, regardless of who the other nine people were.

"But you also have to remember that he went through different stages and owed some of his popularity to collaborators - who I'm sure will be feeling particularly struck tonight - Quincy Jones, with whom he did the great trilogy of albums: Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad.

And he had his historic string of hits Motown with the Jackson Five. And there's no doubt that the records will be listened to for decades to come."


URI GELLER, FRIEND"I'm just devastated, very very sad. I pray that his soul is up there now. I'm still trying to hold on to the glimmer that it is not true. It is too surreal for me to absorb that Michael is no longer with us.

"Michael was in good shape because he was practising, he was training, he was rehearsing for the shows [due to start in London next month]. Michael was careful with what he ate, he was just fine. Last time I know and heard of what he was doing he was in great shape. And this is why I'm so absolutely shocked by this news."


MATT FIDDES, FORMER BODYGUARD
"He's the most misunderstood man in world. Everyone thought he was this weird freak but when you're with him he's as normal as everyone else. I don't think he felt he was as famous as everyone else thought, he didn't know any different.

"He was a very caring guy who would go out of his way to help the sick. One night in London he wanted to see some homeless people. He sent them loads of pizzas in secret. The guy had a good heart.

"We used to dress him up and sneak out of hotel room and do normal things in shops, people wouldn't know who he was but we wanted to give him a taste of the real life."


STUART WILLIAMS, MUSIC JOURNALIST
''Michael Jackson was the biggest news story this year in music anyway, you know, a man who has not played live for over a decade, a huge come back, one of the biggest selling artists of all time, 50 sold-out dates, 750,000 tickets at the 02.

"And that was going to be, people thought, the beginning of the next stage of his career, maybe getting back with The Jackson Five, maybe playing in Vegas, it is just utterly flabbergasting."

The people who tried to destroy him over 25 years are now paying 'tributes'? I don't understand.

Pop 'Genius' Michael Jackson Has Died At 50




Stars from the world of showbiz have joined devastated Michael Jackson fans in paying tribute to the pop legend, who has died after suffering from a suspected heart attack.


The King of Pop suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Holmby Hills and was taken to the UCLA medical centre where he was pronounced dead.
His brother Jermaine Jackson confirmed the death of the "legendary" star at the age of 50 after doctors worked for more than an hour to try to revive him.

He said: "We believe he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home, however the cause of his death is unknown until the results of the autopsy are known.

"The personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitate him."

Police in LA are investigating Jackson's death because of its "high profile", but a spokesman said nothing else should be read into their involvement.

The star's body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the LA coroner's office and a post-mortem examination is expected to take place later today.


The first reports of Jackson's death emerged on the internet and sparked a huge surge in online traffic as people searched for the latest news.

Twitter has been flooded with tributes from fans and celebrities alike including Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Stephen Fry.

Moore also paid tribute to Charlie's Angels actress Farrah Fawcett, who died earlier on Thursday.


A tweet from Emily Eavis, organiser of the Glastonbury music festival, said there would be tributes "all over the site all weekend".

TV channels around the world interrupted programmes to break the news of Jackson's death, while many radio stations are playing his hits back-to-back.

His first wife Lisa Marie Presley led the tributes saying: "I'm so very sad and confused with every emotion possible.

"This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me."

Sir Howard Stringer, head of Jackson's record company Sony, added: "Michael Jackson was a brilliant troubadour for his generation, a genius whose music reflected the passion and creativity of an era."

And Justin Timberlake - who has been compared to a young Jackson - said: "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music."

Fans gathered near Jackson's childhood home in Gary, Indiana, to pay their respects to the singer who left the city years ago.

In LA, people lined the streets outside the hospital and coroner's office while others laid flowers and candles on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Office worker Yoshiko Plair, who went to the hospital as soon as she heard reports of Jackson's heart attack, said: "He changed music, he's the reason all that black music is on MTV now.

"I followed him from that first song. I'm going to mourn him today and probably for the rest of my life."

On the other side of America, fans congregated at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York, where Jackson gave some of his earliest performances, to sing and dance in his memory.

Civil rights campaigner the Rev Al Sharpton was among crowds and told mourners: "I have known him at his high moments and his low moments and I know he would want us to pray for his family."

Rumours spread about the state of Jackson's health when four of his This Is It comeback concerts were postponed last month.

Close friend Uri Geller suggested it may have been the stress of preparing for the shows, which were due to be held at the O2 Arena in London, that killed him.

But organisers AEG Live insisted the concerts were moved because of huge scale of the 50-date tour and had "absolutely nothing to do with health".

Jackson lived most of his life in the public spotlight after first performing in public with his brothers at the age of just six.


He released his first solo album in 1972 and the worldwide smash-hit Thriller ten years later.

The album spawned seven singles which made the Top 10 and its global sales have been estimated at anywhere between 50 million and 100 million.

He unveiled his signature "moonwalk" dance move in 1983 while performing Billie Jean, gliding across the stage and instantly setting a trend which would be copied countless times.

But alongside his success, his personal life was frequently the subject of controversy and his eccentric behaviour saw him nicknamed Wacko Jacko.

In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy, but no charges were filed against him and the matter was settled out of court in 1994.

In the same year, he married Presley, the only child of Elvis, but the union ended in divorce in 1996.

He went on to marry Debbie Rowe, the mother of his two eldest children Prince Michael I and Paris Michael.

Jackson was widely criticised when he held his third child Prince Michael II - known as Blanket - over the rails of a hotel balcony in 2002.

After being accused in another child abuse case, he was acquitted in 2005 and spent much of his time since living outside the US.

Sky News showbiz correspondent Steve Hargrave said: "We can't underestimate the effect this will have on Michael Jackson fans who have loved his music and career.
"They would have been assuming that in about three weeks' time their idol would have been back on the stage performing his greatest hits. To suddenly find out this news will be devastating."

SKY NEWS

Future Of Jackson's Children Now In Doubt


The death of Michael Jackson leaves his three children facing an uncertain future

It is reported Jackson's mother Katherine has offered to take in Michael Joseph Jackson Junior, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

Jackson family lawer Brian Oxman said: "Probably Mrs Jackson will take care of them, she loves them dearly."

Michael Joseph, 12, and his 11-year-old sister Paris Michael were from Jackson's marriage to nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996.

Early that year, Ms Rowe was artificially inseminated and she was six months pregnant with their son when they married in Australia in November.

Their eldest was born in February 2007.

In an interview with the Daily Mail last year, Ms Rowe said: "Of course it was artificial insemination. Paris was conceived in Paris, that's how she got her name. Michael wanted to call her Princess, but I thought that was stupid."

Paris Katherine Jackson was born on April 3, 1998.

"I had so many problems when I was pregnant with Paris," Ms Rowe said.

"After that, I couldn't have any more children. Michael was upset about that, he couldn't understand it. He wanted more babies."



After the couple divorced in 1999, Jackson took on sole responsibility for their children's upbringing but Ms Rowe told the Mail she still saw them.

"Michael and I are fine. I see him and the kids all the time. They live in Las Vegas now, just a three-hour drive away."

Prince Michael was born to a surrogate mother Jackson never met.

In 2002, he caused a public outcry by dangling the baby - referred to as "Blanket" - out of a third-floor hotel balcony in front of the world's press.

Jackson always denied allegations that his first two children were not biologically his.

"I used a surrogate mother (for Blanket) and my own sperm cells. I had my own sperm cells in my other two children. They are all my children," he said.

When they appeared in public the children wore veils to disguise their identity.

However, in Las Vegas last year snappers managed to take photographs of three children with Jackson's entourage, believed to be his.

Ms Rowe told the Mail: "I turned out two pretty good-looking kids. For that I am proud."

She added: "The veils were my idea, not Michael's. I had kidnap threats when they were babies. I did not want them to be recognised. I'm not happy they've been photographed without the veils."

The fate of the three is expected to be revealed when Jackson's will is read.

SKY NEWS

The impact on the news was worldwide
-------------------------------------
Web slows after Jackson's death

The internet suffered a number of slowdowns as people the world over rushed to verify accounts of Michael Jackson's death.

Search giant Google confirmed to the BBC that when the news first broke it feared it was under attack.

Millions of people who Googled the star's name were greeted with an error page rather than a list of results.

It warned users "your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application".

"It's true that between approximately 2.40PM Pacific and 3.15PM Pacific, some Google News users experienced difficulty accessing search results for queries related to Michael Jackson and saw the error page," said Google spokesman Gabriel Stricker.

It was around this time that the singer was officially pronounced dead.

Google's trends page showed that searches for Michael Jackson had reached such a volume that in its so called "hotness" gauge the topic was rated "volcanic".

The BBC news website reported that traffic to the site at 0400 BST was 48% higher than average.

Fail

Google was not the only company overwhelmed by the public's clamour for information.

The microblogging service Twitter crashed with the sheer volume of people using the service.


Searches for topics related to Michael Jackson peaked at 3PM Pacific
Queries about the star soon rocketed to the top of its updates and searches. But the amount of traffic meant it suffered one of its well-known outages.

Before the company's servers crashed, TweetVolume noted that "Michael Jackson" appeared in more than 66,500 Twitter updates.

According to initial data from Trendrr, a Web service that tracks activity on social media sites, the number of Twitter posts Thursday afternoon containing "Michael Jackson" totaled more than 100,000 per hour.

That put news of Jackson's death at least on par with the Iran protests, as Twitter posts about Iran topped 100,000 per hour on June 16 and eventually climbed to 220,000 per hour.

Early reports of Mr Jackson's death and the confusion surrounding it caused a rash of changes and corrections to be made on his Wikipedia page as editors tried to keep up with events and the number of people trying to update the page.

TMZ, the popular celebrity gossip site that broke the story following a tip-off that a paramedic had visited the singers home also crashed.

There was a domino effect as users then fled to other sites. Hollywood gossip writer Perez Hilton's site was among those to flame out.

Keynote Systems reported that its monitoring showed performance problems for the web sites of AOL, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and Yahoo.

Beginning at 2.30PM Pacific "the average speed for downloading news sites doubled from less than four seconds to almost nine seconds," said Shawn White, Keynote's director of external operations.

He told Data Center Knowledge that "during the same period, the average availability of sites on the index dropped from almost 100% to 86%".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8120324.stm

Im gutted. Had to switch the tele on this mornin to double check i didnt dream it.
Sky news are now sayin he took a morphine o.d and his dr gone awol!!?

They already started,

Apparently, AEG only had his first 10 concerts insured... they could'nt find anyone who were prepared to insure the rest.

Gonna be an expensive problem for AEG, I hope it does'nt put the future of The o2 into doubt.

Michael Jackson killed the Dome...

.

Police Launch Investigation

R.I.P MJ im a fan of his early stuff i.e. Thriller and what nots some of his new stuff is great but doesnt appeal to me.. what a man i have his film in my dvd collection Very sad time for everybody.. "Dont stop til you get enough" << my fave song..

.

If this is going to turn into an MJ joke thread can we have it removed please?

did nothing for me, we'll never know the truth behind all the scandals as far as paedophilia etc go, but we know he hung the baby off the balcony and im sure there will have been much more we didnt hear about. the guy wasn't mentally stable.

he died, so wot. much worse things happening in the world than the death of michael jackson. couldnt stand jade goody either, mouthy waste of space.

no intentions of starting to lay tributes like some others have done just cos they think its the right thing to do.


gay.

.

.

So people who write jokes about dead people get censored but it's ok to post pictures of your shit.

Sanchez's poo thread got pulled, beaty.

Its all censorship what happend to FREE SPEECH i thought this was UK not IRAN.
If people are offended then don't read it.

we all love a good joke but this is a serious topic. if you want to make fun of the dead and have a joke THEN THATS WHAT THE JOKES FORUMS FOR theres a place for this and this is not the place


we all can post shit from time to time can,t we.



we ask this of you in the local news and the same for Regional / National news to

Please be respectful towards topics of news.

lmao!!!!

So If i go through ALL SERIOUS topics outside the joke thread I will find no FUNNY posts

I know the answer, this is just censorship

So are you going to remove all posts in serious topics that are funny?

you go through ALL SERIOUS topics outside the joke thread and if there is anythink you dont like in the forums am mod of that i may of over looked please dont be afriad to Notify or PM me and i will see what i can do thanks for your time must dash now very busy man today. hope to chat to you later

How would you react if people starting posting jokes about the vandalism of the Hillsborough memorial Beaty?
It's all a matter of respecting other people's opinions and feelings whether or not you agree with them.
The best way to play it is to keep the really serious stuff serious and the jokes for the joke thread.

If people did I wouldn't be happy of course but it is their opinion and wouldn't ask for it to be censored.

That was a good topic

keep on topic now please

you want to chat more beaty then pm me

The victims of Hillsborough who were murdered and still waiting for justice should never be made as an example when it comes to comparing against some weird freak who paid off his accuser so that he was never found guilty.

Sorry, just an opinion.

Gary Glitter on the other hand is open house...!!!

Don't apologize Paul, your right, trouble is people have short memories . If you have the money and enough clout you can get away and forgiven for anything.

There is no such thing as Free Speech on Forums.
They are all monitored and all censored to a degree.
We censor ours where its needed.
Ive now clarified this in the Terms and conditions 7.2


I was gutted to hear of his death,
i went to see him on the BAD tour at Leeds and err Heal the World Tour in Tenerife just before all the accusations.

Its amazing to watch all the programs running about the Genius he was, and its like ive heard them say that he was the last Truly Talented Artist.

R.I.P King of Pop

Jackson's Doctor: 'I Am Not A Suspect'



Michael Jackson's personal doctor has insisted he is not seen as a suspect by cops investigating the star's death after they interviewed him for a second time.


Dr Conrad Murray was with the superstar when he collapsed on Thursday but said he was not responsible for his death.

The cardiologist also said through spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik that he had spent hours comforting the King of Pop's family.

"Investigators say the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness to this tragedy," Ms Sevcik said in a statement.

Police have not ruled out a criminal inquiry into the death of the pop superstar, she added.

His lawyer Bill Stradley insisted: "Contrary to what has been out there, Dr Murray has been co-operating with authorities from the outset and will continue to do so.

"The impression that he has been hiding from authorities, that's not correct."

Ms Sevcik said Dr Murray, who has offices in Las Vegas and Houston, had remained in LA since Jackson's death.

"He rode in the ambulance to the hospital and stayed at the hospital for hours comforting and consoling the Jackson family," she said.

"Dr Murray will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities and asks that all keep the Jackson family in their prayers."

The Coroner's office in LA performed a first post mortem on the star's body on Friday but said toxicology reports may take up to six weeks.

Jackson's family have decided to seek a second post mortem on his body, which is being held at an undisclosed location.

Jackson's father, Joseph, reportedly told People magazine: "We don't like what is going on."

Authorities in LA are planning to hold a memorial for Jackson, according to reports.

SKY NEWS.CO.UK

I have to say that personally, I'm not bothered - I was never a fan of his music but can see why people say he had talent. The only thing I think is sad is that the children have lost their father; regardless of the stunt he pulled on the balcony, he was still their father.

People die every day, REAL heroes that made a difference to a lot of peoples lives yet remained unsung. Death is a part of life - it will happen to us all at some point as much as we don't like to think about it.

I just hope that the hype dies down soon (pardon the pun) and the sick jokes end.

yerr wench well said

Well lets be honest about it, most of the people who are sobbing, have gone into a "state of mourning", taking time off work, holding candle lit vigils and camping out in front of his house have done nothing but buy his records, watch his videos and maybe seen him in concert.

How many actually KNEW him or even MET him!?! It's like the whole "Diana" business. I just don't get it

Maybe I'm just a cold hearted bitch

Jackson 'Weighed 8st 1oz When He Died'


Michael Jackson weighed just 8st 1oz when he suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday, according to newspaper reports.


Quoting leaked post-mortem results, The Sun said the 5ft 10 singer's body was "severely emaciated" and his stomach contained nothing more than partially dissolved pills.

Despite having a punishing rehearsal schedule for his upcoming concerts, Jackson was understood to be eating once a day - which could explain his weight.

The paper also claimed to have seen notes that said Jackson's hair had fallen out and that his face was covered in plastic surgery scars.

Several of his ribs were allegedly broken and injection sites were visible from where medics had tried to kick start his heart with shots of adrenaline.

Dr Charles Knight, a consultant cardiologist and secretary of the British Cardiovascular Society, said the broken ribs were consistent with attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

"It does happen with CPR - it's not common but is a recognised complication," he told Sky News Online.

"It's better to persevere with the resuscitation attempt rather than worry about the risk of breaking ribs."
Dr Knight added that the injections of adrenaline given to Jackson would not have been a "first-line treatment" but were likely to have been given to the singer in the hospital when other methods of resuscitation had failed.

The fatal cardiac arrest suffered by Jackson could have been caused by a variety of different things, Dr Knight said.

Read more about the Jackson post mortem at The Sun Online

Statistically the most common would have been a heart attack, caused by a blocked coronary artery.

However, respiratory failure could also lead to rapid cardiac arrest - and the pathologists would be looking for drugs in Jackson's system that could have repressed his breathing to a fatally low level.

The leaked post-mortem findings appear to contradict reports that the singer was in good shape before his death.

According to Fox News, a source said investigators at the Los Angeles County coroner's office had been surprised by the apparent good health of the 50-year-old.

"He appeared to be stronger than they expected," the source was quoted as saying.

Prior to his death, Jackson had hired Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno as his personal trainer.

The fragile singer was understood to be working on improving his fitness ahead of his planned 50-date residency at London's O2 arena.

His family has hired a private pathologist to carry out a second post-mortem in a bid to answer the questions surrounding the cause of his death.


SKY NEWS.CO.UK

Story That Jackson Weighed 8st 'Not True'



A newspaper story that Michael Jackson weighed just 8st 1oz when he suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday has been rebuffed by the Los Angeles coroner.


Quoting leaked post-mortem results, The Sun said the 5ft 10 singer's body was "severely emaciated" and his stomach contained nothing more than partially dissolved pills.

Despite having a punishing rehearsal schedule for his upcoming concerts, Jackson was understood to be eating once a day - which could explain his weight.

The Sun also claimed to have seen notes that said Jackson's hair had fallen out and that his face was covered in plastic surgery scars.

Several of his ribs were allegedly broken and injection sites were visible from where medics had tried to kick-start his heart with shots of adrenaline.

But a statement from the Los Angeles County coroner said: "The report that is being published did not come from this office.

"I don't know where the information came from, or who that information came from. It is not accurate. Some of it is totally false."


Dr Charles Knight, a consultant cardiologist and secretary of the British Cardiovascular Society, said broken ribs would have been consistent with attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

"It does happen with CPR - it's not common but is a recognised complication," he told Sky News Online.

Dr Knight added that the injections of adrenaline given to Jackson would not have been a "first-line treatment" but were likely to have been given to the singer in the hospital when other methods of resuscitation had failed.

The fatal cardiac arrest suffered by Jackson could have been caused by a variety of different things, Dr Knight said.

Statistically the most common would have been a heart attack, caused by a blocked coronary artery.

However, respiratory failure could also lead to rapid cardiac arrest - and the pathologists would be looking for drugs in Jackson's system that could have repressed his breathing to a fatally low level.

The Sun story contradicts earlier reports that the singer was in good shape before his death.

According to Fox News, investigators at the Los Angeles County coroner's office had been surprised by the 50-year-old's apparent good health.

Prior to his death, Jackson had hired Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno as his personal trainer.

The singer was understood to be working on his fitness ahead of the 50 concerts he was due to give at London's O2 arena.

Jackson's family have hired a private pathologist to carry out a second post-mortem in a bid to answer some of the questions surrounding his death.

SKY NEWS

nothink new with the sun then, still full off shit.

I was looking at the photos of him today with his kids. I think it did show a different side to him. A normal man. Its a tragedy for those kids. I bet they loved him to bits and didn't care what he looked or sounded like. He was simply 'Dad' to them

Pics in Daily Mail

Jackson's family album seen for first time



Happy family? Michael Jackson holds 'Blanket' and Paris while Prince, right, looks into the camera



Family fun: Jackson with Prince and Paris in fancy dress at a children's party in 2003




Bottle blond: Eldest son Prince with dyed hair, right, sits in the back of the car with his sister Paris



Proud father: Jackson poses with daughter Paris



Party time: Jackson cuddles 'Blanket' while Prince and Paris, both in paper hats, look on



Doting: Prince enjoys popcorn with a friend and Jackson

Public Memorial Confirmed



Sky News sources have confirmed a public memorial for late pop star Michael Jackson is going to take place at Staples Centre in Los Angeles on Tuesday.


Plans to allow fans to mourn the singer's death stalled after his family said his body would not go on show at Neverland, his luxury home in California.

It had previously been suggested Jackson's remains could be taken to the property following his fatal cardiac arrest last week at the age of 50.

Once a symbol of Jackson's success and excesses, Neverland - the 2,500-acre ranch in the hills of Santa Barbara County's wine country - has become the site of a makeshift memorial.

Meanwhile, the battle over Jackson's legacy was set to continue after it emerged Jackson left his fortune to his three children and his mother.

SKY NEWS

Powerful Sedative Found In Jackson's Home



Diprivan, a powerful sedative, has been found in the home where Michael Jackson suffered a fatal cardiac arrest, a US law enforcement official has said.


The drug is an intravenous anesthetic widely used in hospitals to induce unconsciousness in patients before operations.

It is also administered to terminally ill patients who are in pain or who have just days to live.

Other prescription drugs have been found in Jackson's Holmby Hills home since the star died on June 25.

Officials have previously said they think the singer was addicted to the pain killers Demerol and OxyContin.

They also revealed the singer received an injection of Demerol shortly before he died.

Meanwhile at a news conference in Los Angeles, it has been announced that 17,500 tickets will be on offer to fans who want to attend Jackson's public memorial.

The event will take place next Tuesday next week at 10am local time at Los Angeles' Staples Centre.

Tim Leiweke, president, CEO of AEG Live, which owns the Staples Centre and was Jackson's promoter, said fans will have to enter a draw to be randomly selected.

People who want to be in with a chance of getting a ticket must register at Staplescenter.com, but the website says only US citizens may apply.

Mr Leiweke said for those fans who miss out on tickets, the memorial will be broadcast around the world via a video feed.

Los Angeles city officials said ticket-less fans would be barred from the area surrounding the venue.

They gave no details about where Jackson would be buried or what Tuesday's order of service would include.

In another development, it has emerged that Jackson's promoter AEG took out a $17.5m (£10.7m) insurance policy in the event of the singer's 50 London gigs falling through.

TMZ.com said AEG's chief executive Randy Phillips revealed that the policy covered an overdose but not death from natural causes.

SKY NEWS

Listened to his music all the way thru life. Leaves a bad feeling knowing there's going to be no more.
RIP MJ

Fans and family remember Jackson


Michael Jackson's family and fans have said farewell to the pop superstar at an emotional memorial service.

Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, fought back tears to describe him as as "the best father you can ever imagine".

The singer's coffin was placed in front of the stage during the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after an earlier private funeral.

Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey paid tribute before the family joined a sombre finale on stage.

Stevie Wonder said: "This is a moment I wished I didn't live to see come. Michael I love you."

The crowd cheered as the golden flower-draped coffin entered the arena to the strains of a choir singing "Hallelujah, hallelujah, we're going to see the King" from the song Soon And Very Soon.

Mariah Carey opened the show, performing I'll Be There, ending with the words: "We miss you."

Jackson's brother Jermaine took to the stage to perform the song Smile. It was said to be the King of Pop's favourite song, featuring the lyric: "Smile though your hearts are aching."

Others paying tribute included Lionel Richie, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah and Brooke Shields.

Some sang, while others spoke about their memories of the King of Pop and his influence on music and society. Many embraced family members as they left the stage.

The BBC's Matthew Price, who was in the arena, said: "It's had to clearly see the family but the glimpses I'm getting show a family both in mourning, and in celebration of his life.

"There are moments of the intensely personal in this very public event."

Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton gave a fiery speech, telling Jackson's children: "There weren't nothing strange about your daddy."

"It was strange what your daddy had to deal with but he dealt with it."

Motown boss Berry Gordy, who signed the Jackson Five, ended his tribute with the words: "Michael, thank you for the joy, thank you for the love. you will live in my heart forever."

Actress Brooke Shields, who first met Jackson when she was 13, broke down in tears as she took to the stage.

Describing Jackson as "pure", she said: "He was often referred to as the King but the Michael that I knew was always the little prince. Michael saw everything with his heart."

The 17,500 people in the arena cheered as clips of Jackson's life and music were played on big screens.

Messages were read from absent guests including former South African President Nelson Mandela, poet Maya Angelou and singer Diana Ross.

The message from Ross was read by Smokey Robinson. "I'm trying to find closure," it said.

"I want you to know that even though I am not there at the Staples Center I am there in my heart.

"Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life in a way that I can't seem to find words to express.

"Michael wanted me to be there for his children and I will be there if they ever need me. I hope today brings closure for all those who loved him."

Other people taking part include Usher and Britain's Got Talent finalist Shaheen Jafargholi, who has played the young Michael Jackson in the musical Thriller - Live.

The stage is adorned with the star's image, alongside a mural carrying the words: "In Loving Memory. Michael Jackson King of Pop - 1958-2009."

Millions of fans around the world are watching on TV.

Roads were closed off and concrete barriers erected outside the Staples Center, where Jackson had been rehearsing a comeback show before his sudden death aged 50 on 25 June.

More than 1.6 million fans applied to attend the memorial event, with 8,750 people chosen at random to receive a pair of tickets.

One person not attending is Jackson's former wife and the mother of two of his children, Debbie Rowe.

"The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy," her lawyer Marta Almli said in a statement.

About 50 cinemas across the US are showing the memorial live. It is also being relayed to big screens across the UK, Australia and Hong Kong.

Family members earlier attended a short funeral service at the Forest Lawn cemetery.

THE BBC

I think that he loved his kids and was proud of them and wanted them to live a good life. Now hes passed away everyone is sad

Obviously

Your point is?