Michael Jackson's family plans to take the pop star's body to his Neverland ranch on Thursday ahead of a public viewing, reports said Tuesday.
CNN and the celebrity news website TMZ.com, quoting unnamed sources, said the Jackson family planned to take the body on Thursday to Neverland, the King of Pop's sprawing fantasy ranch in southern California.
The family plans to hold a wake either on Friday or Saturday ahead of a burial at an undetermined time and place, the reports said.
Jackson collapsed and died on Thursday as he prepared for a 50 concerts in London. His family has been keeping his body in an undisclosed location as the cause of his death is determined.
Source : TOI
Showing posts with label dead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dead. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
I Lied for my father, i’m sorry Michael : Jordan Chandler
I want to say that this information it’s for sure (I mess up with the names because i was crying), I don’t really care if you believe it or not, I made a promise to an old friend to tell the truth when Michael will die and that’s what I’m doing. I’m not searching for attention i have enough of it. This is for you Mikey i will always love you…After the sudden death of Michael Jackson Jordan Chandler tells the truth.
In 1993, Chandler told a psychiatrist and police that he and Jackson had engaged in sexual acts that included oral sex, the boy gave detailed description of Jackson’s genitals. The case was settled out of court for a reported $22 million, but the strain led Jackson to begin taking painkillers. Eventually he became addicted.
Under the influence of a controversial father (Evan Chandler) told his son to tell that Jackson had touched his penis.Evan Chandler then told a psychiatrist and later police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex, as well as giving a detailed description of what he alleged were the singer’s genitals.
"Now for the first time i can’t bear to lie anymore. Michael Jackson didn’t do anything to me, all was my father lies to escape from being poor.”
MJ was reading Tagore in his last days
Michael Jackson, who considered India his "special love", was planning a collaboration with double Oscar-winning musician A R Rahman and reading Rabindra Nath Tagore's poetry during his last days.
The pop icon was writing a song about the need for environmental conversation during his last days and reading Tagore, reported Contactmusic online.
Jackson was also planning to collaborate with Rahman for a unity anthem that the 'Thriller' hitmaker planned to use in his planned O2 concert series, said the report.
"He was praising the chord progression of Jai Ho's chorus. He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the lines of 'We are the World' for him. I nodded in awe," Rahman wrote on his blog while paying tribute to the pop icon.
Jackson, who had come to India in 1996 for a concert in Mumbai had left a poignant message to his fans on his pillow cover.
"India, all my life I have longed to see your face. I met you and your people and fell in love with you. Now my heart is filled with sorrow and despair for I have to leave, but I promise I shall return to love you and caress you again.
"Your kindness has overwhelmed me, your spiritual awareness has moved me, and your children have truly touched my heart. They are the face of God. I truly love and adore you India. Forever, continue to love, heal and educate the children, the future shines on them. You are my special love, India. Forever, may God always bless you," wrote Jackson.
The pop icon was writing a song about the need for environmental conversation during his last days and reading Tagore, reported Contactmusic online.
Jackson was also planning to collaborate with Rahman for a unity anthem that the 'Thriller' hitmaker planned to use in his planned O2 concert series, said the report.
"He was praising the chord progression of Jai Ho's chorus. He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the lines of 'We are the World' for him. I nodded in awe," Rahman wrote on his blog while paying tribute to the pop icon.
Jackson, who had come to India in 1996 for a concert in Mumbai had left a poignant message to his fans on his pillow cover.
"India, all my life I have longed to see your face. I met you and your people and fell in love with you. Now my heart is filled with sorrow and despair for I have to leave, but I promise I shall return to love you and caress you again.
"Your kindness has overwhelmed me, your spiritual awareness has moved me, and your children have truly touched my heart. They are the face of God. I truly love and adore you India. Forever, continue to love, heal and educate the children, the future shines on them. You are my special love, India. Forever, may God always bless you," wrote Jackson.
Jackson will divide estate among mother, children: Report
A 2002 will by Michael Jackson divides his estate between his mother, three children and one or more charities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
But his father, Joseph Jackson, apparently does not feature, said the story.
A lawyer for Jackson could submit the will, which was believed to be his last, to Los Angeles Superior Court as soon as Thursday, said the Journal.
It names lawyer John Branca and a music executive John Mclain, a friend of Jackson, as executors, according to the Journal.
Branca, who worked for Jackson from 1980 to 2006 and was rehired by Jackson a week before his death on Thursday, wrote the will in 2002, according to the newspaper account.
The singer's parents have not seen the will, their lawyer said in an emailed statement to the Journal.
The report said Joseph Jackson, with whom the singer reportedly had a troubled relationship, was not believed to be included in the will.
It was not known what custody provisions the 2002 will sets out for Jackson's three children. A Los Angeles court on Tuesday gave the singer's mother temporary custody of the children until a hearing in July.
The size and complexity of Jackson's assets and debts is expected to pose a challenge in unwinding his estate, the Journal said, estimating his debt at 500 million dollars.
His assets, which include a 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, could exceed his debts by as much as 200 million dollars, it said.
Source:TOI
But his father, Joseph Jackson, apparently does not feature, said the story.
A lawyer for Jackson could submit the will, which was believed to be his last, to Los Angeles Superior Court as soon as Thursday, said the Journal.
It names lawyer John Branca and a music executive John Mclain, a friend of Jackson, as executors, according to the Journal.
Branca, who worked for Jackson from 1980 to 2006 and was rehired by Jackson a week before his death on Thursday, wrote the will in 2002, according to the newspaper account.
The singer's parents have not seen the will, their lawyer said in an emailed statement to the Journal.
The report said Joseph Jackson, with whom the singer reportedly had a troubled relationship, was not believed to be included in the will.
It was not known what custody provisions the 2002 will sets out for Jackson's three children. A Los Angeles court on Tuesday gave the singer's mother temporary custody of the children until a hearing in July.
The size and complexity of Jackson's assets and debts is expected to pose a challenge in unwinding his estate, the Journal said, estimating his debt at 500 million dollars.
His assets, which include a 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, could exceed his debts by as much as 200 million dollars, it said.
Source:TOI
Jackson's final rehearsal photos show him in great form
The photographs of Jackson's last rehearsal, taken just 48 hours before his death, show the pop star in great spirit.
The pictures, thought to be the last photographs of the 50-year-old Star, show Jackson rehearsing for his comeback tour at London's O2 Arena.
The 'This Is It' lighting display is behind him as he pulls off an impressive high-energy routine in Los Angeles, the Sun online reported.
In this handout photo provided by AEG, Michael Michael Jackson rehearses at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 23, 2009, just days before his death
Jackson rehearses at the Staples Center in LA on June 23, 2009
In this handout photo provided by AEG, Michael Jackson rehearses in Los Angeles on June 23, ahead of his comeback tour
A source who was present during Jackson's final rehearsal in Los Angeles said, "Michael was in better form than for years. He was preparing for what would have been an absolutely incredible show.
He was laughing and joking with his dancers. He seemed to have so much energy, it's hard to believe that 48 hours later he was dead."
Photographer Kevin Mazur, who took the photographs, said, "When he hit the stage I was thrilled that the magical Michael Jackson was back."
The 50-date concert shows, starting from July 13, were supposed to be Jackson's return to stage after a decade. The pop star had labelled them his "final curtain call".
The pictures, thought to be the last photographs of the 50-year-old Star, show Jackson rehearsing for his comeback tour at London's O2 Arena.
The 'This Is It' lighting display is behind him as he pulls off an impressive high-energy routine in Los Angeles, the Sun online reported.
In this handout photo provided by AEG, Michael Michael Jackson rehearses at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 23, 2009, just days before his death
Jackson rehearses at the Staples Center in LA on June 23, 2009
In this handout photo provided by AEG, Michael Jackson rehearses in Los Angeles on June 23, ahead of his comeback tourA source who was present during Jackson's final rehearsal in Los Angeles said, "Michael was in better form than for years. He was preparing for what would have been an absolutely incredible show.
He was laughing and joking with his dancers. He seemed to have so much energy, it's hard to believe that 48 hours later he was dead."
Photographer Kevin Mazur, who took the photographs, said, "When he hit the stage I was thrilled that the magical Michael Jackson was back."
The 50-date concert shows, starting from July 13, were supposed to be Jackson's return to stage after a decade. The pop star had labelled them his "final curtain call".
Sunday, 28 June 2009
MJ's medical history a blur, says biographer
Michael Jackson had a long and intricate history of health problems, say people who knew him but it has always been difficult to separate the rumours from his medical history.
‘‘It’s always been a subject of confusion,’’ said J Randy Taraborrelli, a Jackson biographer who knew him for 40 years. ‘‘His doctors have generally not betrayed him, so there is no way to be conclusive about this kind of information.’’
A celebrity website citing an interview with an unidentified ‘‘close member’’ of the Jackson family, reported the entertainer was injected with Demerol about half an hour before he went into cardiac arrest. A senior law enforcement official told a news channel that Jackson was ‘‘heavily addicted’’ to the painkiller Oxycontin and was injected daily with that medication, along with Demerol.
The young Taraborrelli who first met Jackson when the singer was 10 said he was private about most of his health matters and doctors would sometimes change their opinions of things that were ailing him. ‘‘Just when you think you have information, someone comes and recants the diagnosis,’’ said Taraborrelli, author of ‘Michael Jackson: The Magic and The Madness’, written in 1991 and updated in 2005. ‘‘It just got to a point where I stopped trying to verify.’’
Stacy Brown, co-author of the 2005 book, ‘Michael Jackson: the Man Behind the Mask’, said the singer’s family had been very concerned recently about his use of painkillers, especially Demerol that had been one of the concerns for a long time. He said Jackson was receiving one injection per day, always administered by a doctor.
In 1993, in a recorded statement, he said that charges of child molestation against him were contributing to his continued drug use.
‘‘I became increasingly more dependent to (sic) the painkillers to get me through the days of the tour,’’ he said. ‘‘My friends and doctors advised me to seek professional guidance immediately in order to eliminate what has become an addiction.’’
‘‘It’s always been a subject of confusion,’’ said J Randy Taraborrelli, a Jackson biographer who knew him for 40 years. ‘‘His doctors have generally not betrayed him, so there is no way to be conclusive about this kind of information.’’
A celebrity website citing an interview with an unidentified ‘‘close member’’ of the Jackson family, reported the entertainer was injected with Demerol about half an hour before he went into cardiac arrest. A senior law enforcement official told a news channel that Jackson was ‘‘heavily addicted’’ to the painkiller Oxycontin and was injected daily with that medication, along with Demerol.
The young Taraborrelli who first met Jackson when the singer was 10 said he was private about most of his health matters and doctors would sometimes change their opinions of things that were ailing him. ‘‘Just when you think you have information, someone comes and recants the diagnosis,’’ said Taraborrelli, author of ‘Michael Jackson: The Magic and The Madness’, written in 1991 and updated in 2005. ‘‘It just got to a point where I stopped trying to verify.’’
Stacy Brown, co-author of the 2005 book, ‘Michael Jackson: the Man Behind the Mask’, said the singer’s family had been very concerned recently about his use of painkillers, especially Demerol that had been one of the concerns for a long time. He said Jackson was receiving one injection per day, always administered by a doctor.
In 1993, in a recorded statement, he said that charges of child molestation against him were contributing to his continued drug use.
‘‘I became increasingly more dependent to (sic) the painkillers to get me through the days of the tour,’’ he said. ‘‘My friends and doctors advised me to seek professional guidance immediately in order to eliminate what has become an addiction.’’
Michael Jackson's doctor hires law firm
A Houston lawyer said his firm has been hired by the doctor who reportedly was with Michael Jackson when the pop star was fatally stricken in his Los Angeles home.
William M. Stradley, a partner in the firm of Stradley, Chernoff & Alford, said his firm has been hired by Dr. Conrad Murray.
Stradley said investigators have indicated Murray is considered a witness and is not a target in any way. Stradley said one of the partners, Edward Chernoff, is in Los Angeles meeting with Police Department investigators.
Stradley said he doesn't know if Murray is taking part in Saturday's meeting. Stradley said Murray accompanied Jackson to the hospital, but he doesn't know if it was Murray who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the singer or called the emergency dispatcher.
The attorney said Murray has cooperated with police from the beginning and never left Los Angeles.
Source: TOI
William M. Stradley, a partner in the firm of Stradley, Chernoff & Alford, said his firm has been hired by Dr. Conrad Murray.
Stradley said investigators have indicated Murray is considered a witness and is not a target in any way. Stradley said one of the partners, Edward Chernoff, is in Los Angeles meeting with Police Department investigators.
Stradley said he doesn't know if Murray is taking part in Saturday's meeting. Stradley said Murray accompanied Jackson to the hospital, but he doesn't know if it was Murray who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the singer or called the emergency dispatcher.
The attorney said Murray has cooperated with police from the beginning and never left Los Angeles.
Source: TOI
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Pop star Michael Jackson dies at 50
Michael Jackson, the ``King of Pop'' who once moonwalked above the music world, died as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50. ( Watch )Jackson died on Thursday at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him. ( Watch )
``It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known,'' his brother Jermaine said. Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases. ( Watch )
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage. ( Watch )
His 1982 album ``Thriller'', which included the blockbuster hits ``Beat It,'' ``Billie Jean'' and ``Thriller'', is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.
At the time of his death, Jackson was rehearsing hard for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13.
As word of his death spread, MTV switched its programming to play videos from Jackson's heyday. Radio stations began playing marathons of his hits. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital. In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone. ( Watch )
``No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,'' Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend had sent him. ``It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.'' ( Watch )
The public first knew him as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Indiana. Among their No. 1 hits were ``I Want You Back,'' ``ABC'' and ``I'll Be There.''
He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks, as was his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.
``For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words,'' said Quincy Jones, who produced ``Thriller.'' ``He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.'' ( Watch )
Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson's death immediately evoked comparisons to that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.
As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure _ a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He often wore a germ mask while traveling, kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions, and surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, a storybook playland filled with toys, rides and animals. The tabloids dubbed him ``Wacko Jacko.''
``It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It's as if he was trying to defy gravity,'' said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a ``disciple of P T Barnum'' and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was ``much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew.''
Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children. ( Watch )
The case followed years of rumors about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual.
Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary. He was 4 years old when he began singing with his brothers, Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito, in the Jackson 5. After his early success with bubblegum soul, he struck out on his own, generating innovative, explosive, unstoppable music.
The album ``Thriller'' alone mixed the dark, serpentine bass and drums and synthesizer approach of ``Billie Jean,'' the grinding Eddie Van Halen solo on ``Beat It,'' and the hiccups and falsettos on ``Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'.''
The peak may have come in 1983, when Motown celebrated its 25th anniversary with an all-star televised concert and Jackson moonwalked off with the show, joining his brothers for a medley of old hits and then leaving them behind with a pointing, crouching, high-kicking, splay-footed, crotch-grabbing run through ``Billie Jean.''
The audience stood and roared. Jackson raised his fist. By then he had cemented his place in pop culture. He got the plum Scarecrow role in the 1978 movie musical ``The Wiz,'' a pop-R&B version of ``The Wizard of Oz,'' that starred Diana Ross as Dorothy.
During production of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, Jackson's scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.
He had strong follow-up albums with 1987's ``Bad'' and 1991's ``Dangerous,'' but his career began to collapse in 1993 after he was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy's family, reported to be $20 million, and criminal charges were never filed.
Jackson's expressed anger over the allegations on the 1995 album ``HIStory,'' which sold more than 2.4 million copies, but by then, the popularity of Jackson's music was clearly waning, even as public fascination with his increasingly erratic behavior was growing.
Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, and they divorced in 1996. Later that year, Jackson married Deborah Rowe, a former nurse for his dermatologist. They had two children together: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. Rowe filed for divorce in 1999.
Cardiac arrest is an abnormal heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. It can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems.
Billboard magazine editorial director Bill Werde said Jackson's star power was unmatched. ``The world just lost the biggest pop star in history, no matter how you cut it,'' Werde said. ``He's literally the king of pop.''
Jackson's 13 No. 1 one hits on the Billboard charts put him behind only Presley, the Beatles and Mariah Carey, Werde said.
``He was on the eve of potentially redeeming his career a little bit,'' he said. ``People might have started to think of him again in a different light.''
Source: TOI
