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| Michael Jackson’s Family Issues Statement To Fans |
‘Continue to spread his message, because that is what he would want you to do,’ family says in statement.
Two days after Michael Jackson’s death, his family issued a statement to fans on Saturday, conveyed by family patriarch Joseph Jackson. It reads: ‘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. Our beloved son, brother and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon. It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point, where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times. ‘We miss Michael endlessly, our pain cannot be described in words. But Michael would not want us to give up now. So we want to thank all of his faithful supporters and loyal fans worldwide, you — who Michael loved so much. Please do not despair, because Michael will continue to live on in each and every one of you. Continue to spread his message, because that is what he would want you to do. Carry on, so his legacy will live forever. ‘In addition, Joseph Jackson wishes to personally convey: ‘My grandchildren are deeply moved by all the love and support you have shown for them and their father, Michael Jackson.’ Joseph Jackson & Family’ On NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday, President Obama’s senior advisor David Axelrod said the president had written to the Jackson family to express his condolences. While Obama did not issue a statement following the singer’s death, he did express condolences to Jackson’s family and fans through his press secretary Robert Gibbs. MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit ‘Michael Jackson Remembered.’ Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Michael Jackson’s Doctor Meets With Police |
Dr. Conrad Murray was ‘cooperative and provided information which will aid the investigation,’ police say in statement.
Michael Jackson‘s cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray, met with detectives for three hours in Los Angeles on Saturday and provided information that will help with the investigation into the singer’s death, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement, according to CNN. The doctor may have been the last person to see Jackson alive. ‘Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician who was with Michael Jackson at the time of his collapse, voluntarily contacted the Los Angeles Police Department,’ the statement said. ‘Detectives assigned to Robbery-Homicide Division met with Dr. Murray and conducted an extensive interview. Dr. Murray was cooperative and provided information which will aid the investigation.’ On Friday, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office announced at a press conference that a determination of the cause of the singer’s death following his autopsy had been deferred pending further tests. The Los Angeles Times, citing ‘sources familiar with the case,’ reported late Saturday that Jackson’s family hired a private pathologist who completed a second autopsy on the singer’s body. The department had been seeking to speak again with Murray after conferring with him briefly on Thursday after Jackson’s death. The Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke with reporters on Saturday and said that the Jackson family wished to speak with the doctor as well, but had been unable to reach him. ‘The routine inquiry is now an investigation,’ Jesse Jackson said, according to CNN. ‘[The Jackson family] didn’t know the doctor. … He should have met with the family, given them comfort on the last hours of their son.’ Murray’s lawyer said earlier that the doctor was willing to cooperate. ‘It’s a human tragedy and he’s upset obviously over the loss of Mr. Jackson. But he is not a suspect in the death of Mr. Jackson,’ Matthew Alford said. Detectives impounded Murray’s car, which was parked at Jackson’s rented home, because it may contain evidence related to the singer’s death, including prescription medications. Police have not released information on what was found in the car. Coroner’s officials said Jackson had been using prescription drugs, and the investigation is examining whether he overdosed. A law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times there was ‘no red flag’ and ‘no smoking gun’ revealed in the interview to suggest criminal wrongdoing or the possible cause of death. Media reports have speculated that Jackson was using Demerol and/ or morphine in the weeks leading up to his death, but no official statement has been made and the coroner’s office’s toxicology reports will not be available for several weeks. The singer was reported to have struggled with prescription medications and reportedly entered rehab during the 1990s. In 2007, Jackson settled a lawsuit filed by a Beverly Hills pharmacy that claimed he owed more than $100,000 for prescription drugs over a two-year period, according to The Associated Press. MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit ‘Michael Jackson Remembered.’ Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Michael Jackson’s Cause Of Death Deferred |
Medical examiner has ordered additional testing, which will take four to six weeks to complete.
After several hours of delay, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office announced at a press conference on Friday (June 26) that a determination of Michael Jackson’s cause of death following his autopsy has been deferred pending further tests. The development had been expected, as the coroner’s office had warned earlier that tests conducted during the autopsy would take several weeks to complete. ‘The cause of death has been deferred, which means that the medical examiner has ordered additional testing, such as toxicology and other studies,’ Craig Harvey, the operations chief and spokesperson for the coroner’s office, said in a press conference. ‘Those tests we anticipated will take approximately four to six additional weeks to complete.’ In addition to the toxicology tests, the coroner’s office will be conducting neuropathology and pulmonary tests. ‘After those results have been completed, we anticipate being able to close the case and issuing a final cause of death,’ Harvey said. The autopsy revealed no external trauma to Jackson’s body, nor any indication that foul play was involved in the singer’s death. A Los Angeles Police Department detective was present during the autopsy. The LAPD requested that a security hold be placed on the investigation of Jackson, so the coroner’s office was limited in the amount of information it could release. While Harvey did confirm that Jackson was taking prescription medication, he would not comment on the specific types or doses of the medication. The coroner’s office had not spoken with any personal doctor to Jackson. The LAPD announced earlier that it wanted to interview the doctor who was at Jackson’s home when the singer collapsed. According to TMZ, that doctor is cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray, and he is preparing to speak with law enforcement officials. The autopsy took approximately three hours, which Harvey said is a standard amount of time, and concluded at 1 p.m. PT. The subsequent press conference was postponed, Harvey explained, due to simple procedural delays and the need to handle various press inquiries. With the autopsy complete, Jackson’s family can begin the process of claiming his body. There was still no word of when they plan on doing so, and no funeral plans have been announced at press time. MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos
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| President Obama Sends Condolences To Michael Jackson’s Family, Fans |
Press secretary delivers message on behalf of president.
Although President Obama held a press conference on Friday (June 26), no one asked him for his reaction to the news of Michael Jackson’s death on Thursday in Los Angeles. In a separate press conference, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that reporters seemed too shy to ask the president about the legendary singer — even though he is an avowed music fan — so Gibbs said that he spoke with Obama about Jackson’s passing. ‘I talked to [the president] about it this morning. He said to me that obviously Michael Jackson was a spectacular performer and a music icon,’ Gibbs said, according to Newsweek. ‘I think everybody remembers hearing his songs, watching him moonwalk on television during Motown’s 25th anniversary. But the president also said [Jackson] had aspects of his life that were sad and tragic. And his condolences went out to the Jackson family and to the fans that mourned his loss.’ The president joins a very long list of notable figures paying tribute to the singer, including longtime friends like Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and Madonna. ‘I can’t stop crying; this is too sudden and shocking,’ Jackson’s longtime friend and co-star in ‘The Wiz,’ Diana Ross, told MTV News in a statement. ‘I am unable to imagine this. My heart is hurting. I am in prayer for his kids and the family.’ Madonna said in a statement, ‘I can’t stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless.’ MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos
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| Usher, Ciara, JC Chasez, More Reflect On Michael Jackson’s Influence |
‘I feel it’s important for me to continue to let my generation know how important he was to music,’ Ciara says during ‘A Celebration of Michael Jackson on MTV.’
Entertainment and sports stars came together to remember Michael Jackson on the MTV News special ‘A Celebration of Michael Jackson on MTV’ on Friday (June 26). The special — including several Video Music Awards performances as well as candid moments he spent on the network — brought together Kobe Bryant, Liza Minnelli and Usher, among others, to pay tribute to the departed pop icon. ‘I think it’s probably deeper than people would expect, actually,’ Kobe Bryant said. ‘Being out here in L.A., I had numerous conversations, just over the phone and also at his house, just talking about work ethic and paying attention to details. He was extremely inspirational for me because he helped me understand that it’s OK to be different. And when I say different I mean different in the sense of being obsessed with your craft … and working your tail off and being consumed by what you do. He helped mentor me in that department. I think we lost an absolutely brilliant, brilliant mind and just a genuine nice person.’ Fabolous, who has sampled Jackson’s music in his songs, said he learned a lot from watching Jackson as a kid. ‘I was just very disappointed the whole day … I grew up on Michael Jackson,’ he said. ‘One of my first albums my mom bought me was Thriller, so just to see him pass was like a big loss to me and everyone who grew up around me.’ JC Chasez, who performed with Jackson along with ‘NSYNC at the 2001 VMAs, described the show as ‘a childhood dream come true.’ ‘It was kind of like my life had come full-circle at that point. First you dream about being able to dance like him and the next thing you know you’re standing next to him while you’re dancing. As a professional, you want to reach the top of your game. Then you find yourself on the MTV awards and you share that moment with him. He’s a language. He’s a piece of vernacular when you talk about dancing, singing … entertainment.’ Sheryl Crow toured with Jackson for two years in the late ’80s, and she was one of the people lucky enough to get to know the personal side of Jackson. ‘I did a couple of duets with him. He reached out to me on a couple of occasions and invited me to come up to his hotel room to watch movies,’ she recalled. ‘A big room with a couple of bodyguards and us throwing popcorn across the room at each other. He was just very childlike and loved to practical joke … very childlike and innocent and then he’d walk out onstage and you’d see this magnetic, very strong artistic talent up there.’ Teddy Riley, who worked with Jackson on both ‘Dangerous’ and ‘Remember the Time,’ is still reeling from the loss, but feels honored to have had a chance to work with the King of Pop. ‘Such a huge impact he had. A lot of the major people out there, they’ve grown up to Michael Jackson., and I’ve grown up to Michael Jackson, and it’s been a dream to work with him … he made my dreams come true. It’s a big impact and I think everyone out there is going to miss him,’ he said. Liza Minnelli, who called in to the show along with Usher, remembered the days they’d spend together. ‘We would hang together when we were in New York. We would go to [dancer and choreographer] Martha Graham’s. I would take him to Martha Graham and he’d say, ‘Oh, I got to learn that,’ and we’d run upstairs to practice. Anyway, I loved him.’ Usher, who was significantly influenced by Jackson, added, ‘It’s pretty hard right now, man. Michael Jackson transcended culture. He transcended love, man. He changed the barrier of life and the way we looked at things.’ One woman who has definitely used some of the Jackson aesthetic in her own career, Ciara, admits that MJ was her biggest inspiration. ‘He was part of the reason why for me,’ she said. ‘Whenever someone asks me who inspires me to do what I do, I always say Michael. That’s it for me. He’s everything to me. He’s really a part of the reason why. He’s going to be remembered in so many ways for me. I feel it’s important for me to continue to let my generation know how important he was to music.’ MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. For everything we’ve got on the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit ‘Michael Jackson Remembered.’ Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos
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| The Game, Diddy, Chris Brown Record Michael Jackson Tribute |
Game’s ‘Better on the Other Side’ debuts on L.A. radio Friday morning.
Michael Jackson’s impact on the pop-culture world was so powerful, several celebrities are already reacting to his death, not just with statements, but with songs. On Friday morning (June 26), 50 Cent dropped two songs paying tribute to the King of Pop. And on Thursday night, just after learning of MJ’s passing, the Game orchestrated a symphony of performers to give thanks and reflect on Jackson. Game’s tribute track dedicated to Michael Jackson called ‘Better on the Other Side,’ debuted this morning on Los Angeles radio station Power 106. To assist on the track the rapper phoned in a few homies, including Chris Brown, Diddy, Polow Da Don, Mario Winans, Usher and Boyz II Men. The piano-accompanied soundscape starts off with Diddy testifying about M.J.’s influence. ‘I believed I can do anything,’ he says. ‘You made the world dance. You made the music come to life.’ Then a thunderous bass drops in, led by Chris Brown’s vocals on the chorus: ‘This the type of song that makes the angels cry/ Look up in the sky and I wonder why/ Why you had to go, go/ I know it’s better on the other side.’ The DJ Khalil-produced track made its debut on the morning radio show ‘Big Boy’s Neighborhood’ as well as on Game affiliate DJ Skee’s satellite radio show, ‘Skeetox.’ ‘I told Game yesterday that Michael Jackson died, and he didn’t believe me. He said, ‘I’ll call you right back,’ ‘ Skee told MTV News. ‘Then this morning, he hit me with this track, and I immediately started blasting it out. Game was in the studio with Diddy at the time I called. He reached out to Chris Brown and Usher and also got Boyz II Men, who so happened to be recording in the same studio.’ On his verses Game reflects on the pop singer’s influence on him growing up. ‘Who’s Michael Jackson?/ You’re Michael Jackson/ I’m Michael Jackson/ We all Michael Jackson/ I guess what I’m asking is/ Everybody bow their head/ For a legend, don’t breathe for a second.’ The Game continues with his heartfelt tribute and compares himself to Jackson. ‘Imma tell you my story/ Never had a family that close/ Never seen Berry Gordy walking through Interscope/ But just like me, they always had Mike in a scope/ No matter what you say imma love him and he’s still dope/ Let me take you back to ’85 when I was in a zone/ Dancing for my momma, ‘Thriller’ jacket with the zippers on.’ ‘Other Side’ concludes with one last statement from Diddy: ‘People can say what they want about you. We gonna remember the miracles that you showed us. Through your music, through your dance. You were the one that made us realize that you are the world. Through us your legacy lives on, Mike Jackson.’ MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Artists |
| 50 Cent Pays Tribute To Michael Jackson |
‘Rest in peace to Michael Jackson,’ Fif says in one of two dropped Friday morning.
50 Cent is the first artist to pay tribute to Michael Jackson in song since the King of Pop died Thursday. Fif released the first two records from his mixtape Forever King on Friday morning (June 26). The first, ‘Respect It or Check It N—a,’ is vintage hard-core 50. He talks about coming up in the streets as a youngster and how he has evolved, and adds at the end, ‘Rest in peace to Michael Jackson … You n—as need me, man. I might have to start moonwalking. A couple of dance moves and sh–, might be some sh– called ‘Billie Jean Is My Lover.’ I’m back, n—a!’ The second song is called ‘Where You Are,’ and it takes directly from Jackson’s historic catalog. The G-Unit General raps over the 1972 track ‘I Wanna Be Where You Are.’ ‘They say I ain’t lyrical, they say I ain’t a miracle/ I say some hard sh–, so they say I ain’t spiritual,’ the self-proclaimed King of Rap rhymes. ‘They act like they know God better than me/ I know ‘God Allah,’ he used to pump crack up the streets.’ 50 goes on to vent about those in the ‘hood doubting him because of his over-the-top financial status. The Southside, Queens, native then gives way to the King of Pop, and we hear Jackson’s timeless vocals. ‘Can it be I stayed away too long?/ Did I leave your mind when I was gone?/ It’s not my thing trying to get back/ But this time let me tell you where I’m at/ You don’t have to worry ’cause I’m coming/ Back to where I should have always stayed/ And now I’ve heard the maybe to your story/ And it’s enough love for me to stay.’ MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. For everything we’ve got on the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit ‘Michael Jackson Remembered.’ Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos Related Artists |
PiggyNannan’s Quote
"Spread Love and News,
All Else Will Follow"
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The King of Pop: Michael Jackson News Articles
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