LOS ANGELES - THERE was no evidence of foul play in the death of pop superstar Michael Jackson, Los Angeles coroners said on Friday after conducting an autopsy.
Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael - first performed together at a talent show when Michael was 6. They walked off with first prize.
Their group later became The Jackson Five, and when it was signed by Motown Records in the late 1960s it underwent its final metamorphosis to become The Jackson 5. Jackson made his first solo album in 1972.
JACKSON dominated the charts in the 1980s and is considered one of the most successful entertainers of the past century, with a lifetime sales tally estimated at 750 million records, 13 Grammy Awards and several seminal music videos to his name.
'Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived,' said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jackson's first label boss.
Los Angeles County Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said a final cause of death on Jackson would be deferred until the results of toxicology tests, due to be completed in 'four to six weeks,' were known.
But Mr Harvey said that examiners had found no indication of trauma to Jackson's body or evidence of foul play. 'There was no indication of any external trauma or indication of foul play on the body of Mr Jackson,' Harvey said.
'The cause of death has been deferred. It means that the medical examiner ordered additional testing such as toxicology and other studies. Those tests, we anticipate, will take proximately four to six additional weeks to complete. At that time, once those test results have been completed, we anticipate being able to close the case and issue a final cause of death.'
Jackson, who was with a cardiologist when he collapsed at his rented home in Los Angeles, appeared to have suffered a heart attack, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press earlier.
The person, who was not authorised to speak publicly and requested anonymity, said Jackson suffered a heart attack, which is a blocking of the arteries that can cause cardiac arrest. Jackson's brother Jermaine said on Thursday that it was believed the pop singer went into cardiac arrest, often but not always due to a heart attack.
A heart attack would not rule out drugs playing a role in his death, but could also indicate a long-term problem such as heart disease.
Police earlier on Friday seized the car of Dr Conrad Murray, a cardiologist who practices in California, Nevada and Texas, who was with Jackson at the time of his death. Police said they believed the car may contain drugs or other evidence.
Heart attacks often lead to cardiac arrest, where the heart rhythm is disrupted and the heart stops pumping blood, said Dr Douglas Zipes, an Indiana University heart specialist and past president of the American College of Cardiology.
When autopsies are done on cardiac arrest victims, as many as three-fourths show signs of heart disease, such as clogged arteries, he said.
Finding signs of a heart attack would not rule out drugs playing a role. For example, injections of the powerful painkiller Demerol can depress normal breathing or cause a sudden drop in blood pressure and trigger a heart rhythm problem, said Dr Lance Becker, a University of Pennsylvania emergency medicine specialist and an American Heart Association spokesman.
If that occurred in someone who already had clogged arteries, it could make the situation much worse, he said. -- AP, AFP
