Michael Jackson's doctor faces police quiz

By Stephen McGinty

POLICE were last night preparing to question Michael Jackson's doctor, amid claims that the singer's death was linked to an injection of a powerful painkiller.
The cardiologist, named by celebrity website TMZ as Robert Conrad Murray, was reportedly in Jackson's rented mansion in Los Angeles when he collapsed on Thursday shortly before a frantic 911 emergency call was made for help.

Police took away a car belonging to one of the superstar's medical staff, with a spokeswoman stating that the vehicle "may contain medications or other evidence" which could assist the coroner in determining the cause of death.

It was reported last night that Jackson's relatives had told the website TMZ.com – which first broke the news of his death on Thursday – he had been given Demerol, a fast-acting painkiller similar to morphine.

A close member of the family said Jackson had been having daily injections and was given a shot at 11:30am local time on Thursday. Less than an hour later, at 12:21pm, a 911 call was made from Jackson's house.

On a recording of the call to the emergency services, released last night, a male voice is heard saying: "Sir, we have a gentleman here who needs help, he's not breathing … he's unconscious, he's not breathing, sir."

The operator is then heard asking if there were any witnesses to what happened. The male caller responds: "No, just the doctor, sir."

Dr Daniel Simon, chief of cardiology at University Hospitals Case Medical Centre in Cleveland, said if Jackson had been injected with too much Demerol, it might have caused him to stop breathing.

"The most likely scenario with Demerol would be that it caused a respiratory arrest because it takes away the drive to (breathe]," Dr Simon said.

He added that low blood oxygen can trigger a deadly heart rhythm known as ventricular fibrillation, in which the heart quivers but does not circulate blood. "Without CPR and a defibrillator, you have no chance," Dr Simon said.

However, LA coroner Craig Harvey last night said the first post-mortem examination of the star's body had proved inconclusive and the cause of death had been "deferred" for additional tests – including toxicology tests, the results of which could take up to six weeks.

He added there was no evidence of foul play or trauma on the superstar's body.

Earlier yesterday, Jackson's lawyer claimed the singer's death was linked to his long-term abuse of prescription drugs.

Brian Oxman, the lawyer and spokesman for the Jackson family said: "This is a case of abuse of medications."

Mr Oxman compared the singer's death to that of a former Playboy centrefold, who died of a drug overdose in 2007.

He said: "If you think the case with Anna Nicole Smith was an abuse, it's nothing in comparison to what we have seen taking place in Michael Jackson's life."

LAPD's robbery and homicide unit searched Jackson's rented house, said once to have been home to Sir Sean Connery, in the upmarket Holmby Hills neighbourhood on the orders of police chief William Bratton.

Mr Oxman blamed Jackson's sudden death on his inner circle pushing him too hard in the run-up to a series of comeback concerts at the O2 arena in London.

He said the Jacksons believed the singer had become addicted to painkillers and prescription drugs and were concerned about the "stress" he was under.

Mr Oxman added that the star had been taking drugs for months in his battle to be fit for the string of gigs, which had been due to start next month and assist with a mountain of debt, which reportedly ran to £300 million.

He said Jackson had suffered a massive heart attack after returning home from rehearsals.

According to other reports, paramedics from the LA Fire Department, who were first to arrive at the house after the 911 call, wanted to pronounce him dead at the scene, but the singer's doctor refused to "call it".

They found evidence of Lidocaine, a drug used to treat disturbances in the heart's rhythm.

The paramedics reportedly wanted to call the coroner to collect the body, but the doctor insisted Jackson was taken to hospital.

Mr Oxman said: "Michael had appeared at the rehearsals a couple of times. He was very seriously trying to be able to do these rehearsals. But his use of medications had come in the way and injuries he had sustained performing had got in the way."

He added: "He had broken a vertebra performing and he had broken his leg in a fall from the stage. I don't know the extent of the medications he was using."

Mr Oxman also revealed that the Jackson family had been worried about the star being under stress.

He said he had been "very, very critical" of his use of painkillers and warned in the past that if Jackson died he would "not be silent".

However, the promoters of his London shows had said in March that Jackson had passed a four-and-a-half-hour medical with independent doctors.

The concerts were expected to net Jackson as much as £50 million, essential revenue as, despite being one of the most successful recording artists of all time, with hits such as Thriller, Bad and Billie Jean, he was believed to be hundreds of millions in debt.

More than 750,000 tickets had been sold, but concerns for the star grew when the first four gigs were postponed last month, although organisers AEG Live insisted this was unrelated to his health.

They were still selling tickets 24 hours before he died and face a possible £300 million liability depending on their insurance cover.

Last night, Tarak Ben Ammar, a former producer and friend of Jackson, echoed fears of drug abuse and said the singer had been a hypochondriac who had been taken advantage of by "charlatan doctors". He said: "It's clear the criminals in this affair are the doctors who treated him throughout his career, who destroyed his face, who gave him medicine to ease his pain.

"He was a hypochondriac, and one never really knew if he was sick because he had become surrounded by charlatan doctors who were billing him thousands and thousands of dollars worth of drugs, vitamins."

Meanwhile, grieving for Jackson continued around the world yesterday, with US president Barack Obama describing him as a "spectacular performer" and a music icon.

A White House spokesman added that Mr Obama believed that some aspects of Jackson's life were "sad and tragic" and offered his condolences to his family.

And yesterday, at dawn in Hollywood Boulevard, fans gathered at Jackson's star on the Walk of Fame to honour the former child prodigy who became one of the best-selling pop artists of all time.

"His music was the soundtrack of my childhood," said Tassa Hampton, 32, as she knelt to light a white candle amid a growing pile of flowers and posters. "I didn't realise what a loss it was until he was gone."