AS TRIBUTES from fans and the entertainment world poured in for Michael Jackson yesterday, police were seeking to question a doctor who had treated the pop star before his sudden death on Thursday. Police said this was standard procedure when investigating a death of unknown causes.
Police said they had impounded the doctor’s car from outside Jackson’s Bel Air mansion because it may contain medications or other evidence. A Los Angeles police spokeswoman said they wanted to talk to the doctor because he had not signed a death certificate, which was normal procedure for an attending physician. His doctor was named as Dr Conrad Murray by Associated Press last night.
The top police official on the case said police had no information that Jackson was injected with Demerol, an allegation that was widely reported.
A postmortem carried out yesterday included a full toxicological analysis that would look for chemicals or drugs in the singer’s system. The Los Angeles county coroner said last night that the official results from such tests would not be available for six to eight weeks.
Brian Oxman, a Jackson family lawyer, confirmed the star had been taking drugs to deal with a variety of pain problems.
He said there had long been concerns about Jackson’s drug use and also the people he had surrounded himself with.
Jackson’s brother Jermaine said a doctor made extensive efforts to revive the pop star at the house before an ambulance took him to hospital. The singer was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to the Los Angeles Medical centre. Tributes poured in yesterday from some of the biggest names in entertainment and politics. US president Barack Obama called Jackson a “spectacular performer” but said some aspects of his life were “sad and tragic”.
Dancer Michael Flatley, who hosted Jackson as a guest in his Cork home, described him as "one of the greatest dancers of all time". – (Additional reporting Guardianservice)
