Coroner: Michael Jackson Cause of Death Deferred
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Breaking: A rep for the Los Angeles Department County of Coroner says that Michael Jackson’s cause of death has been deferred.

Additional testing, including toxicology tests, must be completed in order to determine a cause of death, the rep announced. The tests results will be available in four to six weeks. There was no outward sign of trauma to the body or any evidence of foul play. The LAPD has requested that additional case information be withheld pending their inquiry into Jackson’s death.

Keep checking back here for more on this developing story.

ET’s First Interview with Michael Jackson
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We’re taking a look back at the life of music legend and King of Pop Michael Jackson, and we’re taking you back to ET’s very first interview with Michael.

It was February of 1983, and Michael’s legendary album Thriller, had just gone platinum, and would later become the best-selling album of all time, and a 24-year-old Michael sat down with former ET correspondent Dixie Whatley.

When asked where his gift for music came from, he answered, “God,” and when asked whether there was a formula for his success, he answered, “It’s my heart, I put my heart in it.”

After childhood of fame, Michael told ET, “I’m just beginning to enjoy friendship, which is new to me.”

He also said that making music made him happy: “I love to create, when I’m not creating I’m not as happy.”

Watch our video for more of ET’s first interview with Michael.

Just In: Michael Jackson 911 Call
Just In: Michael Jackson 911 Call
ET has the latest…

Michael Jackson’s 911 call has just been released.

In the 911 call a man is heard saying:

“We have a gentleman here who needs help.

“He’s not conscious.

“I need an ambulance as soon as possible.

“He’s not breathing.

“He’s not responding to anything, he’s not responding to CPR.

Update: Michael Jackson Autopsy Complete
Copyright 2009 Tim Whitby / Getty Images

Officials tell ET that the autopsy on Michael Jackson has been completed.

The autopsy began this morning around 9 a.m. Officials say the coroner are meeting with the family of Michael Jackson at an undisclosed location shortly this afternoon. The coroner will make an announcement about today’s proceedings at 1:30 p.m. today.

Initial reports indicate that Michael was found non-responsive at his home, but his exact cause of death is not known. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office tells ET that Jackson was transported from his residence in full cardiac arrest on Thursday. They say life-saving efforts were made by paramedics throughout transport to the hospital and efforts in the hospital emergency room continued on unsuccessfully.

Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Keep checking back here at ETonline.com for more on this developing story. We’ll have updates throughout the day and immediate autopsy results once they are officially released.

============

Mass flashmob in tribute to Michael Jackson

IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE LIVE OSLO NORWAY 24/6 2009 – “THE POINT OF NO RETURN”

Watch this video in a new window
Michael Jackson (RIP) – You Are Not Alone (Live) (In Munich) (HIStory Tour) (1997)

Michael Jackson Grammys ’88-Way You Make Me Feel & MITM

Michael Jackson Watching Celine Dion Perform

By Todd Leopold
CNN

(CNN) — He was lauded and ridiculed. He broke down barriers and built them around himself. He soared to heights unimaginable with his music, and he made the ignominious front page of gutter tabloids worldwide.
Michael Jackson broke down musical and cultural barriers his entire life.

Michael Jackson broke down musical and cultural barriers his entire life.

For Michael Jackson, the spotlight was always present, and the rest of the world followed.

With “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” — the latter with Eddie Van Halen’s scorching guitar solo — he was almost single-handedly responsible for getting videos by African-American artists on MTV and helped revitalize the moribund Top 40 format in the early 1980s.

“Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, a friend. “Michael did with music what they later did in sports, and in politics and in television. No controversy will erase the historic impact.” In Depth: Michael Jackson special report

“Thriller,” a 14-minute video extravaganza directed by John Landis, paved the way for the elaborate music videos to follow — including Jackson’s “Scream,” recorded with sister Janet in 1995, which cost a reported $7 million and may be the most expensive video ever. Audio slide show: Michael Jackson and his music »

His incredible dance talent, a modern twist on the Motown moves he witnessed as a child, led to a heightened focus on choreography in pop music videos and stage shows.

His 1982 album “Thriller” smashed records. It was No. 1 for 37 weeks and, at its peak, sold a million copies a week. To date, it has sold nearly 50 million copies worldwide. The achievement set a high bar for Jackson; when his 1995 greatest-hits CD, “HIStory,” sold 7 million copies, it was considered a relative failure.
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Jackson was also a fashion icon, his heavily zippered leather jackets a de rigueur 1980s fashion accessory, his single, spangled glove beyond compare.

On the down side, Jackson also led in making pop stars the subject of the paparazzi and tabloids in a way, perhaps, equaled only by such icons as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the pre-”Sgt. Pepper” Beatles. Rumors abounded, from his pets to his sleeping habits to his cosmetic surgery, all fodder for the press. After stories arose of possible child molestation, he never got back in the media’s good graces; he was treated as a traveling circus. Watch reaction to his death

From the time he was a child, it was obvious Michael Jackson was something special. In 1966, when he was 8, he joined his brothers in the band his father put together and started singing lead with brother Jermaine.

Though Motown Records was the top label of the 1960s, inventing what it called “the Sound of Young America,” by 1969 — when Jackson and his brothers in the Jackson 5 first hit the charts — the label was finding itself out of step with the psychedelic and hard-soul sounds of the times. Video Watch reaction from Motown »

Enter the quintet from Gary, Indiana.

Motown signed the group in 1968 and poured its all into the Jackson 5′s first single, “I Want You Back” — the writing and production team were credited as “The Corporation” — and Jackson’s imploring, dramatic vocal rocked America. The song hit No. 1 in January 1970, and was followed by three more No. 1s in quick succession.

Thanks to their squeaky-clean image, the Jackson 5 became teen idols, unusual for a group of African-American youngsters. Michael Jackson’s face appeared on the covers of teen magazines; the band even became the subject of an animated Saturday-morning TV show, another first for an African-American group.

But it was in the 1980s, when Jackson became a worldwide phenomenon, that his impact really began to be felt.

He was much imitated, from his hair to his clothes to his dance moves. The music was superbly crafted pop, produced by Quincy Jones and often written by Jackson himself. Even rock critics approved; the album “Thriller” earned an A from the picky Robert Christgau, among others. Video Watch a clip from “Thriller” »

There came a moment, around that time, when pop music went into a Jackson era. “Thriller” had nine songs; seven of them became singles. Jackson teamed with Lionel Richie to write the fundraising song “We Are the World”; it was his presence, as much as that of Richie, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder, that propelled the song to No. 1.

Jackson reteamed with his brothers for an album, “Destiny,” and accompanying tour. It was the hottest tour of the year, despite complaints about sales practices. (Partly because of the controversy, Jackson announced publicly he was donating all his money from the tour to charity.)

He was a role model. At the peak of his fame, there were reports of a humbly dressed Jackson ringing doorbells as part of his Jehovah’s Witness faith.

Though Jackson’s image eventually became sullied by the molestation allegations and stories of eccentricity, there was never any doubt about his entertainment legacy. “Thriller” and “Bad” are still among the top sellers of all time. His fluid dance moves and stage presence set standards that rising stars — often compared to Jackson — struggle to equal.

“Of all the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was the most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched. He was truly one-of-a-kind,” said Dick Clark, who would know. Video Watch reaction from another musical legend, Cher »
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And then there’s the music, from the early, explosive joy of the Jackson 5 hits to the elegant ballads, down-and-dirty grooves and ecstatic dance hits of his solo years. “The Love You Save,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Bad” — they are pop music boiled down to its best essence, with a good beat, an engrossing melody and even, sometimes, a message of love and fellowship.
NN) — Entertainer Michael Jackson died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday having suffered cardiac arrest, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.
A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson’s home after a 911 call.

A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson’s home after a 911 call.

Paramedics took Jackson, 50, from his west Los Angeles home Thursday afternoon to UCLA Medical Center, where a team of physicians attempted to resuscitate him for more than an hour, said brother Jermaine Jackson. He said the famed singer was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PT.

An autopsy is scheduled Friday, he said. Results are expected Friday afternoon, according to Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles coroner’s office, who also said Jackson was unresponsive when he arrived at the hospital.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN paramedics were sent to a west Los Angeles, California, residence after a 911 call came in at 12:21 p.m.

Law enforcement officials said the Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Division opened an investigation into Jackson’s death. They stressed there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing but that they would conduct interviews with family members and friends.

CNN Analyst Roland S. Martin spoke on Thursday with Marlon Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson.

“I talked to Frank Dileo, Michael’s manager. Frank told me that Michael last night was complaining about not feeling well. He called to tell him he wasn’t feeling well.

“Michael’s doctor went over to see him, and Frank said, ‘Marlon, from last night to this morning, I don’t know what happened.’ When they got to him this morning, he wasn’t breathing. They rushed him to the hospital and couldn’t bring him around.”

“Janet Jackson is grief-stricken and devastated at the sudden loss of her brother,” Kenneth Crear, her manager said. “She is … flying immediately to California to be with her family.”
Don’t Miss
Michael Jackson, the music icon from Gary, Indiana, was known as the “King of Pop.” Jackson had many No. 1 hits, and his “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time. Video Watch why Jackson is “as big as it gets” »

Jackson was the seventh of nine children from a well-known musical family. He is survived by three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II. Video Watch Jesse Jackson share memories »

Jackson’s former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, said she was “shocked and saddened” by Jackson’s death. “My heart goes out to his children and his family,” she said.

At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying. iReport.com: Your Michael Jackson tributes

Video footage shows a large crowd gathering outside the hospital.

Some of Jackson’s music was being played outside. The sounds of “Thriller” and “Beat It” bounced off the walls. Video Kingston: Jackson “a legend” »

Outside Jackson’s Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home. Video Sharpton: Jackson “was a trailblazer” »

Along with his success Jackson had some legal troubles later in his career.

He was acquitted of child molestation charges after a well-publicized trial in Santa Maria, California, in March 2006.

Prosecutors charged the singer with four counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14; one count of attempted lewd conduct; four counts of administering alcohol to facilitate child molestation; and one count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion.

By BROOKS BARNES
Published: June 25, 2009

LOS ANGELES — For his legions of fans, he was the Peter Pan of pop music: the little boy who refused to grow up. But on the verge of another attempted comeback, he is suddenly gone, this time for good.
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An Appraisal: Tricky Steps From Boy to Superstar (June 26, 2009)
ArtsBeat Blog: Latest Updates on Jackson’s Death (June 25, 2009)
Bits: Michael Jackson Tops the Charts on Twitter
Times Topics: Michael Jackson
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Michael Jackson, whose quintessentially American tale of celebrity and excess took him from musical boy wonder to global pop superstar to sad figure haunted by lawsuits, paparazzi and failed plastic surgery, was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at U.C.L.A. Medical Center after arriving in a coma, a city official said. Mr. Jackson was 50, having spent 40 of those years in the public eye he loved.

The singer was rushed to the hospital, a six-minute drive from the rented Bel-Air home in which he was living, shortly after noon by paramedics for the Los Angeles Fire Department. A hospital spokesman would not confirm reports of cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm.

As with Elvis Presley or the Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full effect Mr. Jackson had on the world of music. At the height of his career, he was indisputably the biggest star in the world; he has sold more than 750 million albums. Radio stations across the country reacted to his death with marathon sessions of his songs. MTV, which grew successful in part as a result of Mr. Jackson’s groundbreaking videos, reprised its early days as a music channel by showing his biggest hits.

From his days as the youngest brother in the Jackson 5 to his solo career in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mr. Jackson was responsible for a string of hits like “I Want You Back,” “I’ll Be There” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” “Billie Jean” and “Black and White” that exploited his high voice, infectious energy and ear for irresistible hooks.

As a solo performer, Mr. Jackson ushered in the age of pop as a global product — not to mention an age of spectacle and pop culture celebrity. He became more character than singer: his sequined glove, his whitened face, his moonwalk dance move became embedded in the cultural firmament.

His entertainment career hit high-water marks with the release of “Thriller,” from 1982, which has been certified 28 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and with the “Victory” world tour that reunited him with his brothers in 1984.

But soon afterward, his career started a bizarre disintegration. His darkest moment undoubtedly came in 2003, when he was indicted on child molesting charges. A young cancer patient claimed the singer had befriended him and then groped him at his Neverland estate near Santa Barbara, Calif., but Mr. Jackson was acquitted on all charges.

Reaction to his death started trickling in from the entertainment community late Thursday.

“I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news,” the music producer Quincy Jones said in a statement. “I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Berry Gordy, the Motown founder who helped develop the Jackson 5, told CNN that Mr. Jackson, as a boy, “always wanted to be the best, and he was willing to work as hard as it took to be that. And we could all see that he was a winner at that age.

Tommy Mottola, a former head of Sony Music, called Mr. Jackson “the cornerstone to the entire music business.”

“He bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and pop music and made it into a global culture,” said Mr. Mottola, who worked with Mr. Jackson until the singer cut his ties with Sony in 2001.

Impromptu vigils broke out around the world, from Portland, Ore., where fans organized a one-gloved bike ride (“glittery costumes strongly encouraged”) to Hong Kong, where fans gathered with candles and sang his songs.

In Los Angeles, hundreds of fans — some chanting Mr. Jackson’s name, some doing the “Thriller” dance — descended on the hospital and on the hillside house where he was staying.

Jeremy Vargas, 38, hoisted his wife, Erica Renaud, 38, on his shoulders and they danced and bopped to “Man in the Mirror” playing from an onlooker’s iPod connected to external speakers — the boom boxes of Mr. Jackson’s hey day long past their day.

“I am in shock and awe,” said Ms. Renaud, who was visiting from Red Hook, Brooklyn, with her family. “He was like a family member to me.”

Dreams of a Comeback

Mr. Jackson was an object of fascination for the news media since the Jackson 5’s first hit, “I Want You Back,” in 1969. His public image wavered between that of the musical naif, who wanted only to recapture his youth by riding on roller-coasters and having sleepovers with his friends, to the calculated mogul who carefully constructed his persona around his often-baffling public behavior.

Michael Jackson – Biography

Born the seventh in a family of nine children in Gary, Indiana, Jackson was launched into show business when his father, a steel-mill worker by trade, assembled a singing group called the Jackson Five with 5-year-old Michael and his four older brothers. Initially, Joseph included Michael in the lineup as a novelty, but it became immediately obvious that his wee son had prodigious musical abilities: his voice possessed a maturity belied by his young years, and his crowd-charming charisma superseded that of most seasoned entertainers. Buoyed by the young prodigy’s talents, the Jackson Five moved quickly from local talent contests to a recording contract with Motown. The group generated six top-five singles between 1969 and 1971 — including “I Want You Back” and “ABC” — and would remain a hit-making machine throughout the ’70s. As if the pressure of fronting a chart-topping band weren’t enough for the adolescent, Jackson was soon tapped by Motown to do solo recordings.

The label was assured it had a superstar in the making, when, in 1971, Jackson’s first on-his-own single, “I’ll Be There,” hit No. 4 on the charts. In addition to his work with his brothers, Jackson recorded more hit solo singles — including “Rockin’ Robin” and “Ben” — and solo albums for Motown; in 1976, he and the Jackson Five signed with Epic. During the late ’70s, Jackson made a brief foray into film, starring opposite Diana Ross in The Wiz (1978), an African-American update of The Wizard of Oz. The project was unexceptional, save for the fact that it introduced Jackson to legendary producer Quincy Jones, who arranged and conducted the film’s score. Jones and Jackson collaborated on the singer’s next solo project, Off the Wall (1979), an album that transformed the child star into an adult superstar.

Propelled by such No. 1 hits as “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You,” the disc sold ten million copies and was barraged with critical praise for its barrier-busting blend of soul and rock and its good-time boogie vibe. (Rolling Stone’s notoriously hard-to-please critic, David Marsh, proclaimed Off the Wall “a masterpiece of modern record making.”) It seemed impossible that the ever-blossoming artist could top himself, but that’s exactly what he did with the 1982 release of a little record he called Thriller. As history notes, the Jones-produced Thriller sold upwards of 40 million copies (more than any album before or since) and received critical kudos and an unprecedented eight Grammy awards.

The album charted a record six top-ten singles, beginning in November 1982 with the Paul McCartney duet, “The Girl Is Mine,” and ending a whopping 16 months later with the title track. Jackson sustained Thriller’s momentum with the help of music videos, which were gaining rominence thanks to the newborn MTV network. Jackson’s brilliant song-and-dance videos for “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and “Thriller” not only helped pioneer the medium (and break MTV’s color barrier, for that atter), but they drew praise from such esteemed hoofers as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.

Jackson hit a professional zenith in the summer of 1984, when he reteamed with his brothers (then recording as the Jacksons) for the aptly titled Victory tour. Though Jackson’s next albums, Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991), both topped the charts and sold millions, somehow, the excitement had ebbed. The lyrics, “It don’t matter if you’re black or white,” struck an ironic chord, considering that the singer was obviously becoming ever more Caucasian-looking, thanks to plastic surgery and gobs of make-up. His rapidly altering appearance wasn’t the only thing giving folks pause: perception of the once unimpeachable entertainer shifted from a judgment of forgivable eccentricity to one of downright weirdness as more stories of his odd habits like the fact that he kept a coffin, white mannequins, and a shrine to Elizabeth Taylor in his private quarters.

In 1993, Jackson consented to a rare interview with Oprah Winfrey. A huge prime-time audience tuned in to hear Jackson discuss his evolving appearance (which he attributed to a skin pigmentation deficiency and “only two” plastic surgery procedures), his romantic life (he named Brooke Shields as a girlfriend), and his Peter Pan-like existence at his Neverland ranch and amusement park near Los Angeles. The interview succeeded in making Jackson seem human.Jackson turned a dramatic personal corner in May 1994, when he married Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’s daughter, in a secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Many saw this surprise move as a blatant P.R. bid to repair a poor image; others found it touching and only fitting that modern music’s most prominent families be united in holy matrimony.

Jackson subsequently released an ambitious double album of past hits and new songs called HIStory (1995). It received mixed reviews — praise for the oldies, pans for the new tracks — and sales were disappointing by Jacksonian standards, despite a publicity blitz that went way over the top. The campaign included a prime-time interview with Diane Sawyer of ABC News, during which Jackson and Presley insisted that their marriage was real . All that good lovin’ aside, the union lasted but a scant 18 months. However, another marriage was in the cards for Jackson. In November 1996, Jackson announced that his friend Deborah Rowe (an assistant to his dermatologist) was carrying his child. The couple denied all tabloid reports that Jackson was merely renting Rowe’s womb and that she was artificially inseminated. As proof of their love, Jackson and Rowe were married in Australia not long after the pregnancy became public knowledge. Three months later, Rowe gave birth to Prince Michael Jackson Jr. Daughter Paris Michael Katherine was born in the spring of 1998.

The couple announced their mutual decision to divorce in fall 1999.Jackson’s 1997 album, the part-new, part-remix Blood on the Dance Floor,suggested that the King of Pop is still hung up on his ’80s glory days. Four years later, Jacko was back with a new album, Invincible, and a tribute concert in Madison Square Garden, in which a range of celebrities — from Whitney Houston to a Marlon Brando — helped him celebrate 30 years as a solo entertainer.

Even Michael’s brothers turned out to honor their more-famous sibling, although the event was not without its share of controversy and sibling rivalry. In the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Jackson announced plans to record and release an all-star “We Are the World”-like single, with the aim of raising $50 million for the survivors and families of the victims. He enlisted the likes of Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, and the Backstreet Boys for the project.

Michael Jackson – Profile

Born the seventh in a family of nine children in Gary, Indiana, Jackson was launched into show business when his father, a steel-mill worker by trade, assembled a singing group called the Jackson Five with 5-year-old Michael and his four older brothers. Initially, Joseph included Michael in the lineup as a novelty, but it became immediately obvious that his wee son had prodigious musical abilities: his voice possessed a maturity belied by his young years, and his crowd-charming charisma superseded that of most seasoned entertainers. Buoyed by the young prodigy’s talents, the Jackson Five moved quickly from local talent contests to a recording contract with Motown. The group generated six top-five singles between 1969 and 1971 — including “I Want You Back” and “ABC” — and would remain a hit-making machine throughout the ’70s. As if the pressure of fronting a chart-topping band weren’t enough for the adolescent, Jackson was soon tapped by Motown to do solo recordings.

The label was assured it had a superstar in the making, when, in 1971, Jackson’s first on-his-own single, “I’ll Be There,” hit No. 4 on the charts. In addition to his work with his brothers, Jackson recorded more hit solo singles — including “Rockin’ Robin” and “Ben” — and solo albums for Motown; in 1976, he and the Jackson Five signed with Epic. During the late ’70s, Jackson made a brief foray into film, starring opposite Diana Ross in The Wiz (1978), an African-American update of The Wizard of Oz. The project was unexceptional, save for the fact that it introduced Jackson to legendary producer Quincy Jones, who arranged and conducted the film’s score. Jones and Jackson collaborated on the singer’s next solo project, Off the Wall (1979), an album that transformed the child star into an adult superstar.

Propelled by such No. 1 hits as “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You,” the disc sold ten million copies and was barraged with critical praise for its barrier-busting blend of soul and rock and its good-time boogie vibe. (Rolling Stone’s notoriously hard-to-please critic, David Marsh, proclaimed Off the Wall “a masterpiece of modern record making.”) It seemed impossible that the ever-blossoming artist could top himself, but that’s exactly what he did with the 1982 release of a little record he called Thriller. As history notes, the Jones-produced Thriller sold upwards of 40 million copies (more than any album before or since) and received critical kudos and an unprecedented eight Grammy awards.

The album charted a record six top-ten singles, beginning in November 1982 with the Paul McCartney duet, “The Girl Is Mine,” and ending a whopping 16 months later with the title track. Jackson sustained Thriller’s momentum with the help of music videos, which were gaining rominence thanks to the newborn MTV network. Jackson’s brilliant song-and-dance videos for “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and “Thriller” not only helped pioneer the medium (and break MTV’s color barrier, for that atter), but they drew praise from such esteemed hoofers as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.

Jackson hit a professional zenith in the summer of 1984, when he reteamed with his brothers (then recording as the Jacksons) for the aptly titled Victory tour. Though Jackson’s next albums, Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991), both topped the charts and sold millions, somehow, the excitement had ebbed. The lyrics, “It don’t matter if you’re black or white,” struck an ironic chord, considering that the singer was obviously becoming ever more Caucasian-looking, thanks to plastic surgery and gobs of make-up. His rapidly altering appearance wasn’t the only thing giving folks pause: perception of the once unimpeachable entertainer shifted from a judgment of forgivable eccentricity to one of downright weirdness as more stories of his odd habits like the fact that he kept a coffin, white mannequins, and a shrine to Elizabeth Taylor in his private quarters.

In 1993, Jackson consented to a rare interview with Oprah Winfrey. A huge prime-time audience tuned in to hear Jackson discuss his evolving appearance (which he attributed to a skin pigmentation deficiency and “only two” plastic surgery procedures), his romantic life (he named Brooke Shields as a girlfriend), and his Peter Pan-like existence at his Neverland ranch and amusement park near Los Angeles. The interview succeeded in making Jackson seem human.Jackson turned a dramatic personal corner in May 1994, when he married Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’s daughter, in a secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Many saw this surprise move as a blatant P.R. bid to repair a poor image; others found it touching and only fitting that modern music’s most prominent families be united in holy matrimony.

Jackson subsequently released an ambitious double album of past hits and new songs called HIStory (1995). It received mixed reviews — praise for the oldies, pans for the new tracks — and sales were disappointing by Jacksonian standards, despite a publicity blitz that went way over the top. The campaign included a prime-time interview with Diane Sawyer of ABC News, during which Jackson and Presley insisted that their marriage was real . All that good lovin’ aside, the union lasted but a scant 18 months. However, another marriage was in the cards for Jackson. In November 1996, Jackson announced that his friend Deborah Rowe (an assistant to his dermatologist) was carrying his child. The couple denied all tabloid reports that Jackson was merely renting Rowe’s womb and that she was artificially inseminated. As proof of their love, Jackson and Rowe were married in Australia not long after the pregnancy became public knowledge. Three months later, Rowe gave birth to Prince Michael Jackson Jr. Daughter Paris Michael Katherine was born in the spring of 1998.

The couple announced their mutual decision to divorce in fall 1999.Jackson’s 1997 album, the part-new, part-remix Blood on the Dance Floor,suggested that the King of Pop is still hung up on his ’80s glory days. Four years later, Jacko was back with a new album, Invincible, and a tribute concert in Madison Square Garden, in which a range of celebrities — from Whitney Houston to a Marlon Brando — helped him celebrate 30 years as a solo entertainer.

Even Michael’s brothers turned out to honor their more-famous sibling, although the event was not without its share of controversy and sibling rivalry. In the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Jackson announced plans to record and release an all-star “We Are the World”-like single, with the aim of raising $50 million for the survivors and families of the victims. He enlisted the likes of Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, and the Backstreet Boys for the project.

===

Coroner: Michael Jackson Cause of Death Deferred
Canvas background demo

Breaking: A rep for the Los Angeles Department County of Coroner says that Michael Jackson’s cause of death has been deferred.

Additional testing, including toxicology tests, must be completed in order to determine a cause of death, the rep announced. The tests results will be available in four to six weeks. There was no outward sign of trauma to the body or any evidence of foul play. The LAPD has requested that additional case information be withheld pending their inquiry into Jackson’s death.

Keep checking back here for more on this developing story.

=====

Update: Michael Jackson Autopsy Complete
Copyright 2009 Tim Whitby / Getty Images

Officials tell ET that the autopsy on Michael Jackson has been completed.

The autopsy began this morning around 9 a.m. Officials say the coroner are meeting with the family of Michael Jackson at an undisclosed location shortly this afternoon. The coroner will make an announcement about today’s proceedings at 1:30 p.m. today.

Initial reports indicate that Michael was found non-responsive at his home, but his exact cause of death is not known. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office tells ET that Jackson was transported from his residence in full cardiac arrest on Thursday. They say life-saving efforts were made by paramedics throughout transport to the hospital and efforts in the hospital emergency room continued on unsuccessfully.

Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Keep checking back here at ETonline.com for more on this developing story. We’ll have updates throughout the day and immediate autopsy results once they are officially released.

============

Michael Jackson’s body taken for autopsy

Mass flashmob in tribute to Michael Jackson

MJ: A history of health issues

IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE LIVE OSLO NORWAY 24/6 2009 – “THE POINT OF NO RETURN”

Watch this video in a new window
Michael Jackson (RIP) – You Are Not Alone (Live) (In Munich) (HIStory Tour) (1997)

Michael Jackson Grammys ’88-Way You Make Me Feel & MITM

Michael Jackson Watching Celine Dion Perform

Michael Jackson’s Last Words.