A "severely emaciated" Michael Jackson weighed just over 8 stone (112 lbs) and was disfigured and virtually bald after years of physical abuse, according to leaked results from an official autopsy.
Details from the post-mortem carried out on Friday by Los Angeles County's Chief Medical Examiner were carried today in The Sun, which reported how the star's face was a mass of scars from 13 cosmetic operations.
The Sun said that the bridge of Jackson's nose had disappeared and the right side had caved in. It also reported unexplained bruises on his knees and shins and bruising to his back suggesting a recent fall.
The newspaper said that the only thing pathologists found in the star's stomach were partially dissolved pills, which were removed for toxicology tests.
The experts also found that several of Jackson's ribs had been broke as paramedics tried to revive the 50-year-old singer after he collapsed at his rented mansion in Belair on Thursday. There were also signs of four adrenaline jabs administered directly to his heart during the failed resuscitation.
A source close to the Jackson entourage told the newspaper: "He was skin and bone, his hair had fallen out and he had been eating nothing but pills when he died. Injection marks all over his body and the disfigurement caused by years of plastic surgery show he'd been in terminal decline for years."
The autopsy leaks emerged as Jackson's family went on the offensive, vowing to fight for control of his estate and three children and voicing concerns over the circumstances of his death.
After days of uncoordinated statements by family advisers and lawyers, Jackson's parents, Joe and Katherine, announced last night that they had sole "personal and legal authority" to act on behalf of their son. They also announced the appoint of Londell McMillan, an entertainment lawyer, as the family's designated spokesman.
McMillan swiftly told CNN that Mr and Mrs Jackson were seeking to secure custody of the late singer's three children and revealed that the family had not yet been granted access to the pop icon’s will.
Mr McMillan also said the family was “closely watching” the progress of the official investigation into Jackson’s death. The family has already hired a private pathologist to carry out a second autopsy.
Asked about the fate of Jackson’s three children -- born to two different mothers -- McMillan said that their grandmother Katherine - who has been looking after them since their father's death - would seek custody, raising the possibility of a bitter legal battle.
“She will seek custody of the children. She loves them dearly,” he said. “They’re in a loving environment. She’s a great grandma. I couldn’t think of anyone better for these children than a grandma like Miss Katherine Jackson and the loving support of family of the Jacksons."
Mr McMillan also revealed the family had not yet seen Jackson’s will, and was uncertain if one existed. If Jackson had not left a will his assets would go to his next of kin under California law, he said.
“If there’s no will then under the state of California it goes to the next of kin, that’s an adult administering and overseeing for the best interests of the children ...,” the lawyer said.
After Friday's official autopsy, officials ruled out foul play in the star's death, but Jackson family members have continued to question the role played by Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, in his final hours. Joe Jackson, the 79-year-old family patriarch, said last night that he still had "a lot of concerns".
LA police conducted a second interview with Dr Murray on Saturday but cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing, his lawyer's said.
The 51-year-old has faced intense speculation amid reports that he injected Jackson with the potent prescription painkiller Demerol just before he died but Dr Murray's lawyer said yesterday that reports of an injection were “absolutely false,” the first time the allegation has been denied.
“There was no Demerol. No OxyContin,” Edward Chernoff told the Los Angeles Times, adding that Dr Murray had discovered Jackson unconscious in the bedroom of his home.
Source : Times Online
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