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Quote
Michael Jackson Dies

Posted Jun 25th 2009 5:20PM by TMZ Staff

Michael JacksonWe've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

Jackson had 13 number one hits during his solo career.

Story developing...

Quote from: DGuller on June 25, 2009, 04:51:59 PM
Google News only says that he was found not breathing by paramedics. 

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:01:02 PM

Quote from: DGuller on June 25, 2009, 04:51:59 PM
Google News only says that he was found not breathing by paramedics. 

His transformation to lichdom is complete. :ph34r:

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:01:02 PM

Quote from: DGuller on June 25, 2009, 04:51:59 PM
Google News only says that he was found not breathing by paramedics. 

His transformation to lichdom is complete. :ph34r:

Quote from: Josephus on June 25, 2009, 05:08:02 PM
Can't believe the wacko gets more posts than Farrah.

Who here ever wanked to him? :mad:

Quote from: Josephus on June 25, 2009, 05:08:02 PM
Can't believe the wacko gets more posts than Farrah.

Who here ever wanked to him? :mad:

Quote from: Neil on June 25, 2009, 05:10:24 PM

Quote from: Josephus on June 25, 2009, 05:08:02 PM
Can't believe the wacko gets more posts than Farrah.

Who here ever wanked to him? :mad:

The 70s were an alien time.  It's hard for young people these days to imagine wanking it to something like that when they have all the pornography they could ever want on tap.

Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on June 25, 2009, 05:25:51 PM
At least a generation of young boys is safe from his ranch.

Quote from: stjaba on June 25, 2009, 05:31:22 PM
R.I.P.

First Farrah Fawcett, then Michael Jackson. Everyone knows that celebrities die in threes. If I was in the entertainment industry, I'd watching my back.

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:01:02 PM

Quote from: DGuller on June 25, 2009, 04:51:59 PM
Google News only says that he was found not breathing by paramedics. 

His transformation to lichdom is complete. :ph34r:

Quote from: stjaba on June 25, 2009, 05:31:22 PM
R.I.P.

First Farrah Fawcett, then Michael Jackson. Everyone knows that celebrities die in threes. If I was in the entertainment industry, I'd watching my back.

Quote from: Grallon on June 25, 2009, 05:34:17 PM
The King is dead!  Long live the King! (Hawt Justin  :perv:)

Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on June 25, 2009, 05:25:51 PM
At least a generation of young boys is safe from his ranch.

Quote from: Neil on June 25, 2009, 05:45:11 PM

Quote from: Grallon on June 25, 2009, 05:34:17 PM
The King is dead!  Long live the King! (Hawt Justin  :perv:)

Don't be ridiculous.  Timberlake is nothing next to what Jackson was at his height.  Timberlake is still in his ex-girlfriend's shadow, in terms of sales, and neither one of them even come close to Jackson's massive worldwide success.

Quote from: stjaba on June 25, 2009, 05:44:43 PM
Donna Brazile on CNN sounds like she is on the verge of tears. Michael Jackson was a great entertainer, sure, but did he really embody "Love?"

Quote from: Kleves on June 25, 2009, 05:53:28 PM
:cry:
He's molesting angels in heaven now.

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:54:11 PM

Quote from: Kleves on June 25, 2009, 05:53:28 PM
:cry:
He's molesting angels in heaven now.

:XD:

We are all very bad people. :P

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:54:11 PM
:XD:

We are all very bad people. :P

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:49:46 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 25, 2009, 05:45:11 PM

Quote from: Grallon on June 25, 2009, 05:34:17 PM
The King is dead!  Long live the King! (Hawt Justin  :perv:)

Don't be ridiculous.  Timberlake is nothing next to what Jackson was at his height.  Timberlake is still in his ex-girlfriend's shadow, in terms of sales, and neither one of them even come close to Jackson's massive worldwide success.

I gotta agree with Neil ( OMG  :huh: ). I find Justin very hot and wish him the best, but he is nowhere near the fame Michael Jackson had, imo. In fact, Jackson was probably the only male pop singer after Elvis (not counting bands here) who had the fame rivaling that of pop female divas.

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:50:59 PM

Quote from: stjaba on June 25, 2009, 05:44:43 PM
Donna Brazile on CNN sounds like she is on the verge of tears. Michael Jackson was a great entertainer, sure, but did he really embody "Love?"

Well, love that dares not to speak its name (after you buy it off), at least. :P

Quote from: MadImmortalMan on June 25, 2009, 05:34:36 PM

Quote from: stjaba on June 25, 2009, 05:31:22 PM
R.I.P.

First Farrah Fawcett, then Michael Jackson. Everyone knows that celebrities die in threes. If I was in the entertainment industry, I'd watching my back.

Ed McMahon

Quote from: Grey Fox on June 25, 2009, 06:31:52 PM
:(

He has : beat it.

Quote from: lustindarkness on June 25, 2009, 06:37:41 PM
Will he come back ala Thriller? :zombie:

QuoteIt's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart. 

Quote from: Weatherman on June 25, 2009, 06:42:29 PM

QuoteIt's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart. 

Only it wasn't almost this time.

Quote from: Neil on June 25, 2009, 06:03:53 PM

I can't think of a pop diva who has been close to Jackson's level of fame.  Whitney Houston or Celine Dion were big, but not like he was.

Quote from: Josephus on June 25, 2009, 06:54:58 PM
I was no big fan of Jacko and I'm still miffed he upstaged Farrah in death BUT i will defend him and say something I've been saying for years:

I don't think Wacko was a pedo in the way we think of them. I think Wacko was a nut job, a sort of Peter Pan, who never grew up (any coincidence he named his place Neverland?). He wanted young boys over for sleep overs, but in the way we all did when we were kids.  I am convinced he never was malicious in anyway to kids.

Quote from: Josephus on June 25, 2009, 06:54:58 PM
I was no big fan of Jacko and I'm still miffed he upstaged Farrah in death BUT i will defend him and say something I've been saying for years:

I don't think Wacko was a pedo in the way we think of them. I think Wacko was a nut job, a sort of Peter Pan, who never grew up (any coincidence he named his place Neverland?). He wanted young boys over for sleep overs, but in the way we all did when we were kids.  I am convinced he never was malicious in anyway to kids.

Quote from: lustindarkness on June 25, 2009, 07:09:30 PM
So, how long before there is some weird court fight over his debt/estate/custody of the kids/etc...

Quote from: Caliga on June 25, 2009, 07:15:39 PM

Quote from: lustindarkness on June 25, 2009, 07:09:30 PM
So, how long before there is some weird court fight over his debt/estate/custody of the kids/etc...

SURVEY SAYS: Starts tomorrow.

Quote from: Barrister on June 25, 2009, 07:05:08 PMI think you're wrong.  The way he acted was entirely consistent with being a full-blown paedophile.  He may have not been "malicious", but paedophiles usually aren't - they want the kids to like them so they do all kinds of things to elicit the trust and affection from the child.  But they're still sexually aroused by young children as well...

Quote from: CountDeMoney on June 25, 2009, 07:26:46 PM

Quote from: Barrister on June 25, 2009, 07:05:08 PMI think you're wrong.  The way he acted was entirely consistent with being a full-blown paedophile.  He may have not been "malicious", but paedophiles usually aren't - they want the kids to like them so they do all kinds of things to elicit the trust and affection from the child.  But they're still sexually aroused by young children as well...

Yup. Total and complete kiddiefucker.  Siegebreaker in a sequined glove.

Quote from: Weatherman on June 25, 2009, 07:30:57 PM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on June 25, 2009, 07:26:46 PM

Quote from: Barrister on June 25, 2009, 07:05:08 PMI think you're wrong.  The way he acted was entirely consistent with being a full-blown paedophile.  He may have not been "malicious", but paedophiles usually aren't - they want the kids to like them so they do all kinds of things to elicit the trust and affection from the child.  But they're still sexually aroused by young children as well...

Yup. Total and complete kiddiefucker.  Siegebreaker in a sequined glove.

I don't think MJ threw dead things down wells, though I'm not 100% sure on that.

Quote from: lustindarkness on June 25, 2009, 06:37:41 PM
Will he come back ala Thriller? :zombie:

Quote from: Caliga on June 25, 2009, 07:15:39 PM

Quote from: lustindarkness on June 25, 2009, 07:09:30 PM
So, how long before there is some weird court fight over his debt/estate/custody of the kids/etc...

SURVEY SAYS: Starts tomorrow.

Quote from: Monoriu on June 25, 2009, 08:15:26 PM
The most important question is, who is going to inherit his stuff?  Assuming he has a positive net worth, that is.

Quote from: Caliga on June 25, 2009, 08:21:11 PM
What makes you guys think he has tons of cash to inherit anyway?  Wasn't he doing this world tour because he was basically broke?  :huh:

Quote from: Caliga on June 25, 2009, 08:21:11 PM
What makes you guys think he has tons of cash to inherit anyway?  Wasn't he doing this world tour because he was basically broke?  :huh:

Quote from: KRonn on June 25, 2009, 08:23:45 PM
Too much coverage already. It's been on all the cable news channels for hours now. Nothing against Jackson, but there's so much else going on nationwide and worldwide.

Quote from: KRonn on June 25, 2009, 08:23:45 PM
Too much coverage already. It's been on all the cable news channels for hours now. Nothing against Jackson, but there's so much else going on nationwide and worldwide.

Quote from: DontSayBanana on June 25, 2009, 08:37:10 PM

Quote from: KRonn on June 25, 2009, 08:23:45 PM
Too much coverage already. It's been on all the cable news channels for hours now. Nothing against Jackson, but there's so much else going on nationwide and worldwide.

They needed media circus for the rest of the week since the Iranians pussied out. :contract:

Quote from: DisturbedPervert on June 25, 2009, 08:43:20 PM
It was very media savvy of Jacko to wait until the protests fizzled out.

QuoteWhen they arrived, Jackson was not breathing. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center.

Quote from: KRonn on June 25, 2009, 08:23:45 PM
Too much coverage already. It's been on all the cable news channels for hours now. Nothing against Jackson, but there's so much else going on nationwide and worldwide.

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:54:11 PM

Quote from: Kleves on June 25, 2009, 05:53:28 PM
:cry:
He's molesting angels in heaven now.

:XD:

We are all very bad people. :P

Quote from: DisturbedPervert on June 25, 2009, 08:43:20 PM

Quote from: DontSayBanana on June 25, 2009, 08:37:10 PM

Quote from: KRonn on June 25, 2009, 08:23:45 PM
Too much coverage already. It's been on all the cable news channels for hours now. Nothing against Jackson, but there's so much else going on nationwide and worldwide.

They needed media circus for the rest of the week since the Iranians pussied out. :contract:

It was very media savvy of Jacko to wait until the protests fizzled out.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 25, 2009, 09:10:52 PM
You should have seen the Good Old Boys down at the bar I was at. They were high fiving each other over the news. In their opinion the real Jackson had been dead since 1992.

Quote from: Weatherman on June 25, 2009, 11:25:53 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 25, 2009, 09:10:52 PM
You should have seen the Good Old Boys down at the bar I was at. They were high fiving each other over the news. In their opinion the real Jackson had been dead since 1992.

That the gay bar you go to?

Quote from: Weatherman on June 25, 2009, 11:25:53 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 25, 2009, 09:10:52 PM
You should have seen the Good Old Boys down at the bar I was at. They were high fiving each other over the news. In their opinion the real Jackson had been dead since 1992.

That the gay bar you go to?

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 25, 2009, 09:10:52 PM
You should have seen the Good Old Boys down at the bar I was at. They were high fiving each other over the news. In their opinion the real Jackson had been dead since 1992.

Quote from: Neil on June 25, 2009, 06:03:53 PM

Quote from: Martinus on June 25, 2009, 05:49:46 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 25, 2009, 05:45:11 PM

Quote from: Grallon on June 25, 2009, 05:34:17 PM
The King is dead!  Long live the King! (Hawt Justin  :perv:)

Don't be ridiculous.  Timberlake is nothing next to what Jackson was at his height.  Timberlake is still in his ex-girlfriend's shadow, in terms of sales, and neither one of them even come close to Jackson's massive worldwide success.

I gotta agree with Neil ( OMG  :huh: ). I find Justin very hot and wish him the best, but he is nowhere near the fame Michael Jackson had, imo. In fact, Jackson was probably the only male pop singer after Elvis (not counting bands here) who had the fame rivaling that of pop female divas.

I can't think of a pop diva who has been close to Jackson's level of fame.  Whitney Houston or Celine Dion were big, but not like he was.

Quote from: Caliga on June 25, 2009, 07:03:04 PM

Quote from: Josephus on June 25, 2009, 06:54:58 PM
I was no big fan of Jacko and I'm still miffed he upstaged Farrah in death BUT i will defend him and say something I've been saying for years:

I don't think Wacko was a pedo in the way we think of them. I think Wacko was a nut job, a sort of Peter Pan, who never grew up (any coincidence he named his place Neverland?). He wanted young boys over for sleep overs, but in the way we all did when we were kids.  I am convinced he never was malicious in anyway to kids.

I think he was probably a very confused homosexual or actually transgendered, but yeah I would tend to agree with you.

Quote from: Martinus on June 26, 2009, 12:26:19 AMUhm, Madonna. Hello? Kylie is also big this side of the pond.

Quote from: Kleves on June 26, 2009, 12:51:32 AM
Looks like grallon will have to cancel his pre-order of Jackson's If I Did It... illustrated pop-up book.  :(

Quote from: The Larch on June 26, 2009, 03:15:45 AM
Now Bubbles will be able to regain some dignity.

Quote from: Martinus on June 26, 2009, 12:36:46 AMHe was a fucking pedophile. Of all people, you shouldn't be the one spewing the bullshit about the pedo - GLBT link. Jesus.  :rolleyes:

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 05:09:35 AM
:blink:

Quote from: CountDeMoney on June 26, 2009, 05:30:47 AMYou and your Gay Lesbian Bi Transexual Transvetite Albino Eskimo Left-handed Wiccan spewage.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on June 26, 2009, 05:29:37 AM
Now who will Black America have to look up to as an icon?

Quote from: Martinus on June 26, 2009, 12:26:19 AM
Uhm, Madonna. Hello? Kylie is also big this side of the pond.

Quote from: Martinus on June 26, 2009, 12:36:46 AM

Quote from: Caliga on June 25, 2009, 07:03:04 PM

Quote from: Josephus on June 25, 2009, 06:54:58 PM
I was no big fan of Jacko and I'm still miffed he upstaged Farrah in death BUT i will defend him and say something I've been saying for years:

I don't think Wacko was a pedo in the way we think of them. I think Wacko was a nut job, a sort of Peter Pan, who never grew up (any coincidence he named his place Neverland?). He wanted young boys over for sleep overs, but in the way we all did when we were kids.  I am convinced he never was malicious in anyway to kids.

I think he was probably a very confused homosexual or actually transgendered, but yeah I would tend to agree with you.

He was a fucking pedophile. Of all people, you shouldn't be the one spewing the bullshit about the pedo - GLBT link. Jesus.  :rolleyes:

Quote from: Martinus on June 26, 2009, 12:26:19 AM
Uhm, Madonna. Hello? Kylie is also big this side of the pond.

Quote from: Brazen on June 26, 2009, 04:08:54 AM
Didn't expect a heart attack. I thought he'd die having a stroke in the children's ward...

Quote from: Brazen on June 26, 2009, 08:30:09 AM
When Farrah Fawcett arrived in Heaven, God was such a big fan he decided to grant her one wish. She asked that all the children in the world could be safe. So God killed Michael Jackson.

Quote from: Brazen on June 26, 2009, 08:30:09 AM
When Farrah Fawcett arrived in Heaven, God was such a big fan he decided to grant her one wish. She asked that all the children in the world could be safe. So God killed Michael Jackson.

Quote from: Brazen on June 26, 2009, 08:30:09 AM
When Farrah Fawcett arrived in Heaven, God was such a big fan he decided to grant her one wish. She asked that all the children in the world could be safe. So God killed Michael Jackson.

Quote from: Brazen on June 26, 2009, 08:30:09 AM
When Farrah Fawcett arrived in Heaven, God was such a big fan he decided to grant her one wish. She asked that all the children in the world could be safe. So God killed Michael Jackson.

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 06:55:55 AM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on June 26, 2009, 05:29:37 AM
Now who will Black America have to look up to as an icon?

I actually saw a press conference last night with Al Sharpton saying Jacko was a black icon. :huh: Um, sorry Big Al, Jacko WASN'T BLACK (anymore). :contract:

Quote from: Brazen on June 26, 2009, 08:30:09 AM
When Farrah Fawcett arrived in Heaven, God was such a big fan he decided to grant her one wish. She asked that all the children in the world could be safe. So God killed Michael Jackson.

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 07:08:00 AM

Quote from: Martinus on June 26, 2009, 12:26:19 AM
Uhm, Madonna. Hello? Kylie is also big this side of the pond.

And I assume you mean Kylie Minogue?  She's not even a little bit close.  Shit, she's not even in Madonna's class.

Quote from: Brazen on June 26, 2009, 08:30:09 AM
When Farrah Fawcett arrived in Heaven, God was such a big fan he decided to grant her one wish. She asked that all the children in the world could be safe. So God killed Michael Jackson.

Quote from: Syt on June 26, 2009, 10:05:50 AM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.kruzen.com%2F072003%2Fmichaeljackson.jpg&hash=2addda9fd90845df485e4377658410b14c05b4a8)

Quote from: Kleves on June 26, 2009, 12:51:32 AM
Looks like grallon will have to cancel his pre-order of Jackson's If I Did It... illustrated pop-up book.  :(

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 10:54:56 AM
So how many drugs, legal and illegal, do we think will be detected in Jackson's blood?  I'd wage on 7 and 4, respectively.

Quote from: Syt on June 26, 2009, 10:05:50 AM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.kruzen.com%2F072003%2Fmichaeljackson.jpg&hash=2addda9fd90845df485e4377658410b14c05b4a8)

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 11:18:30 AM
Making fun of that show is always good.

Quote from: Syt on June 26, 2009, 11:21:34 AM

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 11:18:30 AM
Making fun of that show is always good.

I hate all CSNCIS2x12WTFBBQ [insert U.S. city] shows.

QuotePolice tow car belonging to Jackson's doctor
Authorities want to speak to physician, stress he's not under investigation

Quote from: Brazen on June 26, 2009, 08:30:09 AM
When Farrah Fawcett arrived in Heaven, God was such a big fan he decided to grant her one wish. She asked that all the children in the world could be safe. So God killed Michael Jackson.

Quote"Thriller's" first single was the deceptively easygoing duet with Paul McCartney, "The Girl Is Mine." Sure it sounds like a lounge ballad now, but since it showcased singers from different races pledging their love to a woman, its allusions to an interracial affair were pretty daring.

Jackson was just getting started breaking boundaries. The next two singles, "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," brought both social consciousness and rock guitar to the dance floor. It was then that his career started to really explode. These songs both spent several weeks at No. 1 and broke MTV's "color barrier" (the channel had previously refused to play African-American artists, claiming it was a "rock station").

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 26, 2009, 12:55:49 PM
MTV had a color barrier? Wow, I never knew that.

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 01:16:07 PM
Anywho, the public mourning has been both annoying & amusing.  Not as much as with the whole Diana thing, of course.

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 01:17:46 PM
Has their been a lot of public mourning?

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 01:17:46 PM

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 01:16:07 PM
Anywho, the public mourning has been both annoying & amusing.  Not as much as with the whole Diana thing, of course.

Has their been a lot of public mourning?

QuoteSold out! Fans snapping up Jackson music
Singer's death triggers massive sales of CDs, DVDs, books

updated 25 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Michael Jackson's death has led to skyrocketing sales of his music and videos online.

After the pop icon's death was announced Thursday, Amazon.com sold out within minutes all CDs by Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. That comes Friday from vice president of music and video Bill Carr.

Carr says 60 percent of Amazon's CD orders Thursday were for Michael Jackson music, something he called "stunning."

And Barnes and Noble said that its Web site and stores are currently sold out of most Jackson CDs, DVDs and books.

Both companies say they are working to get the products back in stock.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 02:30:10 PM
I was thinking last night that, while MJ might have been close to broke prior to his death, his estate sure as fuck won't be due to all the fanbois going nuts over his shit.  That is, it sure as fuck won't be till the family gets its hands on it.

QuoteSettling Jackson's estate could be a thriller
Singer's assets include share in music publishing firm worth $500 million

By Christopher Palmeri
updated 11:57 a.m. ET, Fri., June 26, 2009

The King of Pop will likely leave behind one royal estate battle.

Michael Jackson, the onetime child star whose string of hit songs got people boogying from Boise to Bahrain, died suddenly Thursday after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles in a coma. The singer faced a near-constant drumbeat of legal troubles in life. He'll likely cue up plenty of them in death as well.

Although he sold hundreds of millions of records, Jackson's biggest financial hit was a 50 percent interest in a music publishing catalog that includes the rights to the Beatles' songs.

Jackson, 50, always stayed one beat ahead of a conga line of creditors. At every turn there seemed to be one more wealthy benefactor to bail him out. Most recently that was Thomas Barrack, the founder of the Los Angeles real estate investment firm Colony Capital. Last year, Barrack purchased Jackson's Neverland Ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif., for $22 million, just before the property was sold at auction to cover back debts.

Barrack also brought in Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, who was helping finance a comeback for the singer. Jackson was scheduled to play a series of 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena, which Anschutz owns. The concerts, for which Jackson was to be paid $1 million per night, were to begin July 13. Spokespeople for both Barrack and Anschutz's entertainment business declined to comment.

A genius of a songwriter and performer, Jackson was not so in tune with his personal finances. At one point the star owed more than $270 million to Bank of America. In 2005 the bank sold that debt at a discount to the private equity firm Fortress Investment Group.

Jackson, who reportedly spent as much as $30 million a year during the good times on clothes, travel, and toys for his ranch, successfully fought an attempt to auction many of his personal possessions earlier this year. Over the years those suing Jackson for past-due bills included his former publicist, video director, attorney, and financial advisers.

Not much is known about Jackson's estate planning or will. He leaves behind three children and his well-known brothers, sisters, mother, and father. The star had one asset that will likely be the target of much maneuvering by creditors and heirs in the coming months and years—his 50 percent interest in the Sony/ATV music catalog. Shortly after his string of early 1980s hits that included Thriller, one of the best-selling albums of all time, Jackson was shrewdly advised to buy the Beatles catalog for $47 million. Ten years later, Jackson merged his music company with Sony Corp.'s music publishing arm in a deal reportedly worth $90 million to him.

Today, that company owns the publishing rights to thousands of hit songs by everyone from Neil Diamond to Lady Gaga. Jackson's half interest has been estimated to be worth as much as $500 million. Jackson's own hits are owned by a separate company, also now part of his estate. But like his life, Jackson's estate is unlikely to be settled without controversy.


Copyright © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 02:30:10 PM
I was thinking last night that, while MJ might have been close to broke prior to his death, his estate sure as fuck won't be due to all the fanbois going nuts over his shit.  That is, it sure as fuck won't be till the family gets its hands on it.

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 02:33:52 PM
um, don't be so shocked, Tim.  this kinda shit happens when most celebs die.  :huh:

Quote from: Habbaku on June 26, 2009, 02:44:22 PM
I wonder how his children will turn out.

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 02:33:52 PM
um, don't be so shocked, Tim.  this kinda shit happens when most celebs die.  :huh:

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 02:45:53 PM

Quote from: Habbaku on June 26, 2009, 02:44:22 PM
I wonder how his children will turn out.

Mostly white, so far.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 26, 2009, 02:45:57 PM

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 02:33:52 PM
um, don't be so shocked, Tim.  this kinda shit happens when most celebs die.  :huh:

Maybe this is just the 1st celebrity to kick the bucket that I'm really interested in but I think it's extreme even by the normal celebrity standards. :unsure:

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 26, 2009, 02:45:57 PM
Maybe this is just the 1st celebrity to kick the bucket that I'm really interested in but I think it's extreme even by the normal celebrity standards. :unsure:

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 02:54:34 PM
Same thing happened with Kurt Cobain, dude.  The day after he dies, everyone is suddenly a Nirvana fan.

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 02:54:34 PM
Same thing happened with Kurt Cobain, dude.  The day after he dies, everyone is suddenly a Nirvana fan.

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 02:55:45 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 26, 2009, 02:45:57 PM
Maybe this is just the 1st celebrity to kick the bucket that I'm really interested in but I think it's extreme even by the normal celebrity standards. :unsure:

What about all the rappers who sold platinum albums that were released after they died?  :D

Quote from: Savonarola on June 26, 2009, 02:55:51 PM

Quote from: Caliga on June 26, 2009, 02:54:34 PM
Same thing happened with Kurt Cobain, dude.  The day after he dies, everyone is suddenly a Nirvana fan.

He gave voice to a generation.

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 01:13:44 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 26, 2009, 12:55:49 PM
MTV had a color barrier? Wow, I never knew that.

Only in an MSNBC writer's imagination.

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 11:59:27 AM

Quote from: Syt on June 26, 2009, 11:21:34 AM

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 11:18:30 AM
Making fun of that show is always good.

I hate all CSNCIS2x12WTFBBQ [insert U.S. city] shows.

See, but that one's the best to make fun of, because David Caruso is super overdramatic.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 26, 2009, 03:15:36 PM
Only? :yeahright:
http://news.google.com/news?q=mtv%20color%20barrier&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS232&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wn

Quote from: Jaron on June 26, 2009, 03:32:37 PM
Of course not. The world has been perfect and racism free always, right spiess? And when people call out white people on racism, they are clearly overreacting and making up stories, because that sort of thing never happens EVER.

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 03:21:03 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 26, 2009, 03:15:36 PM
Only? :yeahright:
http://news.google.com/news?q=mtv%20color%20barrier&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS232&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wn

The way the MSNBC dude described it, yes.  He made it sound like there was an insidious plot by MTV to exclude blacks by limiting the programming to rock music videos.

Quote from: Habsburg on June 26, 2009, 03:20:56 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 11:59:27 AM

Quote from: Syt on June 26, 2009, 11:21:34 AM

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 11:18:30 AM
Making fun of that show is always good.

I hate all CSNCIS2x12WTFBBQ [insert U.S. city] shows.

See, but that one's the best to make fun of, because David Caruso is super overdramatic.

He went to the same acting school as Glenn Close, Sean Penn, and Al Pacino.

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 03:37:35 PM

Quote from: Jaron on June 26, 2009, 03:32:37 PM
Of course not. The world has been perfect and racism free always, right spiess? And when people call out white people on racism, they are clearly overreacting and making up stories, because that sort of thing never happens EVER.

Go make me a burrito, Paco.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 26, 2009, 07:58:37 PMWhat was going through his head?

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 03:58:22 PM

Quote from: Habsburg on June 26, 2009, 03:20:56 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 11:59:27 AM

Quote from: Syt on June 26, 2009, 11:21:34 AM

Quote from: Neil on June 26, 2009, 11:18:30 AM
Making fun of that show is always good.

I hate all CSNCIS2x12WTFBBQ [insert U.S. city] shows.

See, but that one's the best to make fun of, because David Caruso is super overdramatic.

He went to the same acting school as Glenn Close, Sean Penn, and Al Pacino.

None of them are quite as smarmy.

QuoteIt was Jackson's dancing, as much as his singing, that propelled the "Billie Jean" phenomenon. On May 16, 1983, more than 50 million viewers watched Jackson debut his famous moonwalk in a mesmerizing performance on the Motown 25 television special. Then there was the "Billie Jean" video, in which Jackson slinks and whirls through a fantasy cityscape, with a sidewalk that lights up like a disco floor underfoot. MTV rarely aired videos by black performers, and when they refused to show "Billie Jean," CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff went ballistic. "I said to MTV, 'I'm pulling everything we have off the air, all our product. I'm not going to give you any more videos. And I'm going to go public and fucking tell them about the fact you don't want to play music by a black guy.'" "Billie Jean" was promptly put in heavy rotation, and neither Jackson nor MTV ever looked back.

Quote from: Martinus on June 26, 2009, 06:26:42 PM
You aren't exactly proving you are not a racist here.  :lol:

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 10:44:21 PM

Quote from: Martinus on June 26, 2009, 06:26:42 PM
You aren't exactly proving you are not a racist here.  :lol:

kielbasa.

Quote from: Jaron on June 26, 2009, 10:53:52 PM
It is amusing how white trash presume superiority based solely upon the color of their skin and the nice, snug fit of that swastika armband.

Quote from: derspiess on June 26, 2009, 11:09:41 PM

Quote from: Jaron on June 26, 2009, 10:53:52 PM
It is amusing how white trash presume superiority based solely upon the color of their skin and the nice, snug fit of that swastika armband.

Interesting.  You never talked about your white relatives before.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on June 27, 2009, 06:53:50 AM
Apparently, the coroner's report is in.

He died of choking, on a pair of 12 year old nuts.

Quote from: C.C.R. on June 27, 2009, 07:04:22 AM
I heard it was food poisoning -- eating a ten year old weiner.

In any event he is to be cremated & his ashes spread in a sandbox, just so he can get in one more little boy's shorts...

Quote from: Monoriu on June 27, 2009, 11:14:05 AM
Michael Jackson died because of heart failure.
The heart failure was caused by taking drugs to better prepare himself for the upcoming concert.
He needed to do the concert because of financial troubles.
He got into financial trouble because of his excessive spending.

Therefore, he was killed because he spent too much.

QuotePop star's family wants answers, Jesse Jackson says


LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's family suspects that the singer's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, knows more about Jackson's death, but they have been unable to contact him, the Rev. Jesse Jackson told CNN on Saturday.


The parents need to know what happened in the last hours of Michael Jackson's life, Jesse Jackson said. Murray is believed to be the last person to see Michael Jackson alive.

"The routine inquiry is now an investigation," Jesse Jackson said. "They [the Jacksons] didn't know the doctor. ... He should have met with the family, given them comfort on the last hours of their son."

Police, who met briefly with Murray after the singer's death, have been able to reach him and are trying to set up an interview, Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Charlie Beck told the Los Angeles Times on Friday. Police said the doctor has been fully cooperative.

Detectives impounded Murray's car, which was parked at the singer's rented home, because it may contain evidence related to Michael Jackson's death.

Police have released no information on what they may have found.

Michael Jackson died Thursday, and an autopsy was performed the following day. The body was taken to an undisclosed mortuary Friday night.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner's office told reporters Friday that more tests must be conducted before a cause of death can be determined. That could take four to six weeks. Video Watch the coroner's spokesman discuss the autopsy »

Jesse Jackson visited the family compound in Encino, California, on Friday.

"I talked with Mrs. Jackson and with the father, Joe, and she could not fight back the tears. She said, 'My baby is gone. Michael was such a good son. I loved him so much. I miss my baby.'" Video Watch Jesse Jackson detail the family's concerns »

The family wants to hear Murray's account of what happened, but they can't locate him, Jesse Jackson said.

"The doctor's bizarre behavior here is creating all these suspicions," he said. There are lingering questions, such as: 'How long had he stopped breathing? How long had he been unconscious?'"

He said the family may decide to pursue its own inquiry.

"At this point it [the investigation] is very incomplete," he said. "... They need an independent autopsy to get even more answers to questions that are now being driven by the gap between when Michael was last seen alive and [when] he was pronounced dead day before yesterday."

The possibility that Michael Jackson was taking medication that could have contributed to his death at age 50 weighs heavily on people close to the star.

In 2005, after he was cleared on charges of child molestation, Jackson spent a week at a center run by Dr. Deepak Chopra, a physician who focuses on spirituality and the mind-body connection.

During that week, the pop star asked Chopra for a prescription for a narcotic, the doctor told CNN.

"I said, 'What the heck do you want a narcotic prescription for?'" Chopra said. "And it suddenly dawned on me that he was probably taking these and that he had probably a number of doctors who were giving him these prescriptions, so I confronted him with that. At first, he denied it. Then, he said he was in a lot of pain."

Chopra said he told Jackson that there were plenty of other ways to handle his pain, but that Jackson was not convinced.

He blamed Jackson's death on drug abuse, though he offered no direct evidence.

"When you have enough drugs in your system, your heart goes into an arrhythmia and your respiration stops," he said. "I think the drugs killed him."

Brian Oxman, a former lawyer for the Jackson family who was in the emergency room Thursday, also expressed concern about medications the pop star was taking.

"I talked to this family about it, I warned them -- I said that Michael is overmedicating and that I did not want to see this kind of a case develop," Oxman told CNN's "American Morning" on Friday.

He referred to Anna Nicole Smith, the former model and reality television star who died of an overdose in 2007.

"I said, 'If that's what's going to happen to Michael, it's all going to break our hearts.' And my worst fears are here," he said.

Oxman emphasized that he did not know what killed Jackson, and was not making accusations against anyone. Video Watch high-profile guests discuss Jackson »

Jackson was in cardiac arrest when paramedics took him Thursday from his home to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where the music idol was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. (5:26 p.m. ET).

In a 911 call released Friday, an unidentified caller told a dispatcher to send help. He told the dispatcher that Jackson was not breathing and Jackson's doctor was performing CPR on a bed. Video Listen to the 911 call »
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Jackson had been preparing for a comeback tour -- aimed at extending his legendary career and helping him to pay off hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

Jackson is survived by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.

Quote from: Jaron on June 26, 2009, 10:36:33 PM
Good for them. I never knew that about MTV. If they had anything worth watching nowadays, I'd boycott them. :P

Quote from: Jaron on June 27, 2009, 03:25:39 PM
Why don't you make me a list of white performers MTV played and let us compare the two. If there were 7-8 black performers being played and dozens of white, then I would say a color barrier existed.

Quote from: derspiess on June 27, 2009, 03:28:05 PM
So J.J. Jackson wasn't an uncle tom then, not that anyone here younger than me will know who that was :D

Quote from: grumbler on June 27, 2009, 05:17:39 PM

Quote from: Jaron on June 27, 2009, 03:25:39 PM
Why don't you make me a list of white performers MTV played and let us compare the two. If there were 7-8 black performers being played and dozens of white, then I would say a color barrier existed.

You would say... poorly.

You want a list, make one!

Quote from: Jaron on June 27, 2009, 05:39:32 PM
YOU make one. You're the one claiming MTV was Civil Rights television. Now prove your point or GTFO my face.

Quote from: Palisadoes on June 27, 2009, 09:19:03 PM
Why do people care that a paedo is dead? Will Gary Glitter get the same tributes?

Quote from: Palisadoes on June 27, 2009, 09:26:07 PM
Who are you on about: Jacko or Glitter?  :lol:

Don't get me wrong, I liked a lot of his music and thought he was talented during his height (truly brilliant performer), but he just ended up being a crazy lunatic paedophile (why pay people off if you weren't guilty?).

Quote from: Palisadoes on June 27, 2009, 09:34:35 PM
I guessed. It was clearly Jacko (since Glitter isn't dead... yet!).

But still... why do people care about a paedo? Please spare the "he wasn't convicted" rubbish - if you had to pay millions out of court to settle something then you clearly did something wrong.

Quote from: Palisadoes on June 27, 2009, 09:34:35 PM
I guessed. It was clearly Jacko (since Glitter isn't dead... yet!).

But still... why do people care about a paedo? Please spare the "he wasn't convicted" rubbish - if you had to pay millions out of court to settle something then you clearly did something wrong.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 27, 2009, 09:23:37 PM
Are you retarded or something? He's the biggest star in the country's history, who grew up while the nation watched on TV from age 11 until his descent into madness. Of course people are going to care.

Quote from: derspiess on June 27, 2009, 09:51:08 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 27, 2009, 09:23:37 PM
Are you retarded or something? He's the biggest star in the country's history, who grew up while the nation watched on TV from age 11 until his descent into madness. Of course people are going to care.

It's sad that the same people don't seem to care about the likelihood that he was a pedophile who did horrible things to kids.

Quote from: Palisadoes on June 27, 2009, 09:19:03 PM
Why do people care that a paedo is dead? Will Gary Glitter get the same tributes?

Quote from: Palisadoes on June 27, 2009, 09:34:35 PM
I guessed. It was clearly Jacko (since Glitter isn't dead... yet!).

But still... why do people care about a paedo? Please spare the "he wasn't convicted" rubbish - if you had to pay millions out of court to settle something then you clearly did something wrong.

QuoteJackson's mother awarded guardianship of his children

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A Los Angeles probate court on Monday approved a request by Michael Jackson's mother to take guardianship of his three children, CNN has confirmed.


Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, has taken guardianship of his three children.

Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, told CNN on Sunday evening that he and his wife expected to keep the children.

An autopsy was performed on Michael Jackson Friday, and toxicology reports from his body will disprove rumors that the singer's personal physician injected him with powerful painkillers, the attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray said Monday.

"Dr. Murray never prescribed Demerol, never administered Demerol, never saw him -- Michael Jackson -- take Demerol," attorney Edward Chernoff told CNN's "American Morning."

"And that goes as well for Oxycontin. I think those are just rumors. When toxicology comes back ... that's going to be all cleared up," Chernoff said.

Murray met voluntarily for several hours with detectives over the weekend, the Los Angeles Police Department said late Saturday.

"We've let them know we're available to them any time they need us, any questions they have," Chernoff said. "We have told them that the medical examiner is free to call us. We'll be available to them. If they have any questions once toxicology comes out. I expect they will have some questions, and we'll be ready to answer them."  Watch attorney for Jackson's doctor say his client is not a suspect »

Murray found Jackson not breathing in bed when he entered the 50-year-old singer's estate on Thursday, Chernoff said. Jackson did have a slight pulse when Murray found him and tried to resuscitate the singer as he awaited paramedics, a representative with Chernoff's Houston, Texas, law firm said Sunday.

Jackson was rushed to a Los Angeles medical center, where he was pronounced dead. 

An autopsy performed by a county medical examiner was inconclusive, although officials said there were no indications of external trauma or foul play. The Los Angeles County coroner's office has said toxicology results are needed before a cause of death can be determined. That could take four to six weeks.

Detectives impounded Murray's car, which was parked at the singer's rented home. Authorities said the vehicle may contain evidence related to Jackson's death, possibly prescription medications. Police have released no information on what they may have found.

Chernoff said there was nothing in Jackson's medical history that Murray was aware of "that would lead him to believe he would go into sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure."


"There was no red flag available to Dr. Murray, which led him to believe he would have died the way he did," Chernoff said. "It's still a mystery how he died to Dr. Murray. 

"It was Dr. Murray ... as you know, that requested that the family ask for an autopsy, because he needed to know as well as his physician what caused Michael Jackson to stop breathing."

Quote from: alfred russel on June 29, 2009, 01:42:07 PM
Has anyone seen a clear picture of his kids? There was a somewhat unclear one on CNN, but from that they looked white.

Also, what was the story on MJ's skin color? Was that bleaching, makeup, or a medical condition?

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 01:47:16 PM

From what I hear they're not actually his biological kids.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 01:47:16 PM

Quote from: alfred russel on June 29, 2009, 01:42:07 PM
Has anyone seen a clear picture of his kids? There was a somewhat unclear one on CNN, but from that they looked white.

Also, what was the story on MJ's skin color? Was that bleaching, makeup, or a medical condition?

From what I hear they're not actually his biological kids.

Quote
'I'm better off dead. I'm done': Michael Jackson's fateful prediction just a week before his death

By Ian Halperin
Last updated at 3:58 PM on 29th June 2009


Whatever  the final autopsy results reveal, it was greed that killed Michael Jackson. Had he not been driven – by a cabal of bankers, agents, doctors and advisers – to commit to the gruelling 50 concerts in London's O2 Arena, I believe he would still be alive today.

During the last weeks and months of his life, Jackson made desperate attempts to prepare for the concert series scheduled for next month – a series that would have earned millions for the singer and his entourage, but which he could never have completed, not mentally, and not physically.


Michael knew it and his advisers knew it. Anyone who caught even a fleeting glimpse of the frail old man hiding beneath the costumes and cosmetics would have understood that the London tour was madness. For Michael Jackson, it was fatal.

I had more than a glimpse of the real Michael; as an award-winning freelance journalist and film-maker, I spent more than five years inside his 'camp'.

Many in his entourage spoke frankly to me – and that made it possible for me to write authoritatively last December that Michael had six months to live, a claim that, at the time, his official spokesman, Dr Tohme Tohme, called a 'complete fabrication'. The singer, he told the world, was in 'fine health'. Six months and one day later, Jackson was dead.

Some liked to snigger at his public image, and it is true that flamboyant clothes and bizarre make-up made for a comic grotesque; yet without them, his appearance was distressing; with skin blemishes, thinning hair and discoloured fingernails.

I had established beyond doubt, for example, that Jackson relied on an extensive collection of wigs to hide his greying hair. Shorn of their luxuriance, the Peter Pan of Neverland cut a skeletal figure.


It was clear that he was in no condition to do a single concert, let alone 50. He could no longer sing, for a start. On some days he could barely talk. He could no longer dance. Disaster was looming in London and, in the opinion of his closest confidantes, he was feeling suicidal.

To understand why a singer of Jackson's fragility would even think about travelling to London, we need to go back to June 13, 2005, when my involvement in his story began.

As a breaking news alert flashed on CNN announcing that the jury had reached a verdict in Jackson's trial for allegedly molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo at his Neverland Ranch in California, I knew that history had been made but that Michael Jackson had been broken – irrevocably so, as it proved.

Nor was it the first time that Michael had been accused of impropriety with young boys. Little more than a decade earlier, another 13-year-old, Jordan Chandler, made similar accusations in a case that was eventually settled before trial – but not before the damage had been done to Jackson's reputation.


Michael had not helped his case. Appearing in a documentary with British broadcaster Martin Bashir, he not only admitted that he liked to share a bed with teenagers, mainly boys, in pyjamas, but showed no sign of understanding why anyone might be legitimately concerned.

I had started my investigation convinced that Jackson was guilty. By the end, I no longer believed that.

I could not find a single shred of evidence suggesting that Jackson had molested a child. But I found significant evidence demonstrating that most, if not all, of his accusers lacked credibility and were motivated primarily by money.

Jackson also deserved much of the blame, of course. Continuing to share a bed with children even after the suspicions surfaced bordered on criminal stupidity.

He was also playing a truly dangerous game. It is clear to me that Michael was homosexual and that his taste was for young men, albeit not as young as Jordan Chandler or Gavin Arvizo.

In the course of my investigations, I spoke to two of his gay lovers, one a Hollywood waiter, the other an aspiring actor. The waiter had remained friends, perhaps more, with the singer until his death last week. He had served Jackson at a restaurant, Jackson made his interest plain and the two slept together the following night. According to the waiter, Jackson fell in love.

The actor, who has been given solid but uninspiring film parts, saw Jackson in the middle of 2007. He told me they had spent nearly every night together during their affair – an easy claim to make, you might think. But this lover produced corroboration in the form of photographs of the two of them together, and a witness.

Other witnesses speak of strings of young men visiting his house at all hours, even in the period of his decline. Some stayed overnight.

When Jackson lived in Las Vegas, one of his closest aides told how he would sneak off to a 'grungy, rat-infested' motel – often dressed as a woman to disguise his identity – to meet a male construction worker he had fallen in love with.

Jackson was acquitted in the Arvizo case, dramatically so, but the effect on his mental state was ruinous. Sources close to him suggest he was close to complete nervous breakdown.

The ordeal had left him physically shattered, too. One of my sources suggested that he might already have had a genetic condition I had never previously come across, called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency – the lack of a protein that can help protect the lungs.

Although up to 100,000 Americans are severely affected by it, it is an under-recognised condition. Michael was receiving regular injections of Alpha-1 antitrypsin derived from human plasma. The treatment is said to be remarkably effective and can enable the sufferer to lead a normal life.

But the disease can cause respiratory problems and, in severe cases, emphysema. Could this be why Jackson had for years been wearing a surgical mask in public, to protect his lungs from the ravages of the disease? Or why, from time to time, he resorted to a wheelchair? When I returned to my source inside the Jackson camp for confirmation, he said: 'Yeah, that's what he's got. He's in bad shape. They're worried that he might need a lung transplant but he may be too weak.

'Some days he can hardly see and he's having a lot of trouble walking.'

Even Michael Jackson's legendary wealth was in sharp decline. Just a few days before he announced his 50-concert comeback at the O2 Arena, one of my sources told me Jackson had been offered £1.8million to perform at a party for a Russian billionaire on the Black Sea.

'Is he up to it?' I had asked.

'He has no choice. He needs the money. His people are pushing him hard,' said the source.

Could he even stand on a stage for an hour concert?

'He can stand. The treatments have been successful. He can even dance once he gets in better shape. He just can't sing,' said the aide, adding that Jackson would have to lip-synch to get through the performance. 'Nobody will care, as long as he shows up and moonwalks.'

He also revealed Jackson had been offered well over £60million to play Las Vegas for six months.  'He said no, but his people are trying to force it on him. He's that close to losing everything,' said the source.

Indeed, by all accounts Jackson's finances were in a shambles. The Arvizo trial itself was a relative bargain, costing a little more than £18million in legal bills.

But the damage to his career, already in trouble before the charges, was incalculable. After the Arvizo trial, a Bahraini sheikh allowed Jackson to stay in his palace, underwriting his lavish lifestyle. But a few years later, the prince sued his former guest, demanding repayment for his hospitality. Jackson claimed he thought it had been a gift.

Roger Friedman, a TV journalist, said: 'For one year, the prince underwrote Jackson's life in Bahrain – everything including accommodation, guests, security and transportation. And what did Jackson do? He left for Japan and then Ireland. He took the money and moonwalked right out the door. This is the real Michael Jackson. He has never returned a phone call from the prince since he left Bahrain.'

Although Jackson settled with the sheikh on the eve of the trial that would have aired his financial dirty laundry, the settlement only put him that much deeper into the hole. A hole that kept getting bigger, but that was guaranteed by Jackson's half ownership of the copyrights to The Beatles catalogue. He owned them in a joint venture with record company Sony, which have kept him from bankruptcy.

'Jackson is in hock to Sony for hundreds of millions,' a source told me a couple of months ago. 'No bank will give him any money so Sony have been paying his bills.

'The trouble is that he hasn't been meeting his obligations. Sony have been in a position for more than a year where it can repossess Michael's share of the [Beatles] catalogue. That's always been Sony's dream scenario, full ownership.

'But they don't want to do it as they're afraid of a backlash from his fans. Their nightmare is an organised 'boycott Sony' movement worldwide, which could prove hugely costly. It is the only thing standing between Michael and bankruptcy.'
Pop star Michael Jackson (centre) holds the hands of his two children Paris Michael, four, and son Prince Michael, five, with their faces covered during a visit to Berlin Zoo.

Legacy: Michael Jackson wanted to ensure the future of his children by leaving them 200 unpublished songs

The source aid at the time that the scheduled London concerts wouldn't clear Jackson's debts – estimated at almost £242million – but they would allow him to get them under control and get him out of default with Sony.

According to two sources in Jackson's camp, the singer put in place a contingency plan to ensure his children would be well taken care of in the event of bankruptcy.

'He has as many as 200 unpublished songs that he is planning to leave behind for his children when he dies. They can't be touched by the creditors, but they could be worth as much as £60million that will ensure his kids a comfortable existence no matter what happens,' one of his collaborators revealed.

But for the circle of handlers who surrounded Jackson during his final years, their golden goose could not be allowed to run dry. Bankruptcy was not an option.

These, after all, were not the handlers who had seen him through the aftermath of the Arvizo trial and who had been protecting his fragile emotional health to the best of their ability. They were gone, and a new set of advisers was in place.

The clearout had apparently been engineered by his children's nanny, Grace Rwaramba, who was gaining considerable influence over Jackson and his affairs and has been described as the 'queen bee' by those around Jackson.

Rwaramba had ties to the black militant organisation, the Nation of Islam, and its controversial leader, Louis Farrakhan, whom she enlisted for help in running Jackson's affairs.

Before long, the Nation was supplying Jackson's security detail and Farrakhan's son-in-law, Leonard Muhammad, was appointed as Jackson's business manager, though his role has lessened significantly in recent years.

In late 2008, a shadowy figure who called himself Dr Tohme Tohme suddenly emerged as Jackson's 'official spokesman'.

Tohme has been alternately described as a Saudi Arabian billionaire and an orthopaedic surgeon, but he is actually a Lebanese businessman who does not have a medical licence. At one point, Tohme claimed he was an ambassador at large for Senegal, but the Senegalese embassy said they had never heard of him.

Tohme's own ties to the Nation of Islam came to light in March 2009, when New York auctioneer Darren Julien was conducting an auction of Michael Jackson memorabilia.

Julien filed an affidavit in Los Angeles Superior Court that month in which he described a meeting he had with Tohme's business partner, James R. Weller. According to Julien's account, 'Weller said if we refused to postpone [the auction], we would be in danger from 'Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam; those people are very protective of Michael'.

He told us that Dr Tohme and Michael Jackson wanted to give the message to us that 'our lives are at stake and there will be bloodshed'.'

A month after these alleged threats, Tohme accompanied Jackson to a meeting at a Las Vegas hotel with Randy Phillips, chief executive of the AEG Group, to finalise plans for Jackson's return to the concert stage.

Quote

Jackson's handlers had twice before said no to Phillips. This time, with Tohme acting as his confidant, Jackson left the room agreeing to perform ten concerts at the O2.

Before long, however, ten concerts had turned into 50 and the potential revenues had skyrocketed. 'The vultures who were pulling his strings somehow managed to put this concert extravaganza together behind his back, then presented it to him as a fait accompli,' said one aide.

'The money was just unbelievable and all his financial people were telling him he was facing bankruptcy. But Michael still resisted. He didn't think he could pull it off.'

Eventually, they wore him down, the aide explained, but not with the money argument.

'They told him that this would be the greatest comeback the world had ever known. That's what convinced him. He thought if he could emerge triumphantly from the success of these concerts, he could be the King again.'

The financial details of the O2 concerts are still murky, though various sources have revealed that Jackson was paid as much as £10million in advance, most of which went to the middlemen. But Jackson could have received as much as £100million had the concerts gone ahead.

It is worth noting that the O2 Arena has the most sophisticated lip synching technology in the world – a particular attraction for a singer who can no longer sing. Had, by some miracle, the concerts gone ahead, Jackson's personal contribution could have been limited to just 13 minutes for each performance. The rest was to have been choreography and lights.

'We knew it was a disaster waiting to happen,' said one aide. 'I don't think anybody predicted it would actually kill him but nobody believed he would end up performing.'

Their doubts were underscored when Jackson collapsed during only his second rehearsal.
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley

Hidden life: It was 'clear Michael Jackson was gay' but he married twice, firstly to Lisa Marie Presley, above

'Collapse might be overstating it,' said the aide. 'He needed medical attention and couldn't go on. I'm not sure what caused it.'

Meanwhile, everybody around him noticed that Jackson had lost an astonishing amount of weight in recent months. His medical team even believed he was anorexic.

'He goes days at a time hardly eating a thing and at one point his doctor was asking people if he had been throwing up after meals,' one staff member told me in May.

'He suspected bulimia but when we said he hardly eats any meals, the doc thought it was probably anorexia. He seemed alarmed and at one point said, 'People die from that all the time. You've got to get him to eat.''

Indeed, one known consequence of anorexia is cardiac arrest.

After spotting him leave one rehearsal, Fox News reported that 'Michael Jackson's skeletal physique is so bad that he might not be able to moonwalk any more'.

On May 20 this year, AEG suddenly announced that the first London shows had been delayed for five days while the remainder had been pushed back until March 2010. At the time, they denied that the postponements were health-related, explaining that they needed more time to mount the technically complex production, though scepticism immediately erupted. It was well placed.

Behind the scenes, Jackson was in rapid decline. According to a member of his staff, he was 'terrified' at the prospect of the London concerts.

'He wasn't eating, he wasn't sleeping and, when he did sleep, he had nightmares that he was going to be murdered. He was deeply worried that he was going to disappoint his fans. He even said something that made me briefly think he was suicidal. He said he thought he'd die before doing the London concerts.

'He said he was worried that he was going to end up like Elvis. He was always comparing himself to Elvis, but there was something in his tone that made me think that he wanted to die, he was tired of life. He gave up. His voice and dance moves weren't there any more. I think maybe he wanted to die rather than embarrass himself on stage.'

The most obvious comparison between the King of Pop and the King of Rock 'n' Roll was their prescription drug habits, which in Jackson's case had significantly intensified in his final months.

'He is surrounded by enablers,' said one aide. 'We should be stopping him before he kills himself, but we just sit by and watch him medicate himself into oblivion.'

Jackson could count on an array of doctors to write him prescriptions without asking too many questions if he complained of 'pain'. He was particularly fond of OxyContin, nicknamed 'Hillbilly heroin', which gave an instant high, although he did not take it on a daily basis.

According to the aide, painkillers are not the only drugs Jackson took.


'He pops Demerol and morphine, sure, apparently going back to the time in 1984 when he burned himself during the Pepsi commercial, but there's also some kind of psychiatric medication. One of his brothers once told me he was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was younger, so it may be to treat that.'

His aides weren't the only ones who recognised that a 50-concert run was foolhardy. In May, Jackson himself reportedly addressed fans as he left his Burbank rehearsal studio.

'Thank you for your love and support,' he told them. 'I want you guys to know I love you very much.

'I don't know how I'm going to do 50 shows. I'm not a big eater. I need to put some weight on. I'm really angry with them booking me up to do 50 shows. I only wanted to do ten.'

One of his former employees was particularly struck by Jackson's wording that day. 'The way he was talking, it's like he's not in control over his own life any more,' she told me earlier this month. 'It sounds like somebody else is pulling his strings and telling him what to do. Someone wants him dead.

'They keep feeding him pills like candy. They are trying to push him over the edge. He needs serious help. The people around him will kill him.'

As the London concerts approached, something was clearly wrong. Jackson had vowed to travel to England at least eight weeks before his first shows, but he kept putting it off.

'To be honest, I never thought Michael would set foot on a concert stage ever again,' said one aide, choking back tears on the evening of his death.

'This was not only predictable, this was inevitable.'

On June 21, Jackson told my contact that he wanted to die. He said that he didn't have what it would take to perform any more because he had lost his voice and dance moves.

'It's not working out,' Jackson said. 'I'm better off dead. I don't have anywhere left to turn. I'm done.'

Michael's closest confidante told me just two hours after he died that 'Michael was tired of living. He was a complete wreck for years and now he can finally be in a better place. People around him fed him drugs to keep him on their side. They should be held accountable.'

Michael Jackson was undoubtedly a deeply troubled and lonely man. Throughout my investigation, I was torn between compassion and anger, sorrow and empathy.

Even his legacy is problematic. As I have already revealed, he has bequeathed up to 200 original songs to his three children, Prince Michael, aged 12, Paris Katherine, 11, and Prince Michael II (also known as Blanket), seven. It is a wonderful gift.

Yet I can reveal that his will, not as yet made public, demands that the three of them remain with Jackson's 79-year-old mother Katherine in California. It promises an ugly row.

Ex-wife Deborah Rowe, the mother of the eldest two, has already made it clear to her legal team that she wants her children in her custody, immediately.

The mother of the third child has never been identified. I fully expect that it will emerge that the children had a 'test tube' conception, a claim already made by Deborah Rowe.

Michael Jackson may very well have been the most talented performer of his generation, but for 15 years that fact has been lost to a generation who may remember him only as a grotesque caricature who liked to share his bed with little boys. Now that he's gone, maybe it's time to shelve the suspicions and appreciate the music.

Quote from: Habsburg on June 29, 2009, 03:05:31 PM
:(

Very sad story.

Quote from: Caliga on June 29, 2009, 03:10:01 PM
What did I tell you people re: his sexuality? :smarty:

Really, Languish should just be people posing questions to the Great and Powerful Caliga, who shall dispense wisdom upon you, the unwashed masses. :)

Quote from: Caliga on June 29, 2009, 03:10:01 PM
What did I tell you people re: his sexuality? :smarty:

Really, Languish should just be people posing questions to the Great and Powerful Caliga, who shall dispense wisdom upon you, the unwashed masses. :)

Quote from: alfred russel on June 29, 2009, 03:08:46 PM
Like Charles II of Spain. :(

Quote from: Jaron on June 29, 2009, 03:12:32 PM
You're always getting shit wrong. Mr. France Air was blown up by a bomb.

Quote from: derspiess on June 29, 2009, 03:13:58 PMYeah, you were really going out on a limb there :lol:

Quote from: Jaron on June 29, 2009, 03:12:32 PM

Quote from: Caliga on June 29, 2009, 03:10:01 PM
What did I tell you people re: his sexuality? :smarty:

Really, Languish should just be people posing questions to the Great and Powerful Caliga, who shall dispense wisdom upon you, the unwashed masses. :)

You're always getting shit wrong. Mr. France Air was blown up by a bomb.

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:16:39 PM
The article is bullshit.  It's impossible to be gay and yet not be a pedophile.

Quote from: garbon on June 29, 2009, 03:29:43 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:16:39 PM
The article is bullshit.  It's impossible to be gay and yet not be a pedophile.

Actually a great many gays are squeamish about hooking up with even just teens.

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:36:00 PM
They might be afraid of the law, but the reality of it is that they are all disgusting, perverted predators who must be cleansed from the Earth.

Quote from: garbon on June 29, 2009, 03:37:21 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:36:00 PM
They might be afraid of the law, but the reality of it is that they are all disgusting, perverted predators who must be cleansed from the Earth.

No, I meant that many were squeamish because getting it on with a teen is not particularly appealing.

Quote from: Jaron on June 29, 2009, 03:47:33 PM
many != all.

Quote from: garbon on June 29, 2009, 03:37:21 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:36:00 PM
They might be afraid of the law, but the reality of it is that they are all disgusting, perverted predators who must be cleansed from the Earth.

No, I meant that many were squeamish because getting it on with a teen is not particularly appealing.

Quote from: Jaron on June 29, 2009, 03:47:33 PM
I can point out siegebreaker as an example of an allegedly straight man who also enjoys the allure of young flesh.

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:54:51 PM
Lies.   Gays aren't individuals like humans.  They all crave young flesh, which is why being young and acting like you're in junior high is the path that gay people take.

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:54:51 PM

Quote from: garbon on June 29, 2009, 03:37:21 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:36:00 PM
They might be afraid of the law, but the reality of it is that they are all disgusting, perverted predators who must be cleansed from the Earth.

No, I meant that many were squeamish because getting it on with a teen is not particularly appealing.

Lies.   Gays aren't individuals like humans.  They all crave young flesh, which is why being young and acting like you're in junior high is the path that gay people take.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 03:57:00 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:54:51 PM

Quote from: garbon on June 29, 2009, 03:37:21 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:36:00 PM
They might be afraid of the law, but the reality of it is that they are all disgusting, perverted predators who must be cleansed from the Earth.

No, I meant that many were squeamish because getting it on with a teen is not particularly appealing.

Lies.   Gays aren't individuals like humans.  They all crave young flesh, which is why being young and acting like you're in junior high is the path that gay people take.

You seem obsessed with this idea, me thinks you doth denounce to much. :yeahright:

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:58:15 PM
Also, there is no vice in attacking one's enemies.

Quote from: garbon on June 29, 2009, 04:04:18 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:58:15 PM
Also, there is no vice in attacking one's enemies.

Didn't we already agree that it is unlikely that I am your enemy?

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 04:14:35 PM
Have you not sided with Martinus in the past?

Quote from: alfred russel on June 29, 2009, 03:08:46 PM

Quote from: Habsburg on June 29, 2009, 03:05:31 PM
:(

Very sad story.

Like Charles II of Spain. :(

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:54:51 PM
They all crave young flesh, which is why being young and acting like you're in junior high is the path that gay people take.

Quote from: Habsburg on June 29, 2009, 04:24:51 PM

Quote from: Neil on June 29, 2009, 03:54:51 PM
They all crave young flesh, which is why being young and acting like you're in junior high is the path that gay people take.

I am not one of those baby people sub cults.
No diapers or training pants for me or mine.  :frog:

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 09:39:28 PM
Supposedly Jackson left his kids a catalog of 200 unreleased songs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31628166/ns/entertainment-gossip/

Quote from: derspiess on June 29, 2009, 09:45:31 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 09:39:28 PM
Supposedly Jackson left his kids a catalog of 200 unreleased songs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31628166/ns/entertainment-gossip/

Oh, good Lord.  I'll be looking forward to 20 years worth of ads for new Michael Jackson albums  :x

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 10:19:22 PM

Quote from: derspiess on June 29, 2009, 09:45:31 PM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 09:39:28 PM
Supposedly Jackson left his kids a catalog of 200 unreleased songs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31628166/ns/entertainment-gossip/

Oh, good Lord.  I'll be looking forward to 20 years worth of ads for new Michael Jackson albums  :x

Well it really depends on the music doesn't and how good it is, doesn't it?

Quote from: Monoriu on June 29, 2009, 10:54:43 PM
I saw a youtube video about MJ dancing.  First time I watched him dance for more than a few seconds.  I know next to zilch about dancing but I finished watching with the impression that he was really, really good.  The question "is this humanly possible" popped up a few times in my head.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 09:39:28 PM
Supposedly Jackson left his kids a catalog of 200 unreleased songs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31628166/ns/entertainment-gossip/

Quote from: Monoriu on June 29, 2009, 10:54:43 PM
I saw a youtube video about MJ dancing.  First time I watched him dance for more than a few seconds.  I know next to zilch about dancing but I finished watching with the impression that he was really, really good.  The question "is this humanly possible" popped up a few times in my head.

Quote from: Caliga on June 30, 2009, 05:40:57 AM
If it's music that he wrote himself, it's going to be garbage.  Jacko was an amazing singer and dancer, but he was also a barely literate moron.  I'm not sure that he ever had any kind of actual schooling, and you can tell from listening to him in interviews that he was a total dumbass.  Not 100% sure but I think all of his famous music was written for him.

Quote from: Savonarola on June 30, 2009, 05:58:04 AM
In "Smooth Criminal" he used steel cables to lean forward so far; otherwise I think everything else he did was done without any help.

Quote from: Caliga on June 30, 2009, 05:40:57 AM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 09:39:28 PM
Supposedly Jackson left his kids a catalog of 200 unreleased songs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31628166/ns/entertainment-gossip/

If it's music that he wrote himself, it's going to be garbage.  Jacko was an amazing singer and dancer, but he was also a barely literate moron.  I'm not sure that he ever had any kind of actual schooling, and you can tell from listening to him in interviews that he was a total dumbass.  Not 100% sure but I think all of his famous music was written for him.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 09:39:28 PM
Supposedly Jackson left his kids a catalog of 200 unreleased songs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31628166/ns/entertainment-gossip/

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 30, 2009, 10:45:26 PM
And he has a will.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31669398/ns/entertainment-music/

Quote from: Martinus on July 01, 2009, 01:45:02 AM
Incidentally, for people who think that IP is the same as real property and piracy is theft - shouldn't it work the other way round as well? I mean, if he left his kids a pot of gold, his estate's debtors would be able to recover their debts from it. So shouldn't the same apply to proceeds from his unreleased songs as well? :P

Quote from: Scipio on July 01, 2009, 06:42:04 AM
Motherfucker.  I am so tired of this Michael Jackson shit.

Quote from: Martinus on July 01, 2009, 01:45:02 AM

:lol:

This could be such a clever stunt. "Shit, we have no money. The guy was totally penniless. Ok, let's write 200 songs and pretend they were his."

Quote from: Caliga on June 30, 2009, 06:34:40 AM
:huh: For some reason I thought the guy who wrote 'Thriller' wrote 'Beat It' and 'Billie Jean' too.  Oops  :blush:

Quote from: Martinus on July 01, 2009, 01:45:02 AM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 09:39:28 PM
Supposedly Jackson left his kids a catalog of 200 unreleased songs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31628166/ns/entertainment-gossip/

:lol:

This could be such a clever stunt. "Shit, we have no money. The guy was totally penniless. Ok, let's write 200 songs and pretend they were his."

QuoteMichael Jackson shatters chart records
Wed Jul 1, 2009 5:46am EDT
By Keith Caulfield

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - As expected, Michael Jackson is once again the King of the Pop charts.

Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles when the tally is released in the early morning on Wednesday. Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week ended at the close of business Sunday (June 28) night.

Jackson himself -- who died June 25 of cardiac arrest at age 50 -- has a record eight out of the top 10, and a Jackson 5 compilation also finds its way into the upper tier.

"Number Ones" will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with sales of 108,000 (an increase of 2,340 percent) while "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are in the second and third slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week "Number Ones" was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both "Essential" and "Thriller" re-enter the tally this week.

Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set "Off the Wall" re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album "Bad" returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5's "The Ultimate Collection" debuts with 18,000. Jackson's fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991's "Dangerous," re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000, and his 2001 compilation, "Greatest Hits: HIStory -- Volume 1," returns to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson's 2004 box set, "The Ultimate Collection," charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000.

The lone non-Jackson-related set in the top 10 is a reissue of the "Woodstock" movie soundtrack, which bows at No. 10 with 8,000.

CHART FIRSTS

Collectively, Jackson's solo albums sold 415,000 this past week. That's extraordinary, given that his titles sold a combined 10,000 in the week ended June 21. Of the 415,000, 58 percent were digital downloads.

The 415,000 albums sold last week represent nearly 40 percent more than sales of Jackson's catalog during the entire year up through June 21 (297,000).

On the Top Digital Albums chart, Jackson has a record six out of the top 10 slots, including the top four. "The Essential Michael Jackson" leads the Top Digital Albums list with 80,000 downloads sold, while "Thriller" is No. 2 with 57,000.

With the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." moving back to the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 chart with 88,000, this week marks the first time that a catalog album has sold more than the No. 1 current set on the Billboard 200 albums chart. (All three of Jackson's top sellers on the Pop Catalog chart outsell "The E.N.D.")

It's a feat that Jackson himself almost achieved when he reissued "Thriller" in February 2008. The set relaunched with 166,000, re-entering at No. 1 on the Top Pop Catalog chart. That week, Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" led the Billboard 200 chart with 180,000 while Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" was at No. 2 with 115,000.

Catalog albums are ineligible to appear on the Billboard 200 albums chart, but they can chart on the all-encompassing Top Comprehensive Albums list. On the latter chart, Jackson's "Number Ones," "Essential" and "Thriller" are at Nos. 1-3, followed by the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." at No. 4.

NEW DIGITAL RECORD

Jackson places a record 25 songs on the 75-position Hot Digital Songs chart (21 solo hits and four with his siblings), smashing the mark of 14 charting titles established by David Cook in June 2008. Jackson's Halloween radio staple, "Thriller," moves 167,000, which is good for second place on the chart behind the 203,000 shifted by the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling."

"Thriller" was also Jackson's best digital seller in the week before his death, with 5,000 downloads, which translates to a 3,551 percent jump. Jackson's total volume of downloads this week -- including his tracks with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons -- account for 2.6 million downloads, a remarkable number considering that last week's cumulative sum was 48,000. Moreover, Jackson becomes the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week.

Besides "Thriller," Jackson places five other songs in the top 10 including "Man in the Mirror" (No. 3, 165,000), "Billie Jean" (No. 4, 158,000), "The Way You Make Me Feel" (No. 6, 136,000), "Beat It" (No. 7, 134,000) and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (No. 8, 125,000).

Not surprisingly, each of the Jackson tracks in the top 10 of Hot Digital Songs was among the top 10 most-played Jackson selections on radio after his passing. According to research provided by Nielsen BDS of monitored airplay from more than 1,600 terrestrial and satellite radio stations and cable music channels, "Billie Jean" was the Jackson track with the most spins for the week ended June 28, with 4,540 -- 97 percent of which occurred after news of his death became public. The track posted only 318 plays in the previous week.

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)

Quote from: Phillip V on July 01, 2009, 01:00:11 PM
Fuck. I am trying to learn to sing Jackson's songs now, but it is going to take me months to train my voice to go that high without lapsing into falsetto.

Quote from: The Brain on July 01, 2009, 01:39:26 PM

Quote from: Phillip V on July 01, 2009, 01:00:11 PM
Fuck. I am trying to learn to sing Jackson's songs now, but it is going to take me months to train my voice to go that high without lapsing into falsetto.

What about DADT?

Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 01, 2009, 09:09:48 AM

Quote from: Martinus on July 01, 2009, 01:45:02 AM

Quote from: jimmy olsen on June 29, 2009, 09:39:28 PM
Supposedly Jackson left his kids a catalog of 200 unreleased songs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31628166/ns/entertainment-gossip/

:lol:

This could be such a clever stunt. "Shit, we have no money. The guy was totally penniless. Ok, let's write 200 songs and pretend they were his."

Lots of dead musicians have released music after they've passed. When they say he left 200 songs, that doesn't mean he left 200 sets of lyrics, they mean actual recordings. There's no way they could fake his voice.

Quote from: Tonitrus on July 01, 2009, 03:02:14 PM
Hell, I think JRR Tolkein released more books after he was dead.

Quote from: Tonitrus on July 01, 2009, 03:02:14 PM
Hell, I think JRR Tolkein released more books after he was dead.

Quote from: Phillip V on July 02, 2009, 06:23:52 PM
Don't you get an old man voice by the time you are 50?

Quote from: Tonitrus on July 02, 2009, 06:19:29 PM
A picture of MJ they have on CC, 2 days before his death.

He looks like one of the aliens from "They Live".

(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi2.cdn.turner.com%2Fcnn%2F2009%2FSHOWBIZ%2FMusic%2F07%2F02%2Fjackson.wrap%2Fart.jackson.aeg.jpg&hash=38d1f118240d2f60ed4f29aac816fe0b2a85e54a)

Quote from: Razgovory on July 03, 2009, 04:27:58 AM
I thought he looked like skeleton.

Quote from: Razgovory on July 03, 2009, 04:27:58 AM

Quote from: Tonitrus on July 02, 2009, 06:19:29 PM
A picture of MJ they have on CC, 2 days before his death.

He looks like one of the aliens from "They Live".

(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi2.cdn.turner.com%2Fcnn%2F2009%2FSHOWBIZ%2FMusic%2F07%2F02%2Fjackson.wrap%2Fart.jackson.aeg.jpg&hash=38d1f118240d2f60ed4f29aac816fe0b2a85e54a)

I thought he looked like skeleton.

Quote from: Liep on July 03, 2009, 04:16:54 AM
http://politiken.tv/nyheder/kultur/article745553.ece - recordings from his last practice show. Voice sounds okay, dancing looks a little tired.

Quote from: DisturbedPervert on July 05, 2009, 09:23:42 AM
Even Hitler is upset at the death of Jacko

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELyTBXzfQJ8

Quote from: DisturbedPervert on July 05, 2009, 09:23:42 AM
Even Hitler is upset at the death of Jacko

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELyTBXzfQJ8

Quote from: The Brain on July 05, 2009, 09:34:09 AM
That scene just won't get old.

Quote from: grumbler on July 05, 2009, 03:57:25 PM
but there hasn't been a funny one since the Dallas Cowboys schtick.