While the media’s treatment of Michael Jackson in the first 24 hours after his shocking death last week was largely reverential (aside from anything coming out of Maureen Orth, that is), things took a turn for the ugly over the weekend, just as Liza Minnelli had predicted. As you might expect, the Fleet Street tabloids were the epicenter of Jackson-related stories and rumors; at least one story that made the rounds yesterday has already mysteriously been pulled from the originating source’s website. That said, we’ve pulled together a quick roundup of the latest Jackson news for you, all of which should be taken with a grain — if not an entire shaker’s worth — of salt.
• Michael Jackson’s autopsy results were harrowing, to say the least. Jackson weighed approximately 112 pounds at the time of his death, and his body was described as being “severely emaciated.” Additionally, he had also lost almost all of his hair and “little more than ‘peach fuzz’ covered his scalp”; he was wearing a wig at the time of his death. It also appears that during the frantic moments before the ambulance arrived at his home, he received up to four adrenaline shots into his heart. [Sun UK] Update: TMZ is now reporting that the autopsy report being relayed by the Sun is “fabricated and completely false.” No further explanation at the moment.
• Speaking of autopsies, Jackson’s family ordered a private physician to complete a second autopsy. It is thought that they might be preparing for a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Dr. Conrad Murray. [LA Now/LAT]
• Speaking of Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s personal physician, he was located late on Friday afternoon and spoke to police over the weekend. He is no longer being considered a suspect in MJ’s death. [TMZ]
• Grace Rwaramba, a nanny who served under Jackson’s employ for seventeen years, says she had to repeatedly pump his stomach over the years because of issues that arose when he had too many prescription drugs in his system. She also claims that the Nation of Islam was renting the home where Michael Jackson spent his final months to him for £60,000 a month, a home that supposedly had a market value of more like £15,000 a month. Lastly, she says that Michael Jackson signed the contracts for his O2 residency thinking he was only performing 10 shows, not 50. [Daily Mail]
• Celebrity biographer Ian Halperin, best known for the exposés he’s written on Scientology, wrote a shocking piece for the Daily Mail that corroborates Rwaramba’s claim that Jackson initially thought he was signing on to perform only ten comeback concert dates. He also writes that Jackson could barely speak, let alone sing, because of a genetic condition that affected his lungs. His most shocking claim — aside from one that Jackson would rendezvous with one of his male lovers at a “grungy, rat-infested motel” — is that his grueling preparation for the concerts is ultimately what killed him. [Daily Mail]
• Michael Jackson rehearsed at the Staples Center on the night before his death. His performance was “recorded in multi-camera, high-definition video and multi-track audio,” and AEG officials are reportedly considering releasing the footage as Jackson’s final album. [Wrap]
