Family call for second Jackson post mortem as world mourns

A SECOND post-mortem examination of Michael Jackson's body was reported to have been ordered last night, following a request from his grieving family.

Los Angeles County Coroner's Department lieutenant Brian Elias said: "My understanding is that they have requested a second autopsy. The body is in a mortuary and if they want to proceed with a separate autopsy, it is up to them."

The first official examination was completed on Friday, revealing no suspicious circumstances, and the body was released to his family. They are believed to be angry and frustrated over unanswered questions surrounding the 50-year-old star's death.

Family friend Rev Jesse Jackson is reported to have encouraged the family lawyer to press for the Jacksons to order their own independent tests.

Mr Jackson said the family also wanted the singer's personal physician, Dr ConradMurray, who was living with him, to fill in the missing hours between the time when Jackson went to bed to his being discovered unconscious.

He said: "Michael was in good shape, he was in good health, practising three to four hours a day. There is a gap between him going to bed and the next day when we got a call that he was not breathing. All we know is that something happened to Michael with the doctor present. How long had he stopped breathing, how long was he unconscious?"

The Jackson family were yesterday gathered at their home in Encino, Los Angeles, to discuss funeral arrangements and care for the pop legend's three children.

They are reported to be searching for answers about the singer's last days, amid reports that he received a shot of the powerful painkiller Demerol shortly before his death from a heart attack on Thursday and claims that he was regularly taking a cocktail of prescription drugs.

So far it has been revealed only that Jackson went into cardiac arrest at his home and was taken to the UCLA Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead.

A recording of the 911 emergency call showed the singer was not breathing or responding to CPR when the alarm was raised. The caller said he needed help "as soon as possible" and only the star's personal physician was with him when he fell ill.

Last night, Jackson's former nanny, Grace Rwaramba, 42, claimed she regularly had to pump his stomach to remove dangerous mixtures of drugs.

Rwaramba, who is expected to be interviewed by detectives about whether she helped administer the drugs, said: "I had to pump his stomach many times. He always mixed so much of it. There was one period that it was so bad that I didn't let the children see him. He always ate too little and mixed too much."

The nanny says she once called in the singer's mother, Katherine, and sister, Janet, to attempt an "intervention", trying to persuade the singer to come to terms with his addiction. Instead Jackson turned on her, accusing her of betraying him. "He didn't want to listen; that was one of the times he let me go," she said.

It was also reported last night that Jackson's family were so worried about his addiction to powerful painkillers that they considered forcibly admitting him to a rehabilitation clinic just two weeks before he died.

The plan – which would have involved psychiatrists trying to convince a judge he was a danger to himself and others – was abandoned only because of Jackson's resistance, and the overwhelming pressure to fulfil his upcoming concert commitments in London.

Instead, he agreed to consult a therapist and to allow a "sober coach" to accompany him to Britain, to stay with him constantly to try to wean him off drugs.

Yesterday, thousands of fans continued to hold vigils and dedicated tributes to the US performer in countries around the world. The megastar singer is expected to posthumously regain his crown as the King of Pop today with his greatest hits almost certain to top the charts.

Sales and downloads of the Jackson's albums and tracks have soared since the his death. Music officials have confirmed that his CD Number Ones is on its way to the top spot in the UK albums chart.

The Official Charts Company also predicted that "up to half a dozen" of his other albums will be catapulted into the Top 75.

Jackson is also likely to feature in the singles chart as fans pay tribute by downloading tracks from his back catalogue.

Sony Music has confirmed it is to rush-release a five-album tribute set containing Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous and Invincible.

Meanwhile, Jackson's body was released to his family early yesterday. Coroner's officials have said that there are no outward signs of trauma to the body nor any evidence of foul play.

LA County assistant coroner Ed Winter said: "His remains have been taken to an undisclosed location at the request of his family. We're still waiting on the toxicology reports and the completion of other reports."

The initial post-mortem examination showed no suspicious circumstances, but coroners have deferred releasing the cause of death. Coroner's Office spokesman Craig Harvey said exhaustive toxicology tests would take "approximately four to six weeks to complete".

Jackson's relatives are discussing funeral arrangements. A source said: "The family is still trying to determine what kind of memorial to have for Jackson and when, and are debating between the idea of having a private ceremony or a grand celebration open to the public."

The singer was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, but before his death, there were reports he had secretly converted to Islam.

According to Muslim funeral custom the body is usually buried within days of the death. The future care arrangements for his children were also under discussion. Michael Jr, 12, known as Prince; Paris, 11; and Prince Michael II, 7, are currently being looked after by their grandmother, Katherine.

Police are investigating claims that Jackson, under increasing pressure to prepare for a series of gruelling farewell concerts in London next month, received a pain-killing injection just before he died.

Dr Murray, a cardiologist, was contacted by officers after it was revealed he was with the singer when he collapsed at his rented LA mansion, but did not sign a death certificate and was attempting to revive him while an ambulance was called.

Murray is at the centre of a police inquiry amid claims that Jackson had been receiving daily injections of Demerol, a synthetic narcotic similar to morphine. It has also been reported that the singer was taking a cocktail of other drugs, including sedatives, anti– depressants, muscle relaxants and heartburn remedies.

Detectives seized a car belonging to the medic, but police stressed he had been co-operative and do not consider him to be a criminal suspect.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that the biological mother of the singer's two eldest children is preparing to battle the singer's 79-year-old mother for custody. Former nurse Debbie Rowe gave away her parental rights in exchange for a £4.2m pay-off ten years ago, but it is claimed she told friends she would fight "tooth and nail" for their return.

Rowe has seen her son Prince and daughter Paris, who were conceived through artificial insemination, only intermittently, but believes she is more equipped to care for them than Katherine Jackson.

The 50-year-old is also expected to try to seek custody of Jackson's third child, Prince Michael II, even though the seven-year-old was conceived by a mystery surrogate mother.

It has also been claimed that the star's creditors will be preparing to fight for a share of his multi-million-dollar estate.

Despite reports that his finances were in a parlous state as his album sales slumped, Mark Stephens of Finer Stephens Innocent said there will be enough money to pay off Jackson's debts and leave a "sizeable chunk" for his children.