Jackson family breaks its silence
Published Monday June 29th, 2009
Interview Father says he doubts stress of upcoming London concerts contributed to Michael Jackson's death
LOS ANGELES - The father of Michael Jackson says he does not believe stress over the intense series of concerts the King of Pop planned for his comeback led to his death.
Joe Jackson also said in an interview airing Sunday that he believes his son will be larger in death than he was in life.
The patriarch of the Jackson 5 said he wished Michael Jackson were around to see the outpouring of affection since his death.
"Michael was the biggest superstar in the world and in history," Joe Jackson told Fox News Channel's Geraldo at Large.
"He was loved by everybody, whether poor or wealthy or whatever may be."
Michael Jackson was to begin a strenuous series of 50 concerts in London in July.
Three days after the pop icon died, celebrities descended on Los Angeles for what promised to be a spectacular celebration of Jackson's life at the annual BET awards show.
Media requests for the Sunday night show doubled following the death, and the red carpet was lengthened.
Previously announced performers including Beyonce and Ne-Yo, were working to overhaul performances they had planned for weeks so they could honour Jackson. Other stars who had not planned to attend, including Usher and Justin Timberlake, tried to catch last-minute flights, producers said.
Meanwhile, Jackson's mother selected a lawyer who represented Jackson last year in a breach-of-contract suit and has advised other high-profile clients to help the family, said a person who requested anonymity because the matter is private.
The legal move came as Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights leader, revealed that Michael Jackson's family wants a second, private autopsy of the pop superstar because of unanswered questions about how he died.
"It's abnormal," Jesse Jackson said from Chicago a day after visiting the Jackson family.
"We don't know what happened. Was he injected and with what?
"All reasonable doubt should be addressed."
People close to Jackson have said since his death that they were concerned about his use of painkillers.
Los Angeles County medical examiners completed their autopsy Friday and said Jackson had taken prescription medication.
Medical officials also said there was no indication of trauma or foul play.
An official cause of death could take weeks to determine.
There was no word from the Jackson family on funeral plans.
It remains unclear whom Jackson designated as potential guardians for his children.
Those details, likely contained in the 50-year-old singer's will, have not been released.
A lawyer for Deborah Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, issued a statement Saturday asking that the Jackson family "be able to say goodbye to their loved one in peace."
A White House adviser said on NBC television's Meet the Press that President Barack Obama had written to the Jackson family to express his condolences.
White House aides said there are no plans to release the letter to the public.
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
