On June 25, 2009, American singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

died of acute propofol and

benzodiazepine Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), sometimes called "benzos", are a class of depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, i ...

intoxication at his home on North Carolwood Drive in the

Holmby Hills Holmby Hills is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. The neighborhood was developed in the early twentieth century by the Janss Investment Company, which developed the rest of Westwood as well as other Los An ...

neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His physician, Conrad Murray, said that he found Jackson in his room not breathing and with a weak pulse; he administered

cardiopulmonary resuscitation Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spont ...

(CPR) to no avail, and security called

9-1-1 , usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency nu ...

at 12:21 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time ( UTC–7). Paramedics treated Jackson at the scene, but he was pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. On August 28, 2009, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner concluded that Jackson's death was a homicide. Jackson had been administered propofol and anti-anxiety benzodiazepines

lorazepam Lorazepam, sold under the brand name Ativan among others, is a benzodiazepine medication. It is used to treat anxiety disorders, trouble sleeping, severe agitation, active seizures including status epilepticus, alcohol withdrawal, and chemot ...

and midazolam by his doctor. Murray was

convicted In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which is cons ...

of involuntary manslaughter in November 2011, and was released in 2013 after serving two years of his four-year prison sentence with time off for good behavior. At the time of his death, Jackson had been preparing for a series of comeback concerts, This Is It, due to begin in July 2009 in London. His death triggered reactions around the world, creating unprecedented surges of Internet traffic and a spike in sales of his music. A televised memorial service, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, was viewed by an estimated 2.5 billion people globally. In 2010,

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

signed a US$250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings up until 2017 and to release seven posthumous albums over the following decade.

Circumstances

At the time of his death, Michael Jackson was preparing for a series of comeback concerts, This Is It, due to begin in July 2009 at London's

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena (London) *O2 Arena (Prague) *The 3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decemb ...

. On June 24, Jackson arrived for rehearsal at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, at around 6:30 p.m. According to the magician

Ed Alonzo Ed Alonzo (born July 26, 1968) is an American comedian, actor, and professional magician. Acting career Alonzo had roles on ''Saved by the Bell'' (20 episodes between 1989–1990), ''Head of the Class'' and '' Totally Hidden Video''. He also ha ...

, Jackson jokingly complained of

laryngitis Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under two weeks. Laryngitis is categorised ...

and did not rehearse until 9 pm. "He looked great and had great energy," Alonzo said. The rehearsal went past midnight.Lee, Chris, and Ryan, Harriet
Michael Jackson's last rehearsal: just beaming with gladness
'' Los Angeles Times'', June 27, 2009. Jackson returned to his home at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the

neighborhood around 12:30 AM the following morning and retired to bed one hour later. Jackson had long suffered from insomnia, and had a history of using drugs in an attempt to help him sleep. Jackson's physician Conrad Murray was present to help Jackson sleep and gave him various drugs including diazepam, ativan,

and midazolam while monitoring him by his bedside. After several hours and several drug injections, Jackson was still unable to fall asleep, and, according to Murray, was repeatedly asking him for "milk", a term for the powerful sedative propofol, which Jackson had used in the past as a sleep aid. At 10:40 AM, with Jackson still not asleep, Murray relented to his requests and injected him with 25 milligrams of propofol diluted with

lidocaine Lidocaine, also known as lignocaine and sold under the brand name Xylocaine among others, is a local anesthetic of the amino amide type. It is also used to treat ventricular tachycardia. When used for local anaesthesia or in nerve blocks, lidoc ...

. With Jackson finally asleep, Murray testified that he left his bedside to go to the bathroom, and after returning two minutes later, discovered that Jackson was not breathing and had a weak pulse. Murray testified that he tried to revive Jackson for around ten minutes by performing

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spont ...

and administering

flumazenil Flumazenil (also known as flumazepil, code name Ro 15-1788) is a selective GABAA receptor antagonist administered via injection, otic insertion, or intranasally. Therapeutically, it acts as both an antagonist and antidote to benzodiazepines ( ...

, a drug used to counteract sedative overdose, after which he called for help from staff present in the house. Statements described Murray using a non-standard CPR technique on Jackson. The recording of the emergency call was released on June 26, one day after Jackson's death, and it described Murray administering CPR on a bed, not on a hard surface such as a floor which would be standard practice.Gumbel, Andrew
Michael Jackson doctor hires lawyer as family hires pathologist
''The Guardian'', June 28, 2009.
''The Telegraph'', June 26, 2009. Murray said that he placed one hand underneath Jackson and used the other for chest compression, whereas standard practice is to use both hands for compression.Lang, Anne, and Jones, Oliver

, ''People'', June 29, 2009.Childs, Dan; Schlief, Michelle
Could Better CPR Have Saved Michael Jackson?
ABC News, June 30, 2009. Murray controversially did not call 911, claiming that he was hindered because there was no landline telephone in the house and because he did not know the house's exact address.Chernoff, Ed., ''The Situation Room'', CNN, June 29, 2009
Transcript
/ref> It was later discovered that Murray had made several private calls on his cell phone in the hour after discovering Jackson's state which he did not inform law enforcement about. A security guard eventually called 911 at 12:21 pm, nearly an hour and a half after Jackson was first discovered not breathing. Paramedics reached Jackson at 12:26 p.m. and found that he was not breathing and had no pulse.Blankstein, Andrew, and Willon, Phil
Michael Jackson dead at 50
, ''Los Angeles Times'', June 25, 2009.Rayner, Gordon and Singh, Anita

''The Telegraph'', June 26, 2009. Paramedics performed CPR for 42 minutes at the house.Ruda, Steve
Paramedic on Jackson 911 call
''BBC News'', June 25, 2009. Murray's attorney stated that Jackson had a pulse when he was taken out of the house and put in the ambulance. An LAFD official gave a different account, stating that paramedics found Jackson in "full

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possi ...

", and that they did not observe a change in his status en route to the hospital.Eckstein, Marc
Michael Jackson EMS Response Details Emerge
, ''JEMS (Journal of Emergency Medical Services)'', June 26, 2009. LAFD transported him to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The ambulance arrived at the hospital at approximately 1:14 pm, and a team of medical personnel attempted to resuscitate him for more than an hour. They were unsuccessful, and Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm at age 50.McGevna, Allison
Tape of 911 Call Released as Michael Jackson Autopsy Under Way
, Fox News, June 26, 2009.Harvey, Michael
Fans mourn artist for whom it didn't matter if you were black or white
'' The Times'', June 26, 2009.Tourtellotte, Bob
King of Pop Michael Jackson is dead: official
Reuters, June 25, 2009.

Investigation

Autopsies

Jackson's body was flown by helicopter to the Los Angeles County Coroner's offices in Lincoln Heights, where a three-hour

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any dis ...

was performed the next day (June 26) on behalf of the

Los Angeles County Coroner The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner (formerly the Department of Coroner) was created in its present form in Boyle Heights on December 17, 1920 by an ordinance approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, al ...

by the chief medical examiner Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran. Jackson's family arranged for a second autopsy, a practice that could yield expedited, albeit limited, results. After the preliminary autopsy was completed, Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the coroner's office, said there was no evidence of trauma or foul play. On August 28, 2009, the Los Angeles County coroner classified Jackson's death as a homicide, determining that Jackson died from

combined drug intoxication Combined drug intoxication (CDI), or multiple drug intake (MDI), is a cause of death by drug overdose from poly drug use, often implicated in polysubstance dependence. Deaths by combined drug intoxication are relatively rare (one in several mi ...

, with the most significant drugs being the

anesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two ...

propofol and the

anxiolytic An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or antianxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxi ...

, and less significant drugs found in Jackson's body being midazolam, diazepam,

, and ephedrine. The coroner kept the complete toxicology report private, as requested by the police and district attorney. The autopsy report revealed that Jackson was otherwise healthy for his age (age 50) and that his heart was strong; his most significant health problem was that his lungs were chronically inflamed, but this did not contribute to his death. His other major organs were normal and he had no

atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis in which the wall of the artery develops abnormalities, called lesions. These lesions may lead to narrowing due to the buildup of atheromatous plaque. At onset there are usually no ...

except for some slight plaque accumulation in the arteries in his leg. Associated Press stated that his weight was in the acceptable range.

Law enforcement agencies

Jackson's death was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)Esposito, Richard
"Police say Michael Jackson 'heavily addicted' to Oxycontin"
''ABC News'': June 26, 2009. and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the latter agency had the authority to investigate issues otherwise protected by doctor-patient confidentiality, allowing it to trace the complex trail of prescription drugs supplied to Jackson.Griffin, Drew.

Anderson Cooper 360° ''Anderson Cooper 360°'' (commonly shortened to either ''AC-360'' or ''360'') is an American television news show on CNN and CNN International, hosted by CNN journalist and news anchor Anderson Cooper. Since May 20, 2019, ''360°'' has been br ...

, CNN, July 1, 2009
Transcript
/ref> On August 28, 2009, LAPD announced that the case would be referred to prosecutors. Because the LAPD did not secure Jackson's home and allowed the Jackson family access to it as well before returning to remove certain items, the department raised concerns by some observers that the chain of custody had been broken.Deutsch, Linda and Thomas Watkins
"LAPD under scrutiny in Jackson death"
''

AOL AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...

News'': July 3, 2009. The police maintained that they had followed protocol. California Attorney General

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of St ...

announced that his office was helping the LAPD and DEA to create a statewide database of all medical doctors and prescriptions filled. The LAPD subpoenaed medical records from doctors who had treated Jackson. Police considered, but did not bring, homicide charges against those who had supplied drugs to Jackson.Bone, James
Jackson death may have been 'homicide', says police chief
''The Times'', July 10, 2009.Leonard, Jack, and Ryan, Harriet
Murder charges in Michael Jackson case are unlikely, source says
''Los Angeles Times'', July 19, 2009.

Drug-use allegations

Marc Schaffel, Jackson's former video producer, said that the singer had used propofol,

alprazolam Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of medium duration in the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It is most commonly u ...

(an antianxiety agent) and sertraline (an antidepressant).James, Susan Donaldson
Friend Says Michael Jackson Battled Demerol Addiction
ABC News, June 26, 2009. Other drugs included

omeprazole Omeprazole, sold under the brand names Prilosec and Losec, among others, is a medication used in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease, and Zollinger–Ellison syndrome. It is also used to prevent upper g ...

, hydrocodone, paroxetine,

carisoprodol Carisoprodol, sold under the brand name Soma among others, is a medication used for musculoskeletal pain. Use is only approved for up to three weeks. Effects generally begin within half an hour and last for up to six hours. It is taken orally. ...

, and hydromorphone. After his death, police found several drugs in his home, which included propofol. Some of these drugs had labels made out to false names, and others were unlabeled. A 2004 police document prepared for the 2005 '' People v. Jackson'' child abuse trial said that Jackson was taking up to 40 alprazolam pills a night. Alprazolam was not found in his bloodstream at the time of death. Jackson's friend Dr. A. J. Farshchian stated that Jackson was scared of drugs. Eugene Aksenoff is a Tokyo-based physician who had treated Jackson and his children on a few occasions, and he expressed concern about Jackson's use of various drugs. He said that Jackson asked for stimulants so that he could get through some demanding performances, but he said that he refused to prescribe them. He recalled that Jackson had chronic fatigue, fever, insomnia, and other symptoms, and he took a large amount of drugs. He suspected that one of the major factors causing these symptoms was excessive use of steroids or other skin-whitening medications. Janet Jackson claimed that the Jackson family tried to stage an intervention in early 2007 when Jackson was living in Las Vegas. She and some of her brothers allegedly traveled to his home but were turned away by security guards who were ordered not to let them in. He was also rumored to have refused calls from his mother. However, the family denied that they had tried to intervene.

Propofol

Of all the drugs found in Jackson's home, the one that most concerned investigators was propofol (Diprivan), a powerful anesthetic administered intravenously in hospitals to induce and maintain

anesthesia Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), a ...

during surgery. Nicknamed "milk of

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use o ...

" because of its opaque, milk-like appearance (and a play on the words "

milk of magnesia Magnesium hydroxide is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Mg(OH)2. It occurs in nature as the mineral brucite. It is a white solid with low solubility in water (). Magnesium hydroxide is a common component of antacids, such as milk ...

"), the drug has been associated with cardiac arrest, but it still may be increasingly used off-label for

and other medically unsubstantiated purposes. Several propofol bottles, some empty, some full, were found in Jackson's home. On June 30, Cherilyn Lee, a nurse who had worked as Jackson's nutritionist, said that he had asked her in May to provide propofol to help him sleep, but she refused. He told her he had been given the drug before for persistent insomnia, and that a doctor had said it was safe. Lee said she received a telephone call from an aide to Jackson on June 21 to say that Jackson was ill, although she no longer worked for him. She reported overhearing Jackson complain that one side of his body was hot, the other side cold. She advised the aide to send Jackson to a hospital. Arnold Klein said that Jackson used an anesthesiologist to administer propofol to help him sleep while he was on tour in Germany. The anesthesiologist would "take him down" at night and "bring him back up" in the morning during the

HIStory tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spannin ...

of 1996 and 1997.

Medical professionals

The DEA focused on at least five doctors who prescribed drugs to Jackson, trying to determine whether they had had a "face to face" relationship with him and whether they had made legally required diagnoses. At least nine doctors were under investigation.At Least Nine Doctors Who Treated Michael Jackson Under Investigation
, Fox News Channel, July 15, 2009. The police wanted to question 30 doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, including Arnold Klein. Klein said that he occasionally had given Jackson

pethidine Pethidine, also known as meperidine and sold under the brand name Demerol among others, is a synthetic opioid pain medication of the phenylpiperidine class. Synthesized in 1938 as a potential anticholinergic agent by the German chemist Otto Eisl ...

to sedate him, but had administered nothing stronger and that he had turned his records over to the medical examiner.Klein, Arnold. Larry King Live, CNN, July 8, 2009
Transcript
/ref>

Personal physician

Cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart ...

Conrad Murray joined Jackson's camp in May 2009 as part of Jackson's agreement with

AEG Live Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, AEG ...

, the promoter of his London concerts. Murray first met Jackson in Las Vegas when he treated one of Jackson's children. AEG Live said Jackson insisted the company hire Murray to accompany him to England. During Murray's trial it emerged that AEG employed Murray and that Jackson did not sign the contract for the above-cited employment either. Murray said through his attorney that he did not prescribe or administer pethidine or oxycodone to Jackson, but did not say what, if anything, he did prescribe or administer. Los Angeles police said Murray spoke to officers immediately after Jackson's death, and during an extensive interview two days later. They stressed that they found "no red flag" and did not suspect foul play. On June 26, police towed away a car used by Murray, stating that it might contain medication or other evidence. The police released the car five days later. Politician and minister Jesse Jackson, a friend of Michael Jackson's family, said that the family was concerned about Murray's role. "They have good reason to be ... he left the scene."Harris, Paul
Michael Jackson's family 'ask for second autopsy'
''The Observer'', June 28, 2009. Over the next few weeks, law enforcement grew increasingly concerned about Murray, and on July 22 detectives searched Murray's medical office and storage unit in Houston, removing items such as a computer and two hard drives, contact lists and a hospital suspension notice.Items taken from Michael Jackson's doctor's buildings listed

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...

, July 23, 2009. On the 27th, an anonymous source reported that Murray had administered propofol within 24 hours of Jackson's death.Police search Jackson doctor's home, office
CNN. July 28, 2009. Investigators had searched Murray's home and office in Las Vegas,Feds Raid Michael Jackson's Doctor Conrad Murray's Home and Office
'' Nightline'', July 28, 2009 as well as a Las Vegas pharmacy.Friess, Stev
New Raid in Inquiry on Jackson
'' The New York Times'', August 11, 2009 Jackson paid Murray $150,000 a month. On February 8, 2010, Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Los Angeles. Murray pleaded not guilty and was released after posting US$75,000 bail. Shortly thereafter, the California Medical Board issued an order preventing Murray from administering heavy sedatives. On January 11, 2011, the judge from Murray's preliminary hearing determined that Murray should stand trial for involuntary manslaughter in the Jackson case. The judge also suspended Murray's license to practice medicine in California. After several delays, the

jury trial A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significant ...

began on September 27, 2011. On November 7, 2011, Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and he was held without bail to await sentencing. On November 29, 2011, Murray received the maximum sentence of four years in prison. Murray was released on October 28, 2013, due to California prison overcrowding and good behavior.

Health

Stacy Brown, a biographer, said Jackson had become "very frail, totally, totally underweight", and that his family had been worried about him. Another biographer,

J. Randy Taraborrelli John Randall Anthony Taraborrelli is an American journalist and celebrity biographer. Taraborrelli is known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures such as Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Mad ...

, said Jackson had been addicted to painkillers on and off for decades.

Arnold Klein Arnold William Klein (February 27, 1945 – October 22, 2015) was an American dermatologist. In the infancy of the AIDS epidemic, Klein became one of the first doctors in Los Angeles to diagnose a case of Kaposi's sarcoma in a young patient. He ...

, Jackson's dermatologist, confirmed that Jackson misused prescription drugs, and that Klein had diagnosed Jackson with vitiligo and lupus. However, Klein said when he saw Jackson at his office three days before his death, he "was in very good physical condition. He was dancing for my patients. He was very mentally aware when we saw him and he was in a very good mood."

Family and legal affairs

Family reaction

The Jackson family released a statement following the death: La Toya believed her brother "was murdered for his music catalogue". Shortly after Jackson's death, his family raised questions about the role of

, the '' This Is It'' concert promoter, in the last few weeks of his life. Joseph, Michael's father, filed a complaint with the California Medical Board alleging that AEG Live was illegally practicing medicine by demanding that Murray get Jackson off various medications. The complaint also alleged that AEG Live failed to provide the resuscitation equipment and nurse which Murray had requested. AEG spokesman Michael Roth declined to comment on the complaint. After Murray pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge, several members of the Jackson family said they felt he deserved a more severe charge. On June 25, 2010, Joseph filed a

wrongful death Wrongful death claim is a claim against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as enumerated by statute. In wrongful death cases, survivors are compensated for the harm, l ...

lawsuit against Murray. The lawsuit alleged that Murray repeatedly lied to cover up his use of propofol, did not keep sufficient medical records and was negligent in his use of medications on Jackson. Murray's civil attorney, Charles Peckham, denied that Murray gave Jackson anything life-threatening. On August 15, 2012, Joseph dropped his wrongful death lawsuit against Murray. Michael Jackson's family praised the guilty verdict against Murray. In 2017,

Paris Jackson Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (born April 3, 1998) is an American model, actress, and singer. She is the second child and only daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe. In 2020, Jackson signed a deal with Republic Records. Her first sing ...

stated that she was "absolutely" convinced that her father had been murdered. In 2010, Jackson's three children and his mother sued Jackson's concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc. (AEG) and its subsidiaries and principals, alleging that AEG had negligently hired the doctor. In 2013, following a 21-week trial in Los Angeles, the jury rendered a verdict in AEG's favor, finding that AEG had no reason to know that Murray would be "unfit or incompetent to perform the work for which he was hired" and therefore was not

negligent Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...

Estate

Jackson's last will was filed by an attorney

John Branca John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

at the

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

courthouse on July 1, 2009. Signed July 7, 2002, it names Branca and accountant John McClain as executors; they were confirmed as such by a Los Angeles judge on July 6, 2009. All assets are given to the (pre-existing) Michael Jackson Family Trust (amended March 22, 2002),Garber, Julie
"Michael Jackson's Will vs. the Michael Jackson Family Trust"
''about.com'', July 6, 2009. the details of which have not been made public. The Associated Press reports that, in 2007, Jackson had a net worth of $236.6 million: $567.6 million in assets, which included

Neverland Ranch Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch"Neverland Never More"
, by William Etling (author ...

and his 50% share of Sony/ATV Music Publishing' catalogue, and debts of $331 million.MacAskill, Ewen
Jackson's body to be put on public display at Neverland
''The Guardian'', July 1, 2009. The guardianship of his three children is given to his mother, Katherine, or if she is unable or unwilling, to singer

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

. Jackson's will allocates 20% of his fortune as well as 20% of money made after death to unspecified charities. Media reports suggested that the settlement of Jackson's estate could last many years.Brown, David and Lewis, Leo
Michael Jackson: finances will take years to unwind
''The Times'', June 27, 2009. The value of Sony/ATV Music Publishing is estimated by Ryan Schinman, chief of Platinum Rye, to be US$1.5 billion. Shinman's estimate makes Jackson's share of Sony/ATV worth $750 million, from which Jackson would have had an annual income of $80 million. In September 2016, a deal was finalized for Sony's acquisition of Jackson's share of Sony/ATV from the Jackson estate for $750 million.Ed Christman

''Billboard'', September 30, 2016.

Public reaction

Media and Internet coverage

Jackson's death was first reported by the Los Angeles-based celebrity news website

TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 2 ...

. Doctors at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center pronounced Jackson dead at 2:26 p.m., and TMZ announced the death 18 minutes later. The '' Los Angeles Times'' confirmed the report at 2:51 p.m. PDT (5:51 p.m. EDT).Rawlinson, Linnie and Nick Hunt
Jackson Dies, almost takes Internet With Him
CNN, June 27, 2009. The news spread quickly online, causing websites to slow down and

crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch ...

from user overload.

and the ''Los Angeles Times'' suffered outages. Google initially believed that the millions of search requests meant their

search engine A search engine is a software system designed to carry out web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information specified in a textual web search query. The search results are generally presented in a ...

was under DDoS attack, and blocked searches related to Michael Jackson for 30 minutes. Twitter reported a crash, as did Wikipedia at PDT (22:15 UTC). The

Wikimedia Foundation The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., or Wikimedia for short and abbreviated as WMF, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California and registered as a charitable foundation under local laws. Best know ...

reported nearly a million visitors to Jackson's biography within one hour, probably the most visitors in a one-hour period to any article in Wikipedia's history up to that point.

AOL Instant Messenger AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) was an instant messaging and presence computer program created by AOL, which used the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. AIM ...

collapsed for 40 minutes. Around 15% of Twitter posts (5,000 tweets per minute) mentioned Jackson after the news broke, compared to the 5% recalled as having mentioned the Iranian elections or the flu pandemic that had made headlines earlier in the year. Overall,

web traffic Web traffic is the data sent and received by visitors to a website. Since the mid-1990s, web traffic has been the largest portion of Internet traffic. Sites monitor the incoming and outgoing traffic to see which parts or pages of their site are ...

ranged from 11% to at least 20% higher than normal.

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and BET aired

marathons The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...

of Jackson's music videos. Specials about Jackson aired on multiple television stations around the world. The British soap opera '' EastEnders'' added a last-minute scene to the June 26 episode, in which the character Denise Johnson discussed the news with Patrick Trueman. Magazines including '' Time'' published commemorative editions. A scene that had featured Jackson's sister La Toya was cut from the film '' Brüno'' out of respect toward Jackson's family. According to an analysis released by the Global Language Monitor (GLM), 72 hours after his death, Jackson became the ninth-most-covered news item in global print and electronic media. For the Internet and social media, Jackson was number two, behind the election of President Barack Obama. Commentators discussed Jackson's work and his "profoundly tragic figure". ''Le Figaro'' columnist Yann Moix said that although Jackson, like his iconic Moonwalk, lived life in reverse, the world at his death shed "identical and universal tears". A Pew Research Center survey found that two-thirds of Americans believed the coverage of Jackson's death was excessive, while 3% felt it was insufficient. In the UK, the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

received over 700 complaints from viewers who thought his death dominated the news. On June 29,

American conservative Conservatism in the United States is a political and social philosophy based on a belief in limited government, individualism, traditionalism, republicanism, and limited federal governmental power in relation to U.S. states. Conservativ ...

commentator Rush Limbaugh said the coverage was a "horrible disgrace" and lent his support to activist-ministers Jesse Jackson and

Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democrati ...

, who were fighting to stem the press' speculation about what caused the death. Other conservatives, including commentator Bill O'Reilly and Congressman

Peter T. King Peter Thomas King (born April 5, 1944) is a former American politician who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he represented a South Shore Long Island district that in ...

, also disapproved the receiving of the media attention about Jackson's death. Meanwhile,

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...

, the President of Venezuela, called the pop star's death some "lamentable news", Associated Press (June 26, 2009)
"Fans around the world mourn Michael Jackson"
'' MSNBC''. Retrieved April 6, 2010. but criticized

for covering the death more heavily than the Honduran coup d'état.''El Universal'', Mexic
"Hugo Chavez Scolds CNN for Coverage of Michael Jackson's Death"
/ref> In 2009, Jackson's family paid social media marketing company uSocial.net to increase the numbers of followers on Jackson's Twitter profile. According to the '' New York Daily News'', uSocial was contracted to deliver 25,000 followers to the account.

Grief

News of Jackson's death triggered an outpouring of grief around the world. Fans gathered outside the UCLA Medical Center,

Neverland Ranch Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch"Neverland Never More"
, by William Etling (author ...

, his

home, the

Hayvenhurst Hayvenhurst is a compound in the Encino neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley in California, United States. It became the home of the Jackson family, including Michael Jackson, who perfected the Moonwalk and recorded demos for the albums ''O ...

Jackson family home in Encino, the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in Ne ...

in New York, and at Hitsville U.S.A., the old Motown headquarters in Detroit where Jackson's career began, now the Motown Museum. Streets around the hospital were blocked off.Coleman, Mark
Michael Jackson is dead: fans mourn outside hospital
''The Daily Telegraph'', June 26, 2009. A small crowd, including the city's mayor, gathered outside Jackson's childhood home in

Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran * Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Uni ...

, where the flag on city hall was flown at half-staff in his honor. Fans in Hollywood initially gathered around the

Walk of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

star of another Michael Jackson, as they were unable to access Jackson's star, which had been temporarily covered by equipment in place for the '' Brüno'' film premiere. Grieving fans and memorial tributes relocated from the talk radio host's star the next day. From

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, and beyond, fans held their own memorial gatherings. U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

sent a letter of condolence to the Jackson family, and the House of Representatives observed a moment of silence. Obama later stated that Jackson "will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers". Former South African President Nelson Mandela said that Jackson's loss would be felt worldwide. In Japan, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Tsutomu Sato told reporters, "I feel sad as I had watched him since he was a member of Jackson Five." Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada credited him with building a generation with his music. Health Minister

Yōichi Masuzoe is a Japanese politician who was elected to the position of governor of Tokyo in 2014 and resigned in June 2016 due to the misuse of public funds. He was previously a member of the Japanese House of Councillors and the Japanese Minister of He ...

called the death an "extremely tragic loss". In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...

's spokesperson said: "This is very sad news for the millions of Michael Jackson fans in Britain and around the world."

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...

opposition leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

David Cameron said: "I know Michael Jackson's fans in Britain and around the world will be sad today. Despite the controversies, he was a legendary entertainer." Russian fans gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to mourn. French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand, said, "We all have a Michael Jackson within."

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

, a long-time friend, said that she could not imagine life without him.Elizabeth Taylor: "I Loved Michael With All My Soul"
'' Us Weekly'', June 26, 2009.

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

told CBS, "When the autopsy comes, all hell's going to break loose, so thank God we're celebrating him now."Gumbel, Andrew
Police focus on doctor who was with Michael Jackson as he died
''The Guardian'', June 27, 2009. His sister La Toya stated that his daughter said he was being overworked. La Toya was quoted as saying, "She said, 'No, you don't understand. They kept working him and Daddy didn't want that, but they worked him constantly'. I felt so bad."

Tributes

On June 30, 2009, U2 while performing their first show of the

U2 360 tour U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pro ...

in Barcelona dedicated the song "

Angel of Harlem "Angel of Harlem" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the tenth track on their 1988 album ''Rattle and Hum'', and was released as its second single in December 1988. It topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand, and peaked at number nine on ...

" to Jackson. U2 vocalist

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

sang verses from " Man in the Mirror" and " Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" at the end of the song. On July 10, 2009, six thousand fans attended a musical tribute in Jackson's hometown of Gary, Indiana. Local performers staged a medley of his songs, and mayor Rudolph M. Clay unveiled a seven-foot memorial to him. Jesse Jackson addressed the crowd, stating, "This is where Michael learned to dance, where he learned to sing, where he learned to sacrifice." The day after Jackson's death, rapper the Game released a tribute song, " Better on the Other Side", produced by DJ Khalil and featuring vocals by Diddy,

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

, Polow da Don, Mario Winans, Usher, and

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

. A variety of other artists recorded tributes, including

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

, Robbie Williams,

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...

and guitarist

Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...

.The Landing Beacon
Buckethead. Retrieved July 6, 2009. On June 26, artists including

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom ...

and Lily Allen paid tribute to Jackson at the UK

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contempo ...

. Allen wore a single white glove (a

signature look Trademark look or signature look is the characteristic clothes or other distinguishing signs used by a certain character or performer, making the person more recognizable by the audience. Politicians may also have trademark signs, such as the sui ...

for Jackson), while the Streets performed a cover of " Billie Jean". Tributes to Jackson at the festival continued over the weekend. On July 5, 2009, Madonna performed a medley of Jackson's songs during her

Sticky & Sweet Tour The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth concert tour by American singer Madonna, to promote her eleventh studio album, ''Hard Candy'' (2008). It was Madonna's first major venture under a new ten-year 360 deal with Live Nation. Following a serie ...

, while a Jackson impersonator performed Jackson's signature dances and photos of Jackson were displayed behind them.

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

performed an extended version of " Halo", dedicating it to Jackson in various shows during her I Am... World Tour.

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey (manager), Phil H ...

covered " Billie Jean" for the remainder of the 2009 shows of their

Viva la Vida Tour The Viva la Vida Tour was the fourth concert tour undertaken by British rock band Coldplay. It was launched in support their fourth studio album, ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008), becoming a massive commercial and critical s ...

Metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typica ...

and hard rock acts who performed Jackson songs in tribute include

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell ( né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. ...

, Steve Vai and

Andy Timmons Andy Timmons (born July 26, 1963) is an American guitarist who has played in the bands Taylor Bay Band, Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, and Andy Timmons Band (ATB). He has also released several solo albums and has worked as a session guitarist. He ...

, Extreme, and

CKY CKY may refer to: *CKY (band), American rock band, formerly "Camp Kill Yourself" ** ''CKY'' (video series), named after the band **CKY crew, people involved in the video series and related projects *CKY-DT, a television station in Winnipeg, Manitob ...

wrote a song entitled " The Homing Beacon", inspired by Jackson's film '' Captain EO''. Statements of tribute came from rock musicians including Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill, Queen guitarist

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury an ...

, members of

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define ...

, former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach,

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

Geoff Tate Geoff Tate (born Jeffrey Wayne Tate, January 14, 1959; he later changed his first name to Geoffery or Geoffrey) (Pp. 11, 48). is an American singer and songwriter. He rose to fame with the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, who had commercial ...

of Queensrÿche, Eddie Van Halen (who worked with Jackson during the recording of ''Thriller'') and Slash (who played guitar on Jackson's single "

Give In to Me "Give In to Me" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson, released as the seventh single from his eight studio album, '' Dangerous'' (1991). Released in February 1993, the song peaked at number one in New Zealand for four consecu ...

"). In October 2013, a tribute album was released featuring current and former members of

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris ...

, Kiss,

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often conside ...

, Testament,

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash (musician), Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, ...

, Fozzy,

Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though th ...

, Dio, Whitesnake, and Mr. Big, among others. Jackson's sister La Toya released her song " Home" on July 28 as a

charity single A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's " Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-ma ...

in her brother's honor. All proceeds were donated to one of Michael's favorite charities. BET's annual 2009 Awards Ceremony aired three days after Jackson's death, on June 28, 2009, and included a tribute to him. Host

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film '' Ray'', for which he won the ...

said, "We want to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us and we shared him with everybody else." The ceremony featured performances of several of Jackson's songs, including pieces from his time with

The Jackson Five The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

and those from his solo career. Joe Jackson and Al Sharpton were in the audience, and Janet Jackson spoke briefly on behalf of the family. The show was the most-watched BET annual awards show in the awards shows history. The day after Jackson's death, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro announced that the city would erect a statue of him in the favela of Dona Marta. Jackson visited the community in 1996 and filmed a music video for " They Don't Care About Us" there. The mayor said that Jackson had helped make the community into "a model for social development". Memorials were held in locations as diverse as Tokyo,Cobo, Leila
Michael Jackson Remains A Global Phenomenon
Billboard, July 2, 2009.

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

and

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world ...

, Azerbaijan. In

Midyat Midyat ( ku, Midyad, Syriac: ܡܕܝܕ ''Mëḏyaḏ'', Turoyo: ''Miḏyoyo'', ar, مديات) is a town in the Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the center of a centuries-old Hurrian town in Upper Mesopotamia. In its long history, the ...

, Turkey, a

Salat al-Janazah ( ar, صلاة الجنازة) is the Islamic funeral prayer; a part of the Islamic funeral ritual. The prayer is performed in congregation to seek pardon for the deceased and all dead Muslims. The is a collective obligation upon Muslims () ...

(Islamic funeral prayer) was performed, and traditional funeral helva distributed. The music video for "

Do the Bartman "Do the Bartman" is a song from the 1990 album '' The Simpsons Sing the Blues'', featuring the voice cast of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It was performed by ''The Simpsons'' cast member Nancy Cartwright (the voice ...

", a ''

Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...

'' song co-written by Jackson, was broadcast ahead of an episode rerun of ''The Simpsons'' on June 28. It featured a title card paying tribute to Jackson. The 1991 ''Simpsons'' episode "

Stark Raving Dad "Stark Raving Dad" is the first episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 19, 1991. In the episode, Homer is sent to a mental ins ...

", which Jackson guest-starred in, was broadcast on Fox on July 5. The episode had been broadcast on the Dutch

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...

the day after his death and was dedicated to Jackson's memory. His 1978 film ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ( ...

'' (in which he co-starred alongside

and Richard Pryor) was briefly rereleased in a rare 35mm format and was shown at the Hollywood Theater in his honor. It was also re-released a week prior to the release of '' Michael Jackson's This Is It'' in select cities. Madonna opened the

2009 MTV Video Music Awards The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year between June 2008 to June 2009, were presented on September 13, 2009, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and televised by MTV. The ceremony was h ...

with a speech about Michael Jackson.

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

made an appearance at the VMAs to pay a musical tribute to her brother and honor his career. He was honored with a posthumous lifetime achievement award during the

52nd Annual Grammy Awards The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Pe ...

on January 31, 2010. Jackson was featured in the 82nd annual Academy Awards ceremony's "In Memoriam" tribute.

Record sales

Jackson's record sales increased dramatically, eightyfold by June 29, according to HMV. Bill Carr of

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology co ...

said the website sold out of all Jackson and

Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

CDs within minutes of the news breaking, and that demand surpassed that for Elvis Presley and John Lennon after their sudden deaths in 1977 and 1980 respectively. In Japan, six of his albums made SoundScan Japan's Top 200 Albums chart, and in Poland, ''

Thriller 25 ''Thriller 25'' is the 25th anniversary edition reissue of American singer Michael Jackson's sixth studio album '' Thriller'' (1982). The original album has sold 70 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of all time. ''Thrill ...

'' topped the national album chart and was replaced by '' King of Pop'' the following week. In Australia, 15 of his albums occupied the

ARIA In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

top 100 as of July 5, four of them in the top ten, with three occupying the top three spots. He had 34 singles in the top 100 singles chart, including four in the top ten. Album sales were 62,015 for the previous week; singles tallied 107,821 units. In the second week, album sales rose from the previous week and tallied 88,650 copies. On July 12, four albums were in the top 10 with three occupying the top three spots. In New Zealand, ''Thriller 25'' topped the chart. In Germany, ''King of Pop'' topped the album chart, and from June 28 to July 4, nine of his albums occupied the Top 20 of

CAPIF The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers ( es, Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas, CAPIF) is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a n ...

in Argentina. In Billboard's European Top 100 Albums, he made history with eight of his albums in the top ten positions. As of August 3, ''King of Pop'' has spent four weeks atop Billboard's European Top 100 Albums chart. '' The Collection'' also spent two weeks atop the same chart. In the UK, on the Sunday following his death, his albums occupied 14 of the top 20 places on the ''Amazon.co.uk'' sales chart, with '' Off the Wall'' at the top. ''Number Ones'' reached the top of the UK Album Chart, and his studio albums occupied number two to number eight on the ''iTunes'' Music Store top albums. Six of his songs charted in the top 40: " Man in the Mirror" (11), "

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

" (23), " Billie Jean" (25), " Smooth Criminal" (28)", "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (Michael Jackson album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a ...

" (30), and "

Earth Song "Earth Song" is a song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson for his ninth studio album, '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' (1995). It was released on November 27, 1995, by Epic Records as the third ...

" (38). The following Sunday, 13 of Jackson's songs charted in the top 40, including "Man in the Mirror", which reached number two. He broke

Ruby Murray Ruby Florence Murray (29 March 1935 – 17 December 1996) was a Northern Irish singer. One of the most popular singers in the British Isles in the 1950s, she scored ten hits in the UK Singles Chart between 1954 and 1959. She also made pop chart ...

's 1955 record of five songs in the top 30. ''The Essential Michael Jackson'' topped the album chart, giving Jackson a second number one album in as many weeks. He had five of the top ten albums in the album chart. In third week sales, ''The Essential Michael Jackson'' retained the number one position and Jackson held three other positions within the top five. By August 3, Jackson had sold 2 million records and spent six consecutive weeks atop the album chart. He retained the top spot on the album chart for a seventh consecutive week. In the U.S., Jackson broke three chart records on the first ''Billboard'' issue date that followed his death. The entire top nine positions on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top Pop Catalog Albums featured titles related to him. By the third week it would be the entire top 12 positions. ''Number Ones'' was the best-selling album of the week and topped the catalog chart with sales of 108,000, an increase of 2,340 percent. ''The Essential Michael Jackson'' (2) and ''Thriller'' (3) also sold over 100,000 units. The other titles on the chart are ''Off the Wall'' (4), Jackson Five's '' Ultimate Collection'' (5), '' Bad'' (6), '' Dangerous'' (7), '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future – Book I'' (8) and Jackson's '' Ultimate Collection'' (9). Collectively, his solo albums sold 422,000 copies in the week following his death, 800,000 copies in the first full week, and 1.1 million copies in the following week of his memorial service. He also broke a record on the Top Digital Albums chart, with six of the top 10 slots, including the entire top four. On the

Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

chart he placed a record of 25 songs on the 75-position list. In the U.S., Jackson became the first artist to sell over one million downloads in a week, with 2.6 million sales. By August 5, Jackson had sold nearly 3.8 million albums and 7.6 million tracks in the U.S. ''Number Ones'' was the best-selling album for six out of seven weeks that followed his death. By year's end in 2009, Jackson had become the best selling artist of the year selling 8.2 million albums in the U.S. He also became the first artist in history to have four of the top 20 best-selling albums in a single year in the U.S., nearly doubling the sales of his nearest competitor. Jackson was also the third best selling digital artist of 2009 in the U.S., selling approximately 12.35 million units. In the 12 months that followed his death Jackson sold nine million albums in the U.S., and 35 million albums worldwide. His estate also generated revenues of one billion dollars. In 2010,

signed a US$250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings up until 2017 and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.

Services

Memorial

A private family service was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, after a public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on July 7, where Jackson had rehearsed on June 24, the day before he died. The memorial service was organized by Jackson's concert promoter,

, who initially planned to charge for tickets. Following public pressure, AEG instead distributed the 17,500 tickets for free through an online lottery that attracted over 1.2 million applicants in 24 hours, and over a half-billion hits to the webpage. The service was broadcast live around the world, and was believed to have been watched by more than 2.5 billion people. Jackson's solid-bronze casket (which reportedly cost $25,000) was placed in front of the stage. Numerous celebrity guests attended the services. His brothers each wore a single, white, sparkling glove, while Stevie Wonder,

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the wh ...

, Lionel Richie, Jermaine Jackson and others sang his songs. Jackson's then 11-year-old daughter, Paris, broke down as she told the crowd, "I just want to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine ... and I just want to say I love him ... so much." Marlon Jackson said, "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone."Fans and family remember Jackson
BBC News, July 7, 2009.

Burial

According to reports, Jackson's burial was originally scheduled for August 29, 2009 (which would have been his 51st birthday). His service and burial were held at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park on September 3, 2009. The burial was attended by his family members, first wife Lisa Marie Presley as well as his old friends

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to promi ...

, Chris Tucker, Quincy Jones, Eddie Murphy and

, amongst others. The service began with Jackson's three children placing a golden crown on his casket. Jackson's funeral cost $1 million, including $590,000 for Jackson's crypt; $11,716 for guest invitations; $30,000 for security and luxury cars; $16,000 for the florist; and $15,000 for the funeral planner. Jackson's family planned the funeral. Howard Weitzman, a lawyer for the estate executors, said that Jackson's "bigger than life" lifespan matched the lavishness of the funeral. Jackson's remains are interred in the Holly Terrace section in the Great Mausoleum of Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a cemetery in Glendale, California. The mausoleum is a secure facility that is not accessible to the general public or to the media, except on an extremely limited basis. The unmarked

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

, which is partially visible at the tinted entrance of the Holly Terrace mausoleum, is covered in flowers fans leave, which are placed by security guards outside the crypt. The family had considered burying Jackson at

Neverland Ranch Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch"Neverland Never More"
, by William Etling (author ...

. However, some family members objected to the site, saying that the ranch had been tainted by the 2005 trial and police raids of the property.Alexander, Bryan
Picking Jackson's Burial Place: Security Was Key
''Time'', September 3, 2009 Also, the owners of the ranch would have had to go through a permitting process with county and state government before establishing a cemetery at the site. In July 2010, security was increased at the mausoleum due to vandalism by fans leaving messages such as "Keep the dream alive" and "Miss you sweet angel" in permanent ink.

Circumstances

Investigation

Autopsies

Law enforcement agencies

Drug-use allegations

Propofol

Medical professionals

Personal physician

Health

Family and legal affairs

Family reaction

Estate

Public reaction

Media and Internet coverage

Grief

Tributes

Record sales

Services

Memorial

Burial

References

Further reading