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Coroner: No Sign of Trauma, Foul Play in Jackson's Death
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In life, Jackson was hardly a collection of facts. He spent a lifetime subverting reality, settling a lawsuit to silence the most taboo of allegations, appearing to glide backward on air, resculpting the very face he showed the world.
But, in death, great energy began to go toward verifying exactly what happened to a 50-year-old man, living in a rented mansion, rehearsing to take his show on the road for what he said was his final tour.
The Michael Jackson infotainment industry cranked into action one last time, a cavalcade of weepers, scolds, spurned spokesfolk and theorists: Deepak Chopra, Donna Brazile, Sheryl Crow, ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, alleged childhood friends from Gary, Ind.
Brian Oxman, who called himself a Jackson friend and former attorney, made the rounds of the talk shows yesterday to opine on what he called Jackson's escalating drug use: "I told the family that if Michael wound up dead I would not be silent, I would raise an alarm," he said. "Michael needed better care than what I think he has received."
Celebrity publicist Michael Levine sent a mass e-mail: "As someone who served as Michael Jackson's publicist during the 1st child-molestation incident, I must confess I am not surprised by today's tragic news. Michael has been on an impossibly difficult and often self-destructive journey for years. His talent was unquestionable but so, too, was his discomfort with the norms of the world. A human simply can not withstand this level of prolonged stress."
But Hamid Mouallem, a New York internist in practice for 40 years, said in an interview yesterday that he treated Jackson in 2005 for "only minor complaints. Nothing serious." He said he had become friendly with the singer, who invited the doctor and his children to his house several times.
"There was no sign of drug abuse or medications of any kind," Mouallem said. "He didn't show any sign of a heart problem when I knew him. There were no complaints about that part of his body."
In the shimmering California sunshine yesterday, massive crowds pressed together in the streets simply to be near Jackson's star. Superman and Marilyn Monroe impersonators lined the sidewalks. "It's like a movie premiere out there," said Police Officer Paula Davidson, commenting on an outpouring that she suspected would only build through the weekend.
A growing wreath of flowers and teddy bears encircled Jackson's star. "I can see you dancing on," read a letter in pencil. A white glittered glove rested just under Jackson's name on the pink and gold star.
Koen Van der Elst, 36, and Ruth Bosmans, 35, of Belgium waited at the wrong end of the line. For what, they weren't sure. It was their first day on vacation, and they just had to see, they said.
"In Belgium, not many people can say, 'Wow, I was here when Michael Jackson died,' " said Van der Elst, a backpack in tow and a camera slung around his neck.
Baltimore native Jade Greer, 28, who was also on vacation, leaned on the press barricade nearby. "It's bittersweet. It's a tragedy, but it's sweet so many people came out here. And in the heat. . . . Yes," she said, looking at the growing crowd, "it's love. I think it's love."
