Michael Jackson an enigma even in death

Just as in life, Michael Jackson in death is proving enigmatic.

Five days after the pop star collapsed suddenly at his home, nobody in Los Angeles can say definitively how or why he died. The theories are developing by the hour.

New photographs published today show him happy and smiling hours before his death. They appear difficult to reconcile with reports that his postmortem revealed a man painfully thin, bald and riddled with needle marks where he was allegedly injecting himself with painkillers.

A former coroner's officer in Los Angeles, well connected to the official investigation, has told the Evening Standard that Jackson may have taken his own life by accident or intentionally.

Detectives believe that the 50-year-old singer may have overdosed on prescription drugs as a cry for help brought on by the pressure of his impending London concerts.

The source said: "Every possibility is being looked into by the investigating detectives, including whether he took his own life with an overdose, either on purpose or accidentally.

"They are asking about his state of mind at the time of his death, the type of medication he was taking and his general health."

Some close aides insist Jackson was excited about performing again — cynics might suggest that anyone who had pushed him into signing the 50-concert deal at the O2 Arena would say that — while former aides claim differently. They argue that Jackson suffered stage fright and never wanted to perform live again, certainly not concerts in these numbers. He was frail and barely eating or drinking but with $400 million debts to pay off, Jackson needed the money and fast.

Other reports say Jackson was spending £30,000 a month on his prescription drug habit. The drugs were bought by a number of people in his entourage, it was alleged today, and even under the false name Omar Adams.

What is complicating matters further is the blame game being waged by the interested factions. The media- savvy lawyers representing Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray, interviewed by police for three hours over the weekend, have been fighting a brilliant rearguard action these past two days, emphatically denying he injected the singer with the painkiller Demerol just before his heart stopped. All he had done was try to save Jackson's life, they say.

But questions still remain. Such as why didn't Dr Murray call the paramedics sooner — it took half an hour before he could raise a chef in the house to make the phone call; and how come he just happened to stumble across Jackson, by now not breathing but his pulse still faint, who was thought to be asleep in his room.

Last night on various programmes on the 24-hour news channels, the Jacksons' former lawyer was repeatedly asked if the singer had ever injected himself. "I never knew of any such thing," said Brian Oxman. "You sure can inject yourself. I never was privy to that."

Law-enforcement sources backed up Dr Murray's claim, briefing that there was no evidence that a painkilling injection had killed Jackson.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Coroner confirmed today that Jackson was taking prescription drugs at the time of his death.

Last night, police took two large plastic bags of medication from the rented house in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, where Jackson collapsed on Thursday. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner, said he had come to the house "looking for medication and had found it".

Officers had previously seized prescription drugs from the mansion the day after Jackson's death. Other doctors, who either treated or prescribed painkillers to Jackson, will be interviewed in the coming days.

Officers also spoke yesterday to Jackson's parents, Joe and Katherine.

Although a second autopsy carried out yesterday on the instructions of Joe Jackson, the singer's father, and his family is being done privately and could be completed within days it may not be released to the public if, for example, it showed a horrifying amount of drugs in Jackson's body.

The speed of the new post mortem will also decide whether the singer's funeral can take place quickly.

What is certain is that millions of mourners will be following the coffin — but still not knowing how he ended up in there.