Michael Jackson saga

Verdict `weeks away’ as drug rumors swirl

LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2009 (AFP) -

Michael Jackson’s cause of death will not be confirmed for several weeks, officials said, as attention turned to the possible involvement of drugs in the tragic King of Pop’s demise.

As a global outpouring of tributes to the tortured icon showed no sign of abating, Los Angeles coroners began the task of trying to determine what caused the 50-year-old star to collapse and die at his home on Thursday.

After an autopsy lasting several hours, Los Angeles County coroner’s spokesman Craig Harvey told reporters Friday that examiners had found no evidence of “external trauma or foul play” on Jackson’s body.

However Harvey said a cause of death had been deferred until the results of exhaustive toxicology tests were known, revealing Jackson was known to be taking “some prescription medication” before his death.

“Those tests, we anticipate, will take approximately four to six additional weeks to complete,” Harvey said.

Late Friday, coroners officials revealed Jackson’s body had been released to the star’s family and was being kept at an undisclosed local mortuary. No funeral arrangements have so far been revealed.

Jackson’s autopsy took place amid heartfelt tributes to the singer, and as speculation mounted about the cause of the death of the icon who sold more than 750 million records during a four-decade career.

Jackson lawyer Brian Oxman said he and family members voiced concerns over the star’s use of drugs as he prepared for a gruelling series of comeback concerts in London designed to relaunch his career.

“I know Michael was rehearsing and working extremely hard to get in shape in order to perform in London,” Oxman told ABC television’s Good Morning America. New age guru and Jackson confidante Deepak Chopra — a qualified cardiologist — told CNN bluntly: “I think drugs killed him.”

Jackson’s former producer Tarak Ben Ammar earlier denounced the doctors around the late pop icon as “criminals.”