Doctor Tells of Jackson's Final Moments

LOS ANGELES - The cardiologist who was with Michael Jackson during the pop star's final moments sat down with investigators for three hours to explain his actions, and his spokeswoman says he is not a suspect.
Dr. Conrad Murray, a physician with a tangled financial and personal history who was hired to accompany Jackson on his planned summer concert tour, reportedly performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics arrived at Jackson's rented home. The pop star was declared dead later at UCLA Medical Center.
In his interview with police, the doctor "helped identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies,'' Murray's spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik said in a statement Saturday. "Investigators say the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness to this tragedy.''
The statement said Murray has been in Los Angeles since Jackson's death, and plans to stay here until his cooperation is no longer needed.
Police confirmed that they interviewed Murray, adding that he was cooperative and "provided information which will aid the investigation.''
The interview took place on a busy day when one of Jackson's lawyers was chosen to represent the family's legal interests and celebrities descended on Los Angeles for a star-studded public celebration of the King of Pop's life at the annual BET awards show.
President Barack Obama has written to Michael Jackson's family expressing his condolences, White House adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on NBC television's "Meet the Press.''
Obama did not issue a statement following Jackson's death, but the White House has said the president saw the pop star as a spectacular performer whose life had sad and tragic aspects.
L. Londell McMillan, who represented Jackson last year in a breach of contact lawsuit and has advised high-profile clients such as Prince, was picked to help the family by Katherine Jackson, the singer's mother, said a person who requested anonymity because the matter is private.
The legal move came as the 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. Many of Jackson's relatives have gathered at the family's Encino compound, caring there for Jackson's three children.
It remains unclear who Jackson designated as potential guardians for his children. Those details _ likely contained in the 50-year-old singer's will _ have not been released.
An attorney 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.''
Sisters Janet and La Toya arrived Saturday at the mansion Jackson had been renting and left without addressing reporters. Moving vans also showed up at the Jackson home, leaving about an hour later. There was no indication what they might have taken away.
The Jackson family issued a statement Saturday expressing its grief over the death and thanking his supporters.
"In one of the darkest moments of our lives we find it hard to find the words appropriate to this sudden tragedy we all had to encounter,'' said the statement made through People magazine. "We miss Michael endlessly.''
There was no immediate word on whether the second autopsy was being performed right away. Jesse Jackson described the family as grief-stricken.
"They're hurt because they lost a son. But the wound is now being kept open by the mystery and unanswered questions of the cause of death,'' he said.
Organizers of the annual BET awards show scrambled to revamp Sunday's show to honor Jackson and his legacy. The Black Entertainment Television cable network in the U.S. established the awards in 2001 to honor black and other minority artists in music, acting and sports.
Previously announced acts, such as Beyonce and Ne-Yo, hoped to change their planned performances to honor Jackson, said producer Stephen Hill. Other artists who had not planned to attend the ceremony, including Usher and Justin Timberlake, tried to catch last-minute flights to Los Angeles to participate.

A Timeline of Michael Jackson's Life

By Pharoh Martin, NNPA National Correspondent

August 29, 1958 - Michael Joseph Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana. He is Joseph and Katherine Jackson's seventh child of nine.

1964 - Jackson and brothers Marlon, Jackie, Tito and Jermaine form the singing group the Jackson 5

1968 - The Jackson 5 sign to Barry Gordy's Motown Records.

October 7, 1969  - The Jackson 5 score their first number one hit with "I Want You  Back"

January 24, 1972 - Jackson releases his first solo album, "Got to Be There"

1975 -  The Jackson 5 leaves Motown

June 1975 - The Jackson 5 signs a new contract with CBS Records

October 24, 1978 - Jackson makes big srceen debut as the Scarecrow on the Wiz, where he first meets legendary producer Quincy Jones during the musical film's production.

1979 – Jackson broke away from his brothers to go solo.

November 30, 1982 Jackson Releases "Thriller",  the highest selling album of all time at 109 million sold to date.

March 25, 1983 - Jackson performs live on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. He debuts his signature dance move — the moonwalk.

December 2, 1983 - Premieres the video for "Thriller", breaking the racial barrier of MTV's reluctance to play black videos.

January 27, 1984 - Jackson suffers second degree burns to his scalp after pyrotechnics accidentally set his hair on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.

May 14, 1984 - Jackson is invited to the White House to receive an award presented by U.S. President Ronald Reagan for his work with charities.

March 7, 1985 - Releases benefit song "We Are the World", which features 45 popular signers such as Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and Ray Charles.

August 31, 1987 - Releases "Bad", the follow-up album to Thriller.

Feburary 10, 1993- Jackson first speaks openly about his childhood abuse from his father in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

1993- Michael Jackson is accused of child abuse for the first time.

February 6, 2003 -  British journalist Martin Bashir's famously candid interview with Jackson airs in the US. Controversy ensues after Jackson admits to letting underage children sleep with him in his bed.

May 2005 - Jackson is acquitted of seven counts of child sexual abuse

2008 - Jackson announces a tour of 50 concerts in London, set for July 2009.

June 25, 2009- Jackson dies of cardiac arrest.