 Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, surrounded by barriers and covered with flowers, became a focal point for fans to express grief. | |
| Location | Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Date | June 25, 2009 |
| Result | Trial of personal physician began on September 27, 2011.[1] |
For the trial currently taking place, see People of the State of California v. Conrad Robert Murray.
On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication after he suffered cardiac arrest at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing, but with a faint pulse, and that he administered CPR on his bed to no avail. After a call was placed to 9-1-1 at 12:20 pm, Jackson was treated by paramedics at his home, and later pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. On August 28, 2009, the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Jackson's death a homicide.[2] Before his death, Jackson reportedly had been administered propofol, along with two anti-anxiety benzodiazepines: lorazepam and midazolam.[3][4] Law enforcement officials investigated Jackson's personal physician. On February 8, 2010, Murray pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, and was released after posting a US$75,000 bail.[5] His trial started on September 27, 2011.[1]Jackson's death also triggered an outpouring of grief around the world, creating unprecedented surges of Internet traffic and causing sales of his music and that of the Jackson 5 to increase dramatically.[6] Jackson had intended to perform his concert series entitled This Is It to over one million people at London's O2 Arena, from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010.[7] His public memorial service was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where he had rehearsed for the London concerts the night before his death. His memorial service was broadcast live around the world, attracting a global audience of up to one billion people.[8] In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a US$250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death. His death ranked No. 1 on VH1/VH1 Classic's list of 100 Most Shocking Moments in Music.
Circumstances
Statements described Murray as using a non-standard CPR technique on Jackson. During the tape of the emergency call, released on June 26, the doctor was described as administering CPR on a bed, not on a hard surface such as a floor, which would be standard practice.[13][14] The doctor's attorney said that Murray placed one hand underneath Jackson and used the other hand for chest compression, where the standard practice is to use both hands for compression.[10][15] A Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) spokesperson said the 911 call came in at 12:21:04 p.m. PST (19:21:04 UTC). Paramedics reached Jackson at 12:26 p.m. and found that he was not breathing.[16][17]
Paramedics performed CPR for 42 minutes at the house.[18] Murray's attorney stated that Jackson had a pulse when he was taken out of the house and put in the ambulance.[10] An LAFD official gave a different account, stating that paramedics found Jackson in "full cardiac arrest", and that they did not observe a change in Jackson's status en route to the hospital.[19] LAFD transported Jackson to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.[16] The ambulance arrived at the hospital at approximately 1:14 p.m. A team of medical personnel attempted to resuscitate Jackson for more than one hour. They were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m.[20][21][22]
