Video shows vigorous Jackson before death

ArticleData Array ( [Article] => Array ( [article_id] => 1044122 [headline] => Video shows vigorous Jackson before death [abstract] => A newly-released video shows Michael Jackson vigorously practising a song-and-dance routine days before his death, supporting accounts he had been in good health. [keywords] => Jackson, video [content] =>

A newly-released video shows Michael Jackson vigorously practising a song-and-dance routine days before his death, supporting accounts he had been in good health.

In footage obtained by AFP on Thursday, the pop legend performed at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on June 23, two days before he died, as he prepared for a 50-date set in London starting in July. Jackson, while thin, is seen dancing with energy in a tightly choreographed sequence with a group of performers.

Jackson sings on a headset and at one point pushes back his jacket to reveal his red shirt underneath.

In the footage Jackson switches sharply in styles in a medley of some of his hits. The video starts with Jackson dancing wildly in front of a rock 'n' roll guitarist before a pause for dramatic effect.

Jackson then shifts to a snippet of Billie Jean, one of his greatest hits before singing They Don't Care About Us, one of his most controversial tracks in which he brought in a hip-hop influence.

The set ends with a sample of a car horn. The stage then fades to black as an outside voice instructs "Hold for applause."

Associates of Jackson have described the 50-year-old pop star as being in good form including at another rehearsal just hours before his death.

Jackson collapsed and died on June 25 at his rented Los Angeles mansion. Speculation has focused on whether Jackson was taking painkillers or other medication.

Jackson's voice coach Dorian Holley said Jackson was in an upbeat mood in the days before his death, joking around with his wardrobe and makeup staff.

"My friends call and ask 'Was Michael sick? Was he weak? Was he ill?' It's the absolute opposite of that," Holley told CNN. "He was very energetic, he was happy.

He was even more playful than he normally was at rehearsal," he said. Holley said Jackson, 50, did not show his age. "I'm sure that he was in pain after some rehearsals.

But I got to tell you something -- the guys and girls dancing with him were all in their 20s," he said.

"When Michael was on stage with them, there was only one person that you could watch and that was Michael Jackson," he said.

A similar account came from Kevin Mazur who was attending the rehearsal sessions as a photographer.

"He was like an expectant father pacing up and down the stage," Mazur told Britain's Sun tabloid.

"He was just so focused. Between songs he burst into laughter and joked around with his dancers and the director. I have never seen him so happy," Mazur said.

Jackson had planned a series of concerts at London's O2 Arena starting on July 13, part of a comeback for the King of Pop whose personal and financial life had sharply deteriorated in the past decade.

Concert promoters AEG Live, who released the video, are offering full ticket refunds for the concerts.

British media reports said about STG50 million ($A101.74 million) has been spent on 750,000 tickets.

[start_date] => 03 July 2009 | 12:24:04 PM [comments_allowed] => 0 [source] => AFP [commentCount] => 0 [video] => [image] => [audio] => [reporter] => [relatedLinks] => Array ( [0] => Array ( [id] => 1044087 [label] => Jackson memorial plans unveiled [display_order] => 1 [type] => Article ) [1] => Array ( [id] => 1044072 [label] => Jackson had 'secret girlfriend' [display_order] => 2 [type] => Article ) [2] => Array ( [id] => 1043967 [label] => Jackson's ex-wife in custody plea [display_order] => 3 [type] => Article ) ) [relatedArticles] => Array ( [0] => Array ( [article_id] => 1044087 [headline] => Jackson memorial plans unveiled [abstract] =>

A public memorial service for pop icon Michael Jackson will be held in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the star's family has revealed.

[content] =>

A public memorial for pop icon Michael Jackson will be held in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the star's family has revealed.

The service will take place at the Staples Center, the scene of Jackson's final rehearsal, just days before he died of a suspected heart attack.

Jackson's family said 11,000 tickets for the memorial would be distributed free of charge to the singer's fans.

The announcement ended a week of mixed signals over plans for a public farewell to the King of Pop, who collapsed and died at age 50 on June 25 as he prepared for a 50-date concert set in London.

AEG, the promoters of the London concerts, is arranging the memorial, further details of which are to be announced later on Friday.

The Jackson family earlier quashed talk of a service at Neverland, Jackson's sprawling fantasy ranch north of Los Angeles.

A service at Neverland, however, poignant, would have caused logistical headaches if thousands of people descended on the isolated grounds on short notice.

 

[content_type_id] => 3 [site_name] => World News Australia [articledate] => 3 July 2009 [articletime] => 3 July 2009 [display_order] => 1 ) [1] => Array ( [article_id] => 1044072 [headline] => Jackson had 'secret girlfriend' [abstract] => Michael Jackson had a secret long-term girlfriend at the time he died, the pop superstar's former British bodyguard has revealed.
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Michael Jackson had a secret long-term girlfriend at the time he died, the pop superstar's former British bodyguard has revealed.

Matt Fiddes said Jackson had "someone special" in his life but kept their relationship a mystery from most people.

The woman was not a celebrity but was known to Jackson's family, Fiddes said.

There was 'someone special'

"I'm not going to name who she is but I think the family were aware that there was someone special in his life who he loved and adored and had his ups and downs with," he told Sky News.

"For some time I think she's been present in his life.

"If she ever wants to speak out it's up to her."

Fiddes, 30, said he became a confidant of Jackson's after first meeting him about a decade ago when they were introduced by the pop star's friend, physic Uri Geller.

Prescription drug 'addiction'

Both Fiddes, who worked for Jackson when he visited Britain, and Geller were concerned the pop star was addicted to prescription drugs.

In an interview with The Sun, Geller said he had to scream at Jackson in an attempt to wake him up after he had taken strong sedatives while visiting London in 2003.

"I was so worried about him," Geller said.

Jackson surrounded by yes men

"The trouble is nobody said `no' to Michael and that was a big problem.

"I told him - shouting and screaming - that he would die if things continued as they were."

Fiddes said he and Geller once had to cancel a planned trip to London Zoo to see gorillas because Jackson was so out of it.

"We were both shaking him to wake him up," Fiddes said.

"It was clear he had taken something ... and he was hard to wake.

Blaming jetlag

"We were extremely concerned.

"He would come round and say he was just jetlagged."

Fiddes said he and Geller went to great lengths to keep away from Jackson the doctors who prescribed a mixture of sedatives and pain killers.

However, their actions angered the pop star, who launched into "screaming fits" and accused the pair of interfering in his private life.

Bodyguard slams doctors' influence

"I never witnessed him actually taking drugs but I knew they were there and I confiscated packages and Uri did too," Fiddes said.

"Uri confiscated injection equipment from his room and whisked it away. Uri would scream at Michael ... to stop.

"The doctors had such an influence over Michael that we felt our efforts were falling on deaf ears.

"As far as I'm concerned they have Michael's blood on their hands and they know what they've done."

 

[content_type_id] => 3 [site_name] => World News Australia [articledate] => 3 July 2009 [articletime] => 3 July 2009 [display_order] => 2 ) [2] => Array ( [article_id] => 1043967 [headline] => Jackson's ex-wife in custody plea [abstract] =>

Michael Jackson's ex-wife insists she will fight for custody of the two children she had with the pop star - against his final wishes.

[content] =>

Michael Jackson's ex-wife insists she will fight for custody of the two children she had with the pop star - against his final wishes.

"I want my children," Debbie Rowe told NBC television's local network in Los Angeles, setting the stage for a bitter legal battle with the late star's family.

Rowe, who was married to Jackson for three years from 1996, said she was willing to submit to any testing, including DNA, to prove she was the biological mother of Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11.

"I am stepping up," Rowe added. "I have to."

The former nurse also said she was willing to undergo psychological testing to back up any future custody claim.

KNBC TV in Los Angeles said she planned to seek a restraining order to keep Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, away from the children.

Rowe signed over all parental rights to the children after she and Jackson divorced in 1999, describing him as a "wonderful man... a brilliant father".

Mother, Diana Ross named guardians

However a Los Angeles judge reversed the order in 2004 after Rowe cited concerns over publicity related to Jackson's prosecution for child molestation.
  
Rowe later settled the case with Jackson, reportedly securing visitation rights to the children.

Jackson's former wife has been largely silent since the pop icon's sudden death on June 25 from an apparent cardiac arrest.

On Monday, a Los Angeles court named the star's 79-year-old mother Katherine Jackson as the temporary guardian of Prince Michael, Paris and younger brother Prince Michael II, who was born to a secret surrogate.

A 2002 will filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday revealed that Jackson wanted his mother to gain custody of his children in the event of his death.

Soul legend Diana Ross was named as a back-up guardian to the youngsters.

Legal experts have been split on whether any move for custody by Rowe is likely to be successful.

US courts 'favour biological parents'

Family law attorney Fred Silberberg said Rowe stood an excellent chance of securing custody of Prince Michael and Paris.

"Generally speaking in California, biology trumps everything," Silberberg said.

"Courts tend to favor the biological parents so in that regard she has a very strong case," Silberberg said, drawing comparisons to O.J. Simpson, who successfully saw off a custody challenge from the grandparents of ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson, who he was accused of murdering in 1994.

However other experts say Rowe's chances of success could hinge on her relationship with the children, with whom she has reportedly had only minimal contact for several years.

"If she has a strong relationship with her children and... she has seen them somewhat regularly then she has a very strong chance of getting custody," said Scott Altman, a law professor at the University of Southern California.

"But if... she hardly has visited with her children, they have no relationship at all, they don't think of her as a mother it will be very difficult for her to get custody."

 

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