LOS ANGELES, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Pop icon Michael Jackson's doctor did not inject a powerful painkiller into the singing star just before his death, the doctor's lawyer said in remarks published on Sunday.

Michael Jackson fans gather near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, June 28, 2009. Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    "There was no Demerol. No OxyContin," asserted lawyer Edward Chernoff in an interview posted on the Los Angeles Times' Website.

    Dr. Conrad Murray met with Los Angeles police for three hours Saturday, and told them he "fortuitously" entered Jackson's bedroom Thursday and found the 50-year-old man unconscious.

    "He checked for a pulse," said the lawyer, Chernoff. "There was a weak pulse in his femoral artery. "He started administering CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)," Chernoff told the paper.

    The newspaper also reported that Chernoff strongly denied that Dr. Murray had ever "furnished or prescribed" Demerol to Jackson.

    The newspaper also quoted a source close to the investigators who said the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) interview of Dr. Murray failed to turn up any smoking gun linking him with the death.

    Separately, LAPD Lt. Gregg Strenk told the paper that investigators have no information that shows Jackson had been injected with Demerol or other painkillers. Such reports "are coming from outside the investigation," the paper quoted police assaying.

    Rumors have swirled that Jackson may have stopped breathing after being given a shot of the painkiller Demerol.

    Michael Jackson's family has raised questions about the death of the King of Pop as a probe into his death continued.

    The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who is a family spokesman, said on Saturday that they have questions about the death, but not a lot of answers.

    Jackson, 50, died at the Medical Center of the University of California in Los Angeles on Thursday after going into full cardiac arrest.

    He died days away from the start of a sold-out series of 50 concerts in London.

    Jackson's family hired a private firm to conduct a second autopsy, which was completed on Saturday, said sources close to Jackson's family.

    Jackson acknowledged being addicted to prescription drugs in the 1990s.

    But Randy Phillips, chief executive of insurance company AEG Live, said Jackson passed a four-hour physical examination required to insure his London performances, and was given a clean bill of health.

    Asked if the physical would have revealed drug use, Phillips said, "absolutely."

Funeral plans for Michael Jackson pending after autopsy

Fans mourn during a candlelight gathering for Michael Jackson in Shanghai June 27, 2009.   (Xinhua/Reuters photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    LOS ANGELES, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Funeral plans for Michael Jackson were pending on Saturday, one day after an autopsy on the body of the former "King of Pop," who died on Thursday unexpectedly at a Los Angeles hospital.

    The body of the 50-year-old singer was released to his family by the coroner's office Friday night after the autopsy, which took about three hours. But announcement of the cause of death has been deferred pending toxicological tests, which take four to six weeks, officials said. Full story

Autopsy under way to determine cause of Jackson's death

    LOS ANGELES, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles coroners began an autopsy on Friday to determine the cause of U.S. pop star Michael Jackson's death as rumors spread that he might die from a drug overdose as well as heart attack.

    Jackson, who was 50, was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon at the Medical Center of the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). He was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics rushed him to the hospital. Full story

Michael Jackson dies at 50 in Los Angeles

    LOS ANGELES, June 25 (Xinhua) -- American pop icon Michael Jackson was announced dead here Thursday at a hospital after suffering a heart attack at his rented home in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb.

U.S. pop star Michael Jackson performs "We are the World" during the World Music Awards at Earl's Court in London November 15, 2006.  (Xinhua/Reuters file photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The 50-year-old former "King of Pop," whose musical achievements were overshadowed later in life by his often-eccentric behavior and accusations of lewd behavior with young boys, died when he was preparing for a series of London concerts, which might be his last performances on stage. Tickets to those concerts are already sold out.  Full story

>>> Photo Gallery: Fans mourn Michael jackson <<<

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