Coroner's report sheds more light on Jackson's death

A post-mortem report released by the Los Angeles coroner contains vivid details of Michael Jackson's physical condition and explains how his death came to be ruled as a homicide.

In the 51-page report, the singer's death is explained to be the result of "acute propofol intoxication."

Propofol is an anesthetic usually administered in hospitals. Because it was administered to Jackson in a "non-hospital setting" without recommended medical equipment or care standards and because the medication was administered without "appropriate medical indication", the death was ruled to be a homicide.

According to a five-page criminal complaint, Dr Conrad Murray "did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson" by acting "without due caution and circumspection".

Murray is believed to have treated Jackson for insomnia for six weeks before his death on June 25. Jackson had been preparing for his "This Is It" farewell tour and it is understood that he had enlisted Dr Murray's help in preparing for what was expected to be a grueling series of concerts.

The report appeared to confirm many long-standing rumours about Jackson's physical appearance. His thin lips and eyebrows were found to have been tattooed, as well as the edges of his eyelids and the frontal region of his scalp.

The hair on Jackson's head was "sparse" and attached to a wig, the report states. The singer suffered permanent hair loss after his hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi TV commercial in 1984.

Murray appeared in court yesterday to answer a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not-guilty to the charge.

- NZ HERALD ONLINE, AP