The Los Angeles Planning Department on Thursday will hold its first public meeting to consider the possible environmental effects of the proposed redevelopment of the Century Plaza Hotel site in Century City. The meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the third-floor grand ballroom of the Olympic Collection banquet hall and conference center, 11301 Olympic Blvd.
Last week, Councilman Paul Koretz, who represents Century City, submitted a motion to City Council contending that the hotel was historically significant and should be included in the city's list of historic cultural monuments. "The Century Plaza Hotel stimulated the development of Century City and led to its reputation as a world-class destination, having been a gathering place for celebrities, politicians and world dignitaries since its opening day," his letter said.
The curved hotel, which opened in 1966, was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who also designed New York's World Trade Center towers. Once nicknamed the "West Coast White House," the hotel was a favorite of Presidents Nixon and Reagan. Nixon was host for a celebration for the Apollo 11 astronauts; Reagan held two presidential victory celebrations in the ballroom and often conducted business from the hotel's presidential suite.
In this first phase of the process of preparing an environmental impact report, the public can learn about the project and submit comments on potential environmental effects and alternatives that should be considered.
Michael Rosenfeld, the hotel's owner, wants to demolish the 19-story building and replace it with two 49-story, 570-foot buildings containing residences, offices and a hotel. The buildings would be positioned on the north and south sides of a two-acre plaza area, which would be open to the public, surrounded by ground-level retail shops and restaurants.
Told that paparazzi are jeopardizing safety and privacy, California lawmakers today advanced a proposal that would allow steep fines for illegally taking and distributing photos and videos of celebrities and others who are engaged in ``personal or familial activity.’’
A state Senate committee approved the bill by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), meant to keep photographers from sneaking onto celebrity estates and from violating traffic laws in pursuit of pictures.
“Out-of-control paparazzi are an increasing threat – not only to the celebrities they stalk but to the public at large if they happen to get in their way,’’ Bass said. ``As long as this reckless behavior remains lucrative, the current laws on the books won’t be enough to prevent it.‘’
The measure, AB 524, would allow government prosecutors and private individuals to seek civil fines of up to $50,000 against any person who takes and sells images of people engaged in personal or familial activity if the violator knows the images were unlawfully obtained and if money is exchanged. Individuals, but not government prosecutors, could also sue those who broadcast illegally obtained images.
The measure was opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union, California Broadcasters Assn., and California Newspaper Publishers Assn., which argue that it would violate the 1st Amendment rights of the press.
The measure has been approved by the state Assembly, but still requires a vote by the full Senate.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said this morning that it was the city’s responsibility to provide police protection and crowd control for the memorial of pop star Michael Jackson last week and that no one else should pay the cost.
The mayor, who had been on vacation in South Africa during the event, said he disagreed with his staff’s decision to put up a website requesting public donations to help cover the city’s cost.
“I thought it was ridiculous,” the mayor told reporters during a visit to Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.
Villaraigosa said Los Angeles is a large metropolitan city where major events occur routinely, and that the city is obligated to protect public safety. He added that no one would have expected New York or Chicago to ask others to donate for basic city services during a major event, and said he is not going to ask AEG, the owner of the Staples Center, to either pay or raise money to offset the city’s expenses.
Last week, city officials estimated that the memorial cost the city $1.4 million -- with $1.1 million directed toward police equipment and overtime costs. Several City Council members have called for a full accounting of the costs and new policies to govern the city’s response and financial obligations for extraordinary events.
An attorney for Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael Jackson’s two elder children, said today that she has not made a final decision to seek custody, despite telling a television reporter that was her intention.
Eric George, Rowe’s lawyer, did not dispute that Rowe told an NBC-TV Channel 4 reporter by telephone that she wanted custody of Prince Michael Jr., 12, and Paris Michael Katherine, 11, the children she bore when married to Jackson.
The youngest, Prince Michael II, 7, was borne by an unidentified surrogate mother.
During the interview, Rowe said she would take a DNA test to prove she is her children's biological mother.
“I want my children,” Rowe said.
But her lawyer said it would be a “distortion of the truth” to interpret Rowe’s comments to the television reporter as her final decision in the custody case.
“I am representing to you unequivocally that Debbie has not reached a final decision” on custody, George said.
He described the custody proceedings as “the most private and the most sensitive of matters as they impact the lives and fates of young children.”
As the biological parent, Rowe, 50, would be in line to obtain the children unless a judge determined that would not be in their best interest. Rowe appears to have had little contact with the children over the years, though she does have visitation rights.
Katherine Jackson, the pop icon’s mother, has temporary custody of the children. Jackson said in a 2002 will that if his mother could not care for his children, guardianship should go to soul singer Diana Ross, 65, a close friend who was a strong artistic influence.
A custody hearing scheduled for Monday has been postponed until July 13 at the request of attorneys for Katherine Jackson and Rowe.
A ranch near Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County is set to host an event Friday commemorating Michael Jackson's life and legacy, according to a spokesman for management company Relevé Unlimited.
For $40 per motor vehicle, fans can park at the Ted Chamberlin Ranch, listen to DJs play music from the late pop star, eat food from vendors and watch music videos on large screens, among other activities, said company spokesman Scott Corridan.
A portion of proceeds from the event, called "The Michael Jackson Heal the World Memorial Gathering," will benefit the Heal the World Foundation, according to a statement from the company. Gates to the Ted Chamberlin Ranch are scheduled to open at 5 a.m. Friday.
Today, outside Neverland Ranch, media representatives seemed to outnumber fans and spectators at times. Trucks with large satellites and news vans lined both sides of Figueroa Mountain Road, and traffic was congested as trucks carrying construction vehicles and large landscaping vans drove in and out of the compound.
Most fans visited for only a brief time, standing in front of the gates, snapping photos and leaving. But a few people brought tents and chairs and were determined to see what events, if any, would be held at Jackson's onetime home.
Ramon and Rosa Canales drove Tuesday night from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara to see Neverland. Rosa, 50, posed in front of the gates today, holding a commemorative Michael Jackson issue of Time magazine. The couple immigrated to the United States from Chile in 1975, but they heard Jackson's music before they ever set foot in North America.
Ramon, 59, said he "couldn't believe it" when he heard Jackson died. They decided earlier this week that they wanted to make the trip to California.
"I think it's good. It's very well controlled, it's not overwhelming," he said about the crowd at Neverland.
Rosa opened her issue of Time to a picture of Jackson's star on Hollywood Boulevard and said the photo made her want to visit it. They said they were heading to the star next and then returning to Las Vegas tonight because they have to get back to work.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff has denied a request by the executors of Michael Jackson's estate to remove Katherine Jackson as temporary administrator. The judge said the matter could be taken up at a previously scheduled hearing Monday.
Michael Jackson's 2002 will appoints John Branca, the performer’s longtime entertainment attorney and advisor, and music executive and family friend John McClain as executors of the estate.
A third executor, Barry Siegel, resigned from consideration in 2003, according to a statement released by Branca’s representatives.
The will bears Jackson’s signature and many paragraphs of the five-page document are initialed “MJ.”
In a statement, Branca and McClain said, “The most important element of Michael’s will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children. As we work to carry out Michael’s instructions to safeguard both the future of his children as well as the remarkable legacy he left us as an artist, we ask that all matters involving his estate be handled with the dignity and the respect that Michael and his family deserve.”
Branca began representing Jackson when the entertainer was 21 and guided him through the most successful period of his life, including the release of “Thriller” and his purchase of rights to a music catalog that includes the work of the Beatles and was Jackson’s biggest asset.
McClain is one of the founders of Interscope Records and, according to the executors’ statement, has a 40-year relationship with the Jackson family. The will directs that all of Jackson’s assets be put in an entity called the Michael Jackson Family Trust.
-- Harriet Ryan
Photo: Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, departs the family's Encino home as media and fans gathered along barricades on Monday morning. Credit:
Al Seib/Los Angeles Times
Before the sun rose at Neverland Ranch this morning, a group of four women from Lancaster worked to pitch a tent on the side of Figueroa Mountain Road at the Santa Barbara County site.
"We're here to honor Michael Jackson," said Karless Osby, 50, a retired corrections officer. "We're going to be here until Friday."
The four took turns hammering in stakes and trying to keep warm by wrapping up in blankets.
Osby's friend, 49-year-old Desiree Crossley, said she had always wanted to see the inside of Neverland and hoped it would be open Friday for a public viewing and memorial.
Crossley, her two daughters -- Antonae Martin, 17, and Desiree Bell, 19 -- and Osby piled into a PT Cruiser about 1 a.m. this morning and made the drive to Neverland. They wanted to be sure they got a parking spot and were among the first in line for any possible memorial event. They brought a cooler stocked with snacks. They also brought their own portable toilet, water, a heater and coffee mugs.
"We were expecting more people to be here," Crossley said at about 5 a.m.
Meanwhile, several media outlets prepared for their morning newscasts. Some represented local television stations, and others provided coverage for shows on the East Coast and across the nation. Some journalists from Australia and other countries also prepared international feeds.
None knew exactly what the Jackson family plans were through the rest of the week and over the July 4th weekend.
When asked if they knew of any details of any possible events at Neverland, two Santa Barbara County sheriff's deputies said they had no idea.
As light began to break through the darkness, Crossley said she hoped Neverland would be the place for a memorial. She also hoped the estate would be turned into a museum and mecca for Jackson's fans in similar style to Graceland in Memphis.
"This would be a great place for that," she said. "I would definitely come back."
-- Ari B. Bloomekatz in Los Olivos
Photos: (At top) In the early hours this morning, Karless Osby, left, Desiree Crossley, and Desiree Bell set up their tent on the side of the road near the gates of Neverland after traveling from Lancaster. (Above, right) A fresh wreath is put up at Neverland on Tuesday. Credit: Jay L. Clenenin / Los Angeles Times
More questions about Michael Jackson’s medications arose Tuesday when a nurse came forward to say that Jackson had asked her in April for a power sedative.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who operates a Los Angeles-based nutritional counseling business, told CNN that Jackson was complaining of insomnia and pleaded for her to get him some Diprivan (propofol), a drug usually used to start or maintain anesthesia during surgeries.
Lee said she told Jackson “the medication is not safe.”
Four days before Jackson’s death, Lee said, a Jackson staffer called and said the pop star was complaining that one side of his body was hot and the other side was cold .
“You need to go to hospital,” she told the staffer, with Jackson apparently in earshot.
An injection of Diprivan can induce hypnosis within 40 seconds from the start of injection, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The drug’s product label says that propofol should only be administered by people “trained in the administration of general anesthesia.” Sedated patients should be continuously monitored, the product label says, and equipment to provide artificial ventilation, administration of oxygen and instituting CPR “must be immediately available.”
The product label warns that use of propofol for sedating adult and pediatric intensive care unit patients has been associated with organ system failures that have resulted in death.
--Richard Winton, Rong-Gong Lin II and Kimi Yoshino
Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Ramon C. Cortines said today that he was taking "appropriate personnel action" against the principal and athletic director of Birmingham High School for allowing comedian Sacha Baron Cohen to use the school's football team in a photo shoot.
Cortines declined to say what the action was, citing confidentiality rules. Depending on the nature of the discipline, it could become somewhat moot tomorrow when the Board of Education is scheduled to vote on Birmingham's petition to become an independent charter school. If that passes, Principal Marcia Coates and Athletic Director Rick Prizant would no longer be employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Cortines has been incensed by a photo shoot of Cohen, in his role as gay Austrian fashionista "Bruno," that appeared in the latest issue of GQ magazine and on its website. It showed the scantily clad comedian in poses with the Birmingham football team, including one on top of a player on the ground.
"I don't believe that there is a place on any high school in America, including Los Angeles, for photos such as these," Cortines said in a news release issued by his office.
Cortines said he recognized that some people believe he has overreacted to the shoot, which might be seen as tame in today's entertainment landscape.
“I think those that think it’s no big deal generally don’t have children on campus," he said. "I’ve gotten e-mails from grandparents, all sorts of adults … who are embarrassed by this and believe this shouldn’t have happened.”
Told that some who have commented to The Times had suggested he might have reacted as he did because the character played by Cohen is gay, the superintendent strongly disagreed. "It has nothing to do with whether one is heterosexual or homosexual," he said. "There is just no place for this kind of scene on a school campus using students.”
Birmingham was paid $500 for the shoot, according to the superintendent, and the players turned in parental consent forms. However, the district said an investigation determined that the forms did not specify the nature of the shoot. The district also said the photos violated California Interscholastic Federation rules, which prohibit students from wearing football uniforms out of season.
Prizant, who is the school's filming coordinator as well as its athletic director, was present when the photos were taken, according to the district.
Authorities have safety concerns over apparent plans for a memorial for Michael Jackson at the Neverland Ranch, saying that the narrow hillside road could be overtaxed by thousands of vehicles.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Lt. Butch Arnoldi said two-lane Figueroa Mountain Road is not designed for a crush of cars and that his department is discussing how to make the route to Neverland as safe as possible.
There have been reports that the Jackson family would like to have some sort of ceremony for Jackson at the ranch, located north of Santa Barbara in Los Olivos, perhaps after a public ceremony at Staples Center. Although the plans remain unclear, sheriff's officials have been planning for such a contingency for a few days.
“We have not been approached by any family members of the Jackson family about an event that’s to occur in our county,” Arnoldi said. “We don’t want to be caught behind the eight-ball here.”
News vans and media vehicles have started to line up along the road outside Neverland Ranch. Notes, balloons and flowers for Jackson have also been left at the gate.
On a piece of cardboard, someone wrote “Thank you for being such a ‘Thriller.’ ”
On a lined piece of white paper, a fan wrote “ Michael, you will never be forgotten! We love you! You are an idol and will always be the king of pop!”
The gates have opened for some vehicles, including a fire vehicle. Only a few fans waited outside the ranch. Many people drove up, took pictures and left.
--Ruben Vives, and Ari B. Bloomekatz in Los Olivos, Calif.
A private funeral Mass will be said this afternoon for actress Farrah Fawcett at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
The “Charlie’s Angels” star died Thursday of a rare cancer at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge issued an ordered that would allow Fawcett’s 24-year-old son, Redmond O’Neal, who has been jailed on a pair of drug-related cases, to attend her funeral. O’Neal will be able to wear civilian clothes and will be accompanied by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
After the funeral, O’Neal will be returned to Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, where he is undergoing what the Sheriff’s Department calls an “intense drug rehabilitation program.”
This is one of those only-in-L.A.-and-even-then-it's-a-little-too-weird-to-be-true stories.
The latest issue of GQ features a cover story about comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, in his new guise as gay Austrian fashionista "Bruno." What brought it to our attention was that GQ includes photos shot at L.A.'s Birmingham High School, featuring the barely clad Cohen cavorting with the Birmingham football team. An online slide show shows Cohen wearing shoulder pads, tight red shorts, an athletic cup and little else while engaging in "drills" with the team, in one case lying on top of a player he has evidently just "tackled."
At most, we're talking about a PG rating (for the photo shoot, not the new movie). But inasmuch as it did involve minors at a public high school, there are those who are not amused. In particular, the stunt has incensed Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, adding fuel to a debate over whether Birmingham, in Lake Balboa, should be allowed to convert to a charter school. The charter conversion is up for a vote before the school board Wednesday. "This recent GQ thing has not helped matters," Cortines said today. "We’ve allowed our students to be used, and not in the most glamorous circumstances, either."
The Daily News on Saturday quoted the superintendent as blaming Birmingham Principal Marcia Coates and Athletic Director Rick Prizant, both of whom have been among those spearheading the drive to remove the school from day-to-day district oversight and become a charter. But Cortines said today that Coates is responsible, not Prizant, and he has asked local district Supt. Jean Brown "to take the appropriate action." He did not say what that would be. (A mandatory viewing of "Borat," perhaps?)
Coates said she had been told not to comment on the matter, and Prizant said he similarly would not respond. Brown did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
— Mitchell Landsberg
[Updated at 5 p.m. with comment from Jean Brown and a clarification from Cortines:
Brown called to say that "Local District 1, on behalf of Birmingham, is very embarrassed by what has happened, and very disappointed in the judgment that allowed the students to participate in this activity.” She said she was attempting to determine who was responsible, after which "we'll decide what our next steps are going to be." She added that she was unfamiliar with Cohen and his movies but found the "nature of the poses" to be inappropriate.
Through a spokesman, Cortines called to say he hadn't intended to say that Prizant wasn't responsible, only that Coates was ultimately responsible.]
Petra Fintova grew up in South Moravia in the Czech Republic listening to Michael Jackson. The 32-year-old, who took her family to the Jackson home in Encino today, said that even though she and her family didn't speak English, they still loved Jackson's music and own every CD and DVD he made.
Fintova, who moved to the United States in 2001, said people all over the world love Jackson's music, especially where she's from.
"He was something cool, something new," she said.
Fintova said Jackson's death brings backemotions from her brother's tragic death five years ago. Fintova brought her 7-year-old son, Nicolas Finta, to Encino, along with a letter he wrote to the deceased pop singer, thanking him for all of his musical contributions.
Across the street from the Los Angeles County coroner's office in Boyle Heights, scores of journalists -- some hailing from Britain, Germany, Colombia and Japan -- clustered on the edge of a sidewalk next to a gas station. Part of the crowd spilled into the street, forcing the police to block off a lane of traffic.
A handful of Michael Jackson fans and some employees of nearby County USC Medical Center gathered across the street in front of a makeshift shrine, where three fans holding up today's Times, a freshly made Jackson T-shirt and a "Honk if you love Michael Jackson" sign stood watch over a wreath of flowers next to the media gathering spot.
Jenna Loa, 19, an East L.A. college student who lives nearby, held a sign made out of the top of a white box a florist up the street gave her. The florist also gave her a pink carnation and a printed photo of Jackson.
After she saw the gathering of media today, Loa said to herself: "I'm going to go show my love. His life was so controversial. It's only when a person's gone you remember the essence of the music. That's why I'm here -- for the music."
The cardiologist being sought for questioning in the investigation of Michael Jackson's death was hired by a concert promoter to accompany the entertainer to London for his comeback concert series, a Jackson advisor said today.
Dr. Conrad Murray, a physician with offices in Nevada and Texas, was with Jackson when he went into cardiac arrest Thursday; police, who talked to Murray briefly at UCLA Medical Center, are trying to track him down for further interviews.
Dr. Tohme Tohme, a Jackson advisor, said that Los Angeles-based concert promoter AEG Live retained Murray and that the physician arrived in town less than two weeks ago.
Jackson and the rest of the company were set to depart early next week for England.
"I don't know the exact arrangements, but AEG paid him and he was going to go with [Jackson on tour]," Tohme said of Murray. Tohme said Murray treated Jackson for a cold when the singer was living in Las Vegas last year.
A spokesman for AEG declined to comment.
In a statement, the company, which had sunk tens of millions of dollars into Jackson's comeback efforts, expressed condolences to the singer's family and said it planned to begin processing refunds for about 750,000 tickets next week.
Michael Jackson’s former wife, Debbie Rowe, is most likely to receive custody of the two children she bore when she was married to the late pop star, legal experts said today.
Although Rowe initially waived parental rights to the children, she later changed her mind, and an appeals court ruled she was the legal mother of Prince Michael Jr. and Paris Michael Katherine.
“When a child has two legal parents and one of them dies, the other takes custody,” said USC law professor Scott Altman.
To gain custody, other family members or individuals designated in Jackson's will as guardians would have to show that giving custody to Rowe would harm the children, Altman said. Such a decision might depend on the amount of contact she has had with them, he said.
A legal fight over Jackson’s children “seems almost inevitable,” Altman said. “It is very hard to reach amicable agreements over child custody in circumstances like that.”
UCLA law professor Grace Blumberg said she also expects Rowe to obtain custody of the elder children, even if Jackson designated another guardian in his will.
Blumberg said the surrogate mother of the youngest child, Prince Michael II, also might come forward to try to obtain custody of that child. If the surrogate mother lived in Europe when the child was born, European laws would apply, Blumberg said. She said many European countries do not recognize surrogate arrangements.
Iris Finsilver, a lawyer who represented Rowe in the custody case with Jackson, told the Associated Press that Rowe was inconsolable over Jackson’s death. The attorney said she had no doubt Rowe would seek custody.
Finsilver and lawyers for Jackson could not be reached for comment.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson paid a visit today to the Jackson family home in Encino. After emerging shortly after 1 p.m., he walked down the long driveway and spoke to the assembled media.
Jackson, who is not related to Michael Jackson, spoke of the singer's influence on black culture and his contributions to the pop music scene.
"For all those that spend their time criticizing Michael, we say beat it," he said surrounded by camera crews.
The scene outside Michael Jackson's former estate near Los Olivos was strangely quiet today.
A 4-square-mile swath of rolling ranch land, the gates of Neverland were sometimes crowded with hundreds of fans holding vigils during Jackson's 2005 child molestation trial.
But the day after his death, mourners came by in ones and twos, sometimes leaving candles and messages at the gate but more often bearing witness in silence. Shortly before noon, only a dozen or so people were clustered outside one of the most famous homes in America.
Neverland Valley Ranch -- named for the island of the lost boys in "Peter Pan" -- is about 20 miles south of Santa Maria, the site of Jackson's trial, which ended in acquittal on all charges. At that time it drew a legion of fans from as far off as Japan.
Today, the small crowd was mostly local.
Cindi Galvan was on vacation, visiting relatives in Santa Maria. A nursing recruiter in the Fresno area, Galvan said she was still in shock over the news.
"We sang all his songs and the words just fell into place,'' she said.
She and her family had thought of seeing the sights around Morro Bay, but the need to pay their respects trumped other plans for the day, she said.
Her cousin, Regina Rivera, of Santa Maria, said she still has a shirt that Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson autographed for her after the singer's arraignment.
Rivera was among the hundreds of fans that day who responded to Jackson's open invitation for a barbecue and a show of support at his estate.
Rivera glimpsed his 25-room Tudor mansion and, amazed, trod the grounds that included carnival rides, bronze statues of children at play and Jackson's private zoo.
Hundreds of fans continued to line Hollywood Boulevard today to catch a glimpse of Michael Jackson's star on the Walk of Fame.
To help move the large crowd past the star, the Los Angeles Police Department erected metal barricades to move mourners through in one direction.
Damecia Stingley was one of hundreds who went to pay her respects. The 32-year-old Los Angeles resident credits Jackson's music with saving her from a suicide attempt.
"I'm devastated," she said. "I kept waiting to hear it was a hoax. I feel like a piece of me is dead."
Jackie and Kimberly Vega of Riverside arrived at the Jackson home in Encino about 10:30 a.m. today, wearing black shirts with a black-and-white photo of Jackson on the front and "RIP King of Pop" on the back in white lettering.
The sisters left their house at 7:15 a.m. and first went to Jackson's Hollywood star but decided to drive to Encino.
"This is more personal," Kimberly said.
The sisters brought a clay plaque with the phrase "One kind heart is all it takes to make the world a better place" inscribed on it.
Jackie Vega said she has been a fan of Jackson's all her life.
"This feels like we've lost a family member," she said.
Jackie Vega, who turns 26 the day after Jackson's birthday (Aug. 29), plans to have a Jackson-themed party this year.
"He will definitely live on in our family," she said.
Police investigating Michael Jackson’s death are seeking to further question a Las Vegas cardiologist who was present at the performer’s home when he went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing, according to police and other sources familiar with the probe.
Dr. Conrad Murray, 51, who is licensed in Texas, Nevada and California, was administering CPR to the performer Thursday when paramedics arrived at his rented Holmby Hills home. Murray accompanied Jackson, 50, to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where the singer was pronounced dead.
Sources said investigators briefly spoke to Murray but had additional questions for the doctor.
The Los Angeles Police Department impounded Murray’s luxury sedan, which was parked at Jackson’s home, a police source familiar with the investigation said.
Detectives with LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide division are still trying to determine what treatment, if any, Murray gave Jackson in the hours before his death, the source said. According to published reports, Jackson had received a shot of the painkiller Demerol before going into cardiac arrest.
The singer struggled for years with addiction to painkillers.
An advisor to Jackson, Dr. Tohme Tohme, who had rejoined the singer’s team last week, said he never saw pills or other medication at the rented home.
“I’m not aware of him taking anything,” Tohme said.
At a Monday rehearsal at Staples Center, he said, Jackson was happy and performed the challenging routines for his scheduled London concert series without any problem.
“He was in the best of health. He performed unbelievably,” said Tohme, who is trained as an orthopedic surgeon but not currently practicing.
A message left at Murray's Las Vegas office, Global Cardiovascular Assn., was not returned. A receptionist at Murray’s Houston office said the physician was not in Texas, but declined to elaborate on his whereabouts.
Zarina Henderson of Sylmar made a spur-of-the-moment decision to stop by the Jackson compound with her two children, Avazia and Garrid Tillis, at about 9 a.m.
today.
Henderson said her daughter had asked where Jackson lived, so she decided to take the kids to see the home in which he grew up in Encino.
"Michael is the major legend, he's a real legend, he's a true legend," she said.
Henderson said she wondered why legends seem to die so early. Although Elvis Presley may have been the king of rock 'n' roll, Jackson brought more people of different backgrounds together, she said.
"He broke the color barrier in music," she said.
Henderson said Jackson's music was universal. For example, her father, Oprey Anderson, is 74 and loves Jackson, she said. Her children, 12 and 9, like Jackson, too.
"He touched people from all ages," Henderson said.
She remembered emulating Jackson's moves growing up, and said she owned a replica of the signature red jacket, a Jackson doll and a white glove.
"You couldn't tell me I didn't have his dances down," she said jokingly.
Although it was relatively quiet this morning at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, that was not the case Thursday, when hundreds of Michael Jackson fans danced late into the night, chanting "Michael! Michael!" and singing songs such as "Thriller," "ABC" and "I'll Be There."
They held up signs that read "King of Pop" and "Michael Jackson Lives Forever." They lit candles and laid yellow roses at a nearby tree, where someone had outlined his name in in red flower petals.
A few people cried, but most danced, smiled and did their own versions of Jackson's dance moves. Vendors ran up the sidewalk with hastily printed T-shirts commemorating his death. Two men sold hot dogs, water and Gatorade from a white pickup parked near several news vans.
Fans carried vinyl records and some wore just one glove. Henry Gonzalez, 20, a student studying neuroscience at UCLA, carried a boom box on his right shoulder that blasted the pop star's hits. A crowd of fans danced around him and followed as he walked up and down Westwood Boulevard.
"I'm the DJ," Gonzalez said at about 9 p.m.
He had been in Westwood most of the day after learning of Jackson’s death. He smiled and bobbed his head to the music.
"I was sad, and then I decided to support him," Gonzalez said. "I'm a dancer. He inspired me a lot."
In a fit of creativity, the artist painted a 24-by-48 acrylic portrait of Jackson, singing with a microphone in his hand. The paint is so fresh, you can still smell it.
Holsey, of Studio City, said he's been painting important figures, such as Richard Pryor and Oprah Winfrey, since 2005 but has never completed a piece in its entirety in eight hours before.
"He's an icon," said Holsey. "This is my tribute to Michael Jackson and the Jackson family."
Holsey used a black-and-white photo from Jackson's website as a starting ground, but added color and the years "1958 to 2009" to Jackson's red jacket. He also added a crown and the word "pop" on the bottom of it.
He said he heard of Jackson's death Thursday on his drive home.
"My first thought was, 'Please don't let this be No. 3.' " Jackson was the third celebrity to die in recent days after Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett.
-- Nicole Santa Cruz in Encino
Photo: Artist rendition of Michael Jackson. Credit: Nicole Santa Cruz / Los Angeles Times
Shortly before 9 a.m., a representative of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce appeared and wordlessly placed a large flower arrangement on Michael Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was made of white roses and purple baby's breath and tied with a huge black bow.
The crowd surged forward, frantically snapping pictures.
Fans had been crowding around the star on Hollywood Boulevard in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater since early this morning. Many were in tears as they maneuvered closer, trying to get photos of the star.
Some brought flowers, balloons and even original artwork. One person showed up with a picture of a young Michael Jackson that he had fashioned from old vinyl records. Another man crouched beside the star, painting a picture on the sidewalk.
Among the mourners was actor Prince Selvage, 36, of Van Nuys, who was wearing a long-sleeve Michael Jackson T-shirt from a Stockholm concert. He said his parents used to take him to Michael Jackson concerts when he was about 5 years old and by the second show, "I was hooked."
Selvage said he used to wear a white glove and red jacket to school and later worked as a Michael Jackson impersonator.
Through his tears, Selvage said he had already purchased tickets for Jackson's comeback tour, choosing the Sept. 10 show as a birthday present to himself.
"It's hard to put into words." Selvage said, adding he didn't believe the news about Jackson's death when his father told him.
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