Michael Jackson's Body Released for Burial

After an autopsy failed to immediately determine cause of death for the fallen King of Pop, who died suddenly on Thursday, Michael Jackson's body has been released to his family for burial. The family has begun to gather in the Los Angeles home of Jackson's parents to plan the funeral.

Preliminary reports from the coroner's office state that there was no immediate sign of trauma to the body but they would need to wait for toxicology reports to determine cause of death. There has been much speculation regarding the singer's addiction to prescription painkillers, and reports leaked that Jackson was injected with the painkiller Demerol just before going into full cardiac arrest.

Police towed the vehicle (a silver Mercedes) of Michael Jackson's personal physician, cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray, to search for potential evidence. Family members and other sources close to the situation have stated that Jackson was injected daily with the narcotic painkiller Demerol, and that he was heavily addicted to the narcotic Oxycontin. However, preliminary reports from the coroner's office also allegedly said that the body was much stronger and healthier than they originally anticipated. Still, it goes without saying that a daily injection of Demerol is hardly an effective long term pain management solution.

All told, the public would probably be better off not receiving the information contained in the autopsy report. Michael Jackson was not well. He reportedly took narcotic painkillers daily for many years - we know what killed him. Liza Minelli stated rather cryptically on Friday morning that "all hell would break loose once the autopsy reports are released so it's good we're celebrating him now". Right on Liza.