Michael Jackson biography

According to the report, the singer had died from acute propofol intoxication. The overdose had reportedly worked in combination with a lethal prescription drug cocktail—which included the pain killer Demerol, as well as lorazepam, midazolam, benzodiazepine, diazepine and ephedrine—to shut down the star's weakened heart. Aided by his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray,

Jackson had used the drugs to help him sleep at night. Murray later told police that he believed Jackson had developed a particular addiction to propofol, which Jackson had referred to as his "milk." Murray had reportedly administered the drug by IV in the evenings, in 50-milligram dosages, and was attempting to ween the pop star off the drug around the time of his death.

A police investigation soon revealed that Dr. Murray was not licensed to prescribe most controlled drugs in the state of California. The steps he had taken to save Jackson also came under scrutiny, as evidence showed that the standard of care for administering propofol had not been met, and the recommended equipment for patient monitoring, precision dosing and resuscitation had not been present. As a result, Jackson's death was ruled a homicide, and Murray found himself at the center of an involuntary manslaughter investigation. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death on November 7, 2011, and was later sentenced to a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

When Murray's trial ended, the Jackson family focused once again on moving forward with their lives. However, by the following year, the Jacksons were making new headlines. In July 2012, a judge temporarily suspended Katherine Jackson's guardianship of Paris, Michael Joseph Jr. and Prince Michael II—during which time T.J. Jackson, son of Tito, received temporary custody of the children—after she was erroneously reported missing by a relative. Before Katherine's location could be confirmed, speculation quickly grew regarding her whereabouts, with Paris, Prince and Blanket becoming concerned that they were being prevented from communicating with their grandmother by other family members. Katherine's "disappearance" came shortly after a dispute between her and several members of the Jackson clan, who raised questions about the validity of Michael Jackson's will, pointed fingers at the Jackson matriarch and called for the executors of his estate to resign.

It was soon discovered that Katherine wasn't missing, but had simply taken a trip to Arizona. Her guardianship suspension was not revoked, however, because she had been away and out of communication with the children for 10 days—a violation of her responsibilities as a legal guardian. On August 2, 2012, a judge restored Katherine Jackson as the primary guardian of Paris, Prince and Blanket, also approving a plan granting T.J. Jackson co-guardianship of the children.

Wrongful Death Trial

Though closure on Michael Jackson's death seemed attainable by late 2012, it would only be a matter of months before the Jackson family encountered a new brand of turmoil. Believing that AEG Live—the company that promoted Michael Jackson's planned comeback series, "This Is It," in 2009—had failed to effectively protect the singer while he was under Conrad Murray's care, and that AEG was responsible for doing so, the Jackson family decided to take legal action against the entertainment company. Katherine Jackson officially filed a wrongful death lawsuit against AEG, and the trial began in April 2013. She is being represented by a lawyer named Brian Panish, who discussed AEG's alleged wrongdoing during his opening statements on April 29, 2013: "They wanted to be No. 1 at all costs," he said. "We're not looking for any sympathy ... we're looking for truth and justice."

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