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.
Jackson apparently got an injection of Demerol, a strong painkiller similar to morphine, about 11:30 a.m. local time on Thursday at his rented home in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb, and stopped breathing shortly afterward, before he was rushed to the hospital by paramedics.
Jackson had been reportedly addicted to Demerol for about 20 years.
Meanwhile, Jackson's family and advisers were trying to sort out the superstar's complex life after his sudden demise.
Jackson's three children are currently staying with their grandmother Katherine. The two oldest children -- Michael "Prince" Joseph Jr., 12, and Paris Michael Katherine, 11 -- may eventually be turned over to their mother, Deborah Rowe.
Prince Michael II, 7, is the product of an unknown surrogate mother. Former Jackson financial adviser Alvin Malnik said he would care for the child as his own under an earlier arrangement with Jackson.
It is still unclear who will take charge of Jackson's affairs after his death. Jackson died while preparing for a series of 50 concerts in London beginning next month.
Fans of Jackson's music have been gathering around his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to pay tribute to the singer, who won 13 Grammy Awards and sold 750 million albums worldwide in his 40-year career.
(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2009)
