Inside the Forest Lawn Mausoleum surrounded by Walt Disney, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Sammy Davies Jr.:

Michael Jackson laid to rest

Chamari Senanayake

The man who held multiple Guinness World Records including ‘Most successful entertainer of All Time’ was finally laid to rest on September 3 evening at ‘Forest Lawn Memorial Park’ in Glendale, California. The very private ceremony which was held for only his family and closest friends was open to a selected number of Media channels that was told to stay at a distance.

Amongst Michael’s closest friends that arrived were Elizabeth Taylor, Macaulay Culkin, Chris Tucker, Quincy Jones, Lisa Marie Presley and many others while legendary singer Gladys Knight performed during the ceremony. Michael’s brothers all wore a single sequined white glove which was a trademark of King of Pop. Michael was said to have laid to rest in his stage make-up, single white glove, and white socks and with love notes written by his children.

He was entombed in a golden casket that is worth US $ 30,000 inside the Forest Lawn Mausoleum surrounded by world famous celebrities such as Walt Disney, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Sammy Davies Jr. Michael’s burial site would be off limits to his fans because of his God-like extreme popularity and the family is said to have purchased 12 burial sites inside the cemetery possibly to cover and protect his actual plot.

The King of Pop is still the most successful singer of all time and his 1982 album “Thriller” is the biggest selling album of all time, with confirmed sales of over 47 million, and over an estimated 100 million copies worldwide.

Winner of 13 Grammy awards, 17 number one singles (including the four as a member of the Jackson 5), and estimated sales between 350 million and 750 million records worldwide Michael Jackson is the biggest entertainer in the world even after his death. In January 1993 Jackson performed during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII.

It drew the largest viewing audience in the history of American television. His popularity is so enormous that many fans faint at the sight of Michael Jackson.

He often held and embraced his adoring fans when they jumped on to the stage during his singing, giving them an experience to remember.

At most instances Michael has to be rescued by his security officers and back up dancers from his hysterical fans.

Michael is well known for his gentle and awkward behavior, speaking in a low voice he often blushes during interviews and shies away from the camera. Friends who are closest to him believe Michael’s very child-like mentality is a direct result of the abuse he took in the hands of his father.

‘Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in an interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast on February 10, 1993. He said that he had often cried from loneliness and would sometimes vomit when he saw his father.

In an interview with Martin Bashir, aired on February 3, 2003 as Living With Michael Jackson, he covered his face with his hands and began crying when talking about his childhood abuse.

He recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, and that “if you didn’t do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you.’ (Jackson’s biography) It is also said that many people abused his innocence and naiveness, which later led to two child molestation acusses from which he was later aquitted, and financial problems despite his on ging success.

He even lost his much loved ‘Neverland’ ranch where he held his parties and kept his exotic animals trying to live like fairy tale character ‘Peter Pan’ the foever child. At the end of the saga Michael was left broke and owing more than US $300 million and led his life in seclution with his children. Michael’s first two children Prince Michael and Paris Michael Katherine were born to Debbie Rowe while his third child Prince Michaeal II was born to an unknown surrogate mother.

Although Michael insists his children were fathered by him using artificial insamination, there is now debates that he has used undisclosed friend’s sperm. Sources says Michael was an amazing father, as Michael always wanted children, as mentioned by his daughter to the crowd during his memorial at the Staples Centre on 7th July “ever since I was born.. my Daddy was the best father you could ever imagine.. I love him so much”.

He is said to have cooked their meals, often throwing parties to their friends, teaching them good manners and trying his best to cover them from the media.

To the World’ foundation, he has sent millions of dollars around the globe to help chilren threatened by War and conflicts.

He also actively supported AIDS research and helped Regan administartion with the campaign against drink driving. With the success of ‘We are the World’ he supported the fight against hunger and poverty in Africa. Michaeal Jackson’s death is now officially labeled as ‘Homicide’ by the New York County coroner. They are withholding the results of his toxicology report in order to support on going investigation.

The last man seen him alive Dr. Conrad Murray, who administered the powerful anesthesiac called ‘Propofol’ seem to be a character with a ‘past’ with malpractice cases and many debts hanging over his character.

According to celebrity websites such as ‘TMZ’ Dr. Conrad Murray has not called the paramadecis immediately after Michael stopped breathing.

Instead, there is a gap of over one hour since the death and the 911 call was made and it is unclear what he was doing during that time and why he took such a long time. When the paramadics arrived, they noticed that Jackson has been clearly dead for sometime and even if they wanted to pronounce him dead there, Dr. Murray has insisted that Michael was alive and he should be taken to the hospital.

Theorefore, Michael was pronounced dead at the hospital even though he has been dead for a while.

In a statement that was given to the police immediately after the death, Dr. Murray states that he gave a mild dose of Propofol to Jackson to help him to sleep and by this time he has noticed that Jackson was addicted to pain killers and was unable to sleep on his own. However, it is now releaved that Jackson’s body contained 400 times more anesthesiac than the doctor admitted.

Since Michael’s death, he has engaged in questionable behaviour such as giving Michaeal CPR while his body was still on bed (in order to give CPR the body should be laid on a hard surface), and calling and getting two of his employees to remove some boxes from his office even before he made the 911 call. However, a much loved character from Americas to the poverty stricken Africa, is now lost and obviously Michaeal Jackson was a genious that created unique dancing styles and singing, bringing joy to billions of fans and inspiring countless to enter the field of entertainment.

He seems to have led a life in seclution despite the limelight, cameras that were focused on him 24 hours a day, adoring fans and critisism that followed him everywhere. Michael’s own words ‘ I am the loneliest person in this world.. I sometimes cry myself to sleep.. it is sad to be me..’ seem to summerise how painful life has been to the man called Michael Jackson.