All posts containing the tag: "died"
Posted Nov 19th 2009 12:28AM by TMZ Staff
Though she knew Michael Jackson had a drug problem, Janet says she had no clue her brother was using Propofol -- the drug that ultimately killed him.

In an interview with Robin Roberts, MJ's sister says it was "a shocker" when she found out about the dangerous drug he used to go to sleep -- and no one in family knew the extent to which he was using.
Filed under: TV, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson
Tags: dead, died, janet jackson, JanetJackson, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, propofol, robin roberts, RobinRoberts, this is it, ThisIsIt
Posted Nov 10th 2009 1:00AM by TMZ Staff
Dr. Conrad Murray was on the phone with his girlfriend as Michael Jackson was dying ... sources connected to the case tell TMZ.
We've learned Dr. Murray was on a cell phone with his girlfriend from Houston between 12:03 and 12:13 PM on June 25, 2009 -- the day Jackson died.
Sources say the girlfriend told LAPD detectives about 5 minutes into the call, she heard Dr. Murray abruptly drop the phone and then heard him administer CPR. The girlfriend said there was no indication Dr. Murray knew anything was amiss before dropping the telephone.
Sources say the girlfriend does not know if Murray was in the room with Jackson when he called her or if he walked in just before realizing MJ was in deep trouble.
The bodyguard called 911 at 12:21 PM, approximately 13 minutes after Dr. Murray dropped the phone.
It has been widely reported Dr. Murray was on the phone for 47 minutes before calling 911. It appears those calls were actually made before Dr. Murray realized Jackson was in distress.
Filed under: Michael Jackson, Exclusives
Tags: alberto alvarez, AlbertoAlvarez, cpr, death, died, dr. conrad murray, Dr.ConradMurray, girlfriend, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, nicole alvarez, NicoleAlvarez, phone call, PhoneCall
Posted Oct 11th 2009 10:02AM by TMZ Staff
Stephen Gately, part of the Irish boy band Boyzone, was found dead while on vacation in Spain. He was 33.
The circumstances of his death are still unclear -- the band released a statement that simply said he "tragically died."
Boyzone was one of the biggest acts in Ireland in the 1990s. The band had announced a comeback tour last year.
Gately became something of a gay icon in the U.K. after he announced he was gay 10 years ago. He married his partner Andrew Cowles (Elton John introduced them) in a civil union in 2006.
Filed under: R.I.P.
Tags: boy band, BoyBand, boyzone, dead, died, irish, spain, stephen gately, StephenGately
Posted Sep 1st 2009 10:10PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has learned Katherine Jackson has filed legal papers asking the judge in the Jackson probate case to have the estate pay for the burial.
Informed sources tell us lawyers for the estate will neither support nor oppose the motion -- but rather they will leave it to the judge.
A hearing is set for tomorrow at 9:30 AM PST.
The burial is set for Thursday.


Filed under: Michael Jackson, Exclusives
Tags: burial, court, dead, death, died, homicide, katherine jackson, KatherineJackson, michael jackson, michael jackson estate, MichaelJackson, MichaelJacksonEstate, probate
Posted Jul 11th 2009 11:53AM by TMZ Staff
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the central target in both the coroner and LAPD investigations into Michael Jackson's death is Dr. Conrad Murray, who was at Jackson's house when the singer went into full cardiac arrest.
Sources say the doctor is not cooperating with authorities, but they have still found evidence linking him to the drug that may have killed Jackson. As we first reported, as a result of Dr. Murray's second interview with police two weeks ago today, the LAPD obtained a warrant to conduct a second search of Jackson's home -- and that's when they found Propofol, a powerful anesthesia that should never be used outside a hospital. There is evidence Propofol was administered to Jackson shortly before his heart stopped beating.
And we're told there is evidence Dr. Murray may have administered the drug. Dr. Murray's lawyer, Ed Chernoff, told TMZ he would neither confirm nor deny if Dr. Murray administered Propofol to Jackson. Law enforcement sources tell us if they conclude the doctor administered the drug it may well lead to manslaughter charges.
Investigators are also suspicious of the delay in calling 911 -- the Dr. says he waited 20 - 30 minutes because he didn't know Jackson's address that would lead paramedics to the house. Jackson lived on one of the most famous streets in the world -- one house above Sunset Blvd.
As the investigation into Jackson's death heats up, there's also an investigation into his life with drugs and the doctor's who fueled it. Sources tell us law enforcement is seriously investigating the prescription practices of several doctors who gave Jackson access to medications. Investigators are particularly interested in doctors who used aliases to write scripts for Jackson. One of the central figures in the investigation -- Dr. Arnold Klein.
We broke the story yesterday how members of Jackson's staff complained that Klein was using the names of employees and others to help Jackson score drugs. One of the names allegedly used -- Frank Tyson, a former Jackson employee. Several powerful meds in Tyson's name were prescribed by Dr. Klein and found at the Neverland Ranch during the 2003 search.

Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: coroner, died, dr. arnold klein, dr. conrad murray, Dr.ArnoldKlein, Dr.ConradMurray, drugs, ed chernoff, EdChernoff, investigation, lapd, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, overdose, propofol
Posted Jul 5th 2009 9:30AM by TMZ Staff
As law enforcement officials comb through medical records to determine who supplied and administered the anesthesia Propofol and other drugs to Michael Jackson, we've learned there may be a fail-safe way of getting at the truth.
It's no secret -- especially in a celebrity town like L.A. -- some doctors use pseudonyms for celebrity patients and sometimes their medical charts somehow get "lost." But we've learned most doctors leave an indelible footprint when it comes to treating patients.
Many doctors -- especially ones with big practices -- use medical software systems from MD Systems, NexTech and other companies. These companies provide the software that makes it easy to input billing data.
Doctors typically input the patient's name, billing amount, type of treatment, type of drugs prescribed and administered, and date of service. Here's the thing -- that data cannot be deleted from the server.
The system allows doctors to add other data like medical charts, and those things can be deleted. But if someone deletes that info, the software shows the name of the user who did it and the date it was done.
Bottom line -- the basic billing information will not go away.
As we reported days ago, law enforcement found Propofol inside Jackson's house. Propofol is an anesthesia, which should never be administered outside a hospital, and it's looking like that drug killed Jackson. If cops find who supplied it and who administered it, the docs could well be prosecuted for manslaughter.
Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: billing, death, died, doctors, drugs, jackson, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, overdose, propofol
Posted Jun 30th 2009 5:39PM by TMZ Staff
A shipment of concrete was just delivered to the Neverland Ranch.

We saw the concrete truck drive onto the property. A rep from the construction company told us they got a call today for 32,000 pounds of the hard stuff -- for what, we're not sure ... but it's certainly interesting ...
Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: burial, concrete, dead, died, funeral, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, neverland, ranch, viewing
Posted Jun 30th 2009 1:45PM by TMZ Staff
We now know what the LAPD was after when it got a search warrant for Michael Jackson's home.
The warrant was specifically targeted to find controlled substances and paraphernalia -- in particular needles.
Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: death, died, doctors, drugs, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, needles, paraphernalia
Posted Jun 28th 2009 11:50AM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has confirmed TV pitchman Billy Mays was found dead today in his home in Tampa, Florida early this morning.
According to the Tampa PD, the 50-year-old TV pitchman was found unresponsive by his wife Deborah at 7:45 AM.
TMZ has learned Mays' body has already been removed from his home.
Mays had just returned from Philadelphia, where he shot a new OxiClean commercial. He was a passenger aboard a plane that suffered a blown front tire upon landing. He told a local TV station, "All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."
We're told Mays was at his home around 6:00 PM last night, and according to a source Mays was "acting fine and normal ... he was talking business with his father-in-law."
According to cops, there are no signs of forced entry to the residence and no foul play is suspected. Billy's wife Deborah told investigators Billy wasn't feeling well last night.
The Medical Examiner's office is expected to complete the autopsy by tomorrow afternoon. Billy was due to have his third hip replacement surgery on Monday.
UPDATE: Deborah just released the following statement: "Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times."
A rep for the Discovery Channel -- which airs Billy's show "Pitchmen" -- released this statement, "Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend."
Filed under: R.I.P., Billy Mays
Tags: Billy mays, BillyMays, dead, died, oxi-clean, oxiclean, pitchman
Posted Jun 27th 2009 9:59AM by TMZ Staff
Michael Jackson had a habit of getting Demerol injections -- he even had a special name for them.
We're told Jackson called it "health tonic." He would have a doctor inject him because, we're told, he didn't like needles.
Our sources have told us Jackson was injected with Demerol at 11:30 AM the day he died. Shortly thereafter Jackson went into cardiac arrest.
You'll recall, Jackson also had a name for wine -- Jesus juice.
Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: cardiac arrest, CardiacArrest, demerol, died, drugs, health tonic, HealthTonic, michael jackson, MichaelJackson
Posted Jun 26th 2009 3:31PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has just received a tape of the Michael Jackson 911 call made yesterday at 12:21 PM from Michael's house in Holmby Hills, Ca.
The person who makes the call says Jackson was not breathing and unconscious. Jackson was not responding to CPR. The caller says the doctor on scene -- Dr. Conrad Murray -- was the only witness -- "The doctor has been the only one here."

Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: 911, 911 call, 911Call, death, died, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, paramedics
Posted Jun 26th 2009 12:45PM by TMZ Staff
When EMTs arrived at Michael Jackson's home yesterday, the medics wanted to pronounce him dead on the scene -- but Michael's personal doctor refused to let them "call it" -- this according to sources close to the situation.
When EMTs arrived there was evidence someone had been performing CPR on Michael for "quite some time." There was evidence of Lidocaine -- an old-school drug that can be used to treat disturbances in the heart's rhythm. Medics took over performing CPR but determined Jackson was lifeless -- and wanted to call the coroner to pick up the body.
We're told Jackson was flat-lined when EMTs arrived.
But our sources say M.J.'s doc demanded EMTs continue performing CPR anyway, and demanded that they take Michael to the hospital.
Once they arrived at UCLA, we're told Jackson's doc continued to personally administer CPR -- even though it was clear Jackson was already gone.
Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: cpr, dead, died, emt, lidocaine, lidocane, lydocaine, michael jackson, MichaelJackson
Posted Jun 26th 2009 8:05AM by TMZ Staff
A bus full of tourists thought they were driving up a fancy street to look at Michael Jackson's front gate. Instead, they witnessed the last moments of Michael Jackson's life.

Thirteen stunned people aboard a Starline Tours bus saw the King of Pop being whisked to the hospital, in full cardiac arrest. You hear the tour guide cryptically say, "This is Michael Jackson's estate, everyone. So we'll find out later in the news what happened."


Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: ambulance, cardiac arrest, CardiacArrest, dead, died, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, Starline Tours, StarlineTours, video
Posted Jun 9th 2009 3:43PM by TMZ Staff
Legendary Las Vegas performer Danny Gans' cause of death has been ruled an accidental overdose of pain medication.
Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy said Danny officially died from hydromorphone toxicity due to chronic pain syndrome -- and that other contributing factors include hypertension cardiovascular disease and a disease that caused him to produce an abnormal amount of red blood cells.
Murphy says Gans had a toxic reaction to the drug because of an existing heart condition. He added, "This was not drug abuse."
Danny died on May 1 at his home after a family member called 911 to say he was having trouble breathing. By the time paramedics arrived, it was too late.
Filed under: Danny Gans
Tags: autopsy, danny gans, DannyGans, death, died, las vegas, LasVegas, toxicology
Posted May 15th 2009 1:07PM by TMZ Staff
Paris Hilton has a perfectly good explanation for the loud screams that drew cops to her house this morning -- she thought her beloved Tinkerbell was dead.
TMZ spoke with Paris who claims she got a disturbing phone call late last night from someone who told her Tink had been run over and killed on Mullholland Drive -- but it turns out the call was just a tasteless prank.
Still -- Paris claims she was freaking out and her boyfriend Doug Reinhardt was just trying to calm her down.
As TMZ first reported, cops were called to Paris and Doug's place after neighbors say the couple's yelling and screaming kept them up all night. It was the second time cops had been called to the house this week.
For the record -- Tinkerbell is doing just fine.
Filed under: Paris Hilton
Tags: dead, died, dog, Doug reinhardt, DougReinhardt, Paris Hilton, ParisHilton, Tinker bell, TinkerBell