365 days ago the world was rocked by the news that the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson had died from an overdose of sedatives. He was 50.
The singer was ready to go out with a bang with 50 dates at London’s O2. Dubbed ‘the ‘This Is It’ tour, it looked like the last time Michael would perform in the UK, but sadly he and his fans were robbed of that chance.
One year on, we take a look at some of the outstanding issues surrounding his death.
Dr Conrad Murray
Dr Conrad Murray, a cardiologist with practices in Las Vegas and Houston, worked as Michael’s personal physician and was with the singer on the day that he died, but still maintains that he never did anything which could have contributed to the stars death.
On February 8, 2010, Dr Murray pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter and has since made two further court appearances in the case and remains on $75,000 (£50,000) bail. Shockingly, he is free to practice medicine.
Dr Murray is due to appear in court again on August 23, when Judge Michael Pastor is expected to set a date for a preliminary hearing, but a trial date cannot be set until the process is completed and Judge Pastor has had an opportunity to consider the evidence. Dr Murray could be sent to jail for up to four years if found guilty. Four years doesn’t sound much considering what we might have lost at his hands.
Michael Jackson’s Estate
Just like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, Michael remains a huge commodity from beyond the grave, and since his death the Jackson family have thought to have inherited $1 billion (£677 million).
According to reports, album sales have generated about $383m (£259m), revenue from the film, This Is It, amounted to nearly $400m (£267m), and the This is It concerts - despite never taking place - also proved to be hugely profitable asm any fans held on to their tickets as souvenirs instead of refunding them, which brought in about $6.5m (£4.3m), to be shared with the promoter AEG.
The Music
Such a shame that Michael finally achieve the musical comeback he had been seeking for years. Following his passing in 2009, he became the biggest selling artist of that year with 8.3 million sales, the vast majority of which were posthumous.
This is It, the film that documented the singer's rehearsals for his London concerts, is the highest-grossing concert film and documentary in cinematic history.
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