Michael Jackson - The King of Conspiracies?

Anyone who hasn't been living in a cave, under the sea, on Mars, has heard the official story of Jackson's untimely death.
The star was found in bed, not breathing and showing only a weak pulse at around midday on June 25. He was given CPR by his personal physician, Dr Conrad Murray, who feared that the king of pop had suffered a heart attack.
He was rushed by ambulance to the Ronald Reagan UCLA hospital near to the California mansion he was renting to prepare for a string of 50 sold out gigs at London's O2 arena.
Medics continued attempts to revive Jackson for more than an hour, but eventually they were forced to give up.
He was pronounced dead at 2.26pm. A televised memorial service, which attracted millions of viewers worldwide, and featured stars including Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey, took place on July 7 before a private family burial.
Jackson's body was subjected to a post mortem examination, but the cause of death was deferred while further tests on Jackson's blood, tissue and brain are carried out.
As yet, those tests have not been finalised, leading the conspiracy community to reach their own conclusions.

When a global icon like Michael Jackson dies, some conspiracy theories are taken as read.
He was assassinated by the CIA.
He was abducted by aliens.
He is still alive and hiding out with Elvis.
He has been dead for years, and was being played by a look-alike.
But with Jackson, there are serious questions over how he died, who was providing the lethal cocktails of prescription painkillers that left him so fragile and whether or not the king of pop was actually murdered.
The conspiracy theories have been fuelled by endless speculation and rumour from US gossip site TMZ.
The web magazine, which broke the world exclusive story of Jackson's demise, has been relentless in its pursuit of the truth behind the fallen idol's final hours.
Stories of drugs, deceit and duplicity have run rife as the arguments begin over MJ's fortune, his reported $400 million debts, the rights to his lucrative back catalogue and the paternity of his three children.
Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of Jackson's kids, has positioned herself as their safest option, while Michael's abusive father Joe and his mother Katherine fight to keep the youngsters with the family.
But as revelations emerge about the sheer scale of the king of pop's substance abuse, his bizarre addiction to plastic surgery and the hand-in-mouth existence he was forced to eke out, a darker side to the circus surrounding his life is becoming apparent.
The doctors who made their living prescribing extra-strong pain medication including demerol and propofol are now being closely scrutinized by investigators.
Jackson's plastic surgeon, Arnold Klein, who has been named in some quarters as the possible biological father of Jackson's eldest kids, has come under fire and his offices have been raided by the LA coroner's office.
The star's family have insisted that his untimely end was sparked by the "bad circle" of advisors, medics and promoters who they say was forcing him into the O2 gigs.
Latoya Jackson, who became close to her brother in his final years despite branding him a child molester at the height of the paedophilia scandal that engulfed his life in the mid-90s, has said that she believes Michael Jackson was murdered.
The LAPD have refused to rule out murder and TMZ reported recently that senior sources inside the Police are already treating the case as a homicide investigation.
Dr Murray has been asked to give his side of the story, and may be the only man who truly knows what happened in Jackson's final 48 hours.
His family, the scandal-hungry US media machine and his legions of fans are demanding answers, and at the moment they are forced to speculate on a whodunnit mystery that could rumble on for decades.

- The LAPD are taking the murder investigation very seriously, and have publicly stated that they are keeping an open mind about the possibility of homicide.

- Jackson's family say Dr Murray disappeared for several hours after MJ's death, and has still to answer the family's questions about his final hours.

- Detectives have taken a number of drugs from Jackson's home, and his dependence on prescription pain killers was widely documented. Reports also suggest that an injection was administered to him just hours before he died.

- The cause of death on the official death certificate has been deferred. Clearly the coroner needs to examine factors other than a weak heart or a standard medical condition that would lead to cardiac arrest.

- There are several motives for murder or manslaughter. The king of pop may have owed the best part of $400 million, but in death his songs, his image and his memorabilia represent a licence to print money. Could any member of his entourage have hatched a plan to exploit these potential riches?

- Dogged by child abuse allegations, his body ravaged by years of performing, touring and drug taking, there are those who believe Jackson may have asked one of his assistants to help him end his own life rather than face the 50 gruelling gigs he had to fulfil at London's 02 arena.

- There can be no doubt that suggestions that Jackson is still alive somewhere, waiting for the storm to die down and his massive debts to be paid off are entirely false. A thorough post mortem by the LA coroner revealed that birth marks, scars, surgical alterations and blood samples all matched those of the troubled star.

- Dr Murray has now fully co-operated with investigators, and though his account has not yet been made public, that is no reason to suppose that there is anything untoward about his behaviour.

- The decision to defer the cause of death on his certificate does not immediately mean that Jackson died as a result of foul play, it is quite common in cases where extensive blood work needs to be analysed.

- While he was under pressure to perform the O2 gigs, there was no suggestion from anyone in his family or his entourage that Jackson appeared suicidal before his death.

Michael Jackson's sad demise may never be fully explained. His reclusive lifestyle, reliance on pain killers and gruelling schedule mean that at this early stage it is all but impossible to find out whether his death was a result of murder, suicide, or sheer exhaustion. In death Jackson has the chance to escape the paedophilia allegations and crippling emotional baggage that his life and turned him from a fresh faced showman into a decrepit wreck hiding behind a mask of plastic surgery. His legacy may prove to be the spectacular musical talent he brought to the stage, rather than the disturbing reports of goings-on inside his creepy Neverland ranch. Speculation over his "murder" may be excessive, but it is clear that the collection of enablers who offered him nothing but drugs and demands for cash had a hand to play in his untimely death. The media spotlight that plagued Jackson throughout his career, may ironically help expose the truth about his death. One way or another this conspiracy is set to run and run.