Michael Jackson autopsy reveals punctures, tattoos, scars
Michael Jackson’s arms were covered with puncture marks, his face and neck were scarred by plastic surgery and he had a bald spot covered by a tattoo, as well as tattooed eyebrows and lips, an autopsy into his death has revealed.
The singer was also suffering from arthritis in his lower spine and some fingers and his lungs were chronically inflamed which might have left him short of breath.
However, the autopsy report showed the 50-year-old singer was generally healthy for his age before he died of an overdose in June.
He was not emaciated and weighed 136 pounds (62 kg), which was within the normal range for his height, and his heart was strong. His kidneys and other major organs were normal.
According to the document his lung condition was not serious enough to be a direct or contributing cause of death.
Dr. Zeev Kain, chairman of the anesthesiology department at the University of California, Irvine, who reviewed a copy of the autopsy report, said: “His overall health was fine. The results are within normal limits.”
The autopsy report showed that Jackson had a 2cm scar behind his left ear and another apparent scar behind his right ear.
He had a scar beside each of his nostrils and a 10cm scar on his right shoulder. There were two additional scars, each about 7.5cm long, at the base of his neck, and smaller scars on his arms and wrist. Dr Kain, who was not involved in conducting the autopsy, said most of the scars appeared to be from plastic surgery.
Jackson also had several tattoos, all of them cosmetic, including dark tattoos in the areas of both eyebrows and under his eyes, and a pink tattoo around his lips.
He was going bald at the front of his head, with his remaining hair described as short and tightly curled.
The bald part of his scalp was darkened with what appeared to be a tattoo stretching across the top of his head from ear to ear.
The report, which was leaked to the Associated Press, also found Jackson was actively producing sperm.
It showed there had been a desperate struggle to save Jackson. He had chest bruising and cracked ribs from CPR and a mechanical device known as a balloon pump had been inserted into his heart to try to restart it.
Jackson died at his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 after his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, administered the anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep, according to court documents.
Propofol, normally a surgical anesthetic used in operating rooms, acts as a respiratory depressant and requires constant monitoring.
Apart from propofol and the sedatives the only substances found in Jackson’s system by the autopsy were the local anesthetic Lidocaine, sometimes used to numb injection sites, and ephedrine which is a commonly used resuscitation stimulant.
No other drugs, legal or illegal, were detected, nor was any alcohol.
The coroner's office announced last month that Jackson’s death was a homicide caused by “acute propofol intoxication” with the other sedatives listed as a contributing factor.
Dr Murray is the target of what Los Angeles police term a manslaughter investigation. A decision on criminal charges will come from the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
In a video posted to YouTube, Dr Murray has said: “I told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail.”
His attorney, Edward Chernoff, has previously said nothing Dr Murray gave Jackson “should have” killed him.
