Michael Jackson was "full of energy" and "having fun" at rehearsals for his planned live shows, according to a photographer who captured the US pop star last Tuesday less than 48 hours before he died.
Photographs taken by Kevin Mazur were released this week by AEG Live, the company promoting the 50-date marathon at London's O2 Arena. They show Jackson looking thin but apparently enjoying some of the dance moves for which he was so famous.
"A picture tells a story," Mr Mazur told Reuters, referring to images he took in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 23rd. Jackson died two days later, aged 50, after suffering cardiac arrest.
"He was just the same old Michael and when he hit the stage he was full of energy, happy, very upbeat, having fun. I was so excited to be photographing him, because it was the same old Michael," Mr Mazur added. "I was like 'Yes, he's back'."
Mr Mazur said he saw Jackson rehearse about a dozen songs with only short breaks to "tweak" the music and choreography.
Media reports have focused on why Jackson died Thursday when two days earlier he appeared to be in good health.
Speculation about what caused Jackson's heart to stop has centred on his prescription drug use, but results of toxicology tests are expected to take several more weeks.
His family arranged for a second, private autopsy on Jackson's body and his father Joe said he had "a lot of concerns" about what had happened to his son.
Mr Mazur said he saw no signs of drug use or exhaustion during Jackson's time on stage.
"From what I saw on stage there was nothing of that at all ... Exhaustion? No way. Drug use? No way. From what I saw it was the same old Michael. He was back. He seemed to be 100 per cent."
When AEG Live announced that Jackson's shows in London would be extended to 50 from 10, industry watchers questioned if the singer would be able to cope physically.
The company said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
AEG Live has said it would fully refund fans who bought tickets from authorised dealers. The London shows had been set to start on July 13th and about 800,000 people snapped up tickets.
Insurance experts said the company stood to lose a considerable amount of money on the cancelled shows, although exactly how much would depend on details of AEG Live's contract with Jackson and with insurers.
Michael Jackson's tour promoter said tonight that the dead star's ill-fated London show could be turned into a tribute gig featuring his family.
Randy Phillips, president of AEG Live, also said Jackson had personally requested Dr Conrad Murray as his personal physician in the months before his death.
In an interview with Sky News, Mr Phillips denied Jackson was suffering from stage fright, saying AEG Live would at "some point" be releasing footage of the rehearsals.
"The world needs to see this production. It would have been, which is the tragedy here, one of the most amazing shows ever, so at some point we want the world to see that," Mr Phillips said.
"We are discussing with the family so the sooner, the better."
Meanwhile, media reports said the star's body will be driven to his Neverland Valley Ranch in central California as early as Thursday with public viewing being set for later this week.
A motorcade of as many as 30 cars is expected to accompany Jackson's body to his ranch, which is located near the town of Los Olivos, north of Santa Barbara, according to reports by TV network CNN and celebrity website TMZ.com, citing police officials.
Entertainment news website E! News cited a Santa Barbara Sheriff's department spokesman as saying meetings were now taking place with the California Highway Patrol to discuss security for the trip from the Jackson family home in Los Angeles to Neverland Valley.
Bags of pills and other medicines were seized from Michael Jackson’s rented mansion yesterday as his personal physician continued to insist that the singer had not taken an overdose.
Dr Conrad Murray’s lawyer Edward Chernoff said his client was “ruling out” an overdose as cause of death based on what he knew of Jackson’s final hours.
But speculation over the role of medication in the singer’s demise was further fuelled after coroners investigating the death were seen removing two bags of pharmaceutical drugs from Jackson’s home.
Assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said the substances were being seized following information from the police investigation and questions raised by the coroner’s office.
But he declined to say what the drugs were or the quantities involved.
Mr Chernoff told CNN that his client believed that Jackson’s death was not the result of medication.
“From what we know we are ruling out an overdose,” he said.
Asked if it was possible that Jackson could have taken drugs not prescribed by the doctor, Mr Chernoff replied: “I suppose it is possible, but Dr Murray was there that night and he did not see him take Demerol or OxyContin or any other pills that would have cased these problems.”
A full toxicology report from the coroner’s examination is weeks away from being returned. Meanwhile the family of the dead pop star is continuing to wait for the results of a second private post mortem they ordered themselves.
Joe Jackson, the singer’s father, said he was waiting to find out what happened to his son before announcing details of his funeral.
But Mr Jackson said the funeral will not be closed to the public.
Dr Murray faced further questions yesterday after it emerged that it took up to half an hour for paramedics to be called to the house.
Representatives for the physician said the delay was due to the doctor’s unfamiliarity of his location and a lack of land line telephone.
“He didn’t know where he was, didn’t know the physical address,” Matt Alford of the law firm representing Dr Murray said.
He added: “There was no land line, no phone in Jackson’s room that would have allowed him to call. It was all happening so fast.”
It was only when Dr Murray found the singer’s chef who contacted a security guard that emergency assistance was called for.
In further developments yesterday, Michael Jackson’s mother won temporary custody of his three children today.
The children — Prince Michael (12), Paris Michael (11) and Prince Michael II (7) - will now stay with the Jackson family at least until a further hearing on August 3.
Katherine Jackson filed papers at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
It was also reported that Mrs Jackson filed a second court action looking to take control of her son’s estate.
The Jacksons’ lawyer Londell McMillan said the family had not yet heard from Deborah Rowe, the mother of the two elder children. The youngest son was born to a surrogate mother.
The singer’s father has stated that looking after the children was the family’s “first priority”.
It is not known if Ms Rowe intends to contest the petition.
Under Californian law, biological parents are given priority in custodial cases. But a court can rule against them if it is decided that it would be detrimental to the children involved.
Agencies