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Jun 29, 2009 5:20 am US/Central
Jackson Family, Sharpton To Discuss Global Tribute
ENCINO, Calif. (CBS) ―
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People gather to remember Michael Jackson at the Apollo Theater on June 26, 2009, in New York City.
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
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Dr. Conrad Murray never prescribed or gave Jackson the drugs Demerol or OxyContin, according to his lawyer, Edward Chernoff.
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Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to be at the Encino home of Michael Jackson's family Monday to discuss a worldwide tribute and how to preserve the legacy of the King of Pop, CBS station KCBS-TV reported.
Jackson went into full cardiac arrest Thursday at his rented Holmby Hills estate.
He was 50 years old.
He was only days away from the start of a sold-out series of 50 concerts in London.
Paramedics were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead two hours later at UCLA Medical Center.
Sharpton, who flew in from Atlanta Sunday, will meet with family members to plan a possible worldwide celebration of Jackson's life.
"I'm here to make sure Michael gets in death what he never got in life -- he never got credit," Sharpton said upon his arrival in Los Angeles. "He was not a freak; He's a genius," he said. "He was not somebody who was eccentric, he was innovative and that innovation smashed barriers and he should be given a lot more credit than he's been given."
Jackson admitted to being addicted to prescription painkillers in the 1990s, and rumors have been swirling that he was given a shot of the powerful painkiller Demerol shortly before he died.
His in-house doctor, Conrad Murray, was interviewed by Los Angeles police detectives for three hours Saturday, and his lawyer, Edward Chernoff, told the Los Angeles Times that Murray denied giving Jackson any painkillers.
On Sunday, the BET Awards show at the Shrine Auditorium was a celebration of Jackson's life.
His father, Joe Jackson, walked the red carpet and spoke about his son's death.
"I wish he could have been here to enjoy all of this," he told Access Hollywood.
Asked if it was a hard decision to come to the awards show, he said he was "a tough guy."
"The family is fine," he added.
Sister Janet Jackson made a surprise appearance at the end of the show and thanked the audience for their support.
"My entire family wanted to be here tonight, but it was just too painful," she said. "So they elected me to speak with all of you and I'm going to keep it very short but I'd just like to say that to you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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