TMZ is reporting that Michael’s gold-lined casket is on it’s way to the Center, presumably for a viewing during the service. Snarkista isn’t super keen on this idea…but stranger things have happened. Like this: the Ringling Brothers’ circus starts tomorrow at the Center, and the elephant parade is rumored to be part of what’s shaping up to be THE biggest circus on earth. You just can’t make this stuff up. Billions of people around the world are expected to watch Jacko’s last show.

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The star-studded memorial is set to begin soon, and will include Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Magic Johnson, Smokey Robinson and John Mayer, Brooke Shields, Usher, Stevie Wonder, Motown’s Berry Gordy and Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
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This explosive news is sure to further complicate the already twisted legal consequences of the King of Pop’s death. He died with a 2002 will. We will update this story as more news becomes available.

Paramedics’ monitor shows Jackson, a “50 year old male”, was “not breathing at all’ when the 911 call was received. Photo credit: The Sun

In what is a sad but familiar story in Hollywood, another star has likely lost his life due to a prescription drug overdose…facilitated by doctors who function as “drug ATMs” for their clients. Life & Style reports that Michael Jackson was taking a cocktail of up to seven prescription drugs in the months before his death. He allegedly overdosed on Thursday morning after a Demerol injection, causing respiratory and cardiac arrest.

A Jackson family lawyer told CNN he “feared” the drugs could kill the pop star. The star had been taking prescription painkillers including anti-anxiety drugs Xanax, Zoloft and painkiller Demerol in recent months, according to sources close to Jackson.

Demerol is a powerful, morphine-like painkiller that is highly addictive. It is often reserved for hospital/surgery usage, but can be legally prescribed for pain. Why the Demerol injection? There are reports that Jackson had a broken bone in his leg, but was still rehearsing for his upcoming tour.

What is unclear is why his in-house physicians didn’t have (or use) reversal agents such as Narcan (for opiates like Demerol) and Flumazenil (for benzodiazepines like Xanax.) Jackson’s drug use was well-known, and, like Anna Nicole Smith, was facilitated by compliant health-care professionals.

The Sun is reporting that an emergency room source at UCLA Hospital said Jackson’s aides told medics he had collapsed after a Demerol injection. A Jackson source said: “Shortly after taking the Demerol he started to experience slow shallow breathing. His breathing gradually got slower and slower until it stopped.”

L.A. police would not confirm claims that Jackson had been administered the injection, but last night family spokesman Brian Oxman, alluded to “abuse of medications” while speaking to CNN minutes before Jackson’s death was confirmed.

Oxman confirmed Jackson’s leg injury, and said there were discussions that one day “he is going to be dead”. He went on to detail concerns about Michael’s drug use. He revealed that:

“This family has been trying for months and months and months to take care of Michael Jackson. I do not know the extent of medications he was taking but reports we are receiving from his family was that it was extensive.

“It is something that I feared and something that I warned about…it was something I warned people was going to happen and it has happened… there is no smoke without fire.

“It is a case of abuse of medications.”

Authorities have opened up an investigation into Jackson’s death. Was he another Anna Nicole? Snark Food will continue to update this tragic story as more details become available. TMZ’s coverage of the story is here.