Michael Will Be Bigger In Death

Michael Jackson will be bigger in death than he was in life, according to his father Joe.

In an interview with Fox News, Mr Jackson said he wished his son was around to see the public outpouring of affection towards him.

He also said it was unlikely stress about his upcoming concert tour killed the King of Pop.

Mr Jackson told Geraldo Rivera that the Jackson family is "pretty strong" and coping with their loss.

As for Jackson's children, he said: "My grandchildren are fantastic."

The Jacksons have gathered at the home of Michael's brother Jermaine to make funeral arrangements and discuss the future of the singer's three children.

In a statement issued by Mr Jackson earlier, they said: "Our beloved son, brother and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon.

"It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point, where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times.

"We miss Michael endlessly, our pain cannot be described in words."

And then they told fans: "Michael would not want us to give up now. Please do not despair, because Michael will continue to live on in each and every one of you.

"Continue to spread his message, because that is what he would want you to do. Carry on, so his legacy will live forever."

The family is believed to be planning a series of simultaneous global celebrations to honour the star.

And they are continuing their efforts to discover the truth about what caused Jackson's death by requesting a second post-mortem examination.

Family friend Rev Jesse Jackson said: "We have called for an independent autopsy, we cannot just depend on the state.

"It should be independent and verifiable and it should be done quickly.

"The longer we wait the more anxiety there is about the matter. It deserves real priority."

Police in Los Angeles have now had the chance to speak to Jackson's personal doctor Dr Conrad Murray.

He was with the star when he collapsed but said he was not responsible for his death.

Police have said they are not conducting a criminal inquiry into the death of the pop superstar.

Fox News reported that investigators found Jackson's body to be healthier and stronger than they had expected, with some scarring on the face.

Michael Jackson Singles No1

Michael Jackson has topped the album chart and made six new entries in the singles top 40 as fans rushed to buy his material in the wake of his death.

His Number Ones album, that features all of his biggest hits, raced up the charts from 121 to reach number one.

The same album earned Jackson his last number one hit when it was released in 2003.

Four of his other hit albums also made a reappearance in the top 40.

A total of 11 Michael Jackson or Jackson Five albums are in this week's Top 200 and 43 out of the Top 200 singles feature the singer, the Official Charts Company said.

Thriller, still the biggest selling album of all time, surged from 179 to number seven, King of Pop reached 14, Off The Wall got to 17 and The Essential Michael Jackson came in at number 20.

Music retailers said that although demand for Jackson's singles had been overwhelming since his death his extensive back catalogue meant that no one song stood out in sales and he was narrowly denied a posthumous entry in the singles top 10.

Man in the Mirror re-entered the charts at number 11, nearly 20 years after its original release and Jackson hits accounted for all but one of the new entries in this week's top 40 singles.

Billie Jean got to 25, Smooth Criminal to 28, Beat It reached 30 and Earth Song reached 38.

Jackson's return to the charts overshadowed electro-pop newcomer La Roux's surge straight into the number one spot in the singles chart with Bulletproof.

Kasabian also suffered from the Jackson effect and was knocked off the number one spot in the albums chart after three weeks in the chart with West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

Jackson has been dominating sales at music retailers and download sites across the world since his death.

At one stage his songs topped Apple's iTunes download charts in every country except Japan.

Spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said HMV stores saw sales rise 80 times over in the 24 hours after Jackson's death - the biggest one day lift in any artist's album sales in the store's history and one which dwarfed the leap in sales after the deaths of Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Freddie Mercury.

Hospital Dash For Ronnie Biggs

Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs has been rushed to hospital with a suspected broken hip.

Biggs was apparently found on his cell floor early Sunday, suffering from a hip injury and chest pains.

He was taken from Norwich Prison to hospital for medical treatment.

His son Michael has spoken to Sky News about today's events and the risks involved in surgery for his father.

"My father was taken this morning with a fractured hip so we are waiting for the main surgeon to come in and see if it is safe for him to undergo surgery," Michael Biggs said.

"What I imagine happened is that he probably fell off his bed."

"My father is in such frail condition."

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt says the 79-year-old has been dogged by a number of medical conditions in recent years.

"Since he came back to Britain, he has suffered a number of strokes and heart attacks," Brunt said.

During a pneumonia attack last February Biggs was rushed to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

"This coming Friday is the day he's due to be released on parole - that's not been confirmed - but at the moment his family are waiting for Jack Straw to sign off on Ronnie Biggs' parole," he said.

"The Parole Board has recommended he be released on that date," Brunt added.

Biggs' family believe the time served by the robber is far beyond what was fair.

"We are distressed - parts of me think they are trying to make an example out of my father," Michael Biggs told Sky.

Brazil-based Biggs returned to Britain in May 2001 to serve out his sentence after fleeing Wandsworth Prison in 1965.

He had served just 15 months of a 30-year sentence for his part in the infamous post office train raid that netted more than £2m.

"I don't think he has any regrets of coming back," Michael added.

"He has paid his debt to society and now should be let out."

According to Michael, his father has been virtually confined to a wheelchair in jail and insists he is no threat to the public.

"It is quite pathetic - I think the only crime my father could do is use his bus pass before 9am," Michael said.

Once officially released on parole, the plan is for Biggs to enter a nursing home in north London, Brunt revealed.

Doctor Missing After Jackson Dies

Police want to interview Michael Jackson's doctor after the star's family suggested he died because of a drug overdose, according to reports.

The King of Pop suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Holmby Hills and was taken to the UCLA medical centre where he was pronounced dead.

Tmz.com said Jackson received a daily injection of Demerol, a synthetic narcotic similar to morphine, but was given "too much" on Thursday.

Los Angeles police want to talk to the doctor - who lived at the star's home and administered his injections - but he has not yet been found, the entertainment website said.

Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson confirmed the "legendary" star had passed away at the age of 50 after doctors worked for more than an hour to try to revive him.

The star's body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the LA coroner's office and a post-mortem examination is expected to take place later today.

Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, said the singer's relatives had been concerned about his health and had tried to take care of him for months.

"Michael appeared at rehearsals a couple of times, he was very seriously trying to be able to do those rehearsals," he said.

"His use of medications had gotten in the way, his injuries which he had sustained performing, where he had broken a vertebrae and he had broken his leg from a fall on the stage, were getting in the way."

The first reports of Jackson's death emerged on the internet and sparked a huge surge in online traffic as people searched for the latest news.

Twitter has been flooded with tributes from fans and celebrities alike including Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Stephen Fry.

Moore also paid tribute to Charlie's Angels actress Farrah Fawcett, who died earlier on Thursday.

See how Jackson's famous fans reacted to his death.

A tweet from Emily Eavis, organiser of the Glastonbury music festival, said there would be tributes "all over the site all weekend".

TV channels around the world interrupted programmes to break the news of Jackson's death, while many radio stations are playing his hits back-to-back.

Singer and actress Cher paid tribute saying: "He was a great singer. You know, it's like God gives you certain gifts. And some people he gives different gifts and some people he gives more gifts.

"And this child was just an extraordinary child, touched by this ability to have people feel him and feel people. You know, he was a genius, like Ray Charles, like Stevie Wonder. They just have this gift."

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney described Jackson's death as "sad and shocking".

He said: "I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever."

Madonna added: "The world has lost one of its greats but his music will live on forever."

Fans gathered near Jackson's childhood home in Gary, Indiana, to pay their respects to the singer who left the city years ago.

In LA, people lined the streets outside the hospital and coroner's office while others laid flowers and candles on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Read more about how fans are paying tribute.



Office worker Yoshiko Plair, who went to the hospital as soon as she heard reports of Jackson's heart attack, said: "He changed music, he's the reason all that black music is on MTV now.

"I followed him from that first song. I'm going to mourn him today and probably for the rest of my life."

On the other side of America, fans congregated at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York, where Jackson gave some of his earliest performances, to sing and dance in his memory.

Civil rights campaigner the Rev Al Sharpton was among crowds and told mourners: "I have known him at his high moments and his low moments and I know he would want us to pray for his family."