Michael Jackson: Diprivan Sedative Found In Jackson's Home

LOS ANGELES — The powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's home, a law enforcement official said Friday as the city planned for a massive crowd at the singer's memorial service.

Diprivan is an anesthetic widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. Also known as Propofol, it's given intravenously and is very unusual to have in a private home.

The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the matter.

A Los Angeles Police spokesman, Lt. John Romero, declined to discuss the case. "It's an ongoing investigation," he said.

The cause of Jackson's death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.

At the downtown Staples Center, where Jackson's memorial will be held Tuesday morning, Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger said anywhere from 250,000 to 700,000 people could try to reach the arena, even though only 17,500 tickets will be available.

City Councilwoman Jan Perry urged people to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. There will not be a funeral procession through the city.

Tickets to Jackson's memorial service will be free. They can be obtained by registering at Staplescenter.com. There will be 11,000 tickets for seats inside Staples Center and 6,500 for seats in the adjacent Nokia Theatre, where fans can watch a simulcast. On Saturday night, 8,750 names will be randomly selected to receive two tickets each.

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No details about the memorial service itself were released.

Jackson was known to have suffered from severe insomnia. In the weeks before his death, Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who was working with the singer, said Jackson pleaded for Diprivan amid the stress of preparing for a massive series of comeback concerts.

Lee said she repeatedly rejected his demands because the drug was unsafe.

Told Friday that Diprivan had been found at Jackson's house, she said, "I did everything I could to warn him against it."

Jackson had trouble sleeping as far back as 1989, said one of his former publicists, Rob Goldstone, who spent a month on the road with Jackson during the "Bad" tour.

"He had very bad nightmares, he found it very difficult to sleep," Goldstone said.

Diprivan, which has a milky appearance, is sometimes nicknamed "milk of amnesia." Last fall, doctors from the Mayo Clinic warned at a conference that in rare cases, Diprivan can trigger an irreversible chain of events leading to heart dysfunction and death.

They said three patients receiving Diprivan to treat severe seizures had suffered cardiac arrest, and two died. The doctors said the clinic stopped using Diprivan to treat such patients because of the danger.

The drug's manufacturer, AstraZeneca PLC, warns that patients using Diprivan should be continuously monitored, and in a tiny number of cases patients using it have suffered cardiac arrest, although it was not clear the drug was to blame.

Authorities are investigating allegations that the 50-year-old Jackson had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. Any criminal charges would depend on whether Jackson had been overly prescribed medications, given drugs inappropriate for his needs, or if doctors knowingly prescribed Jackson medications under an assumed name.

Edward Chernoff, an attorney for Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, said Friday through a spokeswoman that he had agreed with investigators not to comment until information is released through official channels. Murray was in Jackson's rented mansion when the singer went into cardiac arrest in his bedroom on June 25.

Murray has spoken to police and authorities say he is not a suspect. In an earlier interview, Chernoff said Murray never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or OxyContin, and denied reports suggesting that the doctor gave the pop star drugs that contributed to his death.

Chernoff would not discuss what drugs the doctor administered to Jackson, but said they would have been prescribed in response to a specific complaint.

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AP Entertainment Writer Lynn Elber and AP Music Writer Nekesa Moody contributed to this report.

Comments

[ChristopherAtom]

"Yes, go to sleep little boy and you won't feel a thing."

I'm sorry but this man's life was waaaaaaaaaaaay to CREEPY!

[RButler]

On so many occasions during interviews and other public appearances he looked medicated, eyes unfocused and slow, soft speech that should have been clues to any doctor in his presence.

It seems like something happened back in the 80s after Thriller when he started on the surgery and skin lightening project. Maybe, it was the accident that set his hair on fire that started him on pain killers but he wasn't the same afterward well before the 93 accusations. He had a sense of humor in Thriller and a sparkle that seemed to go away as his music became more intense and less joyful.

[dianhow]

Yes The hair on fire- and he fell off the stage once- had some health issues and was very thin.
. Reminds me of Elvis death. These celeb MD 's give out massive amounts of meds. Awful

[wndrwrthg]

When it's found to be the cause of his death then you have a story, until the it's nothing more than tabloid garbage.

[damyanky]

Doesn't anyone remember Karen Carpenter whose heart stopped due to extreme anorexia? If it is true that Michael Jackson, at nearly six feet tall, weighed about 112 pounds, might that alone be enough to stop his heart at any time?

[rini]

That's true, but if Diprivan was involved, then that's an even more likely cause. Apparently he had a thready pulse but had stopped breathing. That sounds like anaesthesia. We'll eventually find out.

[Disuberence]

Man how many dru.gs was this guy on?

[Gmoney1]

as many as the media says - remember the media and their sources are telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth - haaaaaaaaa­aaaaaaaaaa­aaaaaa

[catbite]

Michael Jackson controlled his own celebrity meltdown.
Those of us who knew him as a cute 10-year old became repulsed by his grotesque appearance in the late 1980's and abandoned him. I have to ask what parent would allow their child to idolize a masked musician who refused to leave young boys alone, regardless of the intent?
Don't blame his friends or family for not stepping in, because addictive personalities must reach the bottom and ask for help.
Propofol is a safe and effective drug in the hands of a licensed anesthetist. Please understand that anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists are amongst the most caring, ethical and professional medical personnel.
Michael Jackson's addiction to plastic surgery may have fueled his curiosity about a drug that is totally inappropriate for home or recreational use. As we have seen time and again, DEA licenses in the hands of creepy, star-struck, money grubbing "doctors" can contribute to the downward spiral of the rich and famous.
Only the toxicology report will tell us the truth.

[rini]

I don't know if diprivan would show up in toxicology screens. It's not normally a drug of abuse...bu­t then again, Michael didn't do anything normally.

[truthartbeauty]

decides NOT to obsess on I mean

[truthartbeauty]

this will be a long on going investigation I think. I just hope to god it is not something nancy grace decides to obsess on night after night after night. how many trillions of times has she said the words 'tot mom, tot mom tot mom......j­ust imagine her on this one. and with her characteristic hateful rude obnoxious style too???

[ButterFlyGirlFly]

She is the ultimate parakeet, I cant listen anything she has to say, ugh!

[FGDinVA]

Someone else here described Grace as being like her aunt on too much bourbon. I've landed on her show a couple of times while channel surfing and it just cre-eps me out.

[freckles69]

Cherilyn Lee, the nurse who brought this up, was maligned as a lying hanger-on. Apologies owed, but a feeling none will be offered.

[FGDinVA]

She seemed earnest to me.

[Gmoney1]

That Cherilyn Lee lady nurse is crazy like a FOX -

[apoyo]

He found the big sleep.

[beekeeper]

Dear Dr Murry you suck as a Doctor for two reasons: a) you performed CPR on a bed and as a cardiologist YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER and b) you are and enabler and/or ignorant about addiction and the very late stages Mr Jackson was in. Whether or not you knew Propofol was in the house is irrelevant .... the fact you could not recognize or was in denial of the fact that Michael was loaded or hung over is shameful.

You should have known better but something tells me you turned a blind eye because of your own selfish agenda. Shame on you.

[liarsclub75]

Plus he waited 30 minutes to dial 911 when Michael collapsed.

[skunky93]

i agree

[swan1]

All of this will be traced back to the Dr. in his life. I am sure there are many that have allowed him access to drugs, whether he needed them or not.

[2Bfair]

WHERE was his family?