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Michael Jackson, His Legacy Then and Now; Farrah Fawcett Loses Battle to Cancer; Governor Sanford Returns to Work Today

Aired June 26, 2009 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Today, we remember Michael Jackson. What happened in his final minutes and what will we learn about the cause of his death? This morning, an autopsy looks for answers. And of course, we will celebrate Michael Jackson's life, too. Rarely has one entertainer so enthralled the world. Let's begin our coverage with this morning's autopsy now.

CNN's Don Lemon is outside the medical examiner's office in Los Angeles this morning. Don, good morning to you.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. That autopsy should just be getting underway. We were told by the coroner's office either at 10:00 Eastern or 11:00 Eastern. It's not getting underway now, it should be in about an hour.

Real quickly, I wanted to just show you the papers here. This is the famous "L.A. Times." You see it here, the front cover says, "The King of Pop dead at the age of 50." Below that, of course, you see Farrah Fawcett there. Michael Jackson above the fold, garnering the attention here, most of the attention. I want to show you one, also from - this is the "Daily News" here. A beautiful picture of Michael Jackson there in concert and also then below with the Jackson 5. It says, king of pop dies. And also another big paper here in Los Angeles is "La Opinion." "La Opinion" says "El pop de luto," which means "the pop is gone."

And really much of the whole front of the paper has Michael Jackson. Again that autopsy should be getting underway soon. And we heard from the coroner's office saying soon after that autopsy, that gets underway, that they should have some sort of result. Of course in that will be toxicology. Authorities are saying that Michael Jackson will be examined on whether or not he had been taking medications that have contributed to his death. A lot of people are wondering whether or not Michael Jackson may have had some prescription medication, some problems with that.

People who were close to him have certainly been saying that. That has not been confirmed by family members. So those are just people close to him. Also, Heidi, real quickly, he had in the spring in order to do this whole concert series said he was going to kick off on July 13th, he had been examined by a doctor. And they said that everything checked out. So we are waiting to hear from the coroner, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. No question. There is going to be an awful lot of speculation until, you know, try to get some definitive answers here. Don Lemon, coming to us live from Los Angeles this morning. Don, thank you.

Michael Jackson earned the title of King of Pop by thrilling fans for more than four decades. We have seen those fans breaking down in tears at the news of his death. A.J. Hammer, the host of HLN's "Showbiz Tonight" takes a look now at the highs and lows of Jackson's landmark career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Michael Jackson's career began in Gary, Indiana, under the strict supervision of his father, Joe, the family patriarch who formed the musical group around five of his sons. But from the start, Michael stood out among the Jackson 5 with his polished vocals and dance moves.

By age 11, he was performing with his brothers on TV variety shows including "Ed Sullivan." "I want you back" was the first of a string of number one hits for the group. Despite the attention of adoring fans, Jackson would look back on his childhood as one of loneliness and isolation.

Jackson didn't become a megastar until he set out on his own. His solo album, "Off the Wall" went platinum in 1979. But that was just a taste of things to come.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HAMMER: In the 1980s, his popularity skyrocketed with the release of "Thriller," which became the world's biggest selling album of all time. The colossal success of that album and the follow-up "Bad" transformed Jackson into one of the most famous people on the planet. Fame turned him into an increasingly reclusive figure and he made his home in rural southern California at a ranch he dubbed Neverland, a name borrowed from the Peter Pan story. He formed a foundation benefiting kids and often entertained children at Neverland.

MICHAEL JACKSON: We must all never forget that the children are our future; without them mankind will become extinct.

HAMMER: But in 1993, the image of Jackson as benign protector of children would be called into question when a 13-year-old boy accused him of molestation. Jackson denied the allegation but did pay him unspecified millions in an out-of-court settlement. The publicity damaged his music career. But even though his records didn't sell as well, he couldn't keep out of the headlines.

His apparent penchant for plastic surgery reshaped his face and raised eyebrows among the public. A brief marriage to Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, was followed by a three-year marriage to Debbie Rowe, who bore him two children. Then, in 2002, Jackson caused an uproar by dangling his son from a hotel balcony in Berlin.

And then in 2003, a TV documentary aired in which Jackson talked openly about spending the night in his bedroom with children who are not his own. JACKSON: The most loving thing to do is to share your bed with someone.

HAMMER: A boy shown in the documentary holding hands with Jackson would accuse him of molestation, an allegation the singer denied. Jackson was found not guilty of the charges in a criminal trial held in Santa Maria, California, in June of 2005. Legal expenses from the trial and numerous unrelated lawsuits and debts depleted Jackson's fortune and he wound up surrendering sole ownership of Neverland ranch.

At the time of his death, he was planning a comeback with a series of 50 concerts in London, the first in July, the rest next year.

A.J. Hammer, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Word of Michael Jackson's death spreads quickly. And just as quickly, fans turned out to share their thoughts and their memories.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The twitters and the Facebook just blew up with the news. We are all devastated. It is kind of like my generation's Elvis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is the reason African-Americans are on MTV today. They refused to play black music until Michael Jackson. We really should respect that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw him live in concert in India when I was 12. I mean, that's how universal he is. I am from 21,000 miles away. I grew up on his music and the song "Heal the World." You know, to make it a better place. it is ringing in my ears all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Similar tributes to Jackson are echoing from Hollywood to Harlem. In uptown New York, the famed Apollo Theater is remembering the performer. He first hit the stage there at the age of nine.

In Los Angeles, fans remembered Jackson's remarkable dance skills and showcased some moves of their own. CNN's Dan Simon is on the Hollywood walk of fame where mourners are assembling a make shift shrine. Good morning to you, once again, Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. You can see more and more people showing up here at Michael Jackson's star here on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You can see people clutching each other in the back, obviously, very emotional for the most ardent Michael Jackson supporters and fans. You can see all the flowers and candles that people are placing really every minute. Obviously, people getting here, people got here late last night. There was actually another Michael Jackson star actually, actually belongs to a radio host here in Los Angeles. People mistakenly thought that was the star but this star in particular was closed because there was a Hollywood premiere going on.

We're going to talk to one person who got here about midnight. This is Will Palomares. And it's one thing, you know, to be a huge Michael Jackson supporter. It's another thing to be painting his face. Tell us what Michael Jackson meant to you.

WILL PALOMARES, MICHAEL JACKSON FAN: Michael Jackson was an icon of expression, of being free, just never, like you said, never, never losing that childhood curiosity, you know. Looking at things in a very childlike way. Something that we all take for granted, you know. And that's what helps people create good things, when they don't taint it with too much maturity. You know, a free form of being. He somewhat has immortalized that.

SIMON: Are you just painting his face off of memory here or are you looking at a picture?

PALOMARES: No, off of a picture but off of memory, too. It's actually kind of hard, because I'm not used to, like, this kind of circumstances and situations. I'm normally - there is a lot of activity going on right here. I mean, this is for Michael. I just want to just show a real side of artistry here. The same way that he would dedicate himself to his music since he was a child too.

You know, I've done my artworks since I was a child, too. So I feel like I shouldn't be different. You know, I should try a little bit. You know, I may never be able to try as hard as he did or create something that people would embrace as much but at least I know that I am somewhat keeping that good energy, that good vibrance is alive of artistry and craftsmanship, you know, dedication.

SIMON: Will, thanks very much. Heidi, we've also seen people selling t shirts, in addition to everything else that you're seeing out here. One interesting thing to note, when I came here this morning, directly across the street is actually Ed McMahon's star.

COLLINS: Yes.

SIMON: We have seen people over there actually lighting candles as well. So, you know, it is just something to note.

COLLINS: Yes. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson. Just an incredible week, that's for sure. Dan Simon for us live in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Thank you, Dan.

And you can share your thoughts on Michael Jackson on our blog. Just go to cnn.com/newsroom and then click on my name and you can see my picture there as well and we will go ahead and share some of those with you. We have been getting an awful lot of them in to the CNN NEWSROOM. We are also following other stories in the NEWSROOM this morning. We got a live report from the White House where Iran tops the agenda for a high-level meeting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, ENTERTAINER: This man was the greatest recording artist of our time. This man, through his music, actually, like, made a change in the world. He was the only artist that you could say people knew of this man in every country, no matter. His song was in English. No matter what country he was in, everybody knew the words to his songs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Michael Jackson, not only a pop icon, is being remembered this morning. And actress, FarrahFawcett, a star of the 1970s hit TV show, "Charlie's Angels." She died yesterday after a three-year battle with cancer. She documented her struggle in "Farah's Story" which aired just last month. Her message, don't give up, no matter what. For many people, she will always be the woman on this poster with the tussled hair and beautiful smile. FarrahFawcett was 62.

And now, for the very latest on the post-election crackdown by authorities in Iran. Here is what we know at this point. A leading cleric speaking at Friday prayers in Tehran said the protest leaders should be punished "strongly and with cruelty." The G-8 foreign ministers' meeting in Italy called on Iranian authorities to come up with a peaceful resolution to the voting dispute. And Iran has barred an aid to opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, from leaving the country.

A bombing in a Baghdad market killed 15 people today. Iraq officials say a motorcycle exploded. It was packed with nails and ball bearings. Today's bombing is the latest of several attacks which have killed at least 200 people in and around the capital this week. The wave of violence comes as U.S. combat troops prepare to pull out of Iraqi cities on Tuesday.

Turning attentions on the Korean peninsula now. Top U.S. and South Korean defense officials met in Seoul today. The meeting comes amid signs North Korea is gearing up to test fire short or medium range missiles in violation of course of a U.N. resolution. The communist regime organized a massive anti-U.S. rally in Pyongyang on Thursday. That's what it looks like.

One speaker told the crowd the North will respond to any sanctions or U.S. provocations with an annihilating blow. That comment seen as a pointed threat as a U.S. destroyer shadows a North Korean freighter, possibly holding banned goods. North Korea and Iran, just two global issues on the agenda for President Obama's meeting today with German chancellor Angela Merkel.

CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is joining us now with a preview of that. So Suzanne, what sort of relationship do these two leaders have? I mean, the last time we saw them in public was for the memorial in Germany.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Sure, I want to set up the contrast if you will. If you remember, Candidate Obama back last summer in Berlin, 200,000 people who were gathered, very popular in Germany, as you note, among people there. But the relationship between the two leaders much more complicated. With Angela Merkel, we saw the two of them together back in Dresden just last month. We also saw them at the NATO summit in Normandy, France. These are some differences that these two leaders have. They are pragmatic, they're academic, but they don't see eye to eye on some critical key issues.

One of them is the global economy. How to deal with the crisis? We have heard from Merkel, who has been quite critical of President Obama saying that he throws all of his money at the problem. She has been looking for tougher regulations of some of these financial institutions, even wanted to promote sometime an institutional organization to police all of the financial institutions in the country. President Obama basically squashed that idea when he was in Europe. And that did not happen.

The other thing that these two have really been trying to work through here is the role of Germany in Afghanistan. President Obama when he was at the NATO summit, looking for some support from NATO allies. More troops. Germany came back and offered about 300 troops, temporary troops, as well as four surveillance planes. Not the kind of support that the Obama administration had hoped for. But certainly, it seems as if it is resigned that that is going to be what's happening here. So these two leaders are really trying to work out this relationship, feel each other out a little bit and obviously come to some agreement on some issues that they just don't see eye to eye on. Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. All right. Suzanne Malveaux, our White House correspondent, coming to us from New York this morning. Suzanne, thank you.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

COLLINS: The mystery surrounding Michael Jackson's sudden death, we know it was cardiac arrest. But how did that happen? Some insight from our medical correspondent coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

COLLINS: As we have said, an autopsy is being performed today to determine what killed Michael Jackson. We are hearing he died of cardiac arrest. And that prescription drugs may have played a role. We want to get a little bit more now from our CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, who is joining me on the set. So, yes, we have been told cardiac arrest. But the question, I think, is, how did that happen?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. So many different things can cause cardiac arrest. And the first thing they are going to do in this autopsy is, not surprisingly, take a look at his heart. You're talking about a 50-year-old man, one of the first things you want to know is did a heart attack cause the cardiac arrest? So they will look at damage to the heart and they will look at blocked blood vessels. That will be the first thing that they'll look at.

Now, they will also look at what drugs are in his system. That's very important. And what they won't know is amount. Today, they will be able to tell us, OK, he had x, y, and z in his system.

COLLINS: Right.

COHEN: But they won't necessarily be able to say if it was an overdose. Or how much was in there, that takes a while to quantify. They have to do special tests for that.

COLLINS: OK. So once they figure all of that out, I mean, they are going to have to go back with his history. It has been very interesting, I think. Today, we have been learning a lot more about the physical that he had. Because he was getting ready to go on this massive tour, you know, these 50 concerts that had already been sold out. I mean, he had apparently a pretty extensive physical. And they said he was in good shape.

COHEN: Right, although, I always have to think, I haven't seen the results of the physical. Have you? We don't know.

COLLINS: Exactly.

COHEN: I don't know. Remember Jeffrey Toobin and others were saying yesterday that when things come out of the mouths of people who purport to represent Mr. Jackson, they are often not true. So it's very hard to know what the truth is in this situation.

COLLINS: Well, when we talk about specific drugs and his toxicology and what we will learn today, which ones, just so people are aware, could have caused a cardiac arrest?

COHEN: There are various drugs that could contribute to a cardiac arrest. For example, they want to look at narcotics like Demerol and Oxycodone. Were those present in his system. Were steroids present in his system? There are a variety of things that they would want to look for. But those are two of the big classes of drugs they will want to look at.

COLLINS: OK. Very good. All right. While we are all waiting for that to try to learn a little bit more on this thing. Thanks so much, Elizabeth Cohen. Appreciate it.

And the case of the Jena 6 may soon be over. It brought national attention as I'm sure you remember, big names to a little Louisiana town. But now, two years later, the prosecutors and defendants are ready to put it to rest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: The five remaining defendants in the racially charged Jena 6 case are expected to enter pleas in a Louisiana courtroom today. They were facing attempted murder charges. But those have been changed to lesser charges now. The case of six African-American teens being arrested for beating a white classmate gained national attention and caused a massive demonstration in the small town of Jena, Louisiana.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford returns to work today, amid calls for his resignation. Sanford said yesterday, he would reimburse the state for part of a trade mission trip last year when he has visited an Argentinean woman. Stanford has admitted having an extra- marital affair with her and seeing here again last week when his staff said he was hiking on the Appalachian trail.

Sanford's wife told reporters yesterday she is not giving up on her marriage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNY SANFORD, SOUTH CAROLINA'S FIRST LADY: I have great faith and I have great friends and great family. You know, we have a good Lord in this world. And I know I'm going to be fine. Not only will I survive. I'll thrive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think your husband was...

SANFORD: I don't know whether he will be with me...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think he's going to resign?

SANFORD: But I'm going to do my best to work on our marriage because I believe in marriage. I believe in raising good kids. It's the most important thing in the world. And I'm going to continue to...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His career, obviously...

SANFORD: His career is not a concern of mine. He's going to have to worry about that. I am worried about my family and the character of my children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Fellow South Carolina republican and the Spartanburg newspaper are calling for Sanford to step down now. But the man who would replace him, should he resign, the lieutenant governor tells the "Associated Press" he thinks Sanford should stay on. It's a race against time for House Democrats backing a bill to overhaul U.S. energy policy and fight global warming. A scramble to win over a handful of undecided democrats and hold the vote before congress' breaks before its July fourth recess. Today, the bill requires factories and power plants to reduce greenhouse gases. Supporters say the measure will create millions of green jobs but some democratic opponents say the bill doesn't go far enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LLOYD DOGGETT (D), TEXAS: It is too late to spur new technologies and green jobs. An administration analysis shows that doing nothing actually results in more renewable energy, electricity generation capacity than approving this bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Republican opponents claim the bill will raise energy costs for consumers. Democratic supporters insist much of that cost, increase will be off-set by other provisions in the bill.

Michigan, the expected winner in the race to build small cars for General Motors. GM is expected to make the announcement today that their new small car plant will be in Orion Township. About 40 miles from Detroit. About 1,200 jobs will be saved at the plant. Plants in Spring Hill, Tennessee and Jansville, Wisconsin, were in the running. Those plants are losing nearly 4,000 jobs.

A new report bears witness to the belief that this recession will affect consumer behavior for years to come. Americans, the most voracious consumers in the world, are doing something completely different these days. What exactly is that?

Susan Lisovicz is in the New York Stock Exchange now with the answer. Everybody is saving their money, right?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Heidi. We are saving. Personal incomes jumped just a hair under 1.5 percent in May. Much more than expected, but spending rose only slightly. Just a little while ago, we used to spend just about everything we had. Instead of that, we are putting our money in the bank or under the mattress.

The personal savings rate now stands at nearly seven percent. That's the highest in 15 years, just a couple years ago from '05 to '07, the savings rate was under 1 percent. Huge differences. The economy was doing well then. Remember that? Credit was slowing. People were spending everything they had. Now, our nest eggs are dwindling. Our home prices are falling, and we are fearful of losing our jobs and we have a radically different type of behavior. Heidi.

COLLINS: That is for sure. How can incomes be up then with so many people losing their jobs?

LISOVICZ: Right. That big jump in one month had a lot to do with the $787 billion government stimulus. There were changes, payments to people getting Social Security, changes in payroll withholding, giving us a small boost in our paychecks. So these are temporary things.

The weak spending, by the way, is keeping the stock numbers in check right now. One full hour into trading, we are seeing the Dow, the NASDAQ, and the S&P 500 all down slightly. There is one other big item we have to tell you about. A mega-merger today.

COLLINS: Yeah, a huge merger.

LISOVICZ: Not two companies, two people. My producer, Amanda Hobar, is marrying my former producer, Anthony Porsonito.

COLLINS: I don't know what you have going on there, Lisovicz, but OK.

LISOVICZ: You know what? Heidi, they met in this booth. Which you see me in one chair. There is room for only two other chairs. Seeing this romance blossom was like being in the middle seat in coach. You know what I'm saying? I just got out of the way.

COLLINS: I love it. Well congratulations.

LISOVICZ: Amanda is leaving today. She gets married a week from today and, of course, we hope that they save for their nest egg, because she is coming back.

COLLINS: Excellent. Love that. We will welcome her back as a married gal. Susan Lisovicz, thank you.

LISOVICZ: Thanks, Heidi.

Makeshifts, shrines and memorials for Michael Jackson in countries all over the world. We will see how people are remembering the King of Pop.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a sad day in the music world. The loss of Michael Jackson was really shocking today. The fact that his music didn't know any barriers and had no limitations was a great example of how he influenced pop culture around the world.

I remember growing up in the Middle East. Enjoying his music, waiting for his albums. Regardless of his strange behaviors or questionable events that have happened in his life, let's remember him as a great entertainer he was. Michael Jackson will always be remembered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Tributes are pouring in from around the globe from people of all ages that were touched by the artistry of Michael Jackson. In Mexico City early this morning, they began setting up a shrine to him. Candles, photos, flowers and personal messages.

There are especially some disappointed and bewildered fans in London. He was less than three weeks away from his first of 50 sold- out shows in the city. CNN's Zain Verjee is joining us live from the streets of London where fans are remembering the King of Pop. Good morning to you.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. London was going to be it, the possible big comeback for Michael Jackson. So many fans are devastated and disappointed that they will never get to see him perform again.

We have been walking around the streets here in London talking to so many different people. Many of them, as you can imagine, devastated. They are sad and really shocked. Also, many are choosing to take this moment to remember him in a positive way and tell us about how he influenced them. Here is what some had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was like, ahh! It's basically...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything on Facebook is basically about him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was really sad. He was quite young as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very sad. It was a quite sad childhood as well. And the fact that he died early.

ZAIN VERJEE: What do you think of when you think of Michael Jackson?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think he was my idol. When I close my eyes and think what it's going to be -- well miss you forever.

UINIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, it's sad. But I'm not really affected.

CROWD CHANTING: Easy as 1, 2, 3, A, B, C, baby, you and me, girl.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: We are walking down Carnaby (ph) Street and people are remembering Michael Jackson by blaring out his songs.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

VERJEE: What was your reaction?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was really upset by it. He is kind of a main -- the reason I became a musician.

VERJEE: The way you make me feel. One woman told us that her entire family came to London from Bangladesh and years ago, Heidi, none of them could speak any English, except for two words. She said, Michael Jackson. Heidi?

COLLINS: Wow. Unbelievable. All right, Zain Verjee. Sure do appreciate it. Thank you, live from London this morning.

People are also reacting to Michael Jackson's death online sending tweets, blogging and posting iReports. One iReporter captures a scene in Times Square when news of the singer's death flashed on a giant TV screen. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINT CANTWELL, IREPORTER: We are here in Times Square where thousands of people gathered just seeing in the news of Michael Jackson's passing. The media are out there. They are standing, walking, taking it in. Shocking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: We are asking you to share your thoughts on Michael Jackson on our blog this morning. We appreciate everything everybody is writing in to us. We've gotten a lot of response.

In fact, want to show you a couple of them now. This one coming in from James Matthews. He says, "We should praise Michael Jackson for his innovativeness, heightened talent and his ability to bring races together with all of his glitter. Thanks for that, Michael, and pleasant journey for you."

Also, this one I want to read to you really quickly. (INAUDIBLE) says, "I remember being at the skating rink at eight years old and seeing Thriller for the first time on their big projector screen. It was love at first sight. His music has touched my life ever since. He will be missed."

Thanks again everybody for writing in. You, of course, can do that at CNN.com/newsroom and click on my name Heidi and share some of your thoughts.

Michael Jackson's death raises a lot of legal questions, though. Like what will happen to his three children and his fortune? Or does he still have a fortune?

Joining me now is CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin with more on this. Jeff, I know you covered this thing really closely, specifically a lot of the legal troubles. So you are the guy to have on for this.

It is hard to talk about all this. Obviously, it hasn't been 24 hours since we have known of his death. There is certainly some questions out there. What do you know at this point about the children? I think people are really curious about that.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I think all I know is the right questions to ask at this point, because so much is unknown. Starting with, does Michael Jackson, did Michael Jackson have a will? That's really the starting point of disposing of all his assets but also the question of custody. Many people in wills talk about custody of their children.

Now, of his three children, two of them are Debbie Rowe's. But she has apparently has never had any contact with them. She surrendered her parental rights. Her status as the mother may not be the only question that a court asks about who should have custody.

As for the third child, Blanket, who his mother has never been publicly identified. That was through a surrogate. So it is very much an open question who will have custody of those three children.

COLLINS: Absolutely. Quickly, Jeff, before we move on, I want to let people know what we are looking at. We have some live pictures coming into us right now. These are crowds that are gathering, about quarter to 8:00 or so. That is the Michael Jackson star on the Walk of Fame. You can see how people are starting to gather much more.

Talk about the will for a minute. It might be surprising to people, someone who has amassed that much money, someone who has amassed that many assets could possibly not have one. It seems crazy, but it is not the first time we have seen something like that.

TOOBIN: To say that Michael Jackson has made unusual choices regarding his money, his business associates, everything regarding his business life would be an understatement. So the fact that he might not have a will would not be entirely surprising. Obviously, wealthy people almost always have wills. He didn't always do what wealthy people usually did.

If he has a will, that certainly will be the starting point of all subsequent issues involving his property. But, it won't necessarily be the ending point because if you know anything about Michael Jackson's financial and legal history, you know, there have been wall-to-wall lawsuits.

And I would certainly guess that some of the many, many people who lived off Michael Jackson, the people who frankly were leeches on his fame and fortune, try to get a piece of what could be an enormous estate. But it also could be a collection of debts, because he was not in great financial shape, notwithstanding the fact he made millions and millions of dollars.

COLLINS: Absolutely. We were able to find out this morning, something like 19 lawsuits in all. But listen, we can't have you on without talking about the events of 2005. I'm sure you remember it very, very well. He was acquitted of the child molestation charges after that very bizarre trial. We watched for him to arrive at the courthouse every day. Lots of interesting -- well, there is the video of him jumping up on top of the truck there and doing a little bit of a performance.

TOOBIN: Heidi, I think you and I shared a bizarre moment in television history. I think you were anchoring in Atlanta. I was about ten feet away from him when he jumped on top of that car, completely unexpectedly, which was the day of his arraignment and the beginning of certainly the most bizarre trial I ever covered.

COLLINS: I remember you telling me his lawyers were very unaware that that was going to happen, for lack of a better explanation, and were telling him, please, get down.

TOOBIN: Actually, we have these pinned-on microphones. That's what I had on when I was broadcasting live. Ben Brafman, who was his lawyer at the time, was walking right in front of me. I took off my microphone and held it in front of Ben and said, "Ben, what do you think of what your client is doing?". Ben was a very shocked lawyer at that moment. He had no idea what Michael was going to do. It was certainly a surreal moment.

COLLINS: That whole trial, obviously, really changed his life and changed the perception of him, I think, by at least some fans.

TOOBIN: Well, I think it is important to emphasize above all that Michael Jackson was acquitted at that trial, and so he was cleared of all the charges against him. Certainly, the testimony was very damaging. Remember, this was the second child.

COLLINS: That's right. Ninety-three was the first one, right?

TOOBIN: Right. Ninety-two, he paid an enormous amount of money, eight figures, to settle a civil claim of sexual molestation involving a 13-year-old boy. This was a different 13-year-old boy. The testimony, while leading to an acquittal, was frankly very disturbing. Jackson had, what I think most people would describe, as an inappropriate relationship, at best, with this boy and with other children throughout his life. That, unfortunately, is definitely another part of his legacy.

COLLINS: All right. Unfortunately, certainly. Our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. Thanks so much, Jeff.

TOOBIN: OK, Heidi.

COLLINS: Appreciate it.

Back to the Iran story we have been watching very closely for several days here. Punish them strongly and with cruelty. A leading Iranian cleric speaks out about the election protest leaders. We are covering the latest developments at our Iran desk.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): Michael Jackson's passing was a blow to all of the music industry as well as humanity. He was one of the first artists to transcend any racial or cultural lines. Michael, you will be missed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): God bless you, Michael Jackson, wherever you are. I know you will be dancing. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): I am truly devastated about the death of Michael Jackson. I grew up with him. His music has helped me get through a lot of unfortunate things and really good things in my life. My children adore him. Just sleep, Michael. You will be missed. You need to rest.

COLLINS: I want to take a moment to bring in MTV's Kurt Loder. You know him for his role doing news for MTV back in its early days. Just last night, Kurt Loder was involved in hosting the special they did on MTV last night called "Michael Jackson: A Tribute."

Kurt, if you can hear me, boy, this morning, not even 24 hours away from when we first learned that Michael Jackson had died, what are your impressions?

KURT LODER, FORMER MTV HOST (via telephone): I think you could say he had an enormous following worldwide, even though he hasn't had any hits in a long time. I think he affected a lot of people's lives and his music is still played.

COLLINS: When you think back to the early days, because I think if I had it right, you came to MTV in 1988 or so, which was right during "Bad," right?

LODER: Yes, right about there.

COLLINS: And when you look at where that career went and all of the things he did, was able to accomplish, specifically, a lot of people saying there's no doubt he changed the music business. Do you agree with that?

LODER: Well, yes. I think he was sort of a pivotal point between old R&B with Motown, where he started out (INAUDIBLE) to a new style of R&B, which he helped pioneer and a new style of videos, too.

I think his life is sort of a demonstration to the perils of growing up in public. I think some child stars, like Drew Barrymore, can bounce back. But I don't think he ever did and became more and more reclusive and relying on dubious people in his later years, I think.

COLLINS: Yeah, and I think certainly with all the coverage that you have done of different stars throughout time, obviously - you were the editor of rolling stone even before MTV. You have seen this type of pattern, if you will, of who these stars end up surrounding themselves with. I mean, I imagine it is, you know, vitally important who you choose to be near.

LODER: I think he is a little alienated from his family, it seems. They handled it in the beginning. If you are super-wealthy and become more and more isolated, you are sort of up for grabs by some very dubious people. So, it could be -- I mean, he just disappeared. He disappeared behind these people. There are all kinds of strange financial things going on. He owed $400 million when he died. It makes you wonder if there is going to be any estate at all. COLLINS: Yes, it does. It certainly does. Hey, after you did this special last night, I'm not sure if you had much contact with fans or anything else. What stands out to you?

LODER: Well, no, I didn't, but you can see if you look out the window here in New York. People are just stunned. The guy who was 50 years old. He was supposed to start this series of concerts in London, which may not have happened anyway. He was such a large part of people's lives. This happened so out of the blue. It was really a shock for a lot of people. They are still sort of reeling emotionally.

COLLINS: What do you think he is going to leave behind now? I think it is an interesting point that you bring up about surrounding yourself with certain people and this business, in general, what it does to young stars. Is there anything that they could learn from Michael, some of the things that he did do and some of the things he didn't do?

LODER: Don't get into show business at a very early age, maybe. But, you know, lots of people survive that. The music he left behind, I think he had like 13 number one hits and the album, especially from "Off The Wall" on, they are here to stay.

COLLINS: No question. Kurt Loder, we appreciate your time. MTV veejay and host.

Quickly, we have to get directly to the L.A. County Coroner. Let's listen it in to Ed Winter.

LT. ED WINTER, INVESTIGATOR, L.A. CORONER'S OFFICE: The autopsy will probably last several hours and we will be out to give an update later on probably sometime after 12 o'clock. We do ask that for the family's sake that you respect our property and allow is to do our job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been told that toxicology reports will come back in six to eight weeks. Is that true?

WINTER: We will be performing toxicology tests and an extensive exam, and it could take up to six to eight weeks before we will have the final results.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

WINTER: From the onset, from last night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, what kind of toxicology tests are you going to do?

WINTER: A full span, a full run of all the samples that we have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will be in the preliminary report if something comes out today? What could we expect to hear?

WINTER: Probably that the case, the cause of death is going to be deferred until we get the results of all the tests. However, we did want to let people know that the exam is being conducted this morning. We'll probably start in a few minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you have a chance to look preliminarily at anything yet? To look over the body?

WINTER: Yes, we have. We did an exam at the hospital. And we will be examining and doing further exams here this morning.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: Did the exam at the hospital lead you to think anything or towards anything?

WINTER: I am not going to comment on that at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When will he be released?

WINTER: The body will be released as soon as the family makes arrangements.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you say you might have preliminary results today, and what might that include, if you do?

WINTER: I can tell you the likelihood is very slim that we will have any results released today because of the extensive level of the tests we are going to be performing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are reports that there were -- that Michael Jackson possibly had a Demerol shot earlier. Have you heard that?

WINTER: Only from the news media.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry. The toxicology that you are doing, is that routine in something like this (ph)?

WINTER: That is a routine test that we do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

WINTER: Not at this time. We are conducting it as we do every other exam on all coroner cases.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once the autopsy is completed today, then the body is free to be released to the family?

WINTER: Yes, it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The toxicology reports will come out obviously six to eight weeks from now. But then, will you have before then a preliminary idea as to the cause of death?

WINTER: At this time, I don't know. I am going to have to get back in, because, as I said, the autopsy will be starting, and I'll try to give you people and update later on.

(INAUDIBLE QUESTION) WINTER: Hopefully, after the autopsy is done, we will be able to make a statement of some sort for you. It will take several hours. Okay?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was there any kind of illness, abnormality, injury?

WINTER: I am not going to comment on that at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming in with cardiac arrest, what is it that you actually...

WINTER: It was reported as a possible cardiac arrest. They will be doing a full exam of the body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, when you are talking about a full exam, who will be present?

WINTER: The chief medical examiner and the assistant pathologist and that's probably going -- we are going to limit it to that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will law enforcement be present?

WINTER: Law enforcement might have a representative here today. I'm not sure. Okay. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about this medical exam he supposedly had back in the spring, four hours, in order to get insurance for the concert? Do you know anything about that? Do you have those records?

WINTER: No, I don't know anything about that. Okay?

(INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

WINTER: I'm not sure.

COLLINS: All right. There we have the assistant chief coroner, Lieutenant Ed Winter, coming out of L.A. Obviously, we have been waiting to hear how the autopsy on Michael Jackson has been going. He is telling us it has not begun yet. It should begin in a couple of minutes. And the headline here, they are not expecting to have any results for something like six to eight weeks. We will be continuing to follow this story throughout the day. Right here on CNN.

I'm Heidi Collins. More Michael Jackson's memories in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris.