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Jackson Family Issues Statement on Michael's Death; Iran Protesters Face New Crackdowns
Aired June 27, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: But first, CNN has obtained a personal statement from the Jackson Family given to "People" magazine. I'm going to read it for you.
It says, "In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we find it hard to find the words appropriate to this sudden tragedy we all had to encounter. 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 sees almost impossible at times. We miss Michael endlessly. Our pain cannot be described in words, but Michael would not want us to give up now. So we want to thank all of his faithful supporters and loyal fans worldwide. You, who Michael loved so much. 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."
That is from Michael Jackson's parents. And the head of the family, the patriarch, Joe Jackson.
Well, fans all over the world are sharing in the Jackson's families mourning, setting up makeshift memorials, breaking out in song and in dance.
(VIDEO CLIP)
Look at that -- Paris, London, Tokyo, Baghdad. Spontaneous street parts have been popping up all over the globe. We want to get to the investigation now. Much of what we have learned about Jackson's final moments are endless chilling 911 call from the star's rental home on Thursday.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 DISPATCHER: He's not conscious? He's not breathing?
CALLER: Yes, he's not breathing, sir.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. And he's not conscious, either? He's not breathing --
CALLER: No. He's not conscious, sir.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. All right.
Is he on the floor? Where is he at right now?
CALLER: He's on the bed, sir. He's on the bed.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. Let's get him on the floor.
CALLER: OK.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. Let's get him down on the floor. I will help you with CPR right now, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Fresh developments now in the investigation of Michael Jackson's death. Our Ted Rowlands, Dan Simon and Kara Finnstrom are here in Los Angeles with all the latest.
Plus, the Reverend Al Sharpton, a close friend to Michael Jackson for decades, will join us live this hour to give us some new information from the family. He's been in close contact.
We want to start now, though, with our Ted Rowlands. Ted, Michael Jackson's personal doctor's name is Conrad Murray. He was with the star when he died. And there is some new information about him and especially about his legal team.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. He's a (inaudible) legal team and his lawyers with him, and they are meeting right now in Los Angeles talking to the Los Angeles police department.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS (voice-over): While no official criminal investigation has been launched, detectives continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding Michael Jackson's death. Saturday afternoon, police met with Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician who could be heard in the background of the 911 call made while Jackson was dying.
911 DISPATCHER: Did anybody witness was happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, just the doctor, sir. The doctor's been the only one here.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. So the doctor see what happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doctor, did you see what happened?
ROWLANDS: Hours after Jackson was pronounced dead, the car Dr. Murray was driving was towed from Jackson's rented home.
DEPUTY CHIEF CHARLIE BECK, LAPD: The vehicle was impounded because we are still actively trying to assess what the nature of Mr. Jackson's death is and whether or not any prescription or other medications were involved. You know, the vehicle was secured so we impounded to see if there is any evidence of the nature of the death in that vehicle.
ROWLANDS: Murray is a cardiologist who has clinics in Texas and Nevada and is licensed in California. He was hired by Jackson as he prepared for an upcoming Jackson series. Murray was paid as part of the deal Jackson made with the concert promoter. Since Jackson's death speculation has swirled about Dr. Murray's role, if any, in providing prescription medication to Jackson. Murray's lawyers tell CNN the doctor is cooperating with police and has absolutely nothing to hide.
MATTHEW ALFORD, STRADLEY, CHERNOFF & ALFORD LAW FIRM (via telephone): He's upset about obviously as millions people across the world are. I mean, it's human tragedy. And he's upset obviously about the lost of Mr. Jackson. But he's not a suspect in the death of Mr. Jackson. I had no information as to what any treatment or course of treatment he was doing for Mr. Jackson at all.
ROWLANDS: An autopsy was inconclusive as to cause of death the coroner said Jackson was on prescription medication when he died, but exactly what and how much was in his system is still unclear.
ANTHONY HERNANDEZ, DIRECTOR, L.A. COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE: Toxicology is going to be a very important factor in this particular case so that we can get to the truth and find out what the actual cause of death is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: And, of course, Don, there's been talk that the family may also be doing a private autopsy. Now, if they do did that, they could get those toxicology results back sooner than the coroner's office there expecting four to six weeks. But if the family does do this and also do private lab work, they could find out more information within a week or two.
LEMON: But we are hearing, though, it's being reported that there has been a second autopsy.
Do we know if that was a family doing? Do we know who that is?
ROWLANDS: It was definitely -- the family has the body. So they had -- they would authorize that. And we have heard that that has taken place today. The "L.A. Times" is reporting and we haven't confirmed that. But there's been a lot of talk about it. And, you know, Jesse Jackson talked to you about that same thing earlier today.
LEMON: And we don't know anymore about what may have happened in this meeting with the attorney today.
ROWLANDS: We know that it's still going on. And according to the attorney's office, they think it actually may spill into tomorrow because they'll have so much to talk about.
LEMON: If you get any information in this broadcast, bring it to us.
Thank you Ted Rowlands on top of this story. We appreciate it.
Meantime, we want to go to CNN's Dan Simon outside the rental home where Jackson lived.
Dan, there's been a whole lot of activity there.
Tell us what's going on now with those rental trucks?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We still have a lot of interest in terms of what's happening at the house. I can hear the news helicopter still hovering above me.
We can show you that the house -- or at least the street still roped up. The house tuck away behind me. You can see a few people walking down the street. There are some police cruisers there, who are still there in the back.
Earlier today, we saw a moving truck, a couple of moving trucks. We saw some movers moving several boxes. We don't know what was in those boxes or where that stuff was headed. But, clearly, the family, at least appeared to us made some arrangements to have Michael Jackson's possessions removed from the rental house.
Let me show you what else we're seeing here on the corner. You can see a makeshift memorial. Some candles and some flowers and some pictures of Michael Jackson. We should also note that we saw some of Michael Jackson's siblings. We saw a lot of darkened SUVs. The windows are darkened so we can't really make out who was in those vehicles, but we believe that several Michael Jackson siblings came to the house. We're told that Randy Jackson was here. Tito and Rebbie, among some others.
So still a lot of interest in terms of what's happening here. The house no longer the focus of the police investigation. It's been sort of returned back to the Jackson Family.
Don?
LEMON: Yes. It's very interesting, Dan. We have also -- I have been getting reports on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook saying - people saying I just saw then entire Jackson Family in a black SUV. So there's definitely a lot of interest in that.
Dan Simon, thank you very much.
Our Kara Finnstrom is at the Jackson Family compound in Encino, California.
Kara, a lot of people there today. Tell us what you know right now.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Actually, police estimate that 1500, possibly 2000 or more have been coming and going throughout the day. We can see the crowd just behind me here. People coming to leave flowers, cards, other remembrances. Inside the compound, we are told that Jackson Family relatives have been meeting throughout the day.
We have seen those dark window tinted SUVs coming and going to grieve, as well as to begin making funeral arrangements.
Now, Don, what I have really been impressed with out here today is the knowledge of some of these young fans. Valerie here is just 8- year-olds. But she knows all about Michael Jackson.
Can you tell us what some of your favorite songs that you're listening to?
VALERIE, MICHAEL JACKSON FAN: I like "Man in the Mirror" and "ABC." And I also like to watch "Thriller."
FINNSTROM: All right. Thank you, Valerie.
And, Don, really, as I have been talking with some of these young kids today, they don't just say they're Michael Jackson fans. They can sometimes recite the lyrics and they know all the songs.
LEMON: Of course, they do. Yes, we all do.
Thank you very much for that, Kara Finnstrom.
We want to tell you that the Reverend Al Sharpton will join us here on CNN in just a little bit with some new information from the Jackson Family and on the Michael Jackson investigation. A close family friend. He's been in contact with him. As a matter of fact, he's on his way out here tomorrow to meet with the family.
Reports of brutal crackdowns on protesters in Iran, and now tough talk from Iran's president aimed directly at the White House.
How will President Barack Obama respond?
CNN's Reza Sayah just back from Tehran. He's chasing the latest developments for us.
Also, we want to know what's on your mind tonight. Make sure you logon to Twitter, to Facebook, to MySpace or iReport.com. Tell us what you're thinking and we will get your responses on the air.
And coming up at the top of the hour -- a CNN presents special on the life and music of Michael Jackson, "Man in the Mirror" airs tonight, 11:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN. We are live in Los Angeles with the very latest in the Michael Jackson investigation moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The street protests have faded, but defiance remains among those who think Iran's recent presidential elections were marred by fraud.
Our Reza Sayah is at the Iran desk in Atlanta with the very latest on that. Reza, what do you have?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, the Iranian government shutting the door again on Mir Hossein Mousavi. The disgruntled presidential candidate had asked for permission to hold a rally on Sunday in Tehran. The government rejecting that request saying the candidate didn't submit his request in time. But Mousavi remaining defiant today rejecting the Guardian Council's probe into the election result saying the investigation is not within its jurisdiction.
Let's talk about the streets of Tehran. Today was another day when we didn't have any confirm reports of clashes. The crackdown, that aggressive crackdown on the part of the Iranian government, apparently effective against the protesters, but the government not stopping there. They are really applying the pressure going after protesters.
Take a look at this Web page. This is a government Web site with what appeared to be a number of pictures of protesters. The government singling them out and asking people if they have any information on these individuals to report them to authorities.
Also, human rights watch, reporting that Iran's paramilitary group, the Basij, are raiding people's home.
Let's show you some video on that.
You'll recall ever since the elections, many Iranians have been chanting "Allahu Akbar," God is great, from inside their homes. Every night about 10:00 p.m. It's been another form of protest. Human rights watch is saying the members of the Basij are raiding homes to stop the chants. The reports also saying some people are getting beat up and their possessions are getting trash.
So, Don, this aggressive crackdown on the protesters continuing to be carried out by the Iranian government.
LEMON: Hey, Reza, help me understand this deadline for the opposition to appeal the official authority. Tell me more about that deadline.
SAYAH: The Iranian government is making it simple -- 24 hours. That's how long they say the candidates have to file a complaint. But they've already said, even if there are irregularities with the wide margin of victory, that's not going to make a difference.
Don?
LEMON: All right. CNN's Reza Sayah.
Reza, thank you very much for that.
Meanwhile, Iran's president is at it, again. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran's response to U.S. criticism of this presidential election will be, quote, "crushing and remorseful." Yesterday, President Barack Obama called the recent violence in Iran outrageous. And he dismissed the Iranian president's claim that he owed Iran an apology.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would suggest that Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people. And he might want to consider looking at the families of those who have been beaten or shot or detained.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Amnesty International has been keeping track of alleged human rights violations in Iran. Banafsheh Akhlaghi is a western U.S. regional director for Amnesty International, and she joins me now tonight from San Francisco.
Thank you very much for that.
Hey, I want to talk to you about these alleged home invasions, and going in to people's homes supposedly and pulling them out.
Talk to me about that, Banafsheh.
BANAFSHEH AKHLAGHI, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL (via telephone): You know, we're getting the same accounts. I'm personally receiving email after email accounts of such, such invasions, raids. In fact, you know, as the protest were hitting up last week, there was email after email, on Twitter, on Facebook, stating please, everyone, make sure that you check your doors. There might be a markation on your doors that the Basijis have left, that they will be coming back later in the evening to, you know, to enter the home and to attack the individuals in the home.
AKHLAGHI But, you know, it's not just in the homes that we're hearing. We're getting information. I'm personally receiving information that similar emphasis are occurring in the hospitals as well.
LEMON: I'm hearing that they are not allowing people to come in for treatment. Are you hearing that as well?
AKHLAGHI: You know, the reports are different. Some are saying that they're actually going in for treatment. And while they are there, the injured are being detained by the Basijis.
Other medical professionals are saying that the Basijis are already waiting at the hospitals as the injured are coming in. And the most shocking of all is the Basijis are taking the deceased, and they're not allowing for the medical professionals to take the identification of the individuals who have just passed away to share that with their next-of-kin.
Literally, the accounts are is that they are taking the deceased, placed them on the back of trucks and driving away with them. LEMON: Yes. And I'm hearing that also from the patients, the people. And I want you to talk to me more about this because I'm just getting some information here. Once the patients are treated, the militia removes them from the hospital to an undisclosed location?
Do we know what's happening with those people?
AKHLAGHI: We don't know what's happening with those individuals. We don't know what's happening with the hundreds accounts are. You know, several hundreds, if not thousands of individuals have been detained. We have no idea where they are. This is a deep concern to Amnesty International and other international human rights organizations. It's such a concern to know that the supreme leader of the land is threatening its own citizenry and then individuals are going to disappear within the country.
LEMON: Oh boy oh boy.
OK, Banafsheh Akhlaghi, Western U.S. regional director for Amnesty International. We appreciate it.
We are on top of this story. We are going to update you on the situation in Iran later on in this broadcast.
Thank you so much again, Banafsheh.
Boy, terrible, if all of these allegations are true there.
We're going to turn now again to the Michael Jackson investigation
What is next for his family? The Reverend Al Sharpton is a close, family friend who will be heading out to L.A. tomorrow. He's going to join us live with the very latest on what he knows from the family.
It's one of the many questions facing the Jackson Family. Who will get custody of his children? Maybe Reverend Sharpton can help us with that as well.
They will be saddled with death. Some are wondering about that. We're live from Los Angeles tonight here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, the Reverend Al Sharpton has been a close friend of Michael Jackson for years. A civil rights leader last spoke with the king of pop several months ago.
And Reverend Sharpton joins us now live in Atlanta to discuss his plan to honor the music legend and also to update us on talks that he's had with the family.
First, tell us, you're going to be honoring him at the Apollo. Tell us about that Reverend Sharpton. Well, the Apollo Theater on Tuesday, along with National Network, our group and others is going to have a community gathering honoring Michael Jackson who he and his brothers appeared on that stage during amateur night. And they're going to have a couple of days of celebration. Amateur night, Wednesday night. It would be dedicated to him. But Janelle Procope, the president of the Apollo and I, will speak to a massive crowd and others are coming to really kick off a celebration of life.
We're very concern and I've expressed that to the family. Then in all of this attention the media has given, they tend to only try and project some of the controversies and forget the millions of people that Michael inspired, and the social force that he was in changing the world and bringing people together. And we want to put that emphasis out there as the family prepares to memorialize them in wherever way they choose.
LEMON: And Reverend, I think you're exactly right about that, because we just did a special, we're doing another special later on. And, you know, it was hard to watch for me. And I said, but this is the real story of this man's life to have all of this controversy and then to thrive and break barriers in the midst of it, really says a lot about him.
I want to ask you, though, you have spoken with the family. You're going to come out here and meet with them. What have they said to you, especially concerning the investigation into what happened to their son?
SHARPTON: Well, I've talked to the father briefly. I talked to Jermaine yesterday and today as well as you. And I spoke with him and he was with Jackie and other brothers. They are more concerned about preserving the legacy of Michael and making sure that it is clear that the family is going to continue to try and make sure what Michael lived for and did is what is exalted here.
You know, one of the misnomers, Don, that people have is that there were some divisions in the family. Michael was very much a family person. Love his mother and father, love his brothers and sisters.
And in fact --
LEMON: Yes. You said he was there a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas for the 60th anniversary of his mom and dad.
SHARPTON: 60th wedding anniversary. Michael was there. All the grandchildren was there. And Michael had said to the brothers, you know, at the end of this tour, I would like you all to come out and do something that would need to last couple of dates.
I mean, so all of this about family is split up and all is erroneous. Like any family, they have differences from time to time. Because they are public, they become public. But they are far exaggerated. And my conversation with them, they wanted to be real clear about their commitment to his image and his legacy. The investigations would take its course like anyone naturally would be. They wanted to know what happened and why. But they are even more concern that people remembered the Michael Jackson that really change the world. That's his legacy.
LEMON: Yes. And, you know, I spoke to Michael Jackson's attorney during, you know, that whole child molestation thing that he was found, you know, not guilty of. And he said he had never seen anyone who is targeted as much as Michael Jackson. And he thinks that the people who did target him owe him an apology.
I do want to talk to you also about you are very close to him, and you have some photographs that you want to share with you and him.
Tell us about these pictures, Reverend.
SHARPTON: Well, that is a picture in 1969, where after a performance in Recede, California, James Brown, and you know James Brown like a father to me, from time to time, I would run out and, you know, travel with Mr. Brown. And he came back in his dressing room, and Michael and Janet. That's Janet, believe it or not, with the hat all the way to the left. She was a very young lady then. Then Michael, this is before he had the cosmetic surgery. And his sister sledge to the far right.
LEMON: Oh, yes.
SHARPTON: Michael idolized James Brown and Jackie Wilson. And that's where I got to know Michael well in the 70s and 80s through civil rights work and through his idolizing James Brown and my closeness to James Brown.
That picture there is when Michael came to Harlem to our organization National Action Network, where he was raising questions of he felt the music industry was unfairly targeting him, trying to take away his ownership of Beatles' catalogue and massive catalogue he owned which he did maintain a piece of until his death. And that's him where I was escorting him to the platform where he did a rally and we marched on Sony record. The only marched he ever did. So we worked together from when both of us were teenagers until I talked to him several months ago.
LEMON: And I got to say that in that first picture you're half the man now that you were then, Reverend.
Hey, real quickly, I'm against the break here. Do you know anything about funeral arrangements anytime or dates set yet.
SHARPTON: No. I don't think they've decided that. I know Attorney Joel Cats and others are meeting out there tomorrow. I'm going out tomorrow talking about our celebrations with them over to get their blessings. I don't think there's any plans been made other than they will make sure that Michael Jackson is put in the right light and we get away from just these controversies.
LEMON: Reverend Al Sharpton, thank you so much. We appreciate it. SHARPTON: Thank you, Don.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And give our best to the family, will you?
SHARPTON: I shall.
LEMON: All right. And make sure you tune in for a CNN special on the life and the music of Michael Jackson. "Man in the Mirror" airs tonight 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
You know, we have heard the 911 call from Michael Jackson's house. But what was really said on that tape? We're going to break it down for you.
And he broke MTV's color barrier and helped change music forever. We'll look back and look forward. We're live from Los Angeles tonight with the latest on Michael Jackson's death and investigation as to what led to.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: At the top of our broadcast, we played part of the 911 call from Jackson's home on Thursday. We want to play a little bit more of it for you right now and afterwards, we're going to talk about it, break it down for you.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 DISPATCHER: Did anybody witness what happened?
CALLER: No, just the doctor, sir. The doctor's been the only one here.
911 DISPATCHER: OK, so did the doctor see what happened?
CALLER: Doctor, did you see what happened, sir? Sir, if you just - if you can please...
911 DISPATCHER: We're on our way, we're on our way. I'm just - I'm just passing these questions on to my paramedics that are on the way there, sir.
CALLER: Thank you, sir. He's pumping -- he's pumping the chest, but he's not responding to anything, sir, please.
911 DISPATCHER: OK, OK. We're on our way. We're less than a mile away. We'll be there shortly.
CALLER: Thank you, sir, thank you.
911 DISPATCHER: OK, sir. Call us back if you need help. Thank you.
CALLER: Yes, sir.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: Boy, every time I hear that call, it's just amazing to hear.
Dr. Gregory Fontana has seen plenty of medical emergencies. He is vice chairman of surgery and attending cardiac surgeon at Cedars- Sinai Medical Center.
Thank you very much for joining us here CNN this evening. You've dealt with lots of situations like that. What might lead to something -- a seemingly healthy man all of a sudden going into cardiac arrest or just being unresponsive that way? DR. GREGORY FONTANA, VICE CHAIRMAN OF SURGERY, CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER: Well, we call it sudden cardiac death. It's a well- defined syndrome, condition. And most of the time, in America, when this happens, we think of coronary artery disease, a heart attack. 50-year-old, otherwise, healthy man, that would be the number one possibility. Obviously in this case, there's a lot of other medical conditions that have been discussed. And it's unlikely after the autopsy yesterday disclosed that there were no gross abnormalities that would render other cause of death.
LEMON: You said you were amazed. Were you amazed by the calmness of the 911 caller or the person who was on the phone calling from the home?
FONTANA: I think both. They exchanged information very quickly. The Dispatcher for 911 made sure that they initiated bystander CPR as soon as possible which could be life-saving in many cases. And the caller and the Dispatcher were doing their best to make something happen quickly.
LEMON: OK. Here's the interesting thing. You know, we want to be fair to the doctor who was there, right? We don't know what was going on. But most doctors I've spoken to -- as a matter of fact, all of them have said, this doctor has some explaining to do, whether or not he had anything to do with Michael Jackson's death or not.
FONTANA: That's true. Obviously, this physician knew Michael very well and spent a lot of time with him, must have been intimately involved with his health care and any medications or diets that he might be involved in. So, certainly, he has lots -- not that it's a public -- necessarily for public information, but certainly in the context of the patient and a doctor and the family knowing what happened. He has some explaining to do.
LEMON: Especially with administering CPR on a bed.
FONTANA: Yes, that's a bit curious.
LEMON: OK. Thank you, Dr. Gregory Fontana. He is the vice chairman of surgery and attending cardiac surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center right here in California. Thank you very much. We really appreciate you joining us tonight here on CNN.
FONTANA: Thank you.
LEMON: And make sure you tune in for a special presents on Michael Jackson's life. It's called "THE MAN AND THE MUSIC: MICHAEL JACKSON." I should say "THE MAN IN THE MIRROR." It's tonight at 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
You know, well, he broke barriers and he crossed barriers and boundaries and he had fans around the world. Michael Jackson's cultural impact was huge, you'll feel it.
And it's one of the many questions facing the Jackson family -- who will get custody of his children? And will they be saddled with his debt? We're live from Los Angeles tonight with the very latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, we've all heard the songs and we've seen the amazing videos. But it's easy to overlook Michael Jackson's wider impact on society and pop culture. From music and entertainment to race relations, Jackson's influence went far beyond his incredible record sales.
Joining me now is author and pop culture critic Kevin Powell and Cori Murray, entertainer editor at "Essence" magazine.
He, guys, thank you very much. It's good to see you.
CORI MURRAY, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, "ESSENCE" MAGAZINE: Thank you.
KEVIN POWELL, AUTHOR/POP CULTURE CRITIC: Good to see you.
LEMON: I wish we could have spoken under better circumstances. You know, I got to ask you this, Cory. Do we even really know what we have lost yet?
MURRAY: You know, we were just discussing that. And I don't think -- I mean, I think the shock of it has hit us. But I don't think in a larger scale we've realized what we've lost. I mean, this man's body of music is just amazing. I mean, in New York, there's these parties called the Prince versus Michael Jackson party. You can have a whole party just around this man's music.
You know, one of our readers wrote on our Web site -- it's funny, he says, you know, I've danced my wig off today looking through all the music that's been on. And I think -- I mean, I don't think it's really hit everyone in a way like, oh, my God, a legend -- I mean, he's more than a legend, he's gone. Like, Michael Jackson spoke to several generations and he's gone.
LEMON: Yes. And, you know, Kevin, we have been discussing this, a lot of people have been talking about it. The only thing that could compare to this is maybe Princess Diana in the size and scope of it, or Elvis. And it's interesting because, you know, a lot of people here in the United States were not interested in the royals. And a lot of people in other parts of the world were not that interested in Elvis, quite frankly. But you couldn't find a corner of the world that didn't know Michael Jackson, that didn't listen to his music.
POWELL: That's absolutely right. Well, when you talk about Michael Jackson, the fact that there are people mourning all around world. Some of us as if a president of a country has passed who had a significant influence on a lot of different types of people.
And you know, one thing I thought about when Barack Obama was running for president last year and you saw the rock star effect of his campaign, I said to myself, you know, I haven't seen anything like this since Michael Jackson in the 80's. And I'm not sure what kind of piece they're 9.06 saying that because I'm really thinking a lot of ways -- Michael, "THE COSBY SHOW," hip-hop, culturally helped to prepare America for the acceptance of a role model in the level of Barack Obama, because Michael Jackson was really the first major black star to really cross those kind of boundaries. And he's revered by everyone.
LEMON: Yes. And I had to say, people are saying, oh, my gosh, -- I've heard people saying oh, my gosh, you guys are covering Michael Jackson so much, Michael Jackson. But you know what? Since the late 1960s...
POWELL: Right.
LEMON: Before Barack Obama...
POWELL: Absolutely.
LEMON: Before Oprah Winfrey...
POWELL: That's right.
LEMON: Before a lot of these people who are -- and you know, most people think Michael Jackson just comes from the 80's or from the 90's. He spans far beyond that and so his impact on the world is significant. And that -- I think that sort of tell you why he's gotten so much coverage around the world.
MURRAY: Yes. You know, I mean, I remember stories that my mother told me. You know, she got up the phone with her boyfriend because, you know, the Jacksons were on TV and...
LEMON: Right.
MURRAY: You know, I remember her teaching me the "Walk with You" dance, you know, when I was a kid. And then, you know, I had the poster of him in the yellow cardigan and was tongue-tied. You know, when I was in middle school going into high school and my niece, who was two at the time, we taught her "I Can't Help It." She learned that song after hearing it three times, you know...
LEMON: You know what? And a lot of people -- he brought joy and peace to a lot of people who were in places -- in countries when there was fighting and there was war. So, Michael Jackson is gone and we're talking about his impact, his cultural impact. So, I want to thank Kevin Powell and Cori Murray, the entertainment editor at "Essence" magazine. So, thank you, guys, both of you.
POWELL: Thank you.
MURRAY: Thank you.
LEMON: All right. A have a quick reminder for you. Please join me here tomorrow night 6:00 p.m. Eastern for a live coverage from the red carpet at the BET Awards. The show will be a tribute to the life and career of Michael Jackson. And we will be the only network live on the red carpet. That's tomorrow night 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 3:00 Pacific, only here on CNN. Michael Jackson died a father. Now, who will get custody of his three children? We're live from Los Angeles with the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know what? Music legend, superstar, father of three. The sudden death of Michael Jackson has left many of us asking, what will happen to his children? These are rare photos of Michael's kids. He rarely allowed them to be seen in public without something covering their faces. The youngest was infamously dangled over a Berlin balcony and it is unclear if Michael's children will stay with the Jackson family. One person, who could fight for custody, is Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of the older two children. Her name is Debbie Rowe.
Here to discuss what could happen to Prince Michael I and Paris, the Prince Michael II, is Attorney Tanya Acker.
LEMON: Every name, we get Michael and Michael and princes and yes and all of that. So tell us, what do you think is going to happen as far as custody because she really wasn't active in their lives, but she could actually get custody of them.
TANYA ACKER, ATTORNEY: That's right. That's right, Don. And you know, there's a strong presumption in favor of the biological parent. And here, as you certainly know, there's been a whole lot of wrangling in advance, where she'd previously given up her parental rights in a contract that was found to be illegal. She subsequently settled with Michael Jackson and didn't pursue custody.
And so given the fact that legally her parental rights are still intact, the presumption is in her favor. However, the real standard in California is the best interest of the child. And certainly, if I am the Jackson family, I would have a great argument to make that it's certainly in the children's best interest to remain with the family that they've known.
I think we would have to know a lot more about how much they've seen her and what kind of relationship she's had with them to know if that custody would be -- her getting custody would be warranted.
LEMON: And the baby, the youngest one, we don't know who the mom is. It was undisclosed, so...
ACKER: It's undisclosed.
LEMON: And could this person come forward?
ACKER: Well, again, that was a surrogate.
LEMON: OK.
ACKER: The youngest child's mother is a surrogate. And under California law, California really respects surrogacy contracts. So, if pursuant to that contract, she terminated her rights, then that very likely would stand and she doesn't have a strong footing as the mother of the other two kids.
LEMON: OK. Here's the interesting thing. Because if Debbie Rowe comes back in the picture and she can get parental rights, the children, you know, unless the will says otherwise, will get Michael Jackson's inheritance. Does that make Debbie Rowe part of that as well? Does she stand to be a very wealthy woman?
ACKER: She would stand to be a very wealthy woman if she has custody of those two children. And again, you know, the other thing that's a little troubling here is that because you got the surrogate parent, the surrogate mother who's the mother of the youngest, and then Miss Rowe, the mother of the first two, there's a chance that these kids could be split up if the Jackson family isn't given custody.
LEMON: Oh, boy.
ACKER: You know, so, the other thing to remember is that irrespective of what he said in the will, you know, kids are not property, and we have to really treat them with -- we have look at what's in their best interest. And again, I think that the Jackson family has a great argument to make that it's in the best interest of these children to remain around the people who they knew as family, I mean, who are really closest to them.
LEMON: Yes. Here's a very interesting thing -- I only have like 10 seconds left -- is that, you know, we've talked about all of this debt that Michael Jackson supposedly had.
ACKER: Yes.
LEMON: But he owned a lot of music catalogs which didn't really go against that debt.
ACKER: That's right.
LEMON: So, his assets may be a lot more than that debt, and those kids are going to be very wealthy and especially now that his music is number one everywhere...
ACKER: Number one
LEMON: He can pay that debt off in the next couple of days.
ACKER: I downloaded from new music today of Michael Jackson, so, it's incredible.
LEMON: It's unbelievable and the roller coaster ride of the story.
Thank you very much, Tanya Acker. I said about Acker, right?
ACKER: Yes. Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Thank you. Appreciate it. Sorry about all the gnats that are out here tonight. It is very hot in Los Angeles today. And make sure you tune in for a "CNN PRESENTS SPECIAL" on the life and the music of Michael Jackson. "MAN IN THE MIRROR" is tonight at 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
We're back with all the developments in the Michael Jackson situation live from Los Angeles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time now for you to weigh in.
Here's what ctguy2675 says, "Such a touching statement from the Jackson family. My thoughts and prayers are with them. We are all mourning his passing."
Drebuggy says, "I am sure that Michael's family can't believe this BS. We are truly living an unimaginable nightmare this weekend."
Thank you for your comments. We really appreciate them. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport.com. We will certainly get them on the air for you.
Make sure you tune in for a "CNN PRESENTS SPECIAL" on the life and music of Michael Jackson. "MAN IN THE MIRROR" tonight 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Also I have a quick reminder for you. Make sure you join me here tomorrow, 6:00 p.m. Eastern for a live coverage from the red carpet at the BET Awards. This show will be a tribute to the life and career of Michael Jackson. We will be the only network live on the red carpet. That's tomorrow, 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 3:00 Pacific, only here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) finances. CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff introduces us to one couple. They were hit hard. Now they are fighting back. Here's tonight's "Money & Main St."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Not only were Kevin and Lucy Aikman heavily invested in the stock market last fall, but Kevin's employer, AIG, nearly collapsed. Kevin is in a stable end of the business -- home insurance assessments. So the dual crisis rocking his investment and employer was especially jarring.
KEVIN AIKMAN,HIT HARD BY FINANCIAL CRISIS: First was this fear, what about all these years I've put in a hard work. All of the money that I've invested, is there going to be anything left at the end of the day?
CHERNOFF: For Lucy, the financial crisis has been terrifying.
LUCY AIKMAN, HIT HARD BY FINANCIAL CRISIS: Terrible anxiety. I ended up having to go get pills because I couldn't sleep. So much anxiety. CHERNOFF: Lucy lost her job as a trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange two years ago and hasn't worked since. Her grown daughter also lost her job as did Lucy's sister who worked at Bear Stearns when it collapsed.
L. AIKMAN: Everybody's fearful. And everybody is falling like soldiers around me.
CHERNOFF (on camera): Just a few days before the stock market began collapsing last September, the Aikmans hired a contractor to chop down trees and excavate a pond by their home.
Today more than seven months later, it's still a hole on the ground. The project is on hold.
(voice over): The hole on the ground was like a hole in their pocket. It had cost $10,000. So the Aikmans chopped their spending. They gave up their personal trainer and now exercise on their own. They postponed plans to build a screened porch, don't go out to dinner as much, and planted a vegetable garden.
L. AIKMAN: One of our biggest expenses is food. I mean, it sounds strange, but we eat a lot of fresh produce and, as you know, to heat healthy it costs money.
CHERNOFF: They've become more conservative investors with the help of financial planners Doug Flynn and Rich Zito, who reduced their exposure to stocks.
DOUG FLYNN, FLYNN ZITO CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: We've taken all the way down to just about 15 percent stocks. If you're losing sleep and you probably don't have the right portfolio, we need to find the right portfolio for you.
CHERNOFF: To sleep better, the Aikmans bought extra insurance and Kevin is shelving his dreams of retiring in just 10 years when he'll be 55.
K. AIKMAN: The 401(k) just about fell in half. So when that happened, I reassessed and said, OK, maybe I'm going to need to put a few more years in.
CHERNOFF: The Aikmans realized they can't control the economic environment that affects all of us, but by cutting spending, booting insurance and becoming more conservative with investments, the Aikmans feel they're controlling what they can to weather the financial storm while still being positioned to profit as it begins to pass.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, Hurley, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A lot more questions and answers tonight in the sudden death of Michael Jackson. Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, who's believed to had been with the singer when he died, has hired an attorney. And we're hearing the two are meeting this hour with Los Angeles police.
Earlier, in an exclusive interview, Murray's attorney tells CNN his client is upset over Jackson's death and that he plans to fully cooperate.
Meantime, the Reverend Jesse Jackson tells CNN the Jackson family wants answers. They think Dr. Murray can answer lingering questions about Michael Jackson's death. Also the family issued a statement tonight to "People" magazine telling fans to, quote, "Carry on so Jackson's legacy will live forever."
Plus, two moving vans showed up today at the rented L.A. home where Jackson apparently collapsed. Several items were taken way. No word on where they were taken.
We're also following the developments coming out of Iran very closely. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran's response to U.S criticism of its presidential election will be, quote, "crushing and remorseful." Yesterday, President Obama called the recent violence in Iran "outrageous." Members of Iran's government-linked militia are reportedly raiding homes and beating suspected protesters who are believed to be taking part in nightly anti-government chants from Tehran rooftops.
We have a quick reminder for you. Please join me here tomorrow night, 6:00 p.m. Eastern, for a live coverage from the red carpet at the BET Awards. The show will be a tribute to the life and career of Michael Jackson. We will be the only network live on the red carpet tomorrow night, 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 3:00 Pacific, only here on CNN.
I'm Don Lemon reporting live from Los Angeles. I'll see you back here tomorrow night.
"CNN PRESENTS: MAN IN THE MIRROR" begins right now.
