DEA Joins LAPD Investigation Into Michael Jackson's Cause of Death

The Drug Enforcement Administration will join the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation into the death of Michael Jackson and probe whether prescription drugs might have played a role, the AP reports. According to experts, the DEA is often called in to assist in cases that might involve drug abuse, illegal distributors or the identification of drugs. "We routinely offer assistance to any agency regarding the Federal Controlled Substance Act," Sarah Pullen of the DEA told CNN. "However, at this time, we have nothing further to comment about the death of Michael Jackson."

Following Jackson's death last Thursday afternoon, rumors quickly spread that the King of Pop suffered sudden cardiac arrest following an injection of a painkiller. As Rock Daily previously reported, Jackson's nurse/nutritionist said the singer desperately sought out the powerful sedative Diprivan or Propofol to relieve chronic insomnia. An overdose of Propofol, which was reportedly found in a search of Jackson's home, could lead to cardiac arrest. However, the LAPD's several-hours-long interview with Jackson's personal doctor Dr. Conrad Murray raised "no red flag" as to Jackson's cause of death. "There was no Demerol. No OxyContin," Murray's lawyer said.

According to the law enforcement source, the DEA will look into various doctors involved with Jackson and examine their practices and their medical supplies, CNN reports. After the first autopsy on Jackson came back inconclusive, a toxicology report was ordered to determine what might have caused Jackson's death. Results are expected in four to six weeks. "We know he was taking some prescription medication," the coroner's office said prior to sending out the toxicology report.

Related Stories:
• Michael Jackson "Desperately" Sought Sedative, Nutritionist Says
• Jackson Family Orders Second Autopsy, Doctor Speaks to LAPD

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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