Los Angeles - Michael Jackson died after being given "a heavy does of morphine," celebrity website tmz.com reported Friday, quoting family members. The website, which was the first to report Jackson's death Thursday, said that family members were alarmed at his state and had planned to put him in a rehab facility for his addiction to morphine and prescription drugs.
The report said that in recent weeks Jackson had been too lethargic to rehearse properly for his sold-out comeback shows in London in July, which had been aimed to revive his career and financial situation.
The report came as fans in Los Angeles and around the world paid tribute to Jackson who was pronounced dead at the UCLA Medical Centre after collapsing at his rented Bel Air mansion.
Jackson's autopsy is set for Friday, though results of toxicology tests could take much longer.
