Outrage over Michael Jackson autopsy reenactment

Outrage over Michael Jackson autopsy reenactmen

AFP/File – Michael Jackson
performing in 1993. The executors
of Jackson's estate are expressing
outrage over over an "insensitive"
television special.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The executors of Michael Jackson's estate are expressing outrage over an "insensitive" television special "in shockingly bad taste" that plans to reenact the King of Pop's autopsy.

In a letter to Discovery Communications on Wednesday, John Branca and John McClain deplored in the strongest terms the Discovery Channel's "blind desire to exploit Michael's death, while cynically attempting to dupe the public into believing this show will have serious medical value."

The pair were especially angered by a European promotional advertisement for the program that shows Jackson's trademark sequined glove emerging from beneath a coroner's white draping sheet.

"Discovery obviously views this as clever advertising and creative 'branding' for the program... In fact, the ad is debased, sick and insensitive," said the letter addressed to Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav.

"On behalf of Michael's family, fans, common sense and decency, we urge you to reconsider and cancel this program."

Discovery has not yet responded to this letter about the advertised program, which does not yet have a specific air date for Europe.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at age 50 from drug-induced respiratory arrest at his Beverly Hills mansion after his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, injected him with a powerful cocktail of sedatives and painkillers, including Propofol, to help him sleep.

Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter in February this year. A judge has set a deadline of early January for prosecutors to gather evidence in that case.