Grisly Michael Jackson autopsy details – rotting wig, lip tattoos and ‘skeletal’ frame

King of Pop Michael Jackson’s official cause of death was a cardiac arrest back in June 2009, but questions soon cropped up about the Thriller star’s untimely demise

Michael Jackson’s autopsy unveiled some of the grisliest details of a celebrity death ever.

The King of Pop was declared dead on this day (June 25) at just 50 years old in June 2009, with his official cause of death listed as a cardiac arrest. His heart gave out after a deadly cocktail of sedatives were administered by his physician Conrad Murray – with acute propofol intoxication listed as a contributing factor.

He had overdosed on propofol and benzodiazepines. The star was seen to by paramedics just three minutes after an ambulance was called, but they found him not breathing and attempts to resuscitate him failed.

Jackson was pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre. Daily Star is taking a look into the most gruesome details of his autopsy – from a rotting wig ‘held together by single strands of hair’ to his tattooed lips.

Involuntary manslaughter

Jackson’s physician was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter (Image: GETTY)
Following MJ’s death, his personal physician Conrad Murray was found to have administered propofol, lorazepam and midazolam. Michael’s death was attributed to an overdose of the medications.

It was eventually ruled that his death was a homicide and Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter in February 2010, and found guilty. His sentence was four years behind bars, but he was released in October 2013 on parole.

Rotting wig

The singer was found to be wearing a wig after his hair was set on fire (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Jackson’s autopsy revealed he wore a wig in the later stages of his life, with the hair on his head described by police as “sparse and connected to a wig”. His autopsy also revealed the star had “frontal balding”, meaning the wig had to be glued to his scalp.

Underneath he was totally bald except from patches of “peach fuzz” and scars. A source told The Sun at the time: “He was skin and bone, his hair had fallen out, and he had been eating nothing but pills when he died.”

It is believed the star first began wearing a wig in 1984 when his hair caught fire while filming a Pepsi advert, which left him with second and third degree burns. He was dancing down a flight of stairs as fireworks went off around him, but they exploded too early – with sparks igniting the gel in the star’s hair.

Skin patches and tattoos

He had tattoos on his scalp and lips and uneven skin patches (Image: Michael Ochs Archives)
It was later confirmed that Jackson had skin pigmentation disorder vitiligo, with his skin turning white on his chest, face, arms and abdomen. Along with his uneven skin tone, Michael’s lips had been tattooed pink and his eyebrows tattooed black, and too blend in with his hairline, the front of his scalp was also tattooed black.

Bruises, urine and puncture marks

A sealed bottle of urine was found next to his body (Image: Getty Images)
Weighing just 8st 10lbs at the time of his death, Jackson was found to have nothing but partially dissolved pills in his stomach after eating just one small meal per day. His entire body was riddled with puncture marks from painkiller injections, with marks of his plastic surgery also showed he was in “terminal decline” for years, according to one source.

His knees and shins were covered in mysterious bruises and cuts covered the star’s back, perhaps an indication of a recent fall. Next to the bed where the singer died, investigators found a sealed bottle of urine, along with boxes of catheters, disposable needles and an oxygen tank.

An ever-present bandage was found on the singer’s nose. And Jackson’s ribs were found to be cracked after CPR was administered to attempt to restart his heart.

Enlarged prostate

The autopsy also revealed an enlarged prostate (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Jackson was found to have a condom catheter inserted at the time of his death amid an apparent struggle with incontinence, and his autopsy also revealed a “moderately enlarged” prostate.

He also had a catheter leading into his neck, while a balloon pump had been inserted into one of his arteries to help combat his cardiac condition. The official report says his testes are “in the scrotum and are unremarkable and without trauma”.