Dr. Conrad Robert Murray (right) is to be questioned by Los Angeles police over the death of Michael Jackson
The mysterious doctor who was with Michael Jackson when his heart stopped was poised Friday night to speak with detectives investigating whether the King of Pop was done in by a fatal dose of prescription painkillers.
Dr. Conrad Murray was identified as the cardiologist who witnessed the 50-year-old icon's final moments on a day of other fast-moving developments:
- The Los Angeles Fire Department released the 911 tape on which a caller calmly tells the operator to send an ambulance.
"We have a gentleman here that needs help. He's not breathing," he says.
- His ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley, revealed Jackson turned to her during their brief marriage and predicted he would die just like her father, Elvis.
- The initial autopsy performed by the county coroner found "no indication of foul play." But spokesman Craig Harvey said a cause of death won't be determined until toxicology tests are done. He confirmed Jackson was taking prescription meds but wouldn't say what kind.
- The head of the company behind Jackson's upcoming London concerts told the News the star insisted that Murray accompany him on the tour and that Jackson passed a February medical exam "with flying colors, with no evidence of drug use."
- TMZ.com reported that Jackson was dead by the time paramedics arrived Thursday, but his doctor insisted they continue trying to revive him and rode with them to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Lidocaine, a drug used to restore heart rhythms, was found at the scene, TMZ reported.
- Jackson family insiders suggested the pop star's prescription drug abuse - specifically Demerol and possibly OxyContin - might have caused his heart to shut down.
- President Obama sent his condolences to Jackson's family and fans through his spokesman. "The President also said he had aspects of his life that were sad and tragic," said Robert Gibbs. Congress observed a moment of silence.
- Jackson's dad, Joe, received condolences at his Encino home by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
- The Gloved One's videos streamed all day across the big screen in Times Square, and Harlem's historic Apollo Theater was the site of an all-night vigil, where New York fans cried and moonwalked in his memory.
"Michael Jackson's songs, it doesn't sound like music anymore," said Frantzy Fils, 33, of Brooklyn. "They're prayers."
As the tributes poured in, so did new details and questions about Jackson's last struggle.
Murray, who was helping Jackson gear up for a grueling 50-show comeback, was with the star when he collapsed at home and accompanied him to the ER. But he disappeared soon after the singer was pronouced dead Thursday.
Investigators spoke with Murray briefly and later towed a BMW with Texas plates from the property near Sunset Blvd., a car registered to Murray's sister.
"The car might contain medication or other evidence that could assist the coroner in determining the cause of Michael Jackson's death," said Officer Richard French, an LAPD spokesman.
While French did not name the doctor and insisted he was not the target of a criminal investigation, a Texas TV station identified him as Murray, who has offices in Houston and Las Vegas.
A receptionist at Murray's Houston office confirmed to the Daily News that Murray was "on tour" with Jackson. She said the office has not been able to reach him.
"He hasn't been answering his phone," the receptionist said.
TMZ.com later reported that Murray was still in LA and was preparing to speak to detectives.
The coroner's spokesman, however, said they were unaware Jackson was under Murray's care and that they got involved because "there was no doctor to sign the death certificate."
"Had he been under the care of a doctor, the coroner would not have been involved," he said.
So an autopsy was performed on Jackson, whose toe was tagged with his case number 2009-04415.
Paramedics were called to Jackson's home at 12:26 p.m. Thursday and worked on him for 45 minutes before rushing him to UCLA Medical Center, police said.
There, doctors took over and tried to revive Jackson for nearly an hour before pronouncing him dead at 2:26 p.m.
"I was there at the hospital when they brought him in, when the kids were told, his mother told. Friday will live in my brain forever," said Randy Phillips, president and CEO of AEG Live, the company promoting Jackson's tour.
"All I can say about it, the kids' reaction was what anyone would imagine. This was a close knit family. They were inseparable. Michael loved those children more than life itself," Phillips told the News.
While Jackson suffered from a host of health problems, his addiction to prescription drugs fueled speculation he overdosed. A British tabloid reported Jackson began gasping after a morning shot of the painkiller Demerol.
A major hazard of Demerol, a synthetic drug similar to morphine, is cardiac arrest, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
ABC News, citing a law enforcement source, reported that Jackson was also "heavily addicted" to the powerful painkiller OxyContin and received "daily doses" of it along with Demerol.
Former Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman suggested Jackson was being overmedicated in preparation for his soldout summer shows in London.
"I have warned of the use of prescription medication and people who have enabled the use of those medications," Oxman said. "I have seen it with Michael."
Jackson had been training with "Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno. He reportedly showed up grumpy and three hours late for a rehearsal at the Staples Center on Wednesday.
His manager, Frank DiLeo, disagreed and insisted the rehearsal was "amazing."
"Michael rehearsed 10 or 11 songs," he told the Hollywood Reporter.
Sobbing, DiLeo said that when Jackson was done "he put his arm around me."
"He said he was just so happy," the manager said. "He said, 'This is really our time.'"
