Jackson’s Children Go to His Mother

LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, has been granted temporary guardianship of the three children left behind by the pop star, who died of undetermined causes last week at the age of 50.Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff of Los Angeles County Superior Court also has scheduled a hearing for Aug. 3 on whether Mr. Jackson’s mother can become the children’s permanent legal guardian, the court’s public information director, Allan Parachini, said. Ms. Jackson, 79, had also petitioned to be named administrator of the children’s estates, but Judge Beckloff did not grant that request, Mr. Parachini said.Mr. Jackson left behind three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7.Ms. Jackson filed another petition Monday seeking control of her son’s estate, according to The Associated Press, which cited as its source an unnamed person close to the proceedings. Mr. Parachini said he did not yet know if such a petition had been filed.The doctor who cared for Mr. Jackson as he lay stricken told investigators he did not give the singer any medication that would explain his sudden death and described a vigorous effort to revive him, his lawyer said on Monday.The doctor, Conrad Murray, 56, said he discovered Mr. Jackson, 50, unconscious after he checked on him, as he periodically did, said Edward Chernoff, a Houston lawyer who accompanied Dr. Murray to the interview with police investigators.Dr. Murray, Mr. Chernoff said, began a “desperate” effort to save Mr. Jackson, doing chest compressions so vigorously that he apparently cracked one or more of his ribs in the process, though that had no bearing on his death, Mr. Chernoff said. He said the CPR was performed correctly. “It was desperate,” Mr. Chernoff said. “Somebody you did not expect to be in that condition all of a sudden is not breathing.”It is still unclear what caused Mr. Jackson to slip into unconsciousness. Dr. Murray, who has offices in Las Vegas and Houston and met the singer a few years ago, said that when he discovered the singer’s still body he immediately ordered a member of the staff to call 911, according to Mr. Chernoff. Mr. Jackson arrived at the U.C.L.A. Medical Center in cardiac arrest and was declared dead a short time later.SOURCE:NYTIMES.