The news isn't all good when it comes to Michael Jackson this week, as an autopsy photo of the late King of Pop is said to possibly leak soon.Gerald Posner writes in The Daily Beast that he recently received a phone call from someone who allegedly has a photograph of Jackson on the autopsy table. Posner's source reports that the image is "not a cellphone picture," explaining that the "quality was far too good."
Two independent viewers described the photo as "shocking." It features only Jackson's head and shows his shaved skull and wide open eyes. His eyebrows are tattooed and skin is ashen in color. His lips are flat, wide and without lipstick. A scar on his left cheek is visible because concealing makeup had been cleaned from his face. Jackson is lying on his back on a metal autopsy table. The picture was taken at a 30-degree angle toward the left side of the corpse.
The Daily Beast tracked a high-resolution copy of the photo to a prominent Los Angeles restaurant owner who stored it on his BlackBerry. The restaurateur revealed the photo was given to him by a "high-ranking police friend." The man has displayed it to several television executives based in California. He refused to acknowledge whether he was trying to sell as well as a visit to confirm ownership of the image.
A British tabloid editor told Posner off-the-record that worldwide rights to the photo could easily surpass $1 million. However, an investigation of security breaches at the autopsy could make a sale difficult.
Michael Jackson's unexpected death in June at the age of 50 caused grief among fans and a flurry of speculation concerning its cause. Jackson's 'This Is It,' a concert film documenting his rehearsals for a concert series of the same name, is currently in theaters.
