Doctor tried CPR, lawyer says

LOS ANGELES -- Michael Jackson had a faint pulse, and his body was warm, when his doctor found him in bed and not breathing, a lawyer for the doctor said Sunday.

Edward Chernoff also said Dr. Conrad Murray never prescribed or gave Jackson the drugs Demerol or OxyContin. The lawyer denied reports suggesting Murray gave Jackson drugs that contributed to his death.

Chernoff said Murray was at the pop icon's rented mansion Thursday afternoon when he discovered Jackson in bed and not breathing. The doctor began administering CPR, Chernoff said.

"He just happened to find him in his bed, and he wasn't breathing," the lawyer said. "Mr. Jackson was still warm and had a pulse."

Jackson's family requested a private autopsy in part because of questions about Murray, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Saturday.

Also Sunday, as the father of Michael Jackson moved to assert control over his son's estate, his parents' attorney said that the family had not been able to locate a will for the pop icon and that Jackson's mother would seek custody of his three children.

"That's who Michael would have wanted to have the children. She loves them dearly," lawyer L. Londell McMillan told CNN in an appearance outside the Black Entertainment Television awards.

McMillan said the children were in "great care" and in a "loving environment" with their grandmother Katherine at the family's San Fernando Valley estate.

Asked about the will, McMillan said the family had heard "reports of one ... but none has been presented to the family at this time."

Appearing on the BET Awards red carpet outside the Shrine Auditorium with a publicist and McMillan, Joe Jackson told CNN that he and his wife alone were in charge of their son's estate and legacy.

The 80-year-old patriarch declared in a statement read by the publicist that the couple "have the personal and legal authority to act, and solely Katherine and I have authority for our son and his children."

Whether the elder Jackson has that authority is not clear. Michael Jackson might have written a will naming another person as executor of his estate, and Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, might have a strong claim for custody, legal experts have said.

People close to the singer have said since his death that they were concerned about his use of painkillers. Los Angeles County medical examiners completed their autopsy Friday and said Jackson had taken unspecified prescription medication.

Chernoff said any drugs the doctor gave Jackson were prescribed in response to a specific complaint from the entertainer.

"Dr. Murray has never prescribed nor administered Demerol to Michael Jackson," Chernoff said. "Not ever. Not that day. ... Not Oxycontin for that matter."

Paramedics were called to the mansion while the doctor was performing CPR, according to a recording of the 911 call.

Because Jackson was so frail, Murray "administered with his hand behind his back to provide the necessary support," Chernoff said. Some have speculated the doctor botched the CPR.

"He's a trained doctor," Chernoff said. "He knows how to administer CPR."

Medics spent three-quarters of an hour trying to revive Jackson. He was pronounced dead later at UCLA Medical Center.

Murray was interviewed by investigators for three hours Saturday. His spokeswoman called Murray "a witness to this tragedy," not a suspect in the death, and police described the doctor as cooperative.

The attorney said Murray will wait to speak publicly until after the police and forensics investigations are complete.

"One of his best friends just died, essentially in his arms: Yeah he's looking forward to telling his story," Chernoff said.

Chernoff also said the promoter of Jackson's 50-show London concerts, AEG Live, owes the cardiologist $300,000.

"His contract with the promoters states he would receive an amount of money each month to be his (Jackson's) personal physician, and they have failed to honor that contract," Chernoff said. "They are two months behind."

Randy Phillips, president and CEO of AEG Live, acknowledged the contract called for Murray to be paid $150,000 a month but said the contract required Jackson's signature.

"Michael never signed the contract," Phillips said.

He also said the doctor's claim for payment might be against Jackson's estate, not AEG, which was merely advancing the money to Jackson.

Los Angeles County coroner's officials said their autopsy found no indication of trauma or foul play. But because of additional tests, an official cause of death could take weeks to determine.

The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.