Published Monday, 31 August 2009
The Los Angeles County Coroner said the King of Pop's death was the result of "acute propofol intoxication" in a move that could lead to criminal charges being made against his personal physician, Dr Conrad Murray, who is known to have administered the powerful sedative.
Dr Murray's lawyer responded to the ruling by claiming that the timing of the release smacked of police "gamesmanship" adding that he would not comment on the findings until the release of a full toxicology report.
According to the coroner's report, the main cause of death was an overdose of the anaesthetic propofol.
The effect of the psychoactive drug benzodiazepine also contributed to Jackson's demise, it stated.
Alongside propofol and the benzodiazepine lorazepam, investigators found a cocktail of other drugs including diazepam and ephedrine in the singer's system.
The findings follow revelations in documents released earlier this week that Dr Murray administered several drugs to Jackson to help him sleep in the days and hours leading up to his death.
These included propofol, which he administered via an intravenous line.
Dr Murray told officers that during the morning of Jackson's death, he tried to induce sleep without the use of propofol.
But after giving the singer a cocktail of other drugs, he turned to propofol following persistent requests from Jackson himself.