Michael Jackson's tragic figure laid bare on a hospital gurney

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David Gardner12 April 2012

One was the most famous man on the planet. The other is fast becoming the most notorious.

But if anyone outside Los Angeles Superior Court heard the recordings of two voices played to the jury in the Conrad Murray trial yesterday they would be hard-pressed to identify either.

The first voice that echoed through the packed courtroom, lights dimmed by the prosecution lawyers for maximum impact, was low and woozy, not at all like the girlish giggle its owner was loved and lampooned for the world over.

Perhaps only the sentiments were vintage Michael Jackson. Even under the stupefying influence of powerful Propofol, the hospital anaesthetic Jackson used as his own private Ambien, his sense of grandeur was undiminished.

If his tone was unrecognisable, Jackson's ambition was not. 'I want them to say, 'I've never seen anything like this in my life,' he mumbled. ''He's the greatest entertainer of all time.'

The other voice was just as shocking in its own way. Countless pictures have been printed of Dr Conrad Murray, the Houston physician accused of involuntary manslaughter, but he has never uttered a word publicly about the case.

His lilting voice, trying to explain the inexplicable to investigators, offered a brief preview of the doctor's turn in the witness box, which is likely to determine whether he can escape jail.

He may not have been the only doctor who administered the dangerous knock-out drug to help the King of Pop get some shut eye. Unfortunately for him, he was the one on duty on June 25, 2009.

Murray, impeccable in a light grey pin-stripe suit and blue spotted tie, spent most of the first day of the trial struggling to hold back the tears, failing only when his lawyer described the work he did for the needy.

Sitting in the public gallery, Jackson's mother, Katherine was weeping as details of her son's last days and hours were detailed for the jury.

And the shock could be seen on the faces of all the Jackson family when the prosecution unveiled a photo of the superstar's dead body.

Unlike the voice, the tragic figure lying on a hospital gurney was immediately familiar to fans around the world.

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