OK! Cover to Feature Dying Michael Jackson Picture, Magazine Sinks to a New Low Just to Sell More Issues

OK! Magazine has sunk to a new low. It has published what it claims to be the last ever photograph of Michael Jackson on its cover. The magazine reportedly paid $500,000 for exclusive rights to a photo of Jackson taken as he lay dying while paramedics attempt to resuscitate him. Sarah Ivens, editorial director at OK!, told MediaWeek.com that she thought the dying Jackson photo would differentiate OK! from the other magazines running tribute issues this week. Ivens said: "It's a photo that captures the surprise and the upset and the moment of this breaking news story. Really? It seems to prove that they will sink to the lowest levels to sell more magazines. This is disrespectful to Michael Jackson and to any other celebrity who has passed away. The family should come out as forcefully as David Carradine's family did when a Thai newspaper published him hanging in a closet.

"I hope the cover will provoke readers. It celebrated the man, but it also does expose that he was an eccentric character who lived a very controversial life.""If you do take offence to any part of the issue in light of Michael Jackson's tragic passing, I can only apologise. Hopefully, you will understand that no offence was intended or meant," Ivens said. Source: RTE Entertainment

The publication was roundly criticized earlier this year when it printed a tribute issue to reality TV star Jade Goody while she was still alive. This sensationalism amounts to a serious invasion of privacy and it is just plain wrong. I wish the family of Michael Jackson would speak out against this and threaten legal action. Surely celebrities deserve some privacy, especially in a situation such as this. Shameful. Just shameful.

Actor David "Kill Bill" Carradine, 72, Found Hung in Hotel Room in Bangkok

UPDATE

The family of David Carradine is threatening legal action against any tabloid that publishes pictures of the actor as he hung in the closet. One such picture has been published in the Thai tabloid, The Nation. This is a disgrace. No matter how this man died, he deserves some privacy and dignity. According to the Nation, Pornthip Rojanasunan, director of the Central Forensic Medicine Institute, said Friday circumstances indicated that David Carradine's death might have been at attempt at auto-eroticism.

Veteran actor David Carradine, 72, has been found dead in a Bangkok hotel room, according to media reports. The "Kill Bill" star is believed to have died of natural causes. There are reports surfacing that he was found hung in the closet of his hotel room.

He was reportedly was staying in Bangkok while shooting a movie. The film crew discovered his absence when they went to dine out at a restaurant yesterday. When a producer went to his room, he discovered that the actor had died.

David Carradine was best known for his role in the television series “Kung Fu.” My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He was one of the best actors of our time and he will be missed. It is a real tragedy if he committed suicide, which has been mentioned in the mainstream media.