Michael Jackson - So Tragic

The initial shock at losing the King of Pop at age 50 felt reminiscent of losing Elvis Presley -- the King of Rock and Roll -- at the age of 42. The comparisons are many. Both had been at the top of the music world. Both transformed the music world. Both were forced to be recluses due to their popularity. Were their deaths similar?

Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley and Jackson's ex-wife, wrote of how Michaek himself felt he might meet a similar fate. Elvis' death was attributed to a heart attack; Jackson's was cardiac arrest. Yes, young people die every day due to heart conditions, but how big of a role has prescription drugs played?

It's sad thinking the untimely deaths of these icons could have been avoided. Elvis' physician faced criminal prosecution (he was acquitted) and lost his medical license. Anna Nicole Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, and her physicians, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, are facing charges of conspiring to furnish drugs to Smith (which contributed to her death).

We've heard that Michael Jackson's physician may have been with him at the time of Michael's collapse and is rumored to have injected him with medication an hour prior. There is a good chance toxicology reports will turn up combinations of prescription drugs in Jackson's system -- the probability that they contributed to his cardiac arrest will more than likely be evident.

So the question lingers -- why. Why do these celebrities get hooked on prescription drugs. Why do they abuse them and why are doctors allowed to enable them to continue doing so? Could Jackson's physician end up facing criminal charges?

We lost Elvis, Anna Nicole, and Michael much too early. Sadder still is the fact their deaths left their young children without a parent. It just seems so senseless. So avoidable. So tragic.