Authorities continued to investigate the mysterious death of pop singer Michael Jackson, whose death Thursday threatened to overwhelm online news sites as traffic from Jackson’s fans soared.
Keynote Systems, which tracks Web-site performance, said the time needed to access media sites rose to 8.9 seconds from a normal 4.2-second average. It said the biggest drops in performance were at the sites of ABC, CBS and the Los Angeles Times.
Google confirmed that its news site and searches were sluggish Thursday afternoon. Other national news contributed to the slowdowns, including the death of actress Farrah Fawcett and a scandal involving South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
In Los Angeles, the 911 tape of a man’s urgent call to paramedics about Jackson was released.
“We’re trying to pump him, he’s not breathing,” the caller said. “He’s not responding to CPR, he’s not responding to anything. Please hurry.”
Los Angeles police were looking to question Jackson’s personal doctor. A physician’s BMW was towed from Jackson’s house because, police said, “it may contain medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner.” The doctor is not suspected of criminal conduct.
An autopsy was being performed Friday, but toxicology tests could take several weeks. Jackson reportedly had been rehearsing for a planned comeback.