Lisa Marie Presley

Unconfirmed sightings aside, Elvis lives on for millions of his fans worldwide, and in cities across the globe many are getting ready to celebrate the King's 75th birthday on Friday.

Begin with two facts. First, he was once beautiful, astonishingly beautiful, and that fact contributed so much both to the rapidity of his rise and the awfulness of his decline. Beauty was almost as important to his success as race was. Same voice, same talent, same songs sung by a white Fats Domino? The impact would have been nothing like what it was. Music created and drove the phenomenon that was Elvis, but it was only part of what made that phenomenon so overwhelming. Of course he did end up looking like a white Fats Domino (worse, actually - Fats has never looked swollen or appeared glum), and that's the second fact: He became - he remains in some measure - a joke. By the time of his death, Elvis had already proven himself the ultimate Elvis impersonator. He stays encased, liposuction-resistant, within the bombast, the karate chops, the jumpsuits, the dying on the toilet. Beauty and the beast, that at least has a track record. But beauty and the punch line? As always, Elvis Aron P

Michael Jackson, who was not only one of the most influential forces in MTV's history but also provided its Video Music Awards with some of its most irreverent moments, got reverential treatment Sunday as Madonna and his sister Janet provided emotional tributes ? one through words, one through song.

AP News in Brief at 5:58 p.m. EDT. Obama, Congress easing debate on public option, turning attention to insurance regulation

MTV Music Video Awards to feature Michael Jackson tribute alongside partying. Before the MTV Video Music Awards settle into its annual teenybopper party, the ceremony will have a tender moment.

GLENDALE, California (Reuters) - Michael Jackson was buried on Thursday, more than two months after he died of a drug overdose, marking the last stop for a superstar who spent most of his 50 years in the public gaze.

Paris Jackson weeps, Katherine falters at mausoleum during private funeral for King of Pop. Paris Jackson wept as she stepped into the mausoleum where her father, Michael, was to be entombed. Katherine Jackson, overcome by sorrow, turned back when she was faced with her son's final resting place.

Guest: Jackson funeral touching, emotional; Paris weeps, Katherine falters at mausoleum. Paris Jackson wept as she stepped into the mausoleum where her father, Michael, was to be entombed. Katherine Jackson, overcome by sorrow, turned back when she was faced with her son's final resting place.

GLENDALE, California (Reuters) - Michael Jackson was buried on Thursday, more than two months after he died of a drug overdose, marking the last stop for a superstar who spent most of his 50 years in the public gaze.

Gary, Indiana, unlikely tourist spot with Michael Jackson hometown tours. Before there was the sprawling Neverland ranch in California, before he became a superstar with the best-selling album of all time, "Thriller," a tiny house in the industrial city of Gary was home for Michael Jackson.

The global send-off for Michael Jackson was not just a goodbye. The lavish tributes may have also planted the seeds for the next goal in the King of Pop's career: rehabilitating his image for posterity.

A Twitter uprising in Iran, now a Twitter celebrity death: Jackson death was new media moment. "Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died," the woman called out breathlessly upon boarding a Manhattan bus, moments after the news had broken. Not a word was spoken in response. But nearly every passenger reached for a BlackBerry, a cell phone, whatever device was at hand.

The final act of Michael Jackson's life came into clearer focus Friday, a picture of a fallen superstar working out with TV's "Incredible Hulk" and under the care of his own private cardiologist as he tried to get his 50-year-old body in shape for a grueling bid to reclaim his glory.

Michael Jackson told ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley he feared dying young like her "King of Rock 'N' Roll" father Elvis.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's former wife Lisa Marie Presley said on Friday the pop star was a tortured soul who once predicted that he would "end up" like her father, the late rock icon Elvis Presley.

Police focus on medical treatment in Jackson death amid world outpouring of grief. Police investigating Michael Jackson's death looked into his medical treatment Friday, seeking to interview one of the pop king's doctors and seizing a car that they said may contain drugs or other evidence.

Michael Jackson, defined in equal parts as the world's greatest entertainer and perhaps its most enigmatic figure, was about to attempt one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Then his life was cut shockingly ? and so far, mysteriously ? short.

A look at the career of Michael Jackson. A look at the life and career of Michael Jackson:

Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" who once moonwalked above the music world, died Thursday as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50.

Michael Jackson's 50-concert comeback bid in London next month was intended to wash away the taint of freakish scandals and restore him to glory as the "King of Pop." But the curtain will never rise.