FRAIL: This Jan 9, 2002 file photo shows Jackson accepting his award as artiste of the century at the 29th American Music Awards

The paper said that leaked autopsy details showed that the singer was a virtual skeleton who had been barely eating and had only pills in his stomach at the time he died.

The Sun reporters Nick Parker and Steve Kennedy said experts found the distressing evidence of Jacko's physical decline while investigating his startling death in Los Angeles last week.

The paper gave details from the autopsy report that showed Jackson's hips, thighs and shoulders had been riddled with needle wounds - believed to be the result of injections of narcotic painkillers, given three times a day for years. And a mass of surgery  scars were thought to be the legacy of at least 13 cosmetic operations.

Other details that emerged from the examination showed the 178cm star was a "severely emaciated" 51kg.

Jackson had apparently been anorexic and had been eating just one small meal a day.

Pathologists found his stomach empty aside from partially-dissolved pills he took before the painkiller injection which stopped his heart. Samples were sent for toxicology tests.

Apparently Jackson was wearing a wig when he died and had only a "peach fuzz" covering his scalp. A scarred section of  skin above his left ear  was entirely bald - apparently the result of a 1984 accident when his hair caught fire as he filmed an ad for Pepsi.

The star had also several broken ribs as frantic rescuers pumped his chest after he collapsed in cardiac arrest. Four injection sites had been found above or near to Jacko's heart. All appeared to result from attempts to pump adrenaline directly into the heart in attempts to restart it.

The Sun said the autopsy also found unexplained bruising on Jackson's knees and shins. Cuts on his back showed a recent fall.

There was a network of plastic surgery scars on his face while the bridge to his nose had vanished and
its right side had partially collapsed.

GOOD OLD DAYS: Michael Jackson (front, right) with his brothers in Los Angeles — APpic

The paper quoted a source close to the Jackson entourage who had said: "Michael's family and fans will be horrified when they realise the appalling state he was in.

"He was skin and bone, his hair had fallen out and had been eating nothing but pills when he died. Injection marks all over his body and the disfigurement caused by years of plastic surgery show he'd been in terminal decline for years.

"His doctors and the hangers-on stood by as he self-destructed. Somebody is going to have to pay."

The Sun had reported earlier on Saturday that Jackson had apparently developed stage fright and was terrified of performing the comeback show.

Aides claimed the ailing star believed he would be killed if  he pulled out on health grounds. The paper had also revealed that the star was taking a potentially toxic cocktail of drugs.

Did he get the right help?

It appears that the Jackson family have some doubts about how Michael had been treated in his last moments.

A second autopsy demanded by the family has  been carried out at a secret location on Saturday after the first ruled out foul play.

UK newspaper The Sun in a probe story yesterday said Jackson's cardiologist Dr Murray was thought to have given Jackson the final injection of painkiller Demerol.

The doctor is facing serious questions about his resuscitation attempts, which began when he started CPR as Jackson lay unconscious on a bed.

Basic first aid guidance says patients must be face-up on a hard surface before compressions.

Experts yesterday expressed amazement that a trained cardiologist could have made such an error, potentially wasting vital minutes. Additional damage was believed to have been caused by oxygen masks and tubing inserted during resuscitation attempts.

Dr Murray had been hired nearly two weeks ago by AEG Live - the firm masterminding Jackson's 50-date  residency at London's O2 Arena, which was due to start next month.

But in an ironic twist, the paper reported that Jackson had apparently been recovering well from skin  cancer after a successful operation to remove the cells from his chest.