OK! magazine has published what it claims to be the last ever photograph of the late pop superstar 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.
A source told Media Week in the US that OK!'s publisher, paid roughly $500,000 for the rights to the photo in the US and the UK.
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.
"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."
The publication attracted criticism earlier this year when it printed a tribute issue to reality TV star Jade Goody while she was still alive.
