Last picture of Michael Jackson performing

Last pictures of Michael Jackson on stage, taken just two days before he died.
The images of the singer hard at work rehearsing for his upcoming tour give a glimpse of what was in store for fans at his planned comeback gigs in London's 02.

Jackson was due to begin the first of 50 dates at the arena on July 13, but died last Friday after being rushed to hospital in Los Angeles.

In one of the newly-emerged images, taken last Tuesday at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, the singer points towards the audience as backing dancers perform in front of a huge This Is It banner.

Despite looking frail, the star strikes a familiar pose and appears to be in full flow during the rehearsal.

In another photo, he smiles broadly, microphone in hand, dressed in a long shimmering mac over a top and trousers.

And an Australia dancer, Shannon Holtzapffel, has revealed that he was one of just 10 people from around the world that was selected to be part of the tour.

Holtzapffel was dancing with the King of Pop just hours before his death.

More than 800,000 tickets costing up to $2500 had been sold for the concerts at London's O2 arena which were hailed as the most "expensive and technically advanced" live shows ever.

The concerts, which were due to start in two weeks' time, had been expected to be the highest grossing pop production of all time.