A leading anesthesiologist told the jury at the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, that the late singer's life could have been saved had his chin been lifted.

Dr. Steven Shafer, an Ivy League professor, said that lifting the chin of a patient under anesthetic - meant to clear the airwaves - should be the first thing a doctor tries, when looking to revive someone who has stopped breathing.

The jury, at the Los Angeles Superior Court, was also shown a dramatic video re-enactment how the singer stopped breathing after taking a deadly cocktail of drugs to help him sleep.

Dr. Shafer claimed that Dr. Murray didn't try the basic life-saving technique after the late Billie Jean singer stopped breathing, while at his home.

The most likely thing that happened was that his airways were obstructed. Michael Jackson was trying to breath but his tongue got stuck in the back of his throat, said Dr. Shafer, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

A simple chin lift or the use of an instrument to move the tongue may well have been all that was needed to save his life. Michael Jackson died because he stopped breathing -- that is expected when you administer intravenous sedatives. You just have to open the airways so oxygen can get through, he added.

Shafer, a global expert in Propofol, said that he was giving evidence for free at the trial because he wanted to defend the reputation of other doctors.

Court Los Angeles Los Angeles